Ecclesiastes 10 — The Holy Bible

Dead flies will corrupt the preparation of seasoned olive oil,

And a little wisdom is more valuable

Than the glory of great foolishness.

A wise man's heart is at his right hand,

But the heart of a senseless man is at his left.

When a senseless man also walks along the way,

His heart will fail him,

And everything he considers is foolishness.

If the spirit of the ruler rises against you,

Do not leave your place;

For soothing puts an end to great sins.

There is an evil I saw under the sun

When an offense proceeds from a ruler.

The senseless man devotes himself to great heights,

And rich men shall sit in a lowly place.

I saw servants on horses

And princes walking on the ground like servants.

He who digs a pit will fall into it,

And he who pulls down a wall will be bitten by a serpent.

He who removes stones will be worn out by them,

And he who cuts down trees will be endangered by them.

If the ax head falls off, then his countenance is troubled,

And he will put forth more strength;

And in that case skill is of no advantage to the man.

If the serpent bites when it is not charmed,

Then there is no advantage to the charmer.

The words of a wise mouth are gracious,

But the lips of a fool shall swallow him up.

The words of his mouth begin with foolishness,

And the end of his talk is evil madness.

A senseless man multiplies words.

No man knows what is to be;

And who will tell him what will be after him?

The labor of fools wears them out,

For they do not even know how to go to the city!

Woe to you, O city whose king is young

And whose princes feast in the morning!

Blessed are you, O land,

When your king is the son of nobles

And your princes feast at the proper time in strength.

They will not be dishonored.

Because of laziness the roofing will be brought low,

And through idleness of hands the house will leak.

They make bread for laughter,

And wine delights the living;

But all will listen to money.

Do not curse the king, even in your conscience;

Do not curse the rich, even in your bedroom;

For a bird of the air will carry your voice,

And a bird in flight will tell the matter.