Ecclesiastes 10:10-15 in English

¹⁰ If the iron be blunt, and one do not whet the edge, then must he put to more strength: but wisdom is profitable to direct.

¹¹ If the serpent bite before it is charmed, then is there no advantage in the charmer.

¹² The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself.

¹³ The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness; and the end of his talk is mischievous madness.

¹⁴ A fool also multiplieth words: yet man knoweth not what shall be; and that which shall be after him, who can tell him?

¹⁵ The labor of fools wearieth every one of them; for he knoweth not how to go to the city.

¹⁰ If the axe-head should fall off, then the man troubles his countenance, and he must put forth more strength: and in that case skill is of no advantage to a man.

¹¹ If a serpent bite when there is no charmer's whisper, then there is no advantage to the charmer.

¹² The words of a wise mouth are gracious: but the lips of a fool will swallow him up.

¹³ The beginning of the words of his mouth is folly: and the end of his talk mischievous madness.

¹⁴ A fool moreover multiplies words: man knows not what has been, nor what will be: who shall tell him what will come after him?

¹⁵ The labour of fools will afflict them, as that of one who knows not to go to the city.

¹⁰ If the iron be blunt, and he do not whet the edge, then must he put to more strength: but wisdom is profitable to direct.

¹¹ Surely the serpent will bite without enchantment; and a babbler is no better.

¹² The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself.

¹³ The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness: and the end of his talk is mischievous madness.

¹⁴ A fool also is full of words: a man cannot tell what shall be; and what shall be after him, who can tell him?

¹⁵ The labour of the foolish wearieth every one of them, because he knoweth not how to go to the city.

¹⁰ If the iron be blunt, and he do not whet the edge, then must he put to more strength: but wisdom is profitable to direct.

¹¹ Surely the serpent will bite without enchantment; and a babbler is no better.

¹² The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself.

¹³ The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness: and the end of his talk is mischievous madness.

¹⁴ A fool also is full of words: a man cannot tell what shall be; and what shall be after him, who can tell him?

¹⁵ The labour of the foolish wearieth every one of them, because he knoweth not how to go to the city.

¹⁰ If the axe-head should fall off, then the man troubles his countenance, and he must put forth more strength: and in that case skill is of no advantage to a man.

¹¹ If a serpent bite when there is no charmer's whisper, then there is no advantage to the charmer.

¹² The words of a wise mouth are gracious: but the lips of a fool will swallow him up.

¹³ The beginning of the words of his mouth is folly: and the end of his talk mischievous madness.

¹⁴ A fool moreover multiplies words: man knows not what has been, nor what will be: who shall tell him what will come after him?

¹⁵ The labor of fools will afflict them, as that of one who knows not to go to the city.

¹⁰ If the iron be blunt, and one do not whet the edge, then must he put to more strength: but wisdom is profitable to direct.

¹¹ If the serpent bite before it be charmed, then is there no advantage in the charmer.

¹² The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself.

¹³ The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness: and the end of his talk is mischievous madness.

¹⁴ A fool also multiplieth words: yet man knoweth not what shall be; and that which shall be after him, who can tell him?

¹⁵ The labour of fools wearieth every one of them, for he knoweth not how to go to the city.

¹⁰ If your axe is not sharp DOU, you will need to work harder to cut down a tree, but by being wise, you will succeed.

¹¹ If a snake bites a man before he charms/tames it, his ability to charm snakes will not benefit him.

¹² Wise people say MTY what is sensible, and because of that, people honor them; but foolish people are destroyed by what they say MTY.

¹³ When foolish people start to talk, they say things that are foolish, and they end by saying things that are both wicked and foolish.

¹⁴ They talk ◄too much/without ceasing►. None of us knows what will happen in the future, or what will happen after we die.

¹⁵ Foolish people become so exhausted by the work that they do that they are unable to find the road to their town/homes.

¹⁰ If the axe-head should fall off, then the man troubles his countenance, and he must put forth more strength: and in that case skill is of no advantage to a man.

