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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>Ecclesiastes 10 ESV</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/ecclesiastes/10.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" 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id="topheading"><a href="../ecclesiastes/9.htm" title="Ecclesiastes 9">◄</a> Ecclesiastes 10 <a href="../ecclesiastes/11.htm" title="Ecclesiastes 11">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top">English Standard Version</td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/p/esv/nas/ecclesiastes/10.shtml" style="color:#001320" title="Parallel Chapters"> Par ▾ </a></tr></table></div></a><div class="chap"><span class="block-indent"><p class="line-group"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/ecclesiastes/10-1.htm"><b>1</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">Dead flies make the perfumer’s ointment give off a stench;</span><br /><span class="indent">so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/ecclesiastes/10-2.htm"><b>2</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">A wise man’s heart inclines him to the right,</span><br /><span class="indent">but a fool’s heart to the left.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/ecclesiastes/10-3.htm"><b>3</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">Even when the fool walks on the road, he lacks sense,</span><br /><span class="indent">and he says to everyone that he is a fool.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/ecclesiastes/10-4.htm"><b>4</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">If the anger of the ruler rises against you, do not leave your place,</span><br /><span class="indent">for calmness<span class="footnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="Hebrew healing">a</a></sup></span> will lay great offenses to rest.</span></p> <p class="regular"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/ecclesiastes/10-5.htm"><b>5</b></a></span>There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, as it were an error proceeding from the ruler: <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/ecclesiastes/10-6.htm"><b>6</b></a></span>folly is set in many high places, and the rich sit in a low place. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/ecclesiastes/10-7.htm"><b>7</b></a></span>I have seen slaves on horses, and princes walking on the ground like slaves.</p> <span class="block-indent"><p class="line-group"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/ecclesiastes/10-8.htm"><b>8</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">He who digs a pit will fall into it,</span><br /><span class="indent">and a serpent will bite him who breaks through a wall.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/ecclesiastes/10-9.htm"><b>9</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">He who quarries stones is hurt by them,</span><br /><span class="indent">and he who splits logs is endangered by them.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/ecclesiastes/10-10.htm"><b>10</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">If the iron is blunt, and one does not sharpen the edge,</span><br /><span class="indent">he must use more strength,</span><br /><span class="indent">but wisdom helps one to succeed.<span class="footnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="Or wisdom is an advantage for success">b</a></sup></span></span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/ecclesiastes/10-11.htm"><b>11</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">If the serpent bites before it is charmed,</span><br /><span class="indent">there is no advantage to the charmer.</span></p> <p class="line-group"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/ecclesiastes/10-12.htm"><b>12</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">The words of a wise man’s mouth win him favor,<span class="footnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="Or are gracious">c</a></sup></span></span><br /><span class="indent">but the lips of a fool consume him.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/ecclesiastes/10-13.htm"><b>13</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness,</span><br /><span class="indent">and the end of his talk is evil madness.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/ecclesiastes/10-14.htm"><b>14</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">A fool multiplies words,</span><br /><span class="indent">though no man knows what is to be,</span><br /><span class="indent">and who can tell him what will be after him?</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/ecclesiastes/10-15.htm"><b>15</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">The toil of a fool wearies him,</span><br /><span class="indent">for he does not know the way to the city.</span></p> <p class="line-group"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/ecclesiastes/10-16.htm"><b>16</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child,</span><br /><span class="indent">and your princes feast in the morning!</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/ecclesiastes/10-17.htm"><b>17</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">Happy are you, O land, when your king is the son of the nobility,</span><br /><span class="indent">and your princes feast at the proper time,</span><br /><span class="indent">for strength, and not for drunkenness!</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/ecclesiastes/10-18.htm"><b>18</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">Through sloth the roof sinks in,</span><br /><span class="indent">and through indolence the house leaks.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/ecclesiastes/10-19.htm"><b>19</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">Bread is made for laughter,</span><br /><span class="indent">and wine gladdens life,</span><br /><span class="indent">and money answers everything.</span><br /> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/ecclesiastes/10-20.htm"><b>20</b></a></span><span class="ln-group">Even in your thoughts, do not curse the king,</span><br /><span class="indent">nor in your bedroom curse the rich,</span><br /><span class="ln-group">for a bird of the air will carry your voice,</span><br /><span class="indent">or some winged creature tell the matter.</span></p><A name="footnotes"></a><hr size="1" color="DDEEFF"><span class="mainfootnotes"><span class="mainfootnoteshdg">Footnotes:</span><br><span class="footnotesbot">a</span> <span class="fnverse">4</span> Hebrew <i>healing</i><br /><span class="footnotesbot">b</span> <span class="fnverse">10</span> Or <i><span class="catch-word">wisdom</span> is an advantage for success</i><br /><span class="footnotesbot">c</span> <span class="fnverse">12</span> Or <i>are gracious</i><br /></span></div></div><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center">ESV Text Edition® (2016).<br /><br />The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by <a href="http://www.crossway.org/home/esv/">Crossway Bibles</a>, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. 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