Eclesiastés 10
Dios Habla Hoy
10 Una mosca muerta apesta
y echa a perder el buen perfume.
Cuenta más la tontería más ligera
que la sabiduría más respetable.
2 La mente del sabio se inclina al bien,
pero la del necio se inclina al mal.
3 El necio, en todo lo que hace,
muestra la pobreza de sus ideas,
aun cuando vaya diciendo
que los necios son los demás.
4 Si el que gobierna se enoja contigo,
no pierdas la cabeza;
el remedio para los grandes errores
es tomar las cosas con calma.
5 Me he dado cuenta de un error que se comete en este mundo, y que tiene su origen en los propios gobernantes: 6 que al necio se le da un alto cargo, mientras que la gente que vale ocupa puestos humildes. 7 He visto esclavos andar a caballo, y príncipes andar a pie como si fueran esclavos.
8 El que hace el hoyo,
en él se cae.
Al que rompe el muro,
la serpiente lo muerde.
9 El que labra piedras,
se lastima con ellas.
El que parte leña,
corre el riesgo de cortarse.
10 Si el hacha se desafila
y no se la vuelve a afilar,
habrá que golpear con más fuerza.
Vale más hacer las cosas bien y con sabiduría.
11 ¿De qué sirve un encantador,
si la serpiente muerde antes de ser encantada?
12 Las palabras del sabio le atraen simpatías,
pero las del necio son su propia ruina:
13 comienza diciendo puras tonterías,
y acaba diciendo las peores estupideces.
14 ¡Al necio no le faltan las palabras!
¿Quién puede decir lo que ha de suceder,
si nadie sabe nada del futuro?
15 Tanto se mata el necio trabajando,
que no sabe ni el camino a la ciudad.
16 ¡Ay del país que tiene por rey a un chiquillo,
y en el que sus príncipes
amanecen en banquetes!
17 ¡Dichoso el país que tiene un rey honorable,
y en el que los gobernantes
comen a la hora debida,
para reponer sus fuerzas
y no para emborracharse!
18 Al holgazán se le cae el techo;
al que no hace nada, toda la casa.
19 El pan es para disfrutarlo,
y el vino para gozar de la vida;
mas para eso hace falta dinero.
20 No critiques al rey
ni siquiera con el pensamiento.
No hables mal del rico, aunque estés a solas,
porque las aves vuelan y pueden ir a contárselo.
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
Holman Christian Standard Bible
The Burden of Folly
10 Dead flies make a perfumer’s oil ferment and stink;(A)
so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.
2 A wise man’s heart goes to the[a] right,
but a fool’s heart to the[b] left.
3 Even when the fool walks along the road, his heart lacks sense,
and he shows everyone he is a fool.(B)
4 If the ruler’s anger rises against you, don’t leave your place,(C)
for calmness puts great offenses to rest.(D)
5 There is an evil I have seen under the sun, an error proceeding from the presence of the ruler:
6 The fool is appointed to great heights,(E)
but the rich remain in lowly positions.
7 I have seen slaves on horses,(F)
but princes walking on the ground like slaves.(G)
8 The one who digs a pit may fall into it,(H)
and the one who breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.(I)
9 The one who quarries stones may be hurt by them;
the one who splits trees may be endangered by them.
10 If the ax is dull, and one does not sharpen its edge,
then one must exert more strength;
however, the advantage of wisdom is that it brings success.
11 If the snake bites before it is charmed,(J)
then there is no advantage for the charmer.[c]
12 The words from the mouth of a wise man are gracious,(K)
but the lips of a fool consume him.(L)
13 The beginning of the words of his mouth is folly,
but the end of his speaking is evil madness.
14 Yet the fool multiplies words.
No one knows what will happen,
and who can tell anyone what will happen after him?(M)
15 The struggles of fools weary them,
for they don’t know how to go to the city.
16 Woe to you, land, when your king is a youth(N)
and your princes feast in the morning.
17 Blessed are you, land, when your king is a son of nobles
and your princes feast at the proper time—
for strength and not for drunkenness.(O)
18 Because of laziness the roof caves in,
and because of negligent hands the house leaks.
19 A feast is prepared for laughter,
and wine makes life happy,(P)
and money is the answer for everything.(Q)
20 Do not curse the king even in your thoughts,(R)
and do not curse a rich person even in your bedroom,(S)
for a bird of the sky may carry the message,
and a winged creature may report the matter.
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 10:2 Lit his
- Ecclesiastes 10:2 Lit his
- Ecclesiastes 10:11 Lit master of the tongue
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