Ecclesiastes 10
10
1A dead fly causes a stench in mixed anointing oil,
so a little folly is more weighty than wisdom and honor.
2The heart of the wise inclines to the right,
but the heart of a fool to the left.
3#Pr 13:16; 18:2 Even when a fool walks on the road,
he lacks sense,
and he shows everyone that he is a fool.
4#Pr 25:15; Ecc 8:3 If the anger of a ruler rises against you,
do not leave your post;
for calmness pacifies great offenses.
5There is an evil that I have seen under the sun
like an error that goes out from a ruler:
6#Est 3:1; Pr 28:12 Folly is set in many high places,
but the rich sit in a low place.
7#Pr 19:10; 30:22 I have seen slaves riding on horses,
and officials walking along the ground like slaves.
8#Am 5:19; Pr 26:27 He who digs a pit will fall into it,
and whoever breaks through a wall will be bitten by a serpent.
9He who quarries stones is injured by them,
and he who splits wood is in danger from them.
10If an iron piece is blunt
and there is no one to sharpen it,
then he must prevail with more strength;
but wisdom is a benefit to succeed.
11#Jer 8:17; Ps 58:4–5 If a serpent bites before it is charmed,
there is no advantage to the charmer.
12#Lk 4:22; Pr 15:2 The words of a wise man’s mouth bring favor,
but the speech of a fool consumes him;
13the beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness,
and the end of his talk is evil madness.
14#Pr 15:2; Ecc 3:22 A fool multiplies words,
though no man knows what is to be;
who can tell him what will be after him?
15The labor of the foolish makes him weary,
such that he does not know the way to the city!
16#Isa 3:12; 2Ch 13:7 Woe to you, O land, when your king is a lad,
and your princes are feasting in the morning!
17Happy are you, O land, when your king is from nobility,
and your princes are feasting at the appropriate time—
with self-control and not drunkenness!
18#Pr 20:4 The roof beams sink in with slothfulness,
and with the idleness of one’s hands the house drips.
19#Ps 104:15 They make feasts for laughter,
and wine gladdens life;
but money resolves everything.
20#Ex 22:28; Ac 23:5 Even in your mind do not curse the king;
and in your bedchamber do not curse the rich;
for a bird in the sky may carry your voice,
and a winged creature may declare the matter.
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Ecclesiastes 10: MEV
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Military Bible Association
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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