Ecclesiastes 9:17-12:8
New King James Version
17 Words of the wise, spoken quietly, should be heard
Rather than the shout of a ruler of fools.
18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war;
But (A)one sinner destroys much good.”
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,
(B)And he shows everyone that he is a fool.
4 If the spirit of the ruler rises against you,
(C)Do not leave your post;
For (D)conciliation[c] pacifies great offenses.
5 There is an evil I have seen under the sun,
As an error proceeding from the ruler:
6 (E)Folly is set in [d]great dignity,
While the rich sit in a lowly place.
7 I have seen servants (F)on horses,
While princes walk on the ground like servants.
8 (G)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 (H)when it is not charmed;
The [f]babbler is no different.
12 (I)The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious,
But (J)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 (K)A fool also multiplies words.
No man knows what is to be;
Who can tell him (L)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 (M)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 (N)princes feast at the proper time—
For strength and not for drunkenness!
18 Because of laziness the [g]building decays,
And (O)through idleness of hands the house leaks.
19 A feast is made for laughter,
And (P)wine makes merry;
But money answers everything.
20 (Q)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 (R)upon the waters,
(S)For you will find it after many days.
2 (T)Give a serving (U)to seven, and also to eight,
(V)For you do not know what evil will be on the earth.
3 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.
4 He who observes the wind will not sow,
And he who regards the clouds will not reap.
5 As (W)you do not know what is the way of the [h]wind,
(X)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.
6 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.
7 Truly the light is sweet,
And it is pleasant for the eyes (Y)to behold the sun;
8 But if a man lives many years
And (Z)rejoices in them all,
Yet let him (AA)remember the days of darkness,
For they will be many.
All that is coming is vanity.
Seek God in Early Life
9 Rejoice, O young man, in your youth,
And let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth;
(AB)Walk in the [i]ways of your heart,
And [j]in the sight of your eyes;
But know that for all these
(AC)God will bring you into judgment.
10 Therefore remove [k]sorrow from your heart,
And (AD)put away evil from your flesh,
(AE)For childhood and [l]youth are vanity.
Seek God in Early Life
12 Remember(AF) now your Creator in the days of your youth,
Before the [m]difficult days come,
And the years draw near (AG)when you say,
“I have no pleasure in them”:
2 While the sun and the light,
The moon and the stars,
Are not darkened,
And the clouds do not return after the rain;
3 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;
4 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 (AH)the daughters of music are brought low.
5 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 (AI)his eternal home,
And (AJ)the mourners go about the streets.
6 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.
7 (AK)Then the dust will return to the earth as it was,
(AL)And the spirit will return to God (AM)who gave it.
8 “Vanity(AN) of vanities,” says the Preacher,
“All is vanity.”
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 11:5 Or spirit
- Ecclesiastes 11:9 Impulses
- Ecclesiastes 11:9 As you see to be best
- Ecclesiastes 11:10 vexation
- Ecclesiastes 11:10 Prime of life
- Ecclesiastes 12:1 Lit. evil
- Ecclesiastes 12:6 So with Qr., Tg.; Kt. removed; LXX, Vg. broken
Ecclesiastes 9:17-12:8
English Standard Version
17 The words of the wise heard in (A)quiet are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools. 18 (B)Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but (C)one sinner destroys much good.
10 Dead flies make (D)the perfumer's ointment give off a stench;
so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.
2 (E)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 (F)says to everyone that he is a fool.
4 If the anger of the ruler rises against you, (G)do not leave your place,
(H)for calmness[a] will lay great offenses to rest.
5 There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, as it were (I)an error proceeding from the ruler: 6 (J)folly is set in many high places, and the rich sit in a low place. 7 (K)I have seen slaves (L)on horses, and princes walking on the ground like slaves.
8 He who (M)digs a pit will fall into it,
and (N)a serpent will bite him who breaks through a wall.
9 (O)He who quarries stones is hurt by them,
and he who (P)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 (Q)charmed,
there is no advantage to the charmer.
12 The words of a wise man's mouth (R)win him favor,[c]
but (S)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 (T)A fool multiplies words,
though no man knows what is to be,
and who can tell him (U)what will be after him?
15 The toil of a fool wearies him,
for he does not know (V)the way to the city.
16 (W)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 (X)drunkenness!
18 Through sloth the roof sinks in,
and through indolence the house leaks.
19 Bread is made for laughter,
and (Y)wine gladdens life,
and (Z)money answers everything.
20 Even in your thoughts, (AA)do not curse the king,
nor in your (AB)bedroom curse the rich,
for a bird of the air will carry your voice,
or some winged creature tell the matter.
