Ecclesiastes 10
1599 Geneva Bible
10 1 The difference of foolishness and wisdom. 11 A slanderer is like a serpent that cannot be charmed. 16 Of foolish kings and drunken princes, 17 And of good Kings and Princes.
1 Dead flies cause to stink, and putrefy the ointment of the apothecary: so doth a little folly him that is in estimation for wisdom, and for glory.
2 The heart of a [a]wise man is at his right hand: but the heart of a fool is at his left hand.
3 And also when the fool goeth by the way, his heart faileth, and he [b]telleth unto all that he is a fool.
4 If the [c]spirit of him that ruleth, rise up against thee, leave not thy place: for gentleness pacifieth great sins.
5 There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, as an [d]error that proceedeth from the face of him that ruleth.
6 Folly is set in great excellency, and the [e]rich sit in the low place.
7 I have seen servants on horses, and princes walking as servants on the ground.
8 (A)He that diggeth a pit, shall fall into it, and he that breaketh the hedge, a serpent shall bite him.
9 He that removeth stones, shall hurt himself thereby, and he that cutteth wood, shall be in danger thereby.
10 If the iron be blunt, and one hath not whet the edge, he must then put to more [f]strength: but the excellency to direct a thing is wisdom.
11 If the serpent bite, when he is not charmed: no better is a babbler.
12 The words of the mouth of a wise man have grace: but the lips of a fool devour himself.
13 The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness, and the latter end of his mouth is wicked madness.
14 For the fool multiplieth words, saying, Man knoweth not what shall be: and who can tell him what shall be after him?
15 The labor of the foolish doth weary him: for he knoweth not to go into the [g]city.
16 Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a [h]child, and thy princes [i]eat in the morning.
17 Blessed art thou, O land, when thy King is the son [j]of nobles, and thy princes eat in time, for strength and not for drunkenness.
18 By slothfulness the roof of the house goeth to decay, and by the idleness of the hands the house droppeth through.
19 They prepare bread for laughter, and wine comforteth the living, but silver answereth to all.
20 Curse not the king, no not in thy thought, neither curse the rich in thy bed chamber: for the [k]fowl of the heaven shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings, shall declare the matter.
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 10:2 So that he doeth all things well and justly, where as the fool doeth the contrary.
- Ecclesiastes 10:3 By his doings he betrayeth himself.
- Ecclesiastes 10:4 If thy superior be angry with thee, be thou discrete, and not moved.
- Ecclesiastes 10:5 Meaning, that it is an evil thing when they that are in authority, fail and do not their duty.
- Ecclesiastes 10:6 They that are rich in wisdom and virtue.
- Ecclesiastes 10:10 Without wisdom whatsoever a man taketh in hand, turneth to his own hurt.
- Ecclesiastes 10:15 The ignorance and beastliness of the wicked is such that they know not common things, and yet will they discuss high matters.
- Ecclesiastes 10:16 That is, without wisdom and counsel.
- Ecclesiastes 10:16 Are given to their lusts, and pleasures.
- Ecclesiastes 10:17 Meaning, when he is noble for virtue and wisdom, and with the gifts of God.
- Ecclesiastes 10:20 Thou canst not work evil so secretly, but it shall be known.
Ecclesiastes 10
New King James Version
Wisdom and Folly
10 Dead[a] flies [b]putrefy the perfumer’s ointment,
And cause it to give off a foul odor;
So does a little folly to one respected for wisdom and honor.
2 A wise man’s heart is at his right hand,
But a fool’s heart at his left.
3 Even when a fool walks along the way,
He lacks wisdom,
(A)And he shows everyone that he is a fool.
4 If the spirit of the ruler rises against you,
(B)Do not leave your post;
For (C)conciliation[c] pacifies great offenses.
5 There is an evil I have seen under the sun,
As an error proceeding from the ruler:
6 (D)Folly is set in [d]great dignity,
While the rich sit in a lowly place.
7 I have seen servants (E)on horses,
While princes walk on the ground like servants.
8 (F)He who digs a pit will fall into it,
And whoever breaks through a wall will be bitten by a serpent.
9 He who quarries stones may be hurt by them,
And he who splits wood may be endangered by it.
