Ecclesiastes 10

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¹Dying flies spoil the sweetness of the ointment. Wisdom and glory is more precious than a small and shortlived folly.

²The heart of a wise man is in his right hand, and the heart of a fool is in his left hand.

³Yea, and the fool when he walketh in the way, whereas be himself is a fool, esteemeth all men fools.

⁴If the spirit of him that hath power, ascend upon thee, leave not thy place: because care will make the greatest sins to cease.

⁵There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, as it were by an error proceeding from the face of the prince:

⁶A fool set in high dignity, and the rich sitting beneath.

⁷I have seen servants upon horses: and princes walking on the ground as servants.

⁸He that diggeth a pit, shall fall into it: and he that breaketh a hedge, a serpent shall bite him.

⁹He that removeth stones, shall be hurt by them: and he that cutteth trees, shall be wounded by them.

¹⁰If the iron be blunt, and be not as before, but be made blunt, with much labour it shall be sharpened: and after industry shall follow wisdom.

¹¹If a serpent bite in silence, he is nothing better that backbiteth secretly.

¹²The words of the mouth of a wise man are grace: but the lips of a fool shall throw him down headlong.

¹³The beginning of his words is folly, and the end of his talk is a mischievous error.

¹⁴A fool multiplieth words. A man cannot tell what hath been before him: and what shall be after him, who can tell him?

¹⁵The labour of fools shall afflict them that know not bow to go to the city.

¹⁶Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and when the princes eat in the morning.

¹⁷Blessed is the land, whose king is noble, and whose princes eat in due season for refreshment, and not for riotousness.

¹⁸By slothfulness a building shall be brought down, and through the weakness of hands, the house shall drop through.

¹⁹For laughter they make bread, and wine that the living may feast: and all things obey money.

²⁰Detract not the king, no not in thy thought; and speak not evil of the rich man in thy private chamber: because even the birds of the air will carry thy voice, and he that hath wings will tell what thou hast said.