¹¹ If a serpent bite when there is no charmer's whisper, then there is no advantage to the charmer.

¹² The words of a wise mouth are gracious: but the lips of a fool will swallow him up.

¹³ The beginning of the words of his mouth is folly: and the end of his talk mischievous madness.

¹⁴ A fool moreover multiplies words: man knows not what has been, nor what will be: who shall tell him what will come after him?

¹⁵ The labour of fools will afflict them, as that of one who knows not to go to the city.

¹⁰ If the ax is blunt, and one doesn’t sharpen the edge, then he must use more strength; but skill brings success.

¹¹ If the snake bites before it is charmed, then is there no profit for the charmer’s tongue.

¹² The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious; but a fool is swallowed by his own lips.

¹³ The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness; and the end of his talk is mischievous madness.

¹⁴ A fool also multiplies words. Man doesn’t know what will be; and that which will be after him, who can tell him?

¹⁵ The labor of fools wearies every one of them; for he doesn’t know how to go to the city.

¹⁰ If the ax is blunt, and one doesn’t sharpen the edge, then he must use more strength; but skill brings success.

¹¹ If the snake bites before it is charmed, then is there no profit for the charmer’s tongue.

¹² The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious; but a fool is swallowed by his own lips.

¹³ The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness; and the end of his talk is mischievous madness.

¹⁴ A fool also multiplies words. Man doesn’t know what will be; and that which will be after him, who can tell him?

¹⁵ The labor of fools wearies every one of them; for he doesn’t know how to go to the city.

¹⁰ If the axe is blunt, and one doesn’t sharpen the edge, then he must use more strength; but skill brings success.

¹¹ If the snake bites before it is charmed, then is there no profit for the charmer’s tongue.

¹² The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious; but a fool is swallowed by his own lips.

¹³ The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness; and the end of his talk is mischievous madness.

¹⁴ A fool also multiplies words. Man doesn’t know what will be; and that which will be after him, who can tell him?

¹⁵ The labour of fools wearies every one of them; for he doesn’t know how to go to the city.

¹⁰ If 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.

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

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

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

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

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

¹⁰ If the iron be blunt, and one do not whet the edge, then must he apply more strength; but wisdom is profitable to give success.

¹¹ If the serpent bite before enchantment, then the charmer hath no advantage.

¹² The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool swallow up himself.

¹³ The beginning of the words of his mouth is folly; and the end of his talk is mischievous madness.

¹⁴ And the fool multiplieth words: yet man knoweth not what shall be; and what shall be after him, who will tell him?

¹⁵ The labour of fools wearieth them, because they know not how to go to the city.

¹⁰ If 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.

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

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

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

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

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

¹⁰ If your ax is blunt and you don't sharpen it, you have to use a lot more force. Conclusion: being wise brings good results.

¹¹ If the snake bites the snake charmer before it's charmed, there's no benefit to the snake charmer!

¹² Wise words are beneficial, but fools destroy themselves by what they say.

¹³ Fools begin by saying foolish things, and end up talking evil nonsense.

¹⁴ Fools talk on and on, however no one knows what's going to happen, so who can say what the future holds?

¹⁵ Work makes fools so worn out they can't achieve anything.

¹⁰ If the yron be blunt, and one hath not whet the edge, he must then put to more strength: but the excellencie to direct a thing is wisedome.

¹¹ If the serpent bite, when he is not charmed: no better is a babbler.

¹² The words of ye mouth of a wise man haue grace: but the lippes of a foole deuoure himselfe.

¹³ The beginning of the wordes of his mouth is foolishnesse, and the latter ende of his mouth is wicked madnesse.

¹⁴ For the foole multiplieth woordes, saying, Man knoweth not what shall be: and who can tell him what shall be after him?

¹⁵ The labour of the foolish doeth wearie him: for he knoweth not to goe into the citie.

¹⁰ If the iron be blunt, and one do not whet the edge, then must he put to more strength; but wisdom is profitable to direct.

