Ecclesiastes 10:1-15

¹Dead flies make the oil of the perfumer give out an evil smell; more valued is a little wisdom than the great glory of the foolish.

²The heart of the wise man goes in the right direction; but the heart of a foolish man in the wrong.

³And when the foolish man is walking in the way, he has no sense and lets everyone see that he is foolish.

⁴If the wrath of the ruler is against you, keep in your place; in him who keeps quiet even great sins may be overlooked.

⁵There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, like an error which comes by chance from a ruler:

⁶The foolish are placed in high positions, but men of wealth are kept low.

⁷I have seen servants on horses, and rulers walking on the earth as servants.

⁸He who makes a hole for others will himself go into it, and for him who makes a hole through a wall the bite of a snake will be a punishment.

⁹He who gets out stones from the earth will be damaged by them, and in the cutting of wood there is danger.

¹⁰If the iron has no edge, and he does not make it sharp, then he has to put out more strength; but wisdom makes things go well.

¹¹If a snake gives a bite before the word of power is said, then there is no longer any use in the word of power.

¹²The words of a wise man's mouth are sweet to all, but the lips of a foolish man are his destruction.

¹³The first words of his mouth are foolish, and the end of his talk is evil crime.

¹⁴The foolish are full of words; man has no knowledge of what will be; and who is able to say what will be after him?

¹⁵The work of the foolish will be a weariness to him, because he has no knowledge of the way to the town.