Ecclesiastes 10:1–12:7

* Dead flies cause the ointment of the aapothecary to bsend forth a stinking savour: so doth a little cfolly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour.

2 A wise man’s heart is at his right hand; but a fool’s heart at his left. 3 Yea also, when he that is a fool walketh by the way, * his wisdom faileth him, and dhe saith to every one that he is a fool.

4 If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, eleave not thy place; for fyielding gpacifieth great offences.

5 There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, as an herror which proceedeth * from the iruler: 6 kfolly is set * in great dignity, and the rich sit in llow place. 7 mI have seen servants nupon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth.

8 oHe that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso pbreaketh a hedge, qa serpent shall bite him. 9 Whoso rremoveth stones shall be hurt therewith; and he that scleaveth wood shall be endangered thereby.

10 If the iron tbe blunt, and he do not uwhet the edge, then must he put to more strength: but wisdom is xprofitable to ydirect.

11 Surely the serpent will bite without zenchantment; and * a babbler is no xbetter. 12 aThe words of a wise man’s mouth are * gracious; but bthe lips of a fool will swallow up himself. 13 The beginning of the words of his mouth is cfoolishness: and the end of * his talk is mischievous dmadness. 14 eA fool also * is full of words: fa man cannot tell what shall be; and what shall be after him, gwho can tell him? 15 The labour of the foolish wearieth every one of them, because he knoweth not how to go to the city.

16 hWoe to thee, O land, when ithy king is ja child, and thy princes keat in the morning. 17 Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes leat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness.

18 By much slothfulness the building mdecayeth; and through idleness of the hands the house ndroppeth through.

19 A feast is made for laughter, and owine * maketh merry: but pmoney answereth all things.

20 qCurse not the king, no not in thy * thought; and curse not the rich rin thy bedchamber: for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and sthat which hath wings shall tell the matter.

XI. Cast thy bread a* upon the waters: bfor thou shalt find it after many days. 2 cGive a portion to dseven, and also to eight; efor thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth. 3 If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth: and if the tree fall toward the fsouth, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be. 4 He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and ghe that regardeth the clouds shall not reap. 5 As thou knowest not what is the way of the hspirit, nor ihow the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all. 6 In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening kwithhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether * shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be lalike good.

7 Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to mbehold the sun: 8 but if a man live many years, and rejoice in them all; yet let him remember nthe days of darkness; for they shall be many. All that cometh is vanity.

9 oRejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy pyouth, and qwalk in the ways of thine heart, and in rthe sight of thine eyes: sbut know thou, that for all these things tGod will bring thee into judgment. 10 Therefore remove * sorrow from thy heart, and uput away evil from thy flesh: for childhood and youth are vanity.

XII. Remember now thy Creator ain the days of thy byouth, swhile cthe evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when dthou shalt say, I have no epleasure in them; 2 swhile the sun, or fthe light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain: 3 in the day when the keepers of the house shall gtremble, and the hstrong men shall bow themselves, and * the grinders cease because they are few, and ithose that look out of the windows be darkened, 4 and jthe doors shall be shut in the kstreets, when lthe sound of the grinding mis low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all dthe daughters of musick shall be mbrought low; 5 also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall nflourish, and the ograsshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his plong qhome, and rthe mourners go about the kstreets: 6 sor ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden tbowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern. 7 Then shall uthe dust return to the earth as it was: and xthe spirit shall return unto God ywho gave it.