Ecclesiastes 10 :: English Standard Version (ESV)

Ecc 10:1Dead flies make the perfumer’s ointment give off a stench;
so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.

Ecc 10:2A wise man’s heart inclines him to the right,
but a fool’s heart to the left.

Ecc 10:3Even when the fool walks on the road, he lacks sense,
and he says to everyone that he is a fool.

Ecc 10:4If the anger of the ruler rises against you, do not leave your place,
for calmness[fn] will lay great offenses to rest.

Ecc 10:5

Ecc 10:5There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, as it were an error proceeding from the ruler:

Ecc 10:6

Ecc 10:6folly is set in many high places, and the rich sit in a low place.

Ecc 10:7

Ecc 10:7I have seen slaves on horses, and princes walking on the ground like slaves.

Ecc 10:8

Ecc 10:8He who digs a pit will fall into it,
and a serpent will bite him who breaks through a wall.

Ecc 10:9

Ecc 10:9He who quarries stones is hurt by them,
and he who splits logs is endangered by them.

Ecc 10:10

Ecc 10:10If the iron is blunt, and one does not sharpen the edge,
he must use more strength,
but wisdom helps one to succeed.[fn]

Ecc 10:11

Ecc 10:11If the serpent bites before it is charmed,
there is no advantage to the charmer.

Ecc 10:12

Ecc 10:12The words of a wise man’s mouth win him favor,[fn]
but the lips of a fool consume him.

Ecc 10:13

Ecc 10:13The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness,
and the end of his talk is evil madness.

Ecc 10:14

Ecc 10:14A fool multiplies words,
though no man knows what is to be,
and who can tell him what will be after him?

Ecc 10:15

Ecc 10:15The toil of a fool wearies him,
for he does not know the way to the city.

Ecc 10:16

Ecc 10:16Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child,
and your princes feast in the morning!

Ecc 10:17

Ecc 10:17Happy are you, O land, when your king is the son of the nobility,
and your princes feast at the proper time,
for strength, and not for drunkenness!

Ecc 10:18

Ecc 10:18Through sloth the roof sinks in,
and through indolence the house leaks.

Ecc 10:19

Ecc 10:19Bread is made for laughter,
and wine gladdens life,
and money answers everything.

Ecc 10:20

Ecc 10:20Even in your thoughts, do not curse the king,
nor in your bedroom curse the rich,
for a bird of the air will carry your voice,
or some winged creature tell the matter.

See the ESV Preface (Especially for Parenthesis, Brackets, & Asterisks).

ESV Footnotes

(10:4)

Hebrew healing

(10:10)

Or wisdom is an advantage for success

(10:12)

Or are gracious

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001, 2007, 2011, 2016 by Crossway Books and Bibles, a Publishing Ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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For more information on this translation, see the ESV Preface.

Ecclesiastes Chapter 10 — Additional Translations:

King James Version New King James Version New Living Translation New International Version Christian Standard Bible New American Standard Bible 2020 New American Standard Bible 1995 Legacy Standard Bible Amplified Bible New English Translation Revised Standard Version American Standard Version Young's Literal Translation Darby Translation Webster's Bible Hebrew Names Version Latin Vulgate Westminster Leningrad Codex Septuagint Smith Van Dyck Arabic Bible Open New Arabic Version Brenton's English Septuagint Reina Valera 1909 Reina-Valera 1960 Bible in Basic English Chinese Traditional Union Espanol Moderno Korean Holy Bible Louis Segond German Luther Russian Synodal Translation Sagradas Escrituras

Ecclesiastes 10 :: English Standard Version (ESV)

ESV Footnotes

Ecclesiastes Chapter 10 — Additional Translations:

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