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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Ecclesiastes 10: ICB
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Copyright © 2015 by Tommy Nelson™, a Division of Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Ecclesiastes 10
10
1Dead flies corrupt and spoil the perfumer’s oil;
more weighty than wisdom or wealth is a little folly!#Dead flies…a little folly: wisdom is vulnerable to even the smallest amount of folly. The collection of proverbs and sayings in chaps. 10 and 11 demonstrates the author’s sharp insight and strengthens his credentials as a sage. It thus adds weight to his critique of the wisdom tradition’s tendencies to self-assurance and naive optimism.
2The wise heart turns to the right;
the foolish heart to the left.#Right…left: the right hand is identified with power, moral goodness, favor; the left hand with ineptness and bad luck.
3Even when walking in the street the fool, lacking understanding, calls everyone a fool.#Calls everyone a fool: or, “tells everyone that he (himself) is a fool.”
4Should the anger of a ruler burst upon you, do not yield your place; for calmness#Calmness: a frequent motif of wisdom; silence and reserve characterize the wise, while boisterousness and impetuosity identify the fool. abates great offenses.
5I have seen under the sun another evil, like a mistake that proceeds from a tyrant: 6a fool put in high position, while the great and the rich sit in lowly places. 7I have seen slaves on horseback, while princes#A fool…the rich…slaves…princes: another wisdom motif: astonishment at the reversal of the usual order in the world and in human affairs. went on foot like slaves.
8Whoever digs a pit may fall into it,#Prv 26:27; Ps 7:16; Sir 27:29.
and whoever breaks through a wall, a snake may bite.
9Whoever quarries stones may be hurt by them,
and whoever chops wood#A pit…a wall…stones…wood: popular sayings reflecting the need for caution and alertness against the unexpected. Snakes could find a home in the stone walls of ancient Palestine; cf. Am 5:19. is in danger from it.
10If the ax becomes dull, and the blade is not sharpened, then effort must be increased. But the advantage of wisdom is success.
11If the snake bites before it is charmed,
then there is no advantage in a charmer.#Ax…success…snake…charmer: possession of the proper skill (a form of “wisdom”) can ensure success, as in the case of a sharpened ax; but one must use it before it is too late (v. 11). Cf. Sir 12:13.
12Words from the mouth of the wise win favor,
but the lips of fools consume them.
13#Eccl 5:2; 6:11. The beginning of their words is folly,
and the end of their talk is utter madness;
14yet fools multiply words.
No one knows what is to come,
for who can tell anyone what will be?#Eccl 3:22; 6:12; 10:14.
15The toil of fools wearies them,
so they do not know even the way to town.
No One Knows What Evil Will Come
16Woe to you, O land, whose king is a youth,#A youth: thus too young and inexperienced to govern effectively. Feast in the morning: either concluding a whole night of revelry or beginning a new round of merrymaking.
and whose princes feast in the morning!
17Happy are you, O land, whose king is of noble birth,
and whose princes dine at the right time—
for vigor#For vigor: or, “with self-control, restraint.” and not in drinking bouts.
18Because of laziness, the rafters sag;
when hands are slack, the house leaks.
19A feast is made for merriment
and wine gives joy to the living,
but money answers#Money answers: a stark reminder that such a life requires money. It could also be an affirmation of the power of wealth: “Money conquers all.” for everything.
20Even in your thoughts do not curse the king,
nor in the privacy of your bedroom curse the rich;
For the birds of the air may carry your voice,
a winged creature#Birds of the air…winged creature: a common motif in ancient literature, and a vivid reminder of the need for caution in dealing with the rich and powerful. may tell what you say.
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