The FarAboveAll translation of the Old Testament from the Masoretic Hebrew and Aramaic (WLC). See details on www.FarAboveAll.com.

Version 0.33.105, 15 February 2024

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Ecclesiastes Chapter 10

1As deadly flies make the pharmacist's oil stink and go putrid,

So does a little foolishness with him who is esteemed with wisdom and with honour.

2The heart of a wise man

Is on his right,

But the heart of a fool

Is on his left.

3And also when a fool is walking along a road,

His heart fails him,

And he says to everyone

That he is a fool.

4If the spirit of the ruler rises against you,

Do not leave your place,

For calmness bears with great sins.

5There is an evil thing which I have seen under the sun:

A sin through ignorance,

Which proceeds from the ruler.

6Foolishness is instituted in many high places,

But the rich will sit in a low place.

7I have seen servants on horses,

And princes walking like servants on the ground.

8He who digs a pit will fall into it,

And as for him who demolishes a wall,

A serpent will bite him.

9He who quarries stones

Will be hurt by them,

And he who chops wood

Will be endangered by it.

10If the iron implement is blunt,

And he does not sharpen its edge,

Then he must use more force.

But wisdom has the benefit of bringing success.

11If a serpent bites,

It is because it has not been charmed,

So the talkative man has nothing illustrious.

12The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious,

But the lips of a fool will swallow him up.

13The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness,

And the end of his speech is calamitous folly.

14And the fool is very talkative.

But man does not know what will come to pass,

And who can tell him

What will come to pass after him?

15The fool's toil will weary him

Because he does not know how to go to the city.

16Woe to you, O land,

Where your king is a boy,

And your princes dine in the morning.

17Blessed are you, O land,

Where your king is a nobleman,

And your princes eat in season,

In valour and not in drinking.

18Through slackness the rafter-work decays,

And through idleness in maintenance the house leaks.

19A meal is made for entertainment,

And wine makes life merry,

But money answers everything.

20And do not curse the king in your mind,

And do not curse the rich in your bedrooms,

For a bird of the sky will carry your voice,

And the winged one will divulge the matter.

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