Ecclesiastes 10

1 Pestilent flies will corrupt a preparation of sweet ointment: [and] a little wisdom is more precious than great glory of folly.

Dead flies cause a perfumer's perfume To send forth a stink; The precious by reason of wisdom — By reason of honour — a little folly!

2 A wise man's heart is at his right hand; but a fool's heart at his left.

The heart of the wise [is] at his right hand, And the heart of a fool at his left.

3 Yea, and whenever a fool walks by the way, his heart will fail him, and all that he thinks of is folly.

And also, when he that is a fool Is walking in the way, his heart is lacking, And he hath said to every one, 'He [is] a fool.'

4 If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place; for soothing will put an end to great offences.

If the spirit of the ruler go up against thee, Thy place leave not, For yielding quieteth great sinners.

5 There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, wherein an error has proceeded from the ruler.

There is an evil I have seen under the sun, As an error that goeth out from the ruler,

6 The fool has been set in very high places, while rich men would sit in a low one.

He hath set the fool in many high places, And the rich in a low place do sit.

7 I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants on the earth.

I have seen servants on horses, And princes walking as servants on the earth.

8 He that digs a pit shall fall into it; and him that breaks down a hedge a serpent shall bite.

Whoso is digging a pit falleth into it, And whoso is breaking a hedge, a serpent biteth him.

9 He that removes stones shall be troubled thereby; he that cleaves wood shall be endangered thereby.

Whoso is removing stones is grieved by them, Whoso is cleaving trees endangered by them.

10 If the axe-head should fall off, then the man troubles his countenance, and he must put forth more strength: and [in that case] skill is of no advantage to a man.

If the iron hath been blunt, And he the face hath not sharpened, Then doth he increase strength, And wisdom [is] advantageous to make right.

11 If a serpent bite when there is no [charmer's] whisper, then there is no advantage to the charmer.

If the serpent biteth without enchantment, Then there is no advantage to a master of the tongue.

12 The words of a wise mouth are gracious: but the lips of a fool will swallow him up.

Words of the mouth of the wise [are] gracious, And the lips of a fool swallow him up.

13 The beginning of the words of his mouth is folly: and the end of his talk mischievous madness.

The beginning of the words of his mouth [is] folly, And the latter end of his mouth [Is] mischievous madness.

14 A fool moreover multiplies words: man knows not what has been, nor what will be: who shall tell him what will come after him?

And the fool multiplieth words: 'Man knoweth not that which is, And that which is after him, who doth declare to him?'

15 The labour of fools will afflict them, [as that of one] who knows not to go to the city.

The labour of the foolish wearieth him, In that he hath not known to go unto the city.

16 Woe to thee, O city, whose king is young, and thy princes eat in the morning!

Woe to thee, O land, when thy king [is] a youth, And thy princes do eat in the morning.

17 Blessed art thou, O land, whose king is a son of nobles, and whose princes shall eat seasonably, for strength, and shall not be ashamed.

Happy art thou, O land, When thy king [is] a son of freemen, And thy princes do eat in due season, For might, and not for drunkenness.

18 By slothful neglect a building will be brought low: and by idleness of the hands the house will fall to pieces.

By slothfulness is the wall brought low, And by idleness of the hands doth the house drop.

19 Men prepare bread for laughter, and wine and oil that the living should rejoice: but to money all things will humbly yield obedience.

For mirth they are making a feast, And wine maketh life joyful, And the silver answereth with all.

20 Even in thy conscience, curse not the king; and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the air shall carry thy voice, and that which has wings shall report thy speech.

Even in thy mind a king revile not, And in the inner parts of thy bed-chamber Revile not the rich: For a fowl of the heavens causeth the voice to go, And a possessor of wings declareth the word.