Kohelet 10
10
1Dead flies cause the perfumerʼs shemen to send forth a foul odor; so doth a little sichlut outweigh chochmah and kavod.
2A chachamʼs lev is at his yamin (right hand); but a kesilʼs lev is at his semol (left hand).
3Yea also, when he that is a kesil even walketh along the derech, his sense faileth him, and he saith to every one that he is a kesil.
4If the ruach of the moshel rise up against thee, leave not thy mekom; for calmness pacifieth chatta'im gedolim.
5There is a ra'ah which I have seen under the shemesh, the sort of error which proceedeth from a shalit (ruler);
6Sekhel (folly) is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in low place.
7I have seen avadim (servants) upon susim, and sarim (princes) walking as avadim upon ha'aretz.
8He that diggeth a gumatz (pit) shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh through a wall, a nachash shall bite him.
9Whoso pulleth out avanim (stones) may be hurt therewith; and he that cleaveth wood may be endangered thereby.
10If the barzel (iron)#10:10 of the axe be blunt, and he do not whet the edge, then must more strength be marshalled; but chochmah brings success.
11If the nachash will bite before it is charmed, there is no use in a charmer.
12The words of a chachamʼs mouth are chen (gracious); but the lips of a kesil will swallow up himself.
13The beginning of the words of his mouth is sichlut; and the end of his talk is holelot ra'ah.
14A kesil also is full of devarim; haAdam has no da'as of what shall be, and what shall be after him, who can tell him?
15The amal of the kesilim wearieth him, because he has no da'as of how to go to town.
16Woe to thee, O eretz, when thy melech is a na'ar, and thy sarim (princes) feast in the boker!
17Blessed art thou, O eretz, when thy melech is a nobleman, and thy sarim (princes) eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!
18By much atzlut (slothfulness) the rafters falleth; and through idleness of the hands the bais leaketh.
19Lechem is made for laughter, and yayin maketh merry; but kesef answereth everything.
20Curse not the Melech, no not in thy thought; and curse not the oisher in thy bedchamber; for an Oph haShomayim may carry the voice, and that which hath wings may report what you say.
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Kohelet 10: TOJB2011
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THE ORTHODOX JEWISH BIBLE
FOURTH EDITION © Artists For Israel Intl Inc., 2002-2011, 2021.
Ecclesiastes 10
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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Good News Bible. Scripture taken from the Good News Bible (r) (Today's English Version Second Edition, UK/British Edition). Copyright © 1992 British & Foreign Bible Society. Used by permission.