Ecclesiastes 10:11-19 in English

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.

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

¹⁷ Happy art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!

¹⁸ By slothfulness the roof sinketh in; and through idleness of the hands the house leaketh.

¹⁹ A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh glad the life; and money answereth all things.

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.

¹⁶ Woe to thee, O city, whose king is young, and thy princes eat in the morning!

¹⁷ Blessed art thou, O land, whose king is a son of nobles, and whose princes shall eat seasonably, for strength, and shall not be ashamed.

¹⁸ By slothful neglect a building will be brought low: and by idleness of the hands the house will fall to pieces.

¹⁹ Men prepare bread for laughter, and wine and oil that the living should rejoice: but to money all things will humbly yield obedience.

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.

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

¹⁷ Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!

¹⁸ By much slothfulness the building decayeth; and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth through.

¹⁹ A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money answereth all things.

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.

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

¹⁷ Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!

¹⁸ By much slothfulness the building decayeth; and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth through.

¹⁹ A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money answereth all things.

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.

¹⁶ Woe to you, O city, whose king is young, and your princes eat in the morning!

¹⁷ Blessed are you, O land, whose king is a son of nobles, and whose princes shall eat seasonably, for strength, and shall not be ashamed.

¹⁸ By slothful neglect a building will be brought low: and by idleness of the hands the house will fall to pieces.

¹⁹ Men prepare bread for laughter, and wine and oil that the living should rejoice: but to money all things will humbly yield obedience.

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.

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

¹⁷ Happy art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!

¹⁸ By slothfulness the roof sinketh in; and through idleness of the hands the house leaketh.

¹⁹ A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh glad the life: and money answereth all things.

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.

¹⁶ Terrible things will happen to the people of a nation whose ruler is a foolish young man, and whose other leaders continually eat, all day long, every day.

¹⁷ But a nation will prosper if its ruler is from a ◄noble/well-educated► family, and if its other leaders feast only at the proper times, and if they eat and drink only to be strong, not to become drunk.

¹⁸ Some men are very lazy and do not repair the rafters, with the result that the rafters sag and collapse; and if they do not repair the roof, water will leak into the house when it rains.

¹⁹ Eating food and drinking wine causes us to laugh and be happy, but we are able to enjoy those things only if we have money to buy them.

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.

¹⁶ Woe to you, O city, whose king is young, and your princes eat in the morning!

¹⁷ Blessed are you, O land, whose king is a son of nobles, and whose princes shall eat seasonably, for strength, and shall not be ashamed.

¹⁸ By slothful neglect a building will be brought low: and by idleness of the hands the house will fall to pieces.

¹⁹ Men prepare bread for laughter, and wine and oil that the living should rejoice: but to money all things will humbly yield obedience.

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.

¹⁶ Woe to you, land, when your king is a child, and your princes eat in the morning!

¹⁷ Happy are you, land, when your king is the son of nobles, and your princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!

¹⁸ By slothfulness the roof sinks in; and through idleness of the hands the house leaks.

¹⁹ A feast is made for laughter, and wine makes the life glad; and money is the answer for all things.

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.

¹⁶ Woe to you, land, when your king is a child, and your princes eat in the morning!

¹⁷ Happy are you, land, when your king is the son of nobles, and your princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!

¹⁸ By slothfulness the roof sinks in; and through idleness of the hands the house leaks.

¹⁹ A feast is made for laughter, and wine makes the life glad; and money is the answer for all things.

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.

¹⁶ Woe to you, land, when your king is a child, and your princes eat in the morning!

¹⁷ Happy are you, land, when your king is the son of nobles, and your princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!

¹⁸ By slothfulness the roof sinks in; and through idleness of the hands the house leaks.

¹⁹ A feast is made for laughter, and wine makes the life glad; and money is the answer for all things.

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.

¹⁶ Unhappy is the land whose king is a boy, and whose rulers are feasting in the morning.

¹⁷ Happy is the land whose ruler is of noble birth, and whose chiefs take food at the right time, for strength and not for feasting.

¹⁸ When no work is done the roof goes in, and when the hands do nothing water comes into the house.

¹⁹ A feast is for laughing, and wine makes glad the heart; but by the one and the other money is wasted.

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.

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

¹⁷ Happy art thou, O land, when thy king is a son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!

¹⁸ By much sloth fulness the framework falleth in; and through idleness of the hands the house drippeth.

¹⁹ A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh life merry; but money answereth everything.

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

¹⁶ You're in trouble if the king of your country is young, and if your leaders are busy feasting from early morning.

¹⁷ You're fortunate if your king comes from a noble family, and your leaders feast at the proper time to give themselves energy, and not to get drunk.

¹⁸ Lazy people let their roofs collapse; idle people don't repair their leaky houses.

¹⁹ A good meal brings pleasure; wine makes life pleasant; money provides for all needs.

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.

¹⁶ Woe to thee, O lande, when thy King is a childe, and thy princes eate in the morning.

¹⁷ Blessed art thou, O land, when thy King is the sonne of nobles, and thy princes eate in time, for strength and not for drunkennesse.

¹⁸ By slouthfulnes the roofe of the house goeth to decaie, and by the ydlenesse of the handes the house droppeth through.

