Ecclesiastes 10:6-17

6Fools are placed in many positions of authority, while wealthy men sit in lowly positions.

7I have seen slaves on horseback and princes walking on foot like slaves.

8One who digs a pit may fall into it, and one who breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.

9One who quarries stones may be injured by them; one who splits logs may be endangered by them.

10If an iron axhead is blunt and a workman does not sharpen its edge, he must exert a great deal of effort; so wisdom has the advantage of giving success.

11If the snake should bite before it is charmed, the snake charmer is in trouble.

12The words of a wise person win him favor, but the words of a fool are self-destructive.

13At the beginning his words are foolish and at the end his talk is wicked madness,

14yet a fool keeps on babbling. No one knows what will happen; who can tell him what will happen in the future?

15The toil of a stupid fool wears him out, because he does not even know the way to the city.

16Woe to you, O land, when your king is childish, and your princes feast in the morning!

17Blessed are you, O land, when your king is the son of nobility, and your princes feast at the proper time – with self-control and not in drunkenness.