Ecclesiastes 10
10
1Dead flies 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.
2A wise man’s heart is at his right hand,
But a fool’s heart at his left.
3Even when a fool walks along the way,
He lacks wisdom,
#Prov. 13:16; 18:2And he shows everyone that he is a fool.
4If the spirit of the ruler rises against you,
#Eccl. 8:3Do not leave your post;
For #1 Sam. 25:24–33; Prov. 25:15conciliation pacifies great offenses.
5There is an evil I have seen under the sun,
As an error proceeding from the ruler:
6#Esth. 3:1Folly is set in great dignity,
While the rich sit in a lowly place.
7I have seen servants #Prov. 19:10; 30:22on horses,
While princes walk on the ground like servants.
8#Ps. 7:15; Prov. 26:27He who digs a pit will fall into it,
And whoever breaks through a wall will be bitten by a serpent.
9He who quarries stones may be hurt by them,
And he who splits wood may be endangered by it.
10If the ax is dull,
And one does not sharpen the edge,
Then he must use more strength;
But wisdom brings success.
11A serpent may bite #Ps. 58:4, 5; Jer. 8:17when it is not charmed;
The babbler is no different.
12#Prov. 10:32; Luke 4:22The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious,
But #Prov. 10:14; Eccl. 4:5the lips of a fool shall swallow him up;
13The words of his mouth begin with foolishness,
And the end of his talk is raving madness.
14#(Prov. 15:2); Eccl. 5:3A fool also multiplies words.
No man knows what is to be;
Who can tell him #Eccl. 3:22; 8:7what will be after him?
15The labor of fools wearies them,
For they do not even know how to go to the city!
16#Is. 3:4, 5; 5:11Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child,
And your princes feast in the morning!
17Blessed are you, O land, when your king is the son of nobles,
And your #Prov. 31:4; Is. 5:11princes feast at the proper time—
For strength and not for drunkenness!
18Because of laziness the building decays,
And #Prov. 24:30–34through idleness of hands the house leaks.
19A feast is made for laughter,
And #Judg. 9:13; Ps. 104:15; Eccl. 2:3wine makes merry;
But money answers everything.
20#Ex. 22:28; Acts 23:5Do 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.
Currently Selected:
Ecclesiastes 10: NKJV
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
Ecclesiastes 10
10
1 Dead flies cause the oil of the perfumer to produce an evil odour;
so does a little folly outweigh wisdom and honour.
2 A wise man’s heart is at his right hand,
but a fool’s heart at his left. 3Yes also when the fool walks by the way, his understanding fails him, and he says to everyone that he is a fool. 4If the spirit of the ruler rises up against you, don’t leave your place; for gentleness lays great offences to rest.
5 There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, the sort of error which proceeds from the ruler. 6Folly is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in a low place. 7I have seen servants on horses, and princes walking like servants on the earth. 8He who digs a pit may fall into it; and whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake. 9Whoever carves out stones may be injured by them. Whoever splits wood may be endangered by it. 10If the axe is blunt, and one doesn’t sharpen the edge, then he must use more strength; but skill brings success.
11If the snake bites before it is charmed, then is there no profit for the charmer’s tongue. 12The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious; but a fool is swallowed by his own lips. 13The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness; and the end of his talk is mischievous madness. 14A fool also multiplies words.
Man doesn’t know what will be; and that which will be after him, who can tell him? 15The labour of fools wearies every one of them; for he doesn’t know how to go to the city.
16Woe to you, land, when your king is a child,
and your princes eat in the morning!
17Happy are you, land, when your king is the son of nobles,
and your princes eat in due season,
for strength, and not for drunkenness!
18 By slothfulness the roof sinks in;
and through idleness of the hands the house leaks.
19 A feast is made for laughter,
and wine makes the life glad;
and money is the answer for all things.
20Don’t curse the king, no, not in your thoughts;
and don’t curse the rich in your bedroom,
for a bird of the sky may carry your voice,
and that which has wings may tell the matter.
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
PUBLIC DOMAIN. "World Messianic Bible" is a trademark.