| New Living Translation | Berean Study Bible |
| 1As dead flies cause even a bottle of perfume to stink, so a little foolishness spoils great wisdom and honor. | 1As dead flies bring a stench to the perfumer’s oil, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor. |
| 2A wise person chooses the right road; a fool takes the wrong one. | 2A wise man’s heart inclines to the right, but the heart of a fool to the left. |
| 3You can identify fools just by the way they walk down the street! | 3Even as the fool walks along the road, his sense is lacking, and he shows everyone that he is a fool. |
| 4If your boss is angry at you, don’t quit! A quiet spirit can overcome even great mistakes. The Ironies of Life | 4If the ruler’s temper flares against you, do not abandon your post, for calmness lays great offenses to rest. |
| 5There is another evil I have seen under the sun. Kings and rulers make a grave mistake | 5There is an evil I have seen under the sun—an error that proceeds from the ruler: |
| 6when they give great authority to foolish people and low positions to people of proven worth. | 6Folly is appointed to great heights, but the rich sit in lowly positions. |
| 7I have even seen servants riding horseback like princes—and princes walking like servants! | 7I have seen slaves on horseback, while princes go on foot like slaves. |
| 8When you dig a well, you might fall in. When you demolish an old wall, you could be bitten by a snake. | 8He who digs a pit may fall into it, and he who breaches a wall may be bitten by a snake. |
| 9When you work in a quarry, stones might fall and crush you. When you chop wood, there is danger with each stroke of your ax. | 9The one who quarries stones may be injured by them, and he who splits logs endangers himself. |
| 10Using a dull ax requires great strength, so sharpen the blade. That’s the value of wisdom; it helps you succeed. | 10If the axe is dull and the blade unsharpened, more strength must be exerted, but skill produces success. |
| 11If a snake bites before you charm it, what’s the use of being a snake charmer? | 11If the snake bites before it is charmed, there is no profit for the charmer. |
| 12Wise words bring approval, but fools are destroyed by their own words. | 12The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious, but the lips of a fool consume him. |
| 13Fools base their thoughts on foolish assumptions, so their conclusions will be wicked madness; | 13The beginning of his talk is folly, and the end of his speech is evil madness. |
| 14they chatter on and on. No one really knows what is going to happen; no one can predict the future. | 14Yet the fool multiplies words. No one knows what is coming, and who can tell him what will come after him? |
| 15Fools are so exhausted by a little work that they can’t even find their way home. | 15The toil of a fool wearies him, for he does not know the way to the city. |
| 16What sorrow for the land ruled by a servant, the land whose leaders feast in the morning. | 16Woe to you, O land whose king is a youth, and whose princes feast in the morning. |
| 17Happy 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. | 17Blessed are you, O land whose king is a son of nobles, and whose princes feast at the proper time—for strength and not for drunkenness. |
| 18Laziness leads to a sagging roof; idleness leads to a leaky house. | 18Through laziness the roof caves in, and in the hands of the idle, the house leaks. |
| 19A party gives laughter, wine gives happiness, and money gives everything! | 19A feast is prepared for laughter, and wine makes life merry, but money is the answer for everything. |
| 20Never 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. | 20Do not curse the king even in your thoughts, or curse the rich even in your bedroom, for a bird of the air may carry your words, and a winged creature may report your speech. |
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