Ecclesiastes 10
10
1Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to stink and ferment; so a little folly is weightier than wisdom and honour. 2The heart of a wise man is at his right hand; but a fool's heart at his left. 3Yea also, when he that is a fool walketh by the way, his sense faileth him, and he saith to every one that he is a fool.
4If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place; for quietness pacifieth great offences. 5There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, as an error that proceedeth from the ruler: 6folly is set in great dignities, but the rich sit in a low place. 7I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth. 8He that diggeth a pit falleth into it; and whoso breaketh down a hedge, a serpent biteth him. 9Whoso removeth stones is hurt therewith; he that cleaveth wood is endangered thereby. 10If the iron be blunt, and one do not whet the edge, then must he apply more strength; but wisdom is profitable to give success. 11If the serpent bite before enchantment, then the charmer hath no advantage.
12The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool swallow up himself. 13The beginning of the words of his mouth is folly; and the end of his talk is mischievous madness. 14And the fool multiplieth words: yet man knoweth not what shall be; and what shall be after him, who will tell him? 15The labour of fools wearieth them, because they know not how to go to the city.
16Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes eat in the morning! 17Happy art thou, O land, when thy king is a son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness! 18By much sloth fulness the framework falleth in; and through idleness of the hands the house drippeth. 19A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh life merry; but money answereth everything. 20Curse not the king, no, not in thy thought; and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber: for the bird of the air will carry the voice, and that which hath wings will tell the matter.
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Ecclesiastes 10: DARBY
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First published in 1890. This edition is maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.
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.