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.
A wise man’s heart is at his right hand,
But a fool’s heart at his left.
Even when a fool walks along the way,
He lacks wisdom,
(A)And he shows everyone that he is a fool.
If the spirit of the ruler rises against you,
(B)Do not leave your post;
For (C)conciliation[c] pacifies great offenses.

There is an evil I have seen under the sun,
As an error proceeding from the ruler:
(D)Folly is set in [d]great dignity,
While the rich sit in a lowly place.
I have seen servants (E)on horses,
While princes walk on the ground like servants.

(F)He who digs a pit will fall into it,
And whoever breaks through a wall will be bitten by a serpent.
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.

The Value of Diligence

11 Cast your bread (Q)upon the waters,
(R)For you will find it after many days.
(S)Give a serving (T)to seven, and also to eight,
(U)For you do not know what evil will be on the earth.

If the clouds are full of rain,
They empty themselves upon the earth;
And if a tree falls to the south or the north,
In the place where the tree falls, there it shall lie.
He who observes the wind will not sow,
And he who regards the clouds will not reap.

As (V)you do not know what is the way of the [h]wind,
(W)Or how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child,
So you do not know the works of God who makes everything.
In the morning sow your seed,
And in the evening do not withhold your hand;
For you do not know which will prosper,
Either this or that,
Or whether both alike will be good.

Truly the light is sweet,
And it is pleasant for the eyes (X)to behold the sun;
But if a man lives many years
And (Y)rejoices in them all,
Yet let him (Z)remember the days of darkness,
For they will be many.
All that is coming is vanity.

Seek God in Early Life

Rejoice, O young man, in your youth,
And let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth;
(AA)Walk in the [i]ways of your heart,
And [j]in the sight of your eyes;
But know that for all these
(AB)God will bring you into judgment.
10 Therefore remove [k]sorrow from your heart,
And (AC)put away evil from your flesh,
(AD)For childhood and [l]youth are vanity.

Seek God in Early Life

12 Remember(AE) now your Creator in the days of your youth,
Before the [m]difficult days come,
And the years draw near (AF)when you say,
“I have no pleasure in them”:
While the sun and the light,
The moon and the stars,
Are not darkened,
And the clouds do not return after the rain;
In the day when the keepers of the house tremble,
And the strong men bow down;
When the grinders cease because they are few,
And those that look through the windows grow dim;
When the doors are shut in the streets,
And the sound of grinding is low;
When one rises up at the sound of a bird,
And all (AG)the daughters of music are brought low.
Also they are afraid of height,
And of terrors in the way;
When the almond tree blossoms,
The grasshopper is a burden,
And desire fails.
For man goes to (AH)his eternal home,
And (AI)the mourners go about the streets.

Remember your Creator before the silver cord is [n]loosed,
Or the golden bowl is broken,
Or the pitcher shattered at the fountain,
Or the wheel broken at the well.
(AJ)Then the dust will return to the earth as it was,
(AK)And the spirit will return to God (AL)who gave it.

“Vanity(AM) of vanities,” says the Preacher,
“All is vanity.”

The Whole Duty of Man

And moreover, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yes, he pondered and sought out and (AN)set[o] in order many proverbs. 10 The Preacher sought to find [p]acceptable words; and what was written was upright—words of truth. 11 The words of the wise are like goads, and the words of [q]scholars are like well-driven nails, given by one Shepherd. 12 And further, my son, be admonished by these. Of making many books there is no end, and (AO)much study is wearisome to the flesh.

13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:

(AP)Fear God and keep His commandments,
For this is man’s all.
14 For (AQ)God will bring every work into judgment,
Including every secret thing,
Whether good or evil.

Footnotes

  1. Ecclesiastes 10:1 Lit. Flies of death
  2. Ecclesiastes 10:1 Tg., Vg. omit putrefy
  3. Ecclesiastes 10:4 Lit. healing, health
  4. Ecclesiastes 10:6 exalted positions
  5. Ecclesiastes 10:10 Lit. is a successful advantage
  6. Ecclesiastes 10:11 Lit. master of the tongue
  7. Ecclesiastes 10:18 Lit. rafters sink
  8. Ecclesiastes 11:5 Or spirit
  9. Ecclesiastes 11:9 Impulses
  10. Ecclesiastes 11:9 As you see to be best
  11. Ecclesiastes 11:10 vexation
  12. Ecclesiastes 11:10 Prime of life
  13. Ecclesiastes 12:1 Lit. evil
  14. Ecclesiastes 12:6 So with Qr., Tg.; Kt. removed; LXX, Vg. broken
  15. Ecclesiastes 12:9 arranged
  16. Ecclesiastes 12:10 Lit. delightful
  17. Ecclesiastes 12:11 Lit. masters of assemblies

Zophar Urges Job to Repent

11 Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said:

“Should not the multitude of words be answered?
And should [a]a man full of talk be vindicated?
Should your empty talk make men [b]hold their peace?
And when you mock, should no one rebuke you?
For you have said,
(A)‘My doctrine is pure,
And I am clean in your eyes.’
But oh, that God would speak,
And open His lips against you,
That He would show you the secrets of wisdom!
For they would double your prudence.
Know therefore that (B)God [c]exacts from you
Less than your iniquity deserves.