10 If the ax is dull,
And one does not sharpen the edge,
Then he must use more strength;
But wisdom [e]brings success.
11 A serpent may bite (G)when it is not charmed;
The [f]babbler is no different.
12 (H)The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious,
But (I)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 (J)A fool also multiplies words.
No man knows what is to be;
Who can tell him (K)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 (L)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 (M)princes feast at the proper time—
For strength and not for drunkenness!
18 Because of laziness the [g]building decays,
And (N)through idleness of hands the house leaks.
19 A feast is made for laughter,
And (O)wine makes merry;
But money answers everything.
20 (P)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.
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 10:1 Lit. Flies of death
- Ecclesiastes 10:1 Tg., Vg. omit putrefy
- Ecclesiastes 10:4 Lit. healing, health
- Ecclesiastes 10:6 exalted positions
- Ecclesiastes 10:10 Lit. is a successful advantage
- Ecclesiastes 10:11 Lit. master of the tongue
- Ecclesiastes 10:18 Lit. rafters sink
Ecclesiastes 10
King James Version
10 Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour.
2 A wise man's heart is at his right hand; but a fool's heart at his left.
3 Yea also, when he that is a fool walketh by the way, his wisdom faileth him, and he saith to every one that he is a fool.
4 If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place; for yielding pacifieth great offences.
5 There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, as an error which proceedeth from the ruler:
6 Folly is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in low place.
7 I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth.
8 He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh an hedge, a serpent shall bite him.
9 Whoso removeth stones shall be hurt therewith; and he that cleaveth wood shall be endangered thereby.
10 If the iron be blunt, and he do not whet the edge, then must he put to more strength: but wisdom is profitable to direct.
11 Surely the serpent will bite without enchantment; and a babbler is no better.
12 The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself.
13 The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness: and the end of his talk is mischievous madness.
14 A fool also is full of words: a man cannot tell what shall be; and what shall be after him, who can tell him?
15 The labour of the foolish wearieth every one of them, because he knoweth not how to go to the city.
16 Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes eat in the morning!
17 Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!
18 By much slothfulness the building decayeth; and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth through.
19 A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money answereth all things.
20 Curse not the king, no not in thy thought; and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter.
Ecclesiastes 10
English Standard Version
10 Dead flies make (A)the perfumer's ointment give off a stench;
so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.
2 (B)A wise man's heart inclines him to the right,
but a fool's heart to the left.
3 Even when the fool walks on the road, he lacks sense,
and he (C)says to everyone that he is a fool.
4 If the anger of the ruler rises against you, (D)do not leave your place,
(E)for calmness[a] will lay great offenses to rest.
5 There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, as it were (F)an error proceeding from the ruler: 6 (G)folly is set in many high places, and the rich sit in a low place. 7 (H)I have seen slaves (I)on horses, and princes walking on the ground like slaves.
8 He who (J)digs a pit will fall into it,
and (K)a serpent will bite him who breaks through a wall.
9 (L)He who quarries stones is hurt by them,
and he who (M)splits logs is endangered by them.
10 If the iron is blunt, and one does not sharpen the edge,
he must use more strength,
but wisdom helps one to succeed.[b]
11 If the serpent bites before it is (N)charmed,
there is no advantage to the charmer.
12 The words of a wise man's mouth (O)win him favor,[c]
but (P)the lips of a fool consume him.
13 The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness,
and the end of his talk is evil madness.
14 (Q)A fool multiplies words,
though no man knows what is to be,
and who can tell him (R)what will be after him?
15 The toil of a fool wearies him,
for he does not know (S)the way to the city.
16 (T)Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child,
and your princes feast in the morning!
17 Happy are you, O land, when your king is the son of the nobility,
and your princes feast at the proper time,
for strength, and not for (U)drunkenness!
18 Through sloth the roof sinks in,
and through indolence the house leaks.
19 Bread is made for laughter,
and (V)wine gladdens life,
and (W)money answers everything.
20 Even in your thoughts, (X)do not curse the king,
nor in your (Y)bedroom curse the rich,
for a bird of the air will carry your voice,
or some winged creature tell the matter.
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 10:4 Hebrew healing
- Ecclesiastes 10:10 Or wisdom is an advantage for success
- Ecclesiastes 10:12 Or are gracious
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
