Ecclesiastes 10

¹Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour.

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

³Yea also, when he that is a fool walketh by the way, his wisdom faileth him, and he saith to every one that he is a fool.

⁴If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place; for yielding pacifieth great offences.

⁵There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, as an error which proceedeth from the ruler:

⁶Folly is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in low place.

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

⁸He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh an hedge, a serpent shall bite him.

⁹Whoso removeth stones shall be hurt therewith; and he that cleaveth wood shall be endangered thereby.

¹⁰If the iron be blunt, and he do not whet the edge, then must he put to more strength: but wisdom is profitable to direct.

¹¹Surely the serpent will bite without enchantment; and a babbler is no better.

¹²The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself.

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

¹⁴A fool also is full of words: a man cannot tell what shall be; and what shall be after him, who can tell him?

¹⁵The labour of the foolish wearieth every one of them, because he knoweth not how to go to the city.

¹⁶Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes eat in the morning!

¹⁷Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!

¹⁸By much slothfulness the building decayeth; and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth through.

¹⁹A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money answereth all things.

²⁰Curse not the king, no not in thy thought; and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter.

Ecclesiastes 10

¹Dying flies spoil the sweetness of the ointment. Wisdom and glory is more precious than a small and shortlived folly.

²The heart of a wise man is in his right hand, and the heart of a fool is in his left hand.

³Yea, and the fool when he walketh in the way, whereas he himself is a fool, esteemeth all men fools.

⁴If the spirit of him that hath power, ascend upon thee, leave not thy place: because care will make the greatest sins to cease.

⁵There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, as it were by an error proceeding from the face of the prince:

⁶A fool set in high dignity, and the rich sitting beneath.

⁷I have seen servants upon horses: and princes walking on the ground as servants.

⁸He that diggeth a pit, shall fall into it: and he that breaketh a hedge, a serpent shall bite him.

⁹He that removeth stones, shall be hurt by them: and he that cutteth trees, shall be wounded by them.

¹⁰If the iron be blunt, and be not as before, but be made blunt, with much labour it shall be sharpened: and after industry shall follow wisdom.

¹¹If a serpent bite in silence, he is nothing better that backbiteth secretly.

¹²The words of the mouth of a wise man are grace: but the lips of a fool shall throw him down headlong.

¹³The beginning of his words is folly, and the end of his talk is a mischievous error.

¹⁴A fool multiplieth words. A man cannot tell what hath been before him: and what shall be after him, who can tell him?

¹⁵The labour of fools shall afflict them that know not how to go to the city.

¹⁶Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and when the princes eat in the morning.

¹⁷Blessed is the land, whose king is noble, and whose princes eat in due season for refreshment, and not for riotousness.

¹⁸By slothfulness a building shall be brought down, and through the weakness of hands, the house shall drop through.

¹⁹For laughter they make bread, and wine that the living may feast: and all things obey money.

²⁰Detract not the king, no not in thy thought; and speak not evil of the rich man in thy private chamber: because even the birds of the air will carry thy voice, and he that hath wings will tell what thou hast said.