¹¹ If the serpent bite before it is charmed, then the charmer hath no advantage.

¹² The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself.

¹³ The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness; and the end of his talk is grievous madness.

¹⁴ A fool also multiplieth words; yet man knoweth not what shall be; and that which shall be after him, who can tell him?

¹⁵ The labour of fools wearieth every one of them, for he knoweth not how to go to the city.

¹⁰ If the iron be blunt, and he do not whet the edge, then must he put to more strength: but wisdom is profitable to direct.

¹¹ Surely the serpent will bite without enchantment; and a babbler is no better.

¹² The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself.

¹³ The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness: and the end of his talk is mischievous madness.

¹⁴ A fool also is full of words: a man cannot tell what shall be; and what shall be after him, who can tell him?

¹⁵ The labour of the foolish wearieth every one of them, because he knoweth not how to go to the city.

¹⁰ If the iron be blunt, and man do not whet the edge, then must he exert more strength; but the advantage of making it properly sharp is wisdom.

¹¹ If the serpent do bite because no one uttered a charm, then hath the man that can use his tongue in charming no preference.—

¹² The words of a wise man's mouth bring grace; but the lips of a fool will destroy himself.

¹³ The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness; and the last that cometh out of his mouth is evil-bringing madness.

¹⁴ The fool also multiplieth words; but a man cannot know what is to be; and what is to be after him, who can tell him?

¹⁵ The toil of the foolish will weary every one of them, because he knoweth not how to go to the city.—

¹⁰ If the axe-head should fall off, Then the man troubles his countenance, And he must put forth more strength: And in that case skill is of no advantage to a man.

¹¹ If a serpent bite when there is no charmer’s whisper, Then there is no advantage to the charmer.

¹² The words of a wise mouth are gracious: But the lips of a fool will swallow him up.

¹³ The beginning of the words of his mouth is folly: And the end of his talk mischievous madness.

¹⁴ A fool moreover multiplies words: Man knows not what has been, nor what will be: Who shall tell him what will come after him?

¹⁵ The labor of fools will afflict them, As that of one who knows not to go to the city.

¹⁰ If the iron be blunt, and one do not whet the edge, then must he put forth more strength; but an advantage for giving success hath wisdom.

¹¹ If a serpent bite before he is charmed, then there is no advantage to the charmer.

¹² The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool are his destruction.

¹³ The beginning of the words of his mouth is folly, and the end of his talk is mischievous madness.

¹⁴ A fool also multiplieth words, though no man knoweth what shall be; and who can tell him what shall be after him?

¹⁵ The labor of the foolish man wearieth him, because he knoweth not how to go to the city.

¹⁰ If an iron blade is dull, and a man does not sharpen it, then he must use more strength, but wisdom provides an advantage for success.

¹¹ If a snake bites before it is charmed, then there is no advantage for the charmer.

¹² The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious, but the lips of a fool consume him.

¹³ As words begin to flow from a fool's mouth, foolishness comes out, and at the end his mouth flows with wicked madness.

¹⁴ A fool multiplies words, but no one knows what is coming. Who knows what is coming after him?

¹⁵ The toil of fools wearies them, so that they do not even know the road to town.

¹⁰ If the ax is blunt, and one doesn’t sharpen the edge, then he must use more strength; but skill brings success.

¹¹ If the snake bites before it is charmed, then is there no profit for the charmer’s tongue.

¹² The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious; but a fool is swallowed by his own lips.

¹³ The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness; and the end of his talk is mischievous madness.

¹⁴ A fool also multiplies words. Man doesn’t know what will be; and that which will be after him, who can tell him?

¹⁵ The labor of fools wearies every one of them; for he doesn’t know how to go to the city.

¹⁰ If the axe is blunt, and one doesn’t sharpen the edge, then he must use more strength; but skill brings success.

¹¹ If the snake bites before it is charmed, then is there no profit for the charmer’s tongue.

¹² The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious; but a fool is swallowed by his own lips.

