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Ecclesiastes 10
New Century Version
Ecclesiastes 10
New Century Version
10 Dead flies can make even perfume stink.
In the same way, a little foolishness can spoil wisdom.
2 The heart of the wise leads to right,
but the heart of a fool leads to wrong.
3 Even in the way fools walk along the road,
they show they are not wise;
they show everyone how stupid they are.
4 Don’t leave your job
just because your boss is angry with you.
Remaining calm solves great problems.
5 There is something else wrong that happens here on earth.
It is the kind of mistake rulers make:
6 Fools are given important positions
while gifted people are given lower ones;
7 I have seen servants ride horses
while princes walk like servants on foot.
8 Anyone who digs a pit might fall into it;
anyone who knocks down a wall might be bitten by a snake;
9 anyone who moves boulders might be hurt by them;
and anyone who cuts logs might be harmed by them.
10 A dull ax means
harder work.
Being wise will make it easier.
11 If a snake bites the tamer before it is tamed,
what good is the tamer?
12 The words of the wise bring them praise,
but the words of a fool will destroy them.
13 A fool begins by saying foolish things
and ends by saying crazy and wicked things.
14 A fool talks too much.
No one knows the future,
and no one can tell what will happen after death.
15 Work wears fools out;
they don’t even know how to get home.
The Value of Work
16 How terrible it is for a country whose king is a child
and whose leaders eat all morning.
17 How lucky a country is whose king comes from a good family,
whose leaders eat only at mealtime
and for strength, not to get drunk.
18 If someone is lazy, the roof will begin to fall.
If he doesn’t fix it, the house will leak.
19 A party makes you feel good,
wine makes you feel happy,
and money buys anything.
20 Don’t make fun of the king,
and don’t make fun of rich people, even in your bedroom.
A little bird might carry your words;
a bird might fly and tell what you said.
Ecclesiastes 10
New International Version
Ecclesiastes 10
New International Version
10 As dead flies give perfume a bad smell,
so a little folly(A) outweighs wisdom and honor.
2 The heart of the wise inclines to the right,
but the heart of the fool to the left.
3 Even as fools walk along the road,
they lack sense
and show everyone(B) how stupid they are.
4 If a ruler’s anger rises against you,
do not leave your post;(C)
calmness can lay great offenses to rest.(D)
5 There is an evil I have seen under the sun,
the sort of error that arises from a ruler:
6 Fools are put in many high positions,(E)
while the rich occupy the low ones.
7 I have seen slaves on horseback,
while princes go on foot like slaves.(F)
8 Whoever digs a pit may fall into it;(G)
whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.(H)
9 Whoever quarries stones may be injured by them;
whoever splits logs may be endangered by them.(I)
10 If the ax is dull
and its edge unsharpened,
more strength is needed,
but skill will bring success.
11 If a snake bites before it is charmed,
the charmer receives no fee.(J)
12 Words from the mouth of the wise are gracious,(K)
but fools are consumed by their own lips.(L)
13 At the beginning their words are folly;
at the end they are wicked madness—
14 and fools multiply words.(M)
No one knows what is coming—
who can tell someone else what will happen after them?(N)
15 The toil of fools wearies them;
they do not know the way to town.
16 Woe to the land whose king was a servant[a](O)
and whose princes feast in the morning.
17 Blessed is the land whose king is of noble birth
and whose princes eat at a proper time—
for strength and not for drunkenness.(P)
18 Through laziness, the rafters sag;
because of idle hands, the house leaks.(Q)
19 A feast is made for laughter,
wine(R) makes life merry,
and money is the answer for everything.
20 Do not revile the king(S) even in your thoughts,
or curse the rich in your bedroom,
because a bird in the sky may carry your words,
and a bird on the wing may report what you say.
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 10:16 Or king is a child
New Century Version (NCV) 
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.