Ecclesiastes 10

1Dead flies cause the perfumer’s ointment to give off a stench;

so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.

2The heart of the wise moves him to the right for protection,

but the heart of a fool to the left for vulnerability.

3Even when a fool walks along the road,

his heart lacks sense,

and he shows everyone that he is a fool. # Pr 13:16; 18:2

4If the angry spirit of the ruler rises against you,

do not leave your position,

for calmness pacifies great offenses. # Pr 25:15; Ecc 8:3

5There is an evil that I have observed under the sun,

as an error proceeding from the ruler:

6the fool is present in many high places of position,

but the rich sit in the low places.

7I have observed slaves on horses,

and officials walking on the ground like slaves. # Pr 19:10; 30:22

8The one who digs a pit will fall into it, # Pr 26:27

and the one who breaks through a wall will be bitten by a serpent. # Am 5:19

9The one who quarries stones will be hurt by them,

and the one who splits wood will be endangered by it.

10If the iron is blunt,

and one does not sharpen the edge,

then he must use more strength;

but wisdom is profitable to succeed.

11If a serpent bites before it is charmed,

there is no advantage to the charmer. # Ps 58:4–5; Jer 8:17

12The words from the mouth of a wise person bring favor, # Lk 4:22

but the lips of a fool consume him. # Pr 15:2

13The beginning of the words from his mouth are folly;

so the end of his words are evil madness.

14A fool increases his words.

No one knows what is to come;

who can tell him what will come after him? # Ecc 3:22

15The toil of fools wearies them,

for they do not even know the way to the city!

16Woe to you, O land, when your king is a lad,

and your princes feast in the morning! # 2Ch 13:7; Isa 3:12

17Happy are you, O land, when your king is from nobility,

and your princes feast at the proper time,

for strength, and not for drunkenness!

18By slothfulness the rafters cave in,

and by the idleness of one’s hands the house drips. # Pr 20:4

19A feast is made for laughter,

and wine makes merry, # Ps 104:15

but money resolves everything.

20Do not curse the king, even in your mind; # Ex 22:28; Ac 23:5

do not curse the rich, even in your bedroom;

for a bird of the air will carry your voice,

and a winged creature will declare the matter.

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Ecclesiastes 10: MEV

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Ecclesiastes 10

1Dead flies can make a whole bottle of perfume stink, and a little stupidity can cancel out the greatest wisdom.

2It is natural for the wise to do the right thing and for fools to do the wrong thing. 3Their stupidity will be evident even to strangers they meet along the way; they let everyone know that they are fools.

4If your ruler becomes angry with you, do not hand in your resignation; serious wrongs may be pardoned if you keep calm.#10.4 keep calm; or submit to him.

5Here is an injustice I have seen in the world — an injustice caused by rulers. 6Stupid people are given positions of authority while the rich are ignored. 7I have seen slaves on horseback while noblemen go on foot like slaves.

8 # Ps 7.15; Prov 26.27 If you dig a pit, you fall in it; if you break through a wall, a snake bites you. 9If you work in a stone quarry, you get hurt by stones. If you split wood, you get hurt doing it. 10If your axe is blunt and you don't sharpen it, you have to work harder to use it. It is more sensible to plan ahead. 11Knowing how to charm a snake is of no use if you let the snake bite first. 12What the wise say brings them honour, but fools are destroyed by their own words. 13They start out with silly talk and end up with pure madness. 14A fool talks on and on.

No one knows what is going to happen next, and no one can tell us what will happen after we die.

15Only someone too stupid to find his way home would wear himself out with work.

16A country is in trouble when its king is a youth and its leaders feast all night long. 17But a country is fortunate to have a king who makes his own decisions and leaders who eat at the proper time, who control themselves and don't get drunk.

18When someone is too lazy to repair his roof, it will leak, and the house will fall in.

19Feasting makes you happy and wine cheers you up, but you can't have either without money.

20Don't criticize the king, even silently, and don't criticize the rich, even in the privacy of your bedroom. A bird might carry the message and tell them what you said.

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