Ecclesiastes 10

1 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!

As dead flies cause perfume to stink, so a little folly can overpower wisdom and honor.

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

The heart of a wise person tends to the right, but the heart of a fool tends to the left.

3 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.'

When a fool walks down a road, his thinking is deficient, proving to everyone he is a fool.

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

If the emotions of a ruler rise up against you, do not leave your work. Calm can quiet down great outrage.

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

There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, a kind of error that comes from a ruler:

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

Fools are given leadership positions, while successful men are given low positions.

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

I have seen slaves riding horses, and successful men walking like slaves on the ground.

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

Anyone who digs a pit can fall into it, and whenever someone breaks down a wall, a snake can bite him.

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

Whoever cuts out stones can be hurt by them, and the man who chops wood is endangered by it.

10 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.

If an iron blade is dull, and a man does not sharpen it, then he must use more strength, but wisdom provides an advantage for success.

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

If a snake bites before it is charmed, then there is no advantage for the charmer.

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

The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious, but the lips of a fool consume him.

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

As words begin to flow from a fool's mouth, foolishness comes out, and at the end his mouth flows with wicked madness.

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

A fool multiplies words, but no one knows what is coming. Who knows what is coming after him?

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

The toil of fools wearies them, so that they do not even know the road to town.

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

Woe to you, land, if your king is a young boy, and if your leaders begin feasting in the morning!

17 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.

But blessed are you, land, if your king is the son of nobles, and if your leaders eat at the right time, for strength, and not for drunkenness!

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

Because of laziness the roof sinks in, and because of idle hands the house leaks.

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

People prepare food for laughter, wine brings enjoyment to life, and money fills the need for everything.

20 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.

Do not curse the king, not even in your mind, and do not curse rich people in your bedroom. For a bird of the sky might carry your words; whatever has wings can spread the matter.