Ecclesiastes 10
10
1Dead flies will make a bottle of perfume stink, and then it is spoiled. A little foolishness outweighs wisdom ⌞and⌟ honor.
Proverbs about Life in General
2A wise person’s heart leads the right way. The heart of a fool leads the wrong way. 3Even when a fool goes walking, he has no sense and shows everyone else that he’s a fool.
4If a ruler becomes angry with you, don’t resign your position. If you remain calm, you can make up for serious offenses.
5There is a tragedy that I’ve seen under the sun, an error often made by rulers. 6Foolish people are often given high positions, and rich people are left to fill lower positions. 7I have seen slaves sitting on horses and influential people going on foot like slaves.
8Whoever digs a pit may fall into it. Whoever breaks through a stone wall may be bitten by a snake. 9Whoever works in a stone quarry may get hurt. Whoever splits wood may be injured.
10If an ax is blunt and the edge isn’t sharpened, then one has to use more strength. But wisdom prepares the way for success. 11If a snake bites before it has been charmed, then there is no advantage in being a snake charmer.
12A wise person’s words win favors, but a fool’s lips are self-destructive. 13A fool starts out by talking foolishness and ends up saying crazy things that are dangerous. 14He never stops talking. No one knows what the future will bring, or what will happen after ⌞death⌟. Who can say! 15Fools wear themselves out with hard work, because they don’t even know the way to town.
16How horrible it will be for any country where the king used to be a servant and where the high officials throw parties in the morning. 17A country is blessed when the king is from a noble family and when the high officials eat at the right time in order to get strength and not to get drunk.
18A roof sags because of laziness. A house leaks because of idle hands.
19A meal is made for laughter, and wine makes life pleasant, but money is the answer for everything.
20Don’t curse the king even in your thoughts, and don’t curse rich people even in your bedroom. A bird may carry your words, or some winged creature may repeat what you say.
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GOD'S WORD® Translation ©1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020 by God's Word to the Nations Mission Society. All rights reserved.
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.