Ecclesiastes 10

¹Dead flies cause a bad smell and ruin the ointment of the perfumer.[#Or “spew”]

²The heart of the wise inclines to his right,

³Even when the fool walks along the road, he lacks sense;

⁴If the anger of the ruler rises against you,

⁵There is an evil I have seen under the sun—

⁶The fool is set in many high places,

⁷I have even seen slaves riding on horses

Accidents Happen—Even to Professionals

⁸Whoever digs a pit will fall into it.

⁹Whoever quarries stones will be wounded by them.[#Literally “breaks out”]

Hard Work and Skill Alone Cannot Succeed—Wisdom is Necessary

¹⁰If the ax is blunt but one does not sharpen its edge,

but the advantage of wisdom is it brings success.

¹¹If the snake bites before the charming,

The Consequences of Foolishness

¹²The wise man wins favor by the words of his mouth,

¹³He begins by saying what is foolish

¹⁴The fool talks too much,[#Literally “increases words”]

¹⁵The fool is so worn out by a hard day’s work

¹⁶Woe to you, O land, when your king is a youth

¹⁷Blessed are you, O land, when your king is a son of nobility

¹⁸Through sloth the roof sinks in,

¹⁹Feasts are held for celebration,[#Literally “They make bread for laughter”]

²⁰Do not curse the king even in your thoughts,

for a bird of the sky may carry your voice;