The Message Bible MSG
English Standard Version ESV
1 Dead flies in perfume make it stink, And a little foolishness decomposes much wisdom.
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Dead flies make the perfumer's ointment give off a stench; so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.
2 Wise thinking leads to right living; Stupid thinking leads to wrong living.
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A wise man's heart inclines him to the right, but a fool's heart to the left.
3 Fools on the road have no sense of direction. The way they walk tells the story: "There goes the fool again!"
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Even when the fool walks on the road, he lacks sense, and he says to everyone that he is a fool.
4 If a ruler loses his temper against you, don't panic; A calm disposition quiets intemperate rage.
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If the anger of the ruler rises against you, do not leave your place, for calmness will lay great offenses to rest.
5 Here's a piece of bad business I've seen on this earth, An error that can be blamed on whoever is in charge:
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There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, as it were an error proceeding from the ruler:
6 Immaturity is given a place of prominence, While maturity is made to take a back seat.
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folly is set in many high places, and the rich sit in a low place.
7 I've seen unproven upstarts riding in style, While experienced veterans are put out to pasture.
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I have seen slaves on horses, and princes walking on the ground like slaves.
8 Caution: The trap you set might catch you. Warning: Your accomplice in crime might double-cross you.
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He who digs a pit will fall into it, and a serpent will bite him who breaks through a wall.
9 Safety first: Quarrying stones is dangerous. Be alert: Felling trees is hazardous.
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He who quarries stones is hurt by them, and he who splits logs is endangered by them.
10 Remember: The duller the ax the harder the work; Use your head: The more brains, the less muscle.
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If the iron is blunt, and one does not sharpen the edge, he must use more strength, but wisdom helps one to succeed.
11 If the snake bites before it's been charmed, What's the point in then sending for the charmer?
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If the serpent bites before it is charmed, there is no advantage to the charmer.
12 The words of a wise person are gracious. The talk of a fool self-destructs -
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The words of a wise man's mouth win him favor, but the lips of a fool consume him.
13 He starts out talking nonsense And ends up spouting insanity and evil.
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The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness, and the end of his talk is evil madness.
14 Fools talk way too much, Chattering stuff they know nothing about.
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A fool multiplies words, though no man knows what is to be, and who can tell him what will be after him?
15 A decent day's work so fatigues fools That they can't find their way back to town.
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The toil of a fool wearies him, for he does not know the way to the city.
16 Unlucky the land whose king is a young pup, And whose princes party all night.
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Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child, and your princes feast in the morning!
17 Lucky the land whose king is mature, Where the princes behave themselves And don't drink themselves silly.
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Happy are you, O land, when your king is the son of the nobility, and your princes feast at the proper time, for strength, and not for drunkenness!
18 A shiftless man lives in a tumbledown shack; A lazy woman ends up with a leaky roof.
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Through sloth the roof sinks in, and through indolence the house leaks.
19 Laughter and bread go together, And wine gives sparkle to life - But it's money that makes the world go around.
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Bread is made for laughter, and wine gladdens life, and money answers everything.
20 Don't bad-mouth your leaders, not even under your breath, And don't abuse your betters, even in the privacy of your home. Loose talk has a way of getting picked up and spread around. Little birds drop the crumbs of your gossip far and wide.
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Even in your thoughts, do not curse the king, nor in your bedroom curse the rich, for a bird of the air will carry your voice, or some winged creature tell the matter.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.