Ecclesiastes 10 :: New King James Version (NKJV)

Wisdom and Folly

Ecc 10:1Dead flies putrefy[fn] 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.

Ecc 10:2

Ecc 10:2A wise man’s heart is at his right hand,
But a fool’s heart at his left.

Ecc 10:3

Ecc 10:3Even when a fool walks along the way,
He lacks wisdom,
And he shows everyone that he is a fool.

Ecc 10:4

Ecc 10:4If the spirit of the ruler rises against you,
Do not leave your post;
For conciliation pacifies great offenses.

Ecc 10:5

Ecc 10:5There is an evil I have seen under the sun,
As an error proceeding from the ruler:

Ecc 10:6

Ecc 10:6Folly is set in great dignity,
While the rich sit in a lowly place.

Ecc 10:7

Ecc 10:7I have seen servants on horses,
While princes walk on the ground like servants.

Ecc 10:8

Ecc 10:8He who digs a pit will fall into it,
And whoever breaks through a wall will be bitten by a serpent.

Ecc 10:9

Ecc 10:9He who quarries stones may be hurt by them,
And he who splits wood may be endangered by it.

Ecc 10:10

Ecc 10:10If the ax is dull,
And one does not sharpen the edge,
Then he must use more strength;
But wisdom brings success.

Ecc 10:11

Ecc 10:11A serpent may bite when it is not charmed;
The babbler is no different.

Ecc 10:12

Ecc 10:12The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious,
But the lips of a fool shall swallow him up;

Ecc 10:13

Ecc 10:13The words of his mouth begin with foolishness,
And the end of his talk is raving madness.

Ecc 10:14

Ecc 10:14A fool also multiplies words.
No man knows what is to be;
Who can tell him what will be after him?

Ecc 10:15

Ecc 10:15The labor of fools wearies them,
For they do not even know how to go 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 10:17Blessed 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!

Ecc 10:18

Ecc 10:18Because of laziness the building decays,
And through idleness of hands the house leaks.

Ecc 10:19

Ecc 10:19A feast is made for laughter,
And wine makes merry;
But money answers everything.

Ecc 10:20

Ecc 10:20Do 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.

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

NKJV Footnotes

(10:1)

Targum and Vulgate omit putrefy.

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

Ecclesiastes Chapter 10 — Additional Translations:

King James Version New Living Translation New International Version English Standard 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 :: New King James Version (NKJV)

NKJV Footnotes

Ecclesiastes Chapter 10 — Additional Translations:

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