¹³ The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness; and the end of his talk is mischievous madness.

¹⁴ A fool also multiplies words. Man doesn’t know what will be; and that which will be after him, who can tell him?

¹⁵ The labour of fools wearies every one of them; for he doesn’t know how to go to the city.

¹⁰ If the iron is blunt, and he doth not whet the edge, then must he use more strength: but wisdom is profitable to direct.

¹¹ Surely the serpent will bite without enchantment; and a babbler is no better.

¹² The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself.

¹³ The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness: and the end of his talk is mischievous madness.

¹⁴ A fool also is full of words: a man cannot tell what shall be; and what shall be after him, who can tell him?

¹⁵ The labor of the foolish wearieth every one of them, because he knoweth not how to go to the city.

¹⁰ If the ax is blunt, and one doesn’t sharpen the edge, then he must use more strength; but skill brings success.

¹¹ If the snake bites before it is charmed, then is there no profit for the charmer’s tongue.

¹² The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious; but a fool is swallowed by his own lips.

¹³ The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness; and the end of his talk is mischievous madness.

¹⁴ A fool also multiplies words. Man doesn’t know what will be; and that which will be after him, who can tell him?

¹⁵ The labor of fools wearies every one of them; for he doesn’t know how to go to the city.

¹⁰ If the axe is blunt, and one doesn’t sharpen the edge, then he must use more strength; but skill brings success.

¹¹ If the snake bites before it is charmed, then is there no profit for the charmer’s tongue.

¹² The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious; but a fool is swallowed by his own lips.

¹³ The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness; and the end of his talk is mischievous madness.

¹⁴ A fool also multiplies words. Man doesn’t know what will be; and that which will be after him, who can tell him?

¹⁵ The labour of fools wearies every one of them; for he doesn’t know how to go to the city.

¹⁰ If iron is folded again, and it is not as before, but is made blunt, it shall be made sharp with much travail; and wisdom shall follow after busyness.

¹¹ If a serpent biteth, it biteth in silence; he that backbiteth privily, hath nothing less than it.

¹² The words of the mouth of a wise man be grace; and the lips of an unwise man shall cast him down.

¹³ The beginning of his words is folly; and the last thing of his mouth is the worst error.

¹⁴ A fool multiplieth words; a man knoweth not, what was before him, and who may show to him that, that shall come after him?

¹⁵ The travail of fools shall torment them, that know not how to go into the city.

¹⁰ If iron is folded again, and it is not as before, but is made blunt, it shall be made sharp with much travail; and wisdom shall follow after busyness.

¹¹ If a serpent biteth, it biteth in silence; he that backbiteth privily, hath nothing less than it, (or he who privately, or secretly, backbiteth someone is no better).

¹² The words of the mouth of a wise man be grace; and the lips of an unwise man shall cast him down. (The words out of the mouth of a wise person bring him favour; but the lips of an unwise person shall bring him down.)

¹³ The beginning of his words is folly; and the last thing of his mouth is the worst error. (His words begin with foolishness; and the last thing out of his mouth is the worst error of all.)

¹⁴ A fool multiplieth words; a man knoweth not, what was before him, and who may show to him that, that shall come after him? (or and who can show him what shall come after him?)

¹⁵ The travail of fools shall torment them, that know not how to go into the city. (Fools work themselves to exhaustion, yet they do not even know how to go into the city.)

¹⁰ If the iron hath been blunt, And he the face hath not sharpened, Then doth he increase strength, And wisdom is advantageous to make right.

¹¹ If the serpent biteth without enchantment, Then there is no advantage to a master of the tongue.

¹² Words of the mouth of the wise are gracious, And the lips of a fool swallow him up.

¹³ The beginning of the words of his mouth is folly, And the latter end of his mouth Is mischievous madness.

¹⁴ And the fool multiplieth words: 'Man knoweth not that which is, And that which is after him, who doth declare to him?'

¹⁵ The labour of the foolish wearieth him, In that he hath not known to go unto the city.