Ecclesiastes 10:1-20 NASB20 - Bible AI

¹Dead flies turn a perfumer’s oil rancid, so a little foolishness is more [130]potent than wisdom and honor.

²A wise person’s heart directs him toward the right, but the foolish person’s heart directs him toward the left.

³Even when the fool walks along the road, his [131]sense is lacking, and he [132]demonstrates to everyone that he is a fool.

⁴If the ruler’s [133]temper rises against you, do not abandon your place, because composure puts great offenses to rest.

⁵There is an evil I have seen under the sun, like a mistake that proceeds from the ruler:

⁶foolishness is set in many exalted places while the rich sit in humble places.

⁷I have seen slaves riding on horses and princes walking like slaves on the land.

⁸One who digs a pit may fall into it, and a serpent may bite one who breaks through a wall.

⁹One who quarries stones may be hurt by them, and one who splits logs may be endangered by them.

¹⁰If the [134]axe is dull and he does not sharpen its [135]edge, then he must exert more strength. Wisdom has the advantage of bringing success.

¹¹If the serpent bites [136]before being charmed, there is no benefit for the charmer.

¹²Words from the mouth of a wise person are gracious, while the lips of a fool consume him;

¹³the beginning of [137]his talking is foolishness, and the end of [138]it is evil insanity.

¹⁴Yet the fool multiplies words. No person knows what will happen, and who can tell him what will come after him?

¹⁵The labor of [139]a fool makes him so weary that he does not even know how to go to a city.

¹⁶Woe to you, land whose king is a boy, and whose princes [140]feast in the morning.

¹⁷Blessed are you, land whose king is of nobility, and whose princes eat at the appropriate time—for strength and not for drunkenness.

¹⁸Through extreme laziness the rafters sag, and through idleness the house leaks.

¹⁹People prepare a meal for enjoyment, wine makes life joyful, and money [141]is the answer to everything.

²⁰Furthermore, in your bedroom do not curse a king, and in your sleeping rooms do not curse a rich person; for a bird of the sky will bring the sound, and the winged one will make your word known.