Ecclesiastes 10
10
1 Dead flies cause a bad smell and ruin#Or “spew” the ointment of the perfumer.
So also a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.
2The heart of the wise inclines to his right,
but the heart of the fool inclines to his left.
3Even when the fool walks along the road, he lacks sense;
he tells everyone that he is a fool.
4If the anger of the ruler rises against you,
do not leave your post,
for calmness can undo great offenses.
5There is an evil I have seen under the sun—
it is an error that proceeds from a ruler!
6The fool is set in many high places,
but the rich sit in lowly places.
7I have even seen slaves riding on horses
and princes walking like slaves on the earth!
Accidents Happen—Even to Professionals
8Whoever digs a pit will fall into it.
Whoever breaks through a wall, a snake will bite him.
9Whoever quarries#Literally “breaks out” stones will be wounded by them.
Whoever splits logs will be endangered by them.
Hard Work and Skill Alone Cannot Succeed—Wisdom is Necessary
10If the ax is blunt but one does not sharpen its edge,
he must exert more effort,#Literally “he must be more strength”
but the advantage of wisdom is it brings success.
11If the snake bites before the charming,
the snake charmer will not succeed.#Literally “there is no advantage to the owner of the charm”
The Consequences of Foolishness
12The wise man wins favor by the words of his mouth,
but the fool is devoured by his own lips.
13He begins by saying what is foolish
and ends by uttering what is wicked delusion.
14The fool talks too much,#Literally “increases words”
for no one knows what will be.
Who can tell anyone what will happen in the future?#Literally “after him”
15The fool is so worn out by a hard day’s work
he cannot even find his way home at night.#Or “for he knows not to go to a city”
16Woe to you, O land, when your king is a youth
and your princes feast in the morning.
17Blessed are you, O land, when your king is a son of nobility
and your princes feast at the proper time—
to gain strength and not to get drunk.
18Through sloth the roof sinks in,
and through idleness of hands the house leaks.
19Feasts are held for celebration,#Literally “They make bread for laughter”
wine cheers the living,
and money answers everything.
20Do not curse the king even in your thoughts,
and do not curse the rich even in your own bedroom,
for a bird of the sky may carry your voice;
a winged messenger may repeat your words.
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Ecclesiastes 10: LEB
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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.