Qoheleth (Ecclesiastes) 10

¹ Dead flies spoil a bowl of perfumed oil; a little folly is stronger than wisdom and honour.

² The wise man’s heart leads him aright, the fool’s heart leads him astray.

³ A fool has only to walk along the road and, having no sense, he makes plain to all what a fool he is.

⁴ With the anger of the ruler mounting against you, do not leave your post; composure avoids many a fault.

⁵ There is an evil I observe under the sun, the type of misjudgement to which rulers are prone:

⁶ folly promoted to high dignities, rich men taking the lowest place.

⁷ Slaves I see on horseback, princes going on foot like slaves.

⁸ He who digs a pit may fall into it; a man saps a wall, the serpent bites him.

⁹ He who quarries stones may be hurt by them; he who chops wood takes a risk.

¹⁰ If for want of sharpening the axe is blunt, you have to strike very hard, but the reward given by wisdom is success.

¹¹ If the snake bites before it is charmed, what is the use of the charmer?

¹² Words from a wise man’s mouth are pleasing, but a fool’s lips procure his own ruin.

¹³ Of the words he speaks folly is the beginning, sheer madness the end.

¹⁴ A fool is a great spender of words; man does not know the future; so who can tell him what is to happen after his time?

¹⁵ Fools find hard work irksome; he who does not know the way cannot go to town.

¹⁶ A bad outlook for you, country with a lad for king, and where princes feast in the morning.

¹⁷ Happy the country whose king is nobly born, where princes eat at a respectable hour to keep themselves strong, not to make themselves drunk.

¹⁸ Owing to neglect the roof-tree gives way; for want of care the house lets in the rain.

¹⁹ But meals are made for laughter. Wine gives joy to life. Money is the answer to everything[*a].

²⁰ Do not curse the king, even in thought; do not curse the rich, even in your bedroom, for a bird of the air will carry the news; indiscretion sprouts wings.