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Ecclesiastes 10
Complete Jewish Bible
Ecclesiastes 10
Complete Jewish Bible
10 Just as dead flies make perfumed oil stink,
so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.
2 A wise man’s heart leads him rightly,
but a fool’s heart leads him astray;
3 and when a fool travels, he has no good sense,
thus showing everyone that he is a fool.
4 If a ruler gets angry at you, stay at your post,
because calmness soothes great offenses.
5 Another evil I have seen under the sun,
the kind of mistake rulers make, is that
6 fools are promoted to high positions,
while the rich occupy humble places.
7 I have seen servants riding horses,
while princes walk on foot like slaves.
8 He who digs a pit may fall into it;
he who breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.
9 He who quarries stones may get hurt by them,
he who chops wood puts himself in danger.
10 If the [hatchet’s] iron [blade] is blunt,
and [its user] doesn’t sharpen it,
he will have to exert more effort;
but the expert has the advantage of his skill.
11 If a snake bites before it is charmed,
the snake-charmer has no advantage.
12 The words spoken by the wise bring them favor,
but the lips of a fool swallow him up.
13 What he says starts with foolishness
and ends with wicked madness.
14 A fool keeps talking and talking,
yet no one knows what the future will bring —
can anyone tell a person
what will happen after he’s gone?
15 The efforts of a fool wear him out;
he doesn’t even know the way to town!
16 Woe to you, land, when your king is a child,
and your leaders start their parties in the morning!
17 Happy are you, land, when your king is well-born,
and your princes eat at the proper time,
in order to stay strong, not to get drunk!
18 When the owner is lazy, the roof sags;
when hands are idle, the house leaks.
19 Parties are made for having a good time,
wine adds cheer to life,
and money has an answer for everything.
20 Don’t insult the king, not even in your thoughts;
and don’t insult the wealthy, not even in your bedroom;
for a bird in the air might carry the news,
a creature with wings might repeat what you said.
Ecclesiaste 10
La Nuova Diodati
Ecclesiaste 10
La Nuova Diodati
10 Le mosche morte fanno puzzare l'olio del profumiere: cosí un po' di follia guasta il pregio della sapienza e della gloria.
2 Il cuore del saggio è alla sua destra, ma il cuore dello stolto è alla sua sinistra.
3 Anche quando lo stolto cammina per la strada, il senno gli manca e mostra a tutti che è uno stolto.
4 Se l'ira di un sovrano si accende contro di te, non lasciare il tuo posto, perché la calma placa offese anche gravi.
5 C'è un male che ho visto sotto il sole, un errore che viene da chi governa:
6 la follia è posta in cariche elevate, mentre i ricchi seggono in luoghi bassi.
7 Ho visto servi a cavallo e principi camminare a piedi come servi.
8 Chi scava una fossa vi può cadere dentro, e chi demolisce un muro può essere morso da una serpe.
9 Chi sposta delle pietre può esserne ferito, e chi spacca la legna si mette in pericolo.
10 Se la scure è smussata e non se ne affila il taglio, bisogna usare maggior forza, ma la sapienza ha il vantaggio di riuscire sempre.
11 Se il serpente morde perché non è stato incantato, l'incantatore diventa inutile.
12 Le parole della bocca del saggio sono piene di grazia, ma le labbra dello stolto lo distruggono.
13 L'inizio del suo parlare è stoltezza, e la fine del suo dire è pazzia dannosa.
14 Anche se lo stolto moltiplica le parole, l'uomo non sa che cosa avverrà, chi gli può dire ciò che avverrà dopo di lui?
15 La fatica dello stolto lo stanca, perché non sa neppure come andare in città.
16 Guai a te, o paese, il cui re è un fanciullo, e i cui principi pranzano fin dal mattino!
17 Beato te, o paese, il cui re è di stirpe nobile, e i cui principi pranzano al tempo giusto, per ristorare le forze e non per ubriacarsi!
18 Per la pigrizia le travi della casa crollano, e per l'inattività delle mani piove in casa.
19 Un banchetto è fatto per divertirsi, e il vino rallegra la vita, ma il denaro viene incontro ad ogni bisogno.
20 Non maledire il re neppure col pensiero, e non maledire il ricco nella tua camera da letto, perché un uccello del cielo potrebbe portare lontano la tua voce, e un uccello in volo potrebbe riferire la cosa.
Ecclesiastes 10
New International Version
Ecclesiastes 10
New International Version
10 As dead flies give perfume a bad smell,
so a little folly(A) outweighs wisdom and honor.
2 The heart of the wise inclines to the right,
but the heart of the fool to the left.
3 Even as fools walk along the road,
they lack sense
and show everyone(B) how stupid they are.
4 If a ruler’s anger rises against you,
do not leave your post;(C)
calmness can lay great offenses to rest.(D)
5 There is an evil I have seen under the sun,
the sort of error that arises from a ruler:
6 Fools are put in many high positions,(E)
while the rich occupy the low ones.
7 I have seen slaves on horseback,
while princes go on foot like slaves.(F)
8 Whoever digs a pit may fall into it;(G)
whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.(H)
9 Whoever quarries stones may be injured by them;
whoever splits logs may be endangered by them.(I)
10 If the ax is dull
and its edge unsharpened,
more strength is needed,
but skill will bring success.
11 If a snake bites before it is charmed,
the charmer receives no fee.(J)
12 Words from the mouth of the wise are gracious,(K)
but fools are consumed by their own lips.(L)
13 At the beginning their words are folly;
at the end they are wicked madness—
14 and fools multiply words.(M)
No one knows what is coming—
who can tell someone else what will happen after them?(N)
15 The toil of fools wearies them;
they do not know the way to town.
16 Woe to the land whose king was a servant[a](O)
and whose princes feast in the morning.
17 Blessed is the land whose king is of noble birth
and whose princes eat at a proper time—
for strength and not for drunkenness.(P)
18 Through laziness, the rafters sag;
because of idle hands, the house leaks.(Q)
19 A feast is made for laughter,
wine(R) makes life merry,
and money is the answer for everything.
20 Do not revile the king(S) even in your thoughts,
or curse the rich in your bedroom,
because a bird in the sky may carry your words,
and a bird on the wing may report what you say.
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 10:16 Or king is a child
Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)
Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.
La Nuova Diodati (LND)
Copyright © 1991 by La Buona Novella s.c.r.l.
New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.