Ecclesiastes 10
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New Living TranslationNew American Standard Bible 1995
1As dead flies cause even a bottle of perfume to stink, so a little foolishness spoils great wisdom and honor.1Dead flies make a perfumer's oil stink, so a little foolishness is weightier than wisdom and honor.
2A wise person chooses the right road; a fool takes the wrong one.2A wise man's heart directs him toward the right, but the foolish man's heart directs him toward the left.
3You can identify fools just by the way they walk down the street!3Even when the fool walks along the road, his sense is lacking and he demonstrates to 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 Life4If the ruler's temper rises against you, do not abandon your position, because composure allays great offenses.
5There is another evil I have seen under the sun. Kings and rulers make a grave mistake5There is an evil I have seen under the sun, like an error which goes forth from the ruler--
6when they give great authority to foolish people and low positions to people of proven worth.6folly is set in many exalted places while rich men sit in humble places.
7I have even seen servants riding horseback like princes—and princes walking like servants!7I have seen slaves riding on horses and princes walking like slaves on the land.
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 a serpent may bite him who breaks through a wall.
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.9He who quarries stones may be hurt by them, and he who splits logs may be endangered by them.
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 he does not sharpen its edge, then he must exert more strength. Wisdom has the advantage of giving success.
11If a snake bites before you charm it, what’s the use of being a snake charmer?11If the serpent bites before being charmed, there is no profit for the charmer.
12Wise words bring approval, but fools are destroyed by their own words.12Words from the mouth of a wise man are gracious, while 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 talking is folly and the end of it is wicked 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 man knows what will happen, 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 so wearies him that he does not even know how to go to a 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 lad 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 of nobility and whose princes eat at the appropriate time-- for strength and not for drunkenness.
18Laziness leads to a sagging roof; idleness leads to a leaky house.18Through indolence the rafters sag, and through slackness the house leaks.
19A party gives laughter, wine gives happiness, and money gives everything!19Men prepare a meal for enjoyment, and wine makes life merry, and money is the answer to 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.20Furthermore, in your bedchamber do not curse a king, and in your sleeping rooms do not curse a rich man, for a bird of the heavens will carry the sound and the winged creature will make the matter known.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org
Ecclesiastes 9
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