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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Ecclesiastes 10: NIV
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The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®
Used by Permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.
Ecclesiastes 10
10
1Dead flies can make perfumed oil smell bad. Likewise a little foolishness outweighs great wisdom and honor. 2The mind of the wise person chooses the right side, but the mind of the fool goes left! 3Just the way that fools walk down the road shows they have no sense, making clear to everyone their stupidity. 4If your superior gets angry with you, don't give up and leave. If you stay calm even bad mistakes can be resolved. 5I also realized there's another evil here on earth: rulers make a big mistake 6when they put fools in high positions, while those who are richly qualified#10:6. “Richly qualified”: literally simply “the rich,” but surely more is in view here than simply accumulated wealth. are put in low positions. 7I've seen slaves riding on horseback, while princes walk on the ground like slaves.#10:7. In that society, it would have been very unlikely that slaves, often captured enemies, would have ever ridden on horseback. In contrast the image of princes being forced to walk is to show a loss of their dignity.
8If you dig a pit, you could fall in. If you knock down a wall, you could be bitten by a snake. 9If you quarry stone, you could be injured. If you split logs,#10:9. Or “cut down trees.” you could be hurt. 10If your ax is blunt and you don't sharpen it, you have to use a lot more force. Conclusion:#10:10. Implied. being wise brings good results. 11If the snake bites the snake charmer before it's charmed, there's no benefit to the snake charmer! 12Wise words are beneficial, but fools destroy themselves by what they say. 13Fools begin by saying foolish things, and end up talking evil nonsense. 14Fools talk on and on, however no one knows what's going to happen, so who can say what the future holds?#10:14. See 8:7. 15Work makes fools so worn out they can't achieve anything.#10:15. “They can't achieve anything”: literally, “can't find their way to town,” a colloquial expression meaning that people become confused so they are not successful.
16You're in trouble if the king of your country is young, and if your leaders are busy feasting from early morning. 17You're fortunate if your king comes from a noble family, and your leaders feast at the proper time to give themselves energy, and not to get drunk.
18Lazy people let their roofs collapse; idle people don't repair their leaky houses. 19A good meal brings pleasure; wine makes life pleasant; money provides for all needs. 20Don't talk badly about the king, not even in your thoughts. Don't talk badly about leaders,#10:20. “Leaders”: literally, “the rich.” even in the privacy of your bedroom. A bird may hear what you say and fly away to tell them.
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Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com