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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