Eccl.10.1
Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour.
Eccl.10.1
Dead flies in perfume make it stink, And a little foolishness decomposes much wisdom.
Eccl.10.1
As dead flies give perfume a bad smell, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.
Eccl.10.1
Dead flies putrefy the perfumer's ointment, And cause it to give off a foul odor; So does a little folly to one respected for wisdom and honor.
Eccl.10.1
Dead flies will cause even a bottle of perfume to stink! Yes, an ounce of foolishness can outweigh a pound of wisdom and honor.
Eccl.10.2
A wise man's heart is at his right hand; but a fool's heart at his left.
Eccl.10.2
Wise thinking leads to right living; Stupid thinking leads to wrong living.
Eccl.10.2
The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left.
Eccl.10.2
A wise man's heart is at his right hand, But a fool's heart at his left.
Eccl.10.2
The hearts of the wise lead them to do right, and the hearts of the foolish lead them to do evil.
Eccl.10.3
Yea also, when he that is a fool walketh by the way, his wisdom faileth him, and he saith to every one that he is a fool.
Eccl.10.3
Fools on the road have no sense of direction. The way they walk tells the story: "There goes the fool again!"
Eccl.10.3
Even as he walks along the road, the fool lacks sense and shows everyone how stupid he is.
Eccl.10.3
Even when a fool walks along the way, He lacks wisdom, And he shows everyone that he is a fool.
Eccl.10.3
You can identify fools just by the way they walk down the street!
Eccl.10.4
If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place; for yielding pacifieth great offences.
Eccl.10.4
If a ruler loses his temper against you, don't panic; A calm disposition quiets intemperate rage. [JC]
Eccl.10.4
If a ruler's anger rises against you, do not leave your post; calmness can lay great errors to rest.
Eccl.10.4
If the spirit of the ruler rises against you, Do not leave your post; For conciliation pacifies great offenses.
Eccl.10.4
If your boss is angry with you, don't quit! A quiet spirit can overcome even great mistakes.
Eccl.10.5
There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, as an error which proceedeth from the ruler:
Eccl.10.5
Here's a piece of bad business I've seen on this earth, An error that can be blamed on whoever is in charge:
Eccl.10.5
There is an evil I have seen under the sun, the sort of error that arises from a ruler:
Eccl.10.5
There is an evil I have seen under the sun, As an error proceeding from the ruler:
Eccl.10.5
There is another evil I have seen as I have watched the world go by. Kings and rulers make a grave mistake
Eccl.10.6
Folly is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in low place.
Eccl.10.6
Immaturity is given a place of prominence, While maturity is made to take a back seat.
Eccl.10.6
Fools are put in many high positions, while the rich occupy the low ones.
Eccl.10.6
Folly is set in great dignity, While the rich sit in a lowly place.
Eccl.10.6
if they give foolish people great authority, and if they fail to give people of proven worth their rightful place of dignity.
Eccl.10.7
I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth.
Eccl.10.7
I've seen unproven upstarts riding in style, While experienced veterans are put out to pasture. [JC]
Eccl.10.7
I have seen slaves on horseback, while princes go on foot like slaves.
Eccl.10.7
I have seen servants on horses, While princes walk on the ground like servants.
Eccl.10.7
I have even seen servants riding like princes--and princes walking like servants.
Eccl.10.8
He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh an hedge, a serpent shall bite him.
Eccl.10.8
Caution: The trap you set might catch you. Warning: Your accomplice in crime might double-cross you.
Eccl.10.8
Whoever digs a pit may fall into it; whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.
Eccl.10.8
He who digs a pit will fall into it, And whoever breaks through a wall will be bitten by a serpent.
Eccl.10.8
When you dig a well, you may fall in. When you demolish an old wall, you could be bitten by a snake.
Eccl.10.9
Whoso removeth stones shall be hurt therewith; and he that cleaveth wood shall be endangered thereby.
Eccl.10.9
Safety first: Quarrying stones is dangerous. Be alert: Felling trees is hazardous.
Eccl.10.9
Whoever quarries stones may be injured by them; whoever splits logs may be endangered by them.
Eccl.10.9
He who quarries stones may be hurt by them, And he who splits wood may be endangered by it.
Eccl.10.9
When you work in a quarry, stones might fall and crush you! When you chop wood, there is danger with each stroke of your ax! Such are the risks of life.
Eccl.10.10
If the iron be blunt, and he do not whet the edge, then must he put to more strength: but wisdom is profitable to direct.
Eccl.10.10
Remember: The duller the ax the harder the work; Use your head: The more brains, the less muscle.
Eccl.10.10
If the ax is dull and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed but skill will bring success.
Eccl.10.10
If the ax is dull, And one does not sharpen the edge, Then he must use more strength; But wisdom brings success.
Eccl.10.10
Since a dull ax requires great strength, sharpen the blade. That's the value of wisdom; it helps you succeed.
