Ecclesiastes 10

Dead flies spoil the perfume

As dead flies give perfume a bad smell, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor. ²The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left. ³Even as fools walk along the road, they lack sense and show everyone how stupid they are.

⁴If a ruler’s anger rises against you, do not leave your post; calmness can lay great offenses to rest.a ⁵There is an evil I have seen under the sun, the sort of error that arises from a ruler: ⁶Fools are put in many high positions, while the rich occupy the low ones.

⁷I have seen slaves on horseback, while princes go on foot like slaves. ⁸Whoever digs a pit may fall into it; whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.b ⁹Whoever quarries stones may be injured by them; whoever splits logs may be endangered by them.

¹⁰If the ax is dull and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed, but skill will bring success.c ¹¹If a snake bites before it is charmed, the charmer receives no fee. ¹²Words from the mouth of the wise are gracious, but fools are consumed by their own lips.d

¹³At the beginning their words are folly; at the end they are wicked madness— ¹⁴and fools multiply words. No one knows what is coming— who can tell someone else what will happen after them? ¹⁵The toil of fools wearies them; they do not know the way to town.

¹⁶Woe to the land whose king was a servant and whose princes feast in the morning.e ¹⁷Blessed is the land whose king is of noble birth and whose princes eat at a proper time— for strength and not for drunkenness. ¹⁸Through laziness, the rafters sag; because of idle hands, the house leaks.f

¹⁹A feast is made for laughter, wine makes life merry, and money is the answer for everything. ²⁰Do not revile the king 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.g