Ecclesiastes 10 (CJB) (2024)

10Just as dead flies make perfumed oil stink,
so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.

²A wise man’s heart leads him rightly,
but a fool’s heart leads him astray;
³and when a fool travels, he has no good sense,
thus showing everyone that he is a fool.

⁴If a ruler gets angry at you, stay at your post,
because calmness soothes great offenses.

⁵Another evil I have seen under the sun,
the kind of mistake rulers make, is that
⁶fools are promoted to high positions,
while the rich occupy humble places.
⁷I have seen servants riding horses,
while princes walk on foot like slaves.

⁸He who digs a pit may fall into it;
he who breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.
⁹He who quarries stones may get hurt by them,
he who chops wood puts himself in danger.
¹⁰If the [hatchet’s] iron [blade] is blunt,
and [its user] doesn’t sharpen it,
he will have to exert more effort;
but the expert has the advantage of his skill.
¹¹If a snake bites before it is charmed,
the snake-charmer has no advantage.
¹²The words spoken by the wise bring them favor,
but the lips of a fool swallow him up.
¹³What he says starts with foolishness
and ends with wicked madness.
¹⁴A fool keeps talking and talking,
yet no one knows what the future will bring —
can anyone tell a person
what will happen after he’s gone?
¹⁵The efforts of a fool wear him out;
he doesn’t even know the way to town!

¹⁶Woe to you, land, when your king is a child,
and your leaders start their parties in the morning!
¹⁷Happy are you, land, when your king is well-born,
and your princes eat at the proper time,
in order to stay strong, not to get drunk!
¹⁸When the owner is lazy, the roof sags;
when hands are idle, the house leaks.
¹⁹Parties are made for having a good time,
wine adds cheer to life,
and money has an answer for everything.
²⁰Don’t insult the king, not even in your thoughts;
and don’t insult the wealthy, not even in your bedroom;
for a bird in the air might carry the news,
a creature with wings might repeat what you said.

10Dead flies make ^(A)the perfumer's ointment give off a stench;
so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.
^2(B)A wise man's heart inclines him to the right,
but a fool's heart to the left.
³Even when the fool walks on the road, he lacks sense,
and he ^(C)says to everyone that he is a fool.
⁴If the anger of the ruler rises against you, ^(D)do not leave your place,
^(E)for calmness^[a] will lay great offenses to rest.

⁵There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, as it were ^(F)an error proceeding from the ruler: ^6(G)folly is set in many high places, and the rich sit in a low place. ^7(H)I have seen slaves ^(I)on horses, and princes walking on the ground like slaves.

⁸He who ^(J)digs a pit will fall into it,
and ^(K)a serpent will bite him who breaks through a wall.
^9(L)He who quarries stones is hurt by them,
and he who ^(M)splits logs is endangered by them.
¹⁰If the iron is blunt, and one does not sharpen the edge,
he must use more strength,
but wisdom helps one to succeed.^[b]
11If the serpent bites before it is ^(N)charmed,
there is no advantage to the charmer.

¹²The words of a wise man's mouth ^(O)win him favor,^[c]
but ^(P)the lips of a fool consume him.
¹³The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness,
and the end of his talk is evil madness.
^14(Q)A fool multiplies words,
though no man knows what is to be,
and who can tell him ^(R)what will be after him?
¹⁵The toil of a fool wearies him,
for he does not know ^(S)the way to the city.

^16(T)Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child,
and your princes feast in the morning!
¹⁷Happy are you, O land, when your king is the son of the nobility,
and your princes feast at the proper time,
for strength, and not for ^(U)drunkenness!
¹⁸Through sloth the roof sinks in,
and through indolence the house leaks.
¹⁹Bread is made for laughter,
and ^(V)wine gladdens life,
and ^(W)money answers everything.
²⁰Even in your thoughts, ^(X)do not curse the king,
nor in your ^(Y)bedroom curse the rich,
for a bird of the air will carry your voice,
or some winged creature tell the matter.