Ecclesiastes 10

The Folly of a Simpleminded Fool

Dead flies make a ^aperfumer’s oil stink, so a little simpleminded folly is weightier than wisdom and honor. 2 A wise man’s heart directs him toward the right, but the foolish ^aman’s heart directs him toward the left. 3 Even when the simpleminded fool walks along the road, his heart lacks wisdom, and he ^asays to all that he is a simpleminded fool. 4 If the ruler’s ¹temper rises against you, ^ado not abandon your position, because ^bcalmness causes great offenses to be abandoned.
5 There is an evil I have seen under the sun, like a mistake which goes forth from the one in power— 6 ¹^afolly is set in many exalted places while rich men sit in humble places. 7 I have seen ^aslaves riding ^bon horses and princes walking like slaves on the land.
8 ^aHe who digs a pit may fall into it, and a ^bserpent may bite him who breaks through a wall. 9 He who quarries stones may be hurt by them, and he who splits logs may be endangered by them. 10 If the ¹axe is dull and he does not sharpen its edge, then he must ²exert more strength. Wisdom has the advantage of giving success. 11 If the serpent bites ¹^abefore being charmed, there is no advantage for the charmer. 12 ^aWords from the mouth of a wise man are gracious, but the lips of a ^bfool swallow him up; 13 the beginning of the words of his mouth is simpleminded folly, and the end of what comes from his mouth is evil ^amadness. 14 Yet the ^asimpleminded fool multiplies words. No man knows what will happen, and who can tell him ^bwhat will come after him? 15 The labor of ¹a fool so wearies him that he does not even know how to go to a city. 16 Woe to you, O land, whose ^aking is a young man and whose princes ¹eat in the morning. 17 Blessed are you, O land, whose king is of nobility and whose princes eat at the appropriate time—for might and not for ^adrinking. 18 Through ^aindolence the beams sag, and through slack hands the house leaks. 19 Men prepare bread for laughter, and ^awine makes life glad, and ^bmoney ¹is the answer to everything. 20 Furthermore, ^ain your bedchamber do not ^bcurse a king, and in your sleeping rooms do not curse a rich man, for a bird of the sky will bring the sound and the winged creature will tell the matter.

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