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Ecclesiastes 10
Tree of Life Version
Ecclesiastes 10
Tree of Life Version
Wisdom and Folly
10 Dead flies make a perfumer’s oil stink,
so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.
2 The heart of the wise is to his right,
and the heart of the fool is to his left.
3 Even as the fool walks along the way,
his heart lacks sense
and tells everyone what a fool he is.
4 If a ruler’s spirit rises up against you,
do not leave your post,
for composure allays great offences.
5 There is a wrong I have seen under the sun
like an error proceeding from a ruler.
6 Fools are placed in many high positions,
while the rich sit in low ones.
7 I have seen slaves on horses,
and princes walking on the ground like slaves.
8 Whoever digs a pit may fall into it,
and whoever breaks through a fence may be bitten by a snake.
9 Whoever quarries stones may be hurt by them,
and whoever splits logs may be endangered by them.
10 If the iron axe is blunt
and one doesn’t sharpen the edge,
then he must exert more force.
So wisdom has the advantage of giving success.
11 If the snake bites before it is charmed,
there is no profit for the charmer.
12 Words from the mouth of the wise are gracious,
but the lips of a fool destroy him.
13 The words from his mouth begin as folly
and end as grievous madness—
14 and the fool multiplies words.
No one knows what will happen,
and who can tell him what will happen after him?
15 The mischief of fools wearies them
for he doesn’t know how to go to town.
16 Oy to you, O land, when your king is a youth[a]
and your princes feast in the morning.
17 Happy are you, O land, when your king is a son of nobles,
and your princes eat at the proper time—
in self-control and not in drunkenness!
18 By laziness the rafters sag,
and by idle hands the house leaks.
19 A feast is made for laughter,
and wine makes life glad—
but money is the answer for everything.
20 Do not ridicule the king—even in your thoughts,
nor curse the rich in your bedroom.
For a bird of the air may carry your voice,
and a winged creature may report your words.
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 10:16 Or, servant.
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
Tree of Life Version (TLV)
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.
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.