Kohelet 10
Orthodox Jewish Bible
10 Dead flies cause the perfumer’s shemen to send forth a foul odor; so doth a little sichlut outweigh chochmah and kavod.
2 A chacham’s lev is at his yamin (right hand); but a kesil’s lev is at his semol (left hand).
3 Yea also, when he that is a kesil even walketh along the derech, his sense faileth him, and he saith to every one that he is a kesil.
4 If the ruach of the moshel rise up against thee, leave not thy mekom; for calmness pacifieth chata’im gedolim.
5 There is a ra’ah which I have seen under the shemesh, the sort of error which proceedeth from a shalit (ruler);
6 Sekhel (folly) is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in low place.
7 I have seen avadim (servants) upon susim, and sarim (princes) walking as avadim upon ha’aretz.
8 He that diggeth a gumatz (pit) shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh through a wall, a nachash shall bite him.
9 Whoso pulleth out avanim (stones) may be hurt therewith; and he that cleaveth wood may be endangered thereby.
10 If the barzel (iron [of the axe]) be blunt, and he do not whet the edge, then must more strength be marshalled; but chochmah brings success.
11 If the nachash will bite before it is charmed, there is no use in a charmer.
12 The words of a chacham’s mouth are chen (gracious); but the lips of a kesil will swallow up himself.
13 The beginning of the words of his mouth is sichlut; and the end of his talk is holelot ra’ah.
14 A kesil also is full of devarim; haAdam has no da’as of what shall be, and what shall be after him, who can tell him?
15 The amal of the kesilim wearieth him, because he has no da’as of how to go to town.
16 Woe to thee, O eretz, when thy melech is a na’ar, and thy sarim (princes) feast in the boker!
17 Blessed art thou, O eretz, when thy melech is a nobleman, and thy sarim (princes) eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!
18 By much atzlut (slothfulness) the rafters falleth; and through idleness of the hands the bais leaketh.
19 Lechem is made for laughter, and yayin maketh merry; but kesef answereth everything.
20 Curse not the Melech, no not in thy thought; and curse not the oisher in thy bedchamber; for an Oph haShomayim may carry the voice, and that which hath wings may report what you say.
Ecclesiastes 10
New American Standard Bible 1995
A Little Foolishness
10 Dead flies make a (A)perfumer’s oil stink, so a little foolishness 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 fool walks along the road, his [a]sense is lacking and he [b](C)demonstrates to everyone that he is a fool. 4 If the ruler’s [c]temper rises against you, (D)do not abandon your position, because (E)composure allays great offenses.
5 There is an evil I have seen under the sun, like an error which goes forth from the ruler— 6 (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 [d]axe is dull and he does not sharpen its edge, then he must [e]exert more strength. Wisdom has the advantage of giving success. 11 If the serpent bites [f](K)before being charmed, there is no profit for the charmer. 12 (L)Words from the mouth of a wise man are gracious, while the lips of a (M)fool consume him; 13 the beginning of [g]his talking is folly and the end of [h]it is wicked (N)madness. 14 Yet the (O)fool multiplies words. No man knows what will happen, and who can tell him (P)what will come after him? 15 The toil of [i]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 lad and whose princes [j]feast in the morning. 17 Blessed are you, O land, whose king is of nobility and whose princes eat at the appropriate time—for strength and not for (R)drunkenness. 18 Through (S)indolence the rafters sag, and through slackness the house leaks. 19 Men prepare a meal for enjoyment, and (T)wine makes life merry, and (U)money [k]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 heavens will carry the sound and the winged creature will make the matter known.
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 10:3 Lit heart
- Ecclesiastes 10:3 Lit says
- Ecclesiastes 10:4 Lit spirit
- Ecclesiastes 10:10 Lit iron
- Ecclesiastes 10:10 Lit strengthen
- Ecclesiastes 10:11 Lit without enchantment
- Ecclesiastes 10:13 Lit the words of his mouth
- Ecclesiastes 10:13 Lit his mouth
- Ecclesiastes 10:15 Lit fools
- Ecclesiastes 10:16 Lit eat
- Ecclesiastes 10:19 Lit answers all
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.
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New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
