Ecclesiastes 10:1-20 (New American Standard)
View In My BibleA Little Foolishness
1 Dead flies make a 1perfumer's oil stink, so a little foolishness is weightier than wisdom and honor. 2 A wise man's heart directs him toward the right, but the foolish 2man's heart directs him toward the left. 3 Even when the fool walks along the road, his asense is lacking and he b3demonstrates to everyone that he is a fool. 4 If the ruler's ctemper rises against you, 4do not abandon your position, because 5composure allays great offenses. 5 There is an evil I have seen under the sun, like an error which goes forth from the ruler - 6 6folly is set in many exalted places while rich men sit in humble places. 7 I have seen 7slaves riding 8on horses and princes walking like slaves on the land. 8 9He who digs a pit may fall into it, and a 10serpent 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 daxe is dull and he does not sharpen its edge, then he must eexert more strength. Wisdom has the advantage of giving success. 11 If the serpent bites f11before being charmed, there is no profit for the charmer . 12 12Words from the mouth of a wise man are gracious, while the lips of a 13fool consume him; 13 the beginning of ghis talking is folly and the end of hit is wicked 14madness. 14 Yet the 15fool multiplies words. No man knows what will happen, and who can tell him 16what will come after him? 15 The toil of ia fool so wearies him that he does not even know how to go to a city. 16 Woe to you, O land, whose 17king is a lad and whose princes jfeast in the morning. 17 Blessed are you, O land, whose king is of nobility and whose princes eat at the appropriate time -for strength and not for 18drunkenness. 18 Through 19indolence the rafters sag, and through slackness the house leaks. 19 Men prepare a meal for enjoyment, and 20wine makes life merry, and 21money kis the answer to everything. 20 Furthermore, 22in your bedchamber do not 23curse 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.New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, California. All rights reserved. (New American Standard Version - Holy Bible)
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