Ecc 10 | NASB2020 | STEP | Dead flies turn a perfumer’s oil rancid , so a little foolishness is more potent than wisdom and honor .

Ecclesiastes 10

A Little Foolishness

1 Dead flies turn a ^aperfumer’s oil rancid, so a little foolishness is more ^{▼▼Lit costly}potent than wisdom and honor. 2 A wise person’s heart directs him toward the right, but the foolish ^cperson’s heart directs him toward the left. 3 Even when the fool walks along the road, his ^{▼▼Lit heart}sense is lacking, and he ^{▼▼Lit says
,} ^fdemonstrates to everyone that he is a fool. 4 If the ruler’s ^{▼▼Lit spirit}temper rises against you, ^hdo not abandon your place, because ⁱcomposure puts great offenses to rest.

5 There is an evil I have seen under the sun, like a mistake that proceeds from the ruler: 6 ^jfoolishness is set in many exalted places while the rich sit in humble places. 7 I have seen ^kslaves riding ^lon horses and princes walking like slaves on the land.

8 ^mOne who digs a pit may fall into it, and a ⁿserpent may bite one who breaks through a wall. 9 One who quarries stones may be hurt by them, and one who splits logs may be endangered by them. 10 If the ^{▼▼Lit iron}axe is dull and he does not sharpen its ^{▼▼Lit faces}edge, then he must exert more strength. Wisdom has the advantage of bringing success. 11 If the serpent bites ^{▼▼Lit with no incantation
,} ^rbefore being charmed, there is no benefit for the charmer. 12 ^sWords from the mouth of a wise person are gracious, while the lips of a ^tfool consume him; 13 the beginning of ^{▼▼Lit the words of his mouth}his talking is foolishness, and the end of ^{▼▼Lit his mouth}it is evil ^winsanity. 14 Yet the ^xfool multiplies words. No person knows what will happen, and who can tell him ^ywhat will come after him? 15 The labor of ^{▼▼Lit fools make}a fool makes him so weary that he does not even know how to go to a city. 16 Woe to you, land whose ^aaking is a boy, and whose princes ^{▼▼Lit eat}feast in the morning. 17 Blessed are you, land whose king is of nobility, and whose princes eat at the appropriate time--for strength and not for ^acdrunkenness. 18 Through ^adextreme laziness the rafters sag, and through idleness the house leaks. 19 People prepare a meal for enjoyment, ^aewine makes life joyful, and ^afmoney ^{▼▼Lit answers all}is the answer to everything. 20 Furthermore, ^ahin your bedroom do not ^aicurse 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.