“Can(C) you search out the deep things of God?
Can you find out the limits of the Almighty?
They are higher than heaven—what can you do?
Deeper than [d]Sheol—what can you know?
Their measure is longer than the earth
And broader than the sea.

10 “If(D) He passes by, imprisons, and gathers to judgment,
Then who can [e]hinder Him?
11 For (E)He knows deceitful men;
He sees wickedness also.
Will He not then consider it?
12 For an (F)empty-headed man will be wise,
When a wild donkey’s colt is born a man.

13 “If you would (G)prepare your heart,
And (H)stretch out your hands toward Him;
14 If iniquity were in your hand, and you put it far away,
And (I)would not let wickedness dwell in your tents;
15 (J)Then surely you could lift up your face without spot;
Yes, you could be steadfast, and not fear;
16 Because you would (K)forget your misery,
And remember it as waters that have passed away,
17 And your life (L)would be brighter than noonday.
Though you were dark, you would be like the morning.
18 And you would be secure, because there is hope;
Yes, you would dig around you, and (M)take your rest in safety.
19 You would also lie down, and no one would make you afraid;
Yes, many would court your favor.
20 But (N)the eyes of the wicked will fail,
And they shall not escape,
And (O)their hope—[f]loss of life!”

Job Answers His Critics

12 Then Job answered and said:

“No doubt you are the people,
And wisdom will die with you!
But I have [g]understanding as well as you;
I am not (P)inferior to you.
Indeed, who does not know such things as these?

“I(Q) am one mocked by his friends,
Who (R)called on God, and He answered him,
The just and blameless who is ridiculed.
A [h]lamp is despised in the thought of one who is at ease;
It is made ready for (S)those whose feet slip.
(T)The tents of robbers prosper,
And those who provoke God are secure—
In what God provides by His hand.

“But now ask the beasts, and they will teach you;
And the birds of the air, and they will tell you;
Or speak to the earth, and it will teach you;
And the fish of the sea will explain to you.
Who among all these does not know
That the hand of the Lord has done this,
10 (U)In whose hand is the [i]life of every living thing,
And the (V)breath of [j]all mankind?
11 Does not the ear test words
And the [k]mouth taste its food?
12 Wisdom is with aged men,
And with [l]length of days, understanding.

13 “With Him are (W)wisdom and strength,
He has counsel and understanding.
14 If (X)He breaks a thing down, it cannot be rebuilt;
If He imprisons a man, there can be no release.
15 If He (Y)withholds the waters, they dry up;
If He (Z)sends them out, they overwhelm the earth.
16 With Him are strength and prudence.
The deceived and the deceiver are His.
17 He leads counselors away plundered,
And makes fools of the judges.
18 He loosens the bonds of kings,
And binds their waist with a belt.
19 He leads [m]princes away plundered,
And overthrows the mighty.
20 (AA)He deprives the trusted ones of speech,
And takes away the discernment of the elders.
21 (AB)He pours contempt on princes,
And [n]disarms the mighty.
22 He (AC)uncovers deep things out of darkness,
And brings the shadow of death to light.
23 (AD)He makes nations great, and destroys them;
He [o]enlarges nations, and guides them.
24 He takes away the [p]understanding of the chiefs of the people of the earth,
And (AE)makes them wander in a pathless wilderness.
25 (AF)They grope in the dark without light,
And He makes them (AG)stagger like a drunken man.

Footnotes

  1. Job 11:2 Lit. a man of lips
  2. Job 11:3 be silent
  3. Job 11:6 Lit. forgets some of your iniquity for you
  4. Job 11:8 The abode of the dead
  5. Job 11:10 restrain
  6. Job 11:20 Lit. the breathing out of life
  7. Job 12:3 Lit. a heart
  8. Job 12:5 Or disaster
  9. Job 12:10 Or soul
  10. Job 12:10 Lit. all flesh of men
  11. Job 12:11 palate
  12. Job 12:12 Long life
  13. Job 12:19 Lit. priests, but not in a technical sense
  14. Job 12:21 loosens the belt of
  15. Job 12:23 Lit. spreads out
  16. Job 12:24 Lit. heart

Bible Gateway Recommends