Cast Your Bread upon the Waters
11 (AC)Cast your bread upon the waters,
(AD)for you will find it after many days.
2 (AE)Give a portion to (AF)seven, or even to eight,
(AG)for you know not what disaster may happen on earth.
3 If the clouds are full of rain,
they empty themselves on the earth,
and if a tree falls to the south or to the north,
in the place where the tree falls, there it will lie.
4 He who observes the wind will not sow,
and he who regards the clouds will not reap.
5 As you do not know the way (AH)the spirit comes to (AI)the bones in the womb[d] of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything.
6 In the morning sow your seed, and at evening (AJ)withhold not your hand, for you do not know which will prosper, this or that, or whether both alike will be good.
7 Light is sweet, and it is pleasant for the eyes to (AK)see the sun.
8 So if a person lives many years, let him rejoice in them all; but let him remember (AL)that the days of darkness will be many. All that comes is (AM)vanity.[e]
9 (AN)Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. (AO)Walk in the ways of your heart and (AP)the sight of your eyes. But know that for all these things (AQ)God will bring you into judgment.
10 Remove vexation from your heart, and (AR)put away pain[f] from your body, for youth and the dawn of life are vanity.
Remember Your Creator in Your Youth
12 Remember also your Creator in (AS)the days of your youth, before (AT)the evil days come and the years draw near of which (AU)you will say, “I have no pleasure in them”; 2 before (AV)the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened and the clouds return after the rain, 3 in the day when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men are bent, and the grinders cease because they are few, and (AW)those who look through the windows are dimmed, 4 and (AX)the doors on the street are shut—when (AY)the sound of the grinding is low, and one rises up at the sound of a bird, and all (AZ)the daughters of song are brought low— 5 they are afraid also of what is high, and (BA)terrors are in the way; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags itself along,[g] and desire fails, because man is going to his (BB)eternal (BC)home, and the (BD)mourners go about the streets— 6 before the silver cord is snapped, or (BE)the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is (BF)shattered at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern, 7 and (BG)the dust returns to the earth as it was, and (BH)the spirit returns to God (BI)who gave it. 8 (BJ)Vanity[h] of vanities, says (BK)the Preacher; all is vanity.
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 10:4 Hebrew healing
- Ecclesiastes 10:10 Or wisdom is an advantage for success
- Ecclesiastes 10:12 Or are gracious
- Ecclesiastes 11:5 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Targum; most Hebrew manuscripts As you do not know the way of the wind, or how the bones grow in the womb
- Ecclesiastes 11:8 The Hebrew term hebel can refer to a “vapor” or “mere breath”; also verse 10 (see note on 1:2)
- Ecclesiastes 11:10 Or evil
- Ecclesiastes 12:5 Or is a burden
- Ecclesiastes 12:8 The Hebrew term hebel can refer to a “vapor” or “mere breath” (three times in this verse); see note on 1:2
Ecclesiastes 9:17-12:8
New American Standard Bible
17 The (A)words of the wise heard in calm are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools. 18 (B)Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but (C)one sinner destroys much good.
A Little Foolishness
10 Dead flies turn a (D)perfumer’s oil rancid, so a little foolishness is more [a]potent than wisdom and honor. 2 A wise person’s heart directs him toward the right, but the foolish (E)person’s heart directs him toward the left. 3 Even when the fool walks along the road, his [b]sense is lacking, and he [c](F)demonstrates to everyone that he is a fool. 4 If the ruler’s [d]temper rises against you, (G)do not abandon your place, because (H)composure puts great offenses to rest.
5 There is an evil I have seen under the sun, like a mistake that proceeds from the ruler: 6 (I)foolishness is set in many exalted places while the rich sit in humble places. 7 I have seen (J)slaves riding (K)on horses and princes walking like slaves on the land.
8 (L)One who digs a pit may fall into it, and a (M)serpent may bite one who breaks through a wall. 9 One who quarries stones may be hurt by them, and one who splits logs may be endangered by them. 10 If the [e]axe is dull and he does not sharpen its [f]edge, then he must exert more strength. Wisdom has the advantage of bringing success. 11 If the serpent bites [g](N)before being charmed, there is no benefit for the charmer. 12 (O)Words from the mouth of a wise person are gracious, while the lips of a (P)fool consume him; 13 the beginning of [h]his talking is foolishness, and the end of [i]it is evil (Q)insanity. 14 Yet the (R)fool multiplies words. No person knows what will happen, and who can tell him (S)what will come after him? 15 The labor of [j]a fool makes him so weary that he does not even know how to go to a city. 16 Woe to you, land whose (T)king is a boy, and whose princes [k]feast in the morning. 17 Blessed are you, land whose king is of nobility, and whose princes eat at the appropriate time—for strength and not for (U)drunkenness. 18 Through (V)extreme laziness the rafters sag, and through idleness the house leaks. 19 People prepare a meal for enjoyment, (W)wine makes life joyful, and (X)money [l]is the answer to everything. 20 Furthermore, (Y)in your bedroom do not (Z)curse a king, and in your sleeping rooms do not curse a rich person; for a bird of the sky will bring the sound, and the winged one will make your word known.
