Ecclesiastes 10
10
1Dead flies will make even perfume smell bad.
In the same way, a little foolishness can ruin
a wise man’s fame for wisdom.
2A wise man’s heart leads him in the right way.
But the heart of a foolish person leads him in the wrong way.
3A foolish person is not wise.
It shows in everything he does.
Even as he walks along the road,
he shows everyone how stupid he is.
4Don’t leave your job
just because the ruler is angry with you.
Remain calm.
It will help correct your mistakes.
5Here is something else unfair that happens here on earth.
It is the kind of mistake rulers make:
6Foolish people are given important positions
while rich people are given less important ones.
7I have seen servants ride on horses
while princes walk beside them on foot.
8Anyone who digs a pit might fall into it.
Anyone who knocks down a wall might be bitten by a snake.
9Anyone who moves large stones might be hurt by them.
And anyone who cuts logs might get hurt while doing it.
10Cutting logs with a dull ax
makes you work harder.
A wise man will sharpen his ax.
In the same way, wisdom can make any job easier.
11Someone might know how to control snakes.
But what good is such wisdom if the snake has already bitten him?
12A wise man’s words bring him praise.
But a foolish person’s words will destroy him.
13A foolish person begins by saying something foolish.
In the end he is saying even crazier things.
14A foolish person talks too much about what he will do.
No one knows the future.
No one can tell him what will happen after he dies.
15A foolish person doesn’t know even the most obvious things.
He can’t even find his way back to town.
So he has to wear himself out working.
The Value of Work
16How terrible it will be for a country
if its king is a child.
How terrible it will be for that country
if its leaders have parties all the time.
17A country is well off
if its king comes from a good family.
It is good for a country
if its leaders control their eating and drinking.
They should eat and drink for strength,
not to get drunk.
18If a person is lazy and doesn’t repair the roof,
it will begin to fall.
If he refuses to fix it,
the house will leak.
19A party makes you feel good.
And wine makes you feel happy.
But both cost you a lot of money.
20Don’t say or think bad things about the king.
And don’t say bad things about rich people even alone in your bedroom.
A little bird might report it to others.
A bird might fly to them and tell all you said.
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Copyright © 2015 by Tommy Nelson™, a Division of Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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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