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 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.