Cast Your Bread on the Waters
11 (AA)Cast your bread on the surface of the waters, for you (AB)will find it [m]after many days. 2 (AC)Divide your portion to seven, or even to eight, for you do not know what (AD)misfortune may occur on the earth. 3 If the clouds are full, they pour out rain on the earth; and whether a tree falls toward the south or toward the north, wherever the tree falls, there it [n]lies. 4 One who watches the wind will not sow and one who looks at the clouds will not harvest. 5 Just as you do not (AE)know the path of the [o]wind, and (AF)how bones are formed in the womb of the [p]pregnant woman, so you do not (AG)know the activity of God who makes everything.
6 Sow your seed (AH)in the morning and do not [q]be idle in the evening, for you do not know whether [r]one or the other will succeed, or whether both of them alike will be good.
7 The light is pleasant, and it is good for the eyes to (AI)see the sun. 8 Indeed, if a person lives many years, let him (AJ)rejoice in them all; but let him remember the (AK)days of darkness, for they will be many. Everything that is to come will be futility.
9 Rejoice, young man, during your childhood, and let your heart be pleasant during the days of young manhood. And follow the [s]impulses of your heart and the [t](AL)desires of your eyes. Yet know that (AM)God will bring you to judgment for all these things. 10 So remove [u]sorrow from your heart and keep [v](AN)pain away from your body, because childhood and the prime of life are [w]fleeting.
Remember God in Your Youth
12 (AO)Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the (AP)evil days come and the years approach when you will say, “I have no pleasure in them”; 2 before the (AQ)sun and the light, the moon and the stars are darkened, and clouds return after the rain; 3 on the day that the watchmen of the house tremble, and strong men are (AR)bent over, the grinders stop working because they are few, and (AS)those who look through [x]windows grow [y]dim; 4 and the doors on the street are shut as the (AT)sound of the grinding mill is low, and one will arise at the sound of the bird, and all the (AU)daughters of song will [z]sing softly. 5 Furthermore, people are afraid of a high place and of terrors on the road; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags itself along, and the caper berry is ineffective. For man goes to his eternal (AV)home while the (AW)mourners move around in the street. 6 Remember your Creator before the silver cord is [aa]broken and the (AX)golden bowl is crushed, the pitcher by the spring is shattered and the wheel at the cistern is crushed; 7 then the (AY)dust will return to the earth as it was, and the [ab](AZ)spirit will return to (BA)God who gave it. 8 “(BB)Futility of futilities,” says the Preacher, “all is futility!”
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 10:1 Lit costly
- Ecclesiastes 10:3 Lit heart
- Ecclesiastes 10:3 Lit says
- Ecclesiastes 10:4 Lit spirit
- Ecclesiastes 10:10 Lit iron
- Ecclesiastes 10:10 Lit faces
- Ecclesiastes 10:11 Lit with no incantation
- Ecclesiastes 10:13 Lit the words of his mouth
- Ecclesiastes 10:13 Lit his mouth
- Ecclesiastes 10:15 Lit fools make
- Ecclesiastes 10:16 Lit eat
- Ecclesiastes 10:19 Lit answers all
- Ecclesiastes 11:1 Lit in, within
- Ecclesiastes 11:3 Lit is
- Ecclesiastes 11:5 Or with many mss spirit into the bones in the womb
- Ecclesiastes 11:5 Lit full
- Ecclesiastes 11:6 Lit let down your hand
- Ecclesiastes 11:6 Lit this or that
- Ecclesiastes 11:9 Lit ways
- Ecclesiastes 11:9 Lit sights
- Ecclesiastes 11:10 Or anger
- Ecclesiastes 11:10 Lit evil
- Ecclesiastes 11:10 Lit futility
- Ecclesiastes 12:3 Or holes
- Ecclesiastes 12:3 I.e., in their eyesight
- Ecclesiastes 12:4 Lit be low
- Ecclesiastes 12:6 As in LXX; Heb removed
- Ecclesiastes 12:7 Or breath
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.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