Eccl.10.11
Surely the serpent will bite without enchantment; and a babbler is no better.
Eccl.10.11
If the snake bites before it's been charmed, What's the point in then sending for the charmer? [JC]
Eccl.10.11
If a snake bites before it is charmed, there is no profit for the charmer.
Eccl.10.11
A serpent may bite when it is not charmed; The babbler is no different.
Eccl.10.11
It does no good to charm a snake after it has bitten you.
Eccl.10.12
The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself.
Eccl.10.12
The words of a wise person are gracious. The talk of a fool self-destructs--
Eccl.10.12
Words from a wise man's mouth are gracious, but a fool is consumed by his own lips.
Eccl.10.12
The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious, But the lips of a fool shall swallow him up;
Eccl.10.12
It is pleasant to listen to wise words, but the speech of fools brings them to ruin.
Eccl.10.13
The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness: and the end of his talk is mischievous madness.
Eccl.10.13
He starts out talking nonsense And ends up spouting insanity and evil.
Eccl.10.13
At the beginning his words are folly; at the end they are wicked madness-
Eccl.10.13
The words of his mouth begin with foolishness, And the end of his talk is raving madness.
Eccl.10.13
Since fools base their thoughts on foolish premises, their conclusions will be wicked madness.
Eccl.10.14
A fool also is full of words: a man cannot tell what shall be; and what shall be after him, who can tell him?
Eccl.10.14
Fools talk way too much, Chattering stuff they know nothing about.
Eccl.10.14
and the fool multiplies words. No one knows what is coming- who can tell him what will happen after him?
Eccl.10.14
A fool also multiplies words. No man knows what is to be; Who can tell him what will be after him?
Eccl.10.14
Foolish people claim to know all about the future and tell everyone the details! But who can really know what is going to happen?
Eccl.10.15
The labour of the foolish wearieth every one of them, because he knoweth not how to go to the city.
Eccl.10.15
A decent day's work so fatigues fools That they can't find their way back to town. [JC]
Eccl.10.15
A fool's work wearies him; he does not know the way to town.
Eccl.10.15
The labor of fools wearies them, For they do not even know how to go to the city!
Eccl.10.15
Fools are so exhausted by a little work that they have no strength for even the simplest tasks.
Eccl.10.16
Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes eat in the morning!
Eccl.10.16
Unlucky the land whose king is a young pup, And whose princes party all night.
Eccl.10.16
Woe to you, O land whose king was a servant and whose princes feast in the morning.
Eccl.10.16
Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child, And your princes feast in the morning!
Eccl.10.16
Destruction is certain for the land whose king is a child and whose leaders feast in the morning.
Eccl.10.17
Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!
Eccl.10.17
Lucky the land whose king is mature, Where the princes behave themselves And don't drink themselves silly. [JC]
Eccl.10.17
Blessed are you, O land whose king is of noble birth and whose princes eat at a proper time- for strength and not for drunkenness.
Eccl.10.17
Blessed are you, O land, when your king is the son of nobles, And your princes feast at the proper time-- For strength and not for drunkenness!
Eccl.10.17
Happy is the land whose king is a nobleman and whose leaders feast only to gain strength for their work, not to get drunk.
Eccl.10.18
By much slothfulness the building decayeth; and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth through.
Eccl.10.18
A shiftless man lives in a tumbledown shack; A lazy woman ends up with a leaky roof.
Eccl.10.18
If a man is lazy, the rafters sag; if his hands are idle, the house leaks.
Eccl.10.18
Because of laziness the building decays, And through idleness of hands the house leaks.
Eccl.10.18
Laziness lets the roof leak, and soon the rafters begin to rot.
Eccl.10.19
A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money answereth all things.
Eccl.10.19
Laughter and bread go together, And wine gives sparkle to life--But it's money that makes the world go around.
Eccl.10.19
A feast is made for laughter, and wine makes life merry, but money is the answer for everything.
Eccl.10.19
A feast is made for laughter, And wine makes merry; But money answers everything.
Eccl.10.19
A party gives laughter, and wine gives happiness, and money gives everything!
Eccl.10.20
Curse not the king, no not in thy thought; and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter.
Eccl.10.20
Don't bad-mouth your leaders, not even under your breath, And don't abuse your betters, even in the privacy of your home. Loose talk has a way of getting picked up and spread around. Little birds drop the crumbs of your gossip far and wide.
Eccl.10.20
Do not revile the king even in your thoughts, or curse the rich in your bedroom, because a bird of the air may carry your words, and a bird on the wing may report what you say.
Eccl.10.20
Do not curse the king, even in your thought; Do not curse the rich, even in your bedroom; For a bird of the air may carry your voice, And a bird in flight may tell the matter.
Eccl.10.20
Never make light of the king, even in your thoughts. And don't make fun of a rich man, either. A little bird may tell them what you have said.
