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.
Ecclesiastes 10
10
1Dead flies can make even perfume stink.
In the same way, a little foolishness can spoil wisdom.
2The heart of the wise leads to right,
but the heart of a fool leads to wrong.
3Even in the way fools walk along the road,
they show they are not wise;
they show everyone how stupid they are.
4Don’t leave your job
just because your boss is angry with you.
Remaining calm solves great problems.
5There is something else wrong that happens here on earth.
It is the kind of mistake rulers make:
6Fools are given important positions
while gifted people are given lower ones;
7I have seen servants ride horses
while princes walk like servants 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 boulders might be hurt by them;
and anyone who cuts logs might be harmed by them.
10A dull ax means
harder work.
Being wise will make it easier.
11If a snake bites the tamer before it is tamed,
what good is the tamer?
12The words of the wise bring them praise,
but the words of a fool will destroy them.
13A fool begins by saying foolish things
and ends by saying crazy and wicked things.
14A fool talks too much.
No one knows the future,
and no one can tell what will happen after death.
15Work wears fools out;
they don’t even know how to get home.
The Value of Work
16How terrible it is for a country whose king is a child
and whose leaders eat all morning.
17How lucky a country is whose king comes from a good family,
whose leaders eat only at mealtime
and for strength, not to get drunk.
18If someone is lazy, the roof will begin to fall.
If he doesn’t fix it, the house will leak.
19A party makes you feel good,
wine makes you feel happy,
and money buys anything.
20Don’t make fun of the king,
and don’t make fun of rich people, even in your bedroom.
A little bird might carry your words;
a bird might fly and tell what you said.
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The Holy Bible, New Century Version, Copyright © 2005 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.