Ecclesiastes 10

10Dead flies can make even perfume stink.

In the same way, a little foolishness can spoil wisdom.

²The heart of the wise leads to right,

but the heart of a fool leads to wrong.

³Even in the way fools walk along the road,

they show they are not wise;

they show everyone how stupid they are.

⁴Don’t leave your job

just because your boss is angry with you.

Remaining calm solves great problems.

⁵There is something else wrong that happens here on earth.

It is the kind of mistake rulers make:

⁶Fools are given important positions

while gifted people are given lower ones;

⁷I have seen servants ride horses

while princes walk like servants on foot.

⁸Anyone who digs a pit might fall into it;

anyone who knocks down a wall might be bitten by a snake;

⁹anyone who moves boulders might be hurt by them;

and anyone who cuts logs might be harmed by them.

¹⁰A dull ax means

harder work.

Being wise will make it easier.

¹¹If a snake bites the tamer before it is tamed,

what good is the tamer?

¹²The words of the wise bring them praise,

but the words of a fool will destroy them.

¹³A fool begins by saying foolish things

and ends by saying crazy and wicked things.

¹⁴A fool talks too much.

No one knows the future,

and no one can tell what will happen after death.

¹⁵Work wears fools out;

they don’t even know how to get home.

The Value of Work

¹⁶How terrible it is for a country whose king is a child

and whose leaders eat all morning.

¹⁷How lucky a country is whose king comes from a good family,

whose leaders eat only at mealtime

and for strength, not to get drunk.

¹⁸If someone is lazy, the roof will begin to fall.

If he doesn’t fix it, the house will leak.

¹⁹A party makes you feel good,

wine makes you feel happy,

and money buys anything.

²⁰Don’t make fun of the king,

and don’t make fun of rich people, even in your bedroom.

A little bird might carry your words;

a bird might fly and tell what you said.