35 Heb “of a wise man’s mouth.”
36 The phrase “win him” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
37 Or “are gracious.” The antithetical parallelism suggests that חֵן (khen) does not denote “gracious character” but “[gain] favor” (e.g., Gen 39:21; Exod 3:21; 11:3; 12:36; Prov 3:4, 34; 13:15; 22:1; 28:23; Eccl 9:11); cf. חֵן 2; 336 חֵן 2. The , on the other hand, rendered חֶן with χάρις (charis, “gracious”). The English versions are divided: “are gracious” (, , , , ) and “win him favor” (, , , , , , ).
38 Heb “lips.”
39 Heb “consume him”; or “engulf him.” The verb I בלע (“to swallow”) creates a striking wordplay on the homonymic root II בלע (“to speak eloquently”; בלע). Rather than speaking eloquently (II בלע, “to speak eloquently”), the fool utters words that are self-destructive (I בלע, “to swallow, engulf”).
40 Heb “the words of his mouth.”
41 The terms “beginning” and “end” form a merism, a figure of speech in which two opposites are contrasted to indicate totality (e.g., Deut 6:7; Ps 139:8; Eccl 3:2–8). The words of a fool are madness from “start to finish.”
42 Heb “his mouth.”
43 Heb “madness of evil.”
44 Heb “and the fool multiplies words.” This line is best taken as the third line of a tricola encompassing 10:13–14a (, , , ) rather than the first line of a tricola encompassing 10:14 (, , , , , ). Several versions capture the sense of this line well: “a fool prates on and on” () and “Yet the fool talks and talks!” ().
45 Heb “after him”; or “after he [dies].”

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

The words of a wise man’s mouth win him favor,

but the lips of a fool consume him.

The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness,

and the end of his talk is evil madness.

A fool multiplies words,

though no man knows what is to be,

and who can tell him what will be after him?

NIVNew International Version (2011)

Words from the mouth of the wise are gracious,

but fools are consumed by their own lips.

At the beginning their words are folly;

at the end they are wicked madness—

and fools multiply words.

No one knows what is coming—

who can tell someone else what will happen after them?

CSBChristian Standard Bible

The words from the mouth of a wise person are gracious,

but the lips of a fool consume him.

The beginning of the words from his mouth is folly,

but the end of his speaking is evil madness;

yet the fool multiplies words.

No one knows what will happen,

and who can tell anyone what will happen after him?

NLTNew Living Translation

Wise words bring approval,

but fools are destroyed by their own words.

Fools base their thoughts on foolish assumptions,

so their conclusions will be wicked madness;

they chatter on and on.

No one really knows what is going to happen;

no one can predict the future.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

The wise man wins favor by the words of his mouth,

but the fool is devoured by his own lips.

He begins by saying what is foolish

and ends by uttering what is wicked delusion.

The fool talks too much,

for no one knows what will be.

Who can tell anyone what will happen in the future?

The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself. The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness: and the end of his talk is mischievous madness. A fool also is full of words: a man cannot tell what shall be; and what shall be after him, who can tell him?

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Ecclesiastes 10:12–14

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Words and Works of Wise Men and Fools

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