Ecclesiastes 10
10
1Dead flies can make even perfume stink.
In the same way, a little foolishness can spoil wisdom.
2The heart of the wise leads to right,
but the heart of a fool leads to wrong.
3Even in the way fools walk along the road,
they show they are not wise;
they show everyone how stupid they are.
4Don’t leave your job
just because your boss is angry with you.
Remaining calm solves great problems.
5There is something else wrong that happens here on earth.
It is the kind of mistake rulers make:
6Fools are given important positions
while gifted people are given lower ones;
7I have seen servants ride horses
while princes walk like servants on foot.
8Anyone who digs a pit might fall into it;
anyone who knocks down a wall might be bitten by a snake;
9anyone who moves boulders might be hurt by them;
and anyone who cuts logs might be harmed by them.
10A dull ax means
harder work.
Being wise will make it easier.
11If a snake bites the tamer before it is tamed,
what good is the tamer?
12The words of the wise bring them praise,
but the words of a fool will destroy them.
13A fool begins by saying foolish things
and ends by saying crazy and wicked things.
14A fool talks too much.
No one knows the future,
and no one can tell what will happen after death.
15Work wears fools out;
they don’t even know how to get home.
The Value of Work
16How terrible it is for a country whose king is a child
and whose leaders eat all morning.
17How lucky a country is whose king comes from a good family,
whose leaders eat only at mealtime
and for strength, not to get drunk.
18If someone is lazy, the roof will begin to fall.
If he doesn’t fix it, the house will leak.
19A party makes you feel good,
wine makes you feel happy,
and money buys anything.
20Don’t make fun of the king,
and don’t make fun of rich people, even in your bedroom.
A little bird might carry your words;
a bird might fly and tell what you said.
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Ecclesiastes 10: NCV
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The Holy Bible, New Century Version, Copyright © 2005 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
Ecclesiastes 10
10
1As dead flies give perfume a bad smell,
so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.
2The heart of the wise inclines to the right,
but the heart of the fool to the left.
3Even as fools walk along the road,
they lack sense
and show everyone how stupid they are.
4If a ruler’s anger rises against you,
do not leave your post;
calmness can lay great offenses to rest.
5There is an evil I have seen under the sun,
the sort of error that arises from a ruler:
6Fools are put in many high positions,
while the rich occupy the low ones.
7I have seen slaves on horseback,
while princes go on foot like slaves.
8Whoever digs a pit may fall into it;
whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.
9Whoever quarries stones may be injured by them;
whoever splits logs may be endangered by them.
10If the ax is dull
and its edge unsharpened,
more strength is needed,
but skill will bring success.
11If a snake bites before it is charmed,
the charmer receives no fee.
12Words from the mouth of the wise are gracious,
but fools are consumed by their own lips.
13At the beginning their words are folly;
at the end they are wicked madness—
14and fools multiply words.
No one knows what is coming—
who can tell someone else what will happen after them?
15The toil of fools wearies them;
they do not know the way to town.
16Woe to the land whose king was a servant#10:16 Or king is a child
and whose princes feast in the morning.
17Blessed is the land whose king is of noble birth
and whose princes eat at a proper time—
for strength and not for drunkenness.
18Through laziness, the rafters sag;
because of idle hands, the house leaks.
19A feast is made for laughter,
wine makes life merry,
and money is the answer for everything.
20Do not revile the king even in your thoughts,
or curse the rich in your bedroom,
because a bird in the sky may carry your words,
and a bird on the wing may report what you say.
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