Ecclesiastes 10:10-20

New King James Version

¹¹ A serpent may bite ^(A)when it is not charmed;
The ^[b]babbler is no different.
^12 (B)The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious,
But ^(C)the lips of a fool shall swallow him up;
¹³ The words of his mouth begin with foolishness,
And the end of his talk is raving madness.
^14 (D)A fool also multiplies words.
No man knows what is to be;
Who can tell him ^(E)what will be after him?
¹⁵ The labor of fools wearies them,
For they do not even know how to go to the city!

^16 (F)Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child,
And your princes feast in the morning!
¹⁷ Blessed are you, O land, when your king is the son of nobles,
And your ^(G)princes feast at the proper time—
For strength and not for drunkenness!
¹⁸ Because of laziness the ^[c]building decays,
And ^(H)through idleness of hands the house leaks.
¹⁹ A feast is made for laughter,
And ^(I)wine makes merry;
But money answers everything.

^20 (J)Do not curse the king, even in your thought;
Do not curse the rich, even in your bedroom;
For a bird of the air may carry your voice,
And a bird in flight may tell the matter.