¹⁹ They prepare bread for laughter, and wine comforteth the liuing, but siluer answereth to all.

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.

¹⁶ Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a boy, and thy princes feast in the morning!

¹⁷ Happy art thou, O land, when thy king is a free man, and thy princes eat in due season, in strength, and not in drunkenness!

¹⁸ By slothfulness the rafters sink in; and through idleness of the hands the house leaketh.

¹⁹ A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh glad the life; and money answereth all things.

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.

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

¹⁷ Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness.

¹⁸ By much slothfulness the building decayeth; and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth through.

¹⁹ A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money answereth all things.

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.—

¹⁶ Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is lowminded, and when thy princes eat in the morning!

¹⁷ Happy art thou, O land, when thy king is noble-spirited, and thy princes eat in proper time, for strengthening, and not for gluttony!—

¹⁸ Through slothful hands the rafters will sink; and through idleness of the hands the house will become leaky.

¹⁹ For gay pleasure they prepare a feast, and wine is to make the living joyful; but money procureth all things.

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.

¹⁶ Woe to thee, O city, whose king is young, And thy princes eat in the morning!

¹⁷ Blessed art thou, O land, whose king is a son of nobles, And whose princes shall eat seasonably, for strength, And shall not be ashamed.

¹⁸ By slothful neglect a building will be brought low: And by idleness of the hands the house will fall to pieces.

¹⁹ Men prepare bread for laughter, And wine and oil that the living should rejoice: But to money all things will humbly yield obedience.

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.

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

¹⁷ Happy thou, O land, when thy king is a noble, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!

¹⁸ By much slothfulness the building decayeth; and by the slackness of the hands the house leaketh.

¹⁹ A feast is made for laughter, and wine makes merry; but money answereth all things.

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.

¹⁶ Woe to you, land, if your king is a young boy, and if your leaders begin feasting in the morning!

¹⁷ But blessed are you, land, if your king is the son of nobles, and if your leaders eat at the right time, for strength, and not for drunkenness!

¹⁸ Because of laziness the roof sinks in, and because of idle hands the house leaks.

¹⁹ People prepare food for laughter, wine brings enjoyment to life, and money fills the need for everything.

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.

¹⁶ Woe to you, land, when your king is a child, and your princes eat in the morning!

¹⁷ Happy are you, land, when your king is the son of nobles, and your princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!

¹⁸ By slothfulness the roof sinks in; and through idleness of the hands the house leaks.

¹⁹ A feast is made for laughter, and wine makes the life glad; and money is the answer for all things.

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.

¹⁶ Woe to you, land, when your king is a child, and your princes eat in the morning!

¹⁷ Happy are you, land, when your king is the son of nobles, and your princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!

¹⁸ By slothfulness the roof sinks in; and through idleness of the hands the house leaks.

¹⁹ A feast is made for laughter, and wine makes the life glad; and money is the answer for all things.

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.

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

¹⁷ Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!

¹⁸ By much slothfulness the building decayeth; and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth through.

¹⁹ A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money answereth all things .

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.

¹⁶ Woe to you, land, when your king is a child, and your princes eat in the morning!

¹⁷ Happy are you, land, when your king is the son of nobles, and your princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!

¹⁸ By slothfulness the roof sinks in; and through idleness of the hands the house leaks.

¹⁹ A feast is made for laughter, and wine makes the life glad; and money is the answer for all things.

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.

¹⁶ Woe to you, land, when your king is a child, and your princes eat in the morning!

¹⁷ Happy are you, land, when your king is the son of nobles, and your princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!

¹⁸ By slothfulness the roof sinks in; and through idleness of the hands the house leaks.

¹⁹ A feast is made for laughter, and wine makes the life glad; and money is the answer for all things.

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.

¹⁶ Land, woe to thee, whose king is a child, and whose princes eat early.

¹⁷ Blessed is the land, whose king is noble; and whose princes eat in their time, to sustain their kind, and not to lechery.

¹⁸ The highness of houses shall be made low in sloths; and the house shall drop rain in the feebleness of hands.

¹⁹ In laughing, they dispose bread and wine, that they drinking eat largely; and all things obey to money.

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.)

¹⁶ Land, woe to thee, whose king is a child, and whose princes eat early.

¹⁷ Blessed is the land, whose king is noble; and whose princes eat in their time, to (only) sustain the(ir) kind, and not to lechery. (Happy is the land, whose king is well born, or refined; and whose leaders eat at the proper time, only to sustain themselves, and not unto drunkenness.)

¹⁸ The highness of houses shall be made low in sloths; and the house shall drop (rain) in the feebleness of hands (or and a house shall leak due to feeble, or weak, hands).

¹⁹ In laughing, they dispose bread and wine, that they drinking eat largely; and all things obey to money. (With laughter, they array the table with bread and wine, so that they can enjoy all the abundance; for everything showeth obedience to money.)

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.

¹⁶ Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a youth, And thy princes do eat in the morning.

¹⁷ Happy art thou, O land, When thy king is a son of freemen, And thy princes do eat in due season, For might, and not for drunkenness.

¹⁸ By slothfulness is the wall brought low, And by idleness of the hands doth the house drop.

¹⁹ For mirth they are making a feast, And wine maketh life joyful, And the silver answereth with all.