VerseAI

NIV

Ecclesiastes 10

  1. 1<pb/><t>As dead flies give perfume a bad smell,</t> <t>so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.</t>
  2. 2<t>The heart of the wise inclines to the right,</t> <t>but the heart of the fool to the left.</t>
  3. 3<t>Even as fools walk along the road,</t> <t>they lack sense</t> <t>and show everyone how stupid they are.</t>
  4. 4<t>If a ruler’s anger rises against you,</t> <t>do not leave your post;</t> <t>calmness can lay great offenses to rest. <pb/></t>
  5. 5<t>There is an evil I have seen under the sun,</t> <t>the sort of error that arises from a ruler:</t>
  6. 6<t>Fools are put in many high positions,</t> <t>while the rich occupy the low ones.</t>
  7. 7<t>I have seen slaves on horseback,</t> <t>while princes go on foot like slaves. <pb/></t>
  8. 8<t>Whoever digs a pit may fall into it;</t> <t>whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.</t>
  9. 9<t>Whoever quarries stones may be injured by them;</t> <t>whoever splits logs may be endangered by them. <pb/></t>
  10. 10<t>If the ax is dull</t> <t>and its edge unsharpened,</t> <t>more strength is needed,</t> <t>but skill will bring success. <pb/></t>
  11. 11<t>If a snake bites before it is charmed,</t> <t>the charmer receives no fee. <pb/></t>
  12. 12<t>Words from the mouth of the wise are gracious,</t> <t>but fools are consumed by their own lips.</t>
  13. 13<t>At the beginning their words are folly;</t> <t>at the end they are wicked madness—</t>
  14. 14<t>and fools multiply words. <pb/>No one knows what is coming—</t> <t>who can tell someone else what will happen after them? <pb/></t>
  15. 15<t>The toil of fools wearies them;</t> <t>they do not know the way to town. <pb/></t>
  16. 16<t>Woe to the land whose king was a servant<f>[14]</f></t> <t>and whose princes feast in the morning.</t>
  17. 17<t>Blessed is the land whose king is of noble birth</t> <t>and whose princes eat at a proper time—</t> <t>for strength and not for drunkenness. <pb/></t>
  18. 18<t>Through laziness, the rafters sag;</t> <t>because of idle hands, the house leaks. <pb/></t>
  19. 19<t>A feast is made for laughter,</t> <t>wine makes life merry,</t> <t>and money is the answer for everything. <pb/></t>
  20. 20<t>Do not revile the king even in your thoughts,</t> <t>or curse the rich in your bedroom,</t> <t>because a bird in the sky may carry your words,</t> <t>and a bird on the wing may report what you say.</t>