Ecclesiastes 10

A Little Foolishness

1Dead flies make a 1perfumer’s oil stink, so a little foolishness is weightier than wisdom and honor. 2A wise man’s heart directs him toward the right, but the foolish 2man’s heart directs him toward the left. 3Even when the fool walks along the road, his 3sense is lacking and he 45demonstrates to everyone that he is a fool. 4If the ruler’s 6temper rises against you, 7do not abandon your position, because 8composure allays great offenses.

5There is an evil I have seen under the sun, like an error which goes forth from the ruler-- 69folly is set in many exalted places while rich men sit in humble places. 7I have seen 10slaves riding 11on horses and princes walking like slaves on the land.

812He who digs a pit may fall into it, and a 13serpent may bite him who breaks through a wall. 9He who quarries stones may be hurt by them, and he who splits logs may be endangered by them. 10If the 14axe is dull and he does not sharpen its edge, then he must 15exert more strength. Wisdom has the advantage of giving success. 11If the serpent bites 1617before being charmed, there is no profit for the charmer. 1218Words from the mouth of a wise man are gracious, while the lips of a 19fool consume him; 13the beginning of 20his talking is folly and the end of 21it is wicked 22madness. 14Yet the 23fool multiplies words. No man knows what will happen, and who can tell him 24what will come after him? 15The toil of 25a fool so wearies him that he does not even know how to go to a city. 16Woe to you, O land, whose 26king is a lad and whose princes 27feast in the morning. 17Blessed are you, O land, whose king is of nobility and whose princes eat at the appropriate time--for strength and not for 28drunkenness. 18Through 29indolence the rafters sag, and through slackness the house leaks. 19Men prepare a meal for enjoyment, and 30wine makes life merry, and 31money 32is the answer to everything. 20Furthermore, 33in your bedchamber do not 34curse a king, and in your sleeping rooms do not curse a rich man, for a bird of the heavens will carry the sound and the winged creature will make the matter known.