Parallel Bible results for "ecclesiastes 10"

Ecclesiastes 10

The Bible in Basic English BBE

1 Dead flies make the oil of the perfumer give out an evil smell; more valued is a little wisdom than the great glory of the foolish.

2 The heart of the wise man goes in the right direction; but the heart of a foolish man in the wrong.

3 And when the foolish man is walking in the way, he has no sense and lets everyone see that he is foolish.

4 If the wrath of the ruler is against you, keep in your place; in him who keeps quiet even great sins may be overlooked.

5 There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, like an error which comes by chance from a ruler:

6 The foolish are placed in high positions, but men of wealth are kept low.

7 I have seen servants on horses, and rulers walking on the earth as servants.

8 He who makes a hole for others will himself go into it, and for him who makes a hole through a wall the bite of a snake will be a punishment.

9 He who gets out stones from the earth will be damaged by them, and in the cutting of wood there is danger.

10 If the iron has no edge, and he does not make it sharp, then he has to put out more strength; but wisdom makes things go well.

11 If a snake gives a bite before the word of power is said, then there is no longer any use in the word of power.

12 The words of a wise man's mouth are sweet to all, but the lips of a foolish man are his destruction.

13 The first words of his mouth are foolish, and the end of his talk is evil crime.

14 The foolish are full of words; man has no knowledge of what will be; and who is able to say what will be after him?

15 The work of the foolish will be a weariness to him, because he has no knowledge of the way to the town.

16 Unhappy is the land whose king is a boy, and whose rulers are feasting in the morning.

17 Happy is the land whose ruler is of noble birth, and whose chiefs take food at the right time, for strength and not for feasting.

18 When no work is done the roof goes in, and when the hands do nothing water comes into the house.

19 A feast is for laughing, and wine makes glad the heart; but by the one and the other money is wasted.

20 Say not a curse against the king, even in your thoughts; and even secretly say not a curse against the man of wealth; because a bird of the air will take the voice, and that which has wings will give news of it.

Good News Translation GNT

1 Dead flies can make a whole bottle of perfume stink, and a little stupidity can cancel out the greatest wisdom.

2 It is natural for the wise to do the right thing and for fools to do the wrong thing.

3 Their stupidity will be evident even to strangers they meet along the way; they let everyone know that they are fools.

4 If your ruler becomes angry with you, do not hand in your resignation; serious wrongs may be pardoned if you keep calm.

5 Here is an injustice I have seen in the world - an injustice caused by rulers.

6 Stupid people are given positions of authority while the rich are ignored.

7 I have seen slaves on horseback while noblemen go on foot like slaves.

8 If you dig a pit, you fall in it; if you break through a wall, a snake bites you.

9 If you work in a stone quarry, you get hurt by stones. If you split wood, you get hurt doing it.

10 If your ax is dull and you don't sharpen it, you have to work harder to use it. It is smarter to plan ahead.

11 Knowing how to charm a snake is of no use if you let the snake bite first.

12 What the wise say brings them honor, but fools are destroyed by their own words.

13 They start out with silly talk and end up with pure madness.

14 A fool talks on and on. No one knows what is going to happen next, and no one can tell us what will happen after we die.

15 Only someone too stupid to find his way home would wear himself out with work.

16 A country is in trouble when its king is a youth and its leaders feast all night long.

17 But a country is fortunate to have a king who makes his own decisions and leaders who eat at the proper time, who control themselves and don't get drunk.

18 When you are too lazy to repair your roof, it will leak, and the house will fall in.

19 Feasting makes you happy and wine cheers you up, but you can't have either without money.

20 Don't criticize the king, even silently, and don't criticize the rich, even in the privacy of your bedroom. A bird might carry the message and tell them what you said.