New Living Translation NLT
Common English Bible CEB
1 As dead flies cause even a bottle of perfume to stink, so a little foolishness spoils great wisdom and honor.
1
As dead flies spoil the perfumer's oil, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.
2 A wise person chooses the right road; a fool takes the wrong one.
2
The mind of the wise tends toward the right, but the mind of the fool toward the left.
3 You can identify fools just by the way they walk down the street!
3
Fools lack all sense even when they walk down the street; they show everyone that they are fools.
4 If your boss is angry at you, don’t quit! A quiet spirit can overcome even great mistakes.
4
If a ruler's temper rises against you, don't leave your post, because calmness alleviates great offenses.
5 There is another evil I have seen under the sun. Kings and rulers make a grave mistake
5
There's an evil that I have seen under the sun: the kind of mistake that comes from people in power.
6 when they give great authority to foolish people and low positions to people of proven worth.
6
Fools are appointed to high posts, while the rich sit in lowly positions.
7 I have even seen servants riding horseback like princes—and princes walking like servants!
7
I have seen slaves on horseback, while princes walk on foot like slaves.
8 When you dig a well, you might fall in. When you demolish an old wall, you could be bitten by a snake.
8
Whoever digs a pit may fall into it, and whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.
9 When you work in a quarry, stones might fall and crush you. When you chop wood, there is danger with each stroke of your ax.
9
Whoever quarries stones may be injured by them; whoever splits logs may be endangered by them.
10 Using a dull ax requires great strength, so sharpen the blade. That’s the value of wisdom; it helps you succeed.
10
If an ax is dull and one doesn't sharpen it first, then one must exert more force. It's profitable to be skillful and wise.
11 If a snake bites before you charm it, what’s the use of being a snake charmer?
11
If a snake bites before it's charmed, then there's no profit for the snake charmer.
12 Wise words bring approval, but fools are destroyed by their own words.
12
Words from a wise person's mouth are beneficial, but fools are devoured by their own lips.
13 Fools base their thoughts on foolish assumptions, so their conclusions will be wicked madness;
13
Fools start out talking foolishness and end up speaking awful nonsense.
14 they chatter on and on. No one really knows what is going to happen; no one can predict the future.
14
Fools talk too much! No one knows what will happen; no one can say what will happen in the future.
15 Fools are so exhausted by a little work that they can’t even find their way home.
15
The hard work of fools tires them out because they don't even know the way to town!
16 What sorrow for the land ruled by a servant, the land whose leaders feast in the morning.
16
Too bad for you, land, whose king is a boy and whose princes feast in the morning.
17 Happy is the land whose king is a noble leader and whose leaders feast at the proper time to gain strength for their work, not to get drunk.
17
Happy is the land whose king is dignified and whose princes feast at the right time for energy, not for drunkenness.
18 Laziness leads to a sagging roof; idleness leads to a leaky house.
18
Through laziness, the roof sags; through idle hands, the house leaks.
19 A party gives laughter, wine gives happiness, and money gives everything!
19
Feasts are made for laughter, wine cheers the living, and money answers everything.
20 Never make light of the king, even in your thoughts. And don’t make fun of the powerful, even in your own bedroom. For a little bird might deliver your message and tell them what you said.
20
Don't curse a king even in private; don't curse the rich in your bedroom, because a bird could carry your voice; some winged creature could report what you said!
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by
Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2011 Common English Bible