Ecclesiastes 10
Legacy Standard Bible
The Folly of a Simpleminded Fool
10 Dead flies make a (A)perfumer’s oil stink, so a little simpleminded folly is weightier than wisdom and honor. 2 A wise man’s heart directs him toward the right, but the foolish (B)man’s heart directs him toward the left. 3 Even when the simpleminded fool walks along the road, his heart lacks wisdom, and he (C)says to all that he is a simpleminded fool. 4 If the ruler’s [a]temper rises against you, (D)do not abandon your position, because (E)calmness causes great offenses to be abandoned.
5 There is an evil I have seen under the sun, like a mistake which goes forth from the one in power— 6 [b](F)folly is set in many exalted places while rich men sit in humble places. 7 I have seen (G)slaves riding (H)on horses and princes walking like slaves on the land.
8 (I)He who digs a pit may fall into it, and a (J)serpent may bite him who breaks through a wall. 9 He who quarries stones may be hurt by them, and he who splits logs may be endangered by them. 10 If the [c]axe is dull and he does not sharpen its edge, then he must [d]exert more strength. Wisdom has the advantage of giving success. 11 If the serpent bites [e](K)before being charmed, there is no advantage for the charmer. 12 (L)Words from the mouth of a wise man are gracious, but the lips of a (M)fool swallow him up; 13 the beginning of the words of his mouth is simpleminded folly, and the end of what comes from his mouth is evil (N)madness. 14 Yet the (O)simpleminded fool multiplies words. No man knows what will happen, and who can tell him (P)what will come after him? 15 The labor of [f]a fool so wearies him that he does not even know how to go to a city. 16 Woe to you, O land, whose (Q)king is a young man and whose princes [g]eat in the morning. 17 Blessed are you, O land, whose king is of nobility and whose princes eat at the appropriate time—for might and not for (R)drinking. 18 Through (S)indolence the beams sag, and through slack hands the house leaks. 19 Men prepare bread for laughter, and (T)wine makes life glad, and (U)money [h]is the answer to everything. 20 Furthermore, (V)in your bedchamber do not (W)curse a king, and in your sleeping rooms do not curse a rich man, for a bird of the sky will bring the sound and the winged creature will tell the matter.
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 10:4 Lit spirit
- Ecclesiastes 10:6 Or simpleminded folly, cf. Eccl 1:17; 2:3, 12, 13; 10:1, 13
- Ecclesiastes 10:10 Lit iron
- Ecclesiastes 10:10 Lit strengthen
- Ecclesiastes 10:11 Lit without enchantment
- Ecclesiastes 10:15 Lit fools
- Ecclesiastes 10:16 Or feast
- Ecclesiastes 10:19 Lit answers all
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
New International Reader's Version
10 Dead flies give perfume a bad smell.
And a little foolishness can make a lot of wisdom useless.
2 The hearts of wise people lead them on the right path.
But the hearts of foolish people take them down the wrong path.
3 Foolish people don’t have any sense at all.
They show everyone they are foolish.
They do it even when they are walking along the road.
4 Suppose a ruler gets very angry with you.
If he does, don’t quit your job in the palace.
Being calm can overcome what you have done against him.
5 Here’s something evil I’ve seen on this earth.
And it’s the kind of mistake that rulers make.
6 Foolish people are given many important jobs.
Rich people are given unimportant ones.
7 I’ve seen slaves on horseback.
I’ve also seen princes who were forced to walk as if they were slaves.
8 Anyone who digs a pit might fall into it.
Anyone who breaks through a wall might be bitten by a snake.
9 Anyone who removes stones from rock pits might get hurt.
Anyone who cuts logs might get wounded.
10 Suppose the blade of an ax is dull.
And its edge hasn’t been sharpened.
Then more effort is needed to use it.
But skill will bring success.
11 Suppose a snake bites before it is charmed.
Then the snake charmer receives no payment.
12 Wise people say gracious things.
But foolish people are destroyed by what their own lips speak.
13 At first what they say is foolish.
In the end their words are very evil.
14 They talk too much.
No one knows what lies ahead.
Who can tell someone else what will happen after they are gone?
15 The work foolish people do makes them tired.
They don’t even know the way to town.
16 How terrible it is for a land whose king used to be a servant!
How terrible if its princes get drunk in the morning!
17 How blessed is the land whose king was born into the royal family!
How blessed if its princes eat and drink at the proper time!
How blessed if they eat and drink to become strong and not to get drunk!
18 When a person won’t work, the roof falls down.
Because of hands that aren’t busy, the house leaks.
19 People laugh at a dinner party.
And wine makes life happy.
People think money can buy everything.
20 Don’t say bad things about the king.
Don’t even think about those things.
Don’t curse rich people.
Don’t even curse them in your bedroom.
A bird might fly away and carry your words.
It might report what you said.
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Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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