Ecclesiastes 10:3-13 in English

³ Yea also, when the fool walketh by the way, his understanding faileth him, and he saith to every one that he is a fool.

⁴ If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place; for gentleness allayeth great offences.

⁵ There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, as it were an error which proceedeth from the ruler:

⁶ folly is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in a low place.

⁷ I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking like servants upon the earth.

⁸ He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh through a wall, a serpent shall bite him.

⁹ Whoso heweth out stones shall be hurt therewith; and he that cleaveth wood is endangered thereby.

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.

³ Yea, and whenever a fool walks by the way, his heart will fail him, and all that he thinks of is folly.

⁴ If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place; for soothing will put an end to great offences.

⁵ There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, wherein an error has proceeded from the ruler.

⁶ The fool has been set in very high places, while rich men would sit in a low one.

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

⁸ He that digs a pit shall fall into it; and him that breaks down a hedge a serpent shall bite.

⁹ He that removes stones shall be troubled thereby; he that cleaves wood shall be endangered thereby.

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.

³ Yea also, when he that is a fool walketh by the way, his wisdom faileth him, and he saith to every one that he is a fool.

⁴ If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place; for yielding pacifieth great offences.

⁵ There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, as an error which proceedeth from the ruler:

⁶ Folly is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in low place.

⁷ I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth.

⁸ He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh an hedge, a serpent shall bite him.

⁹ Whoso removeth stones shall be hurt therewith; and he that cleaveth wood shall be endangered thereby.

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.

³ Yea also, when he that is a fool walketh by the way, his wisdom faileth him, and he saith to every one that he is a fool.

⁴ If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place; for yielding pacifieth great offences.

⁵ There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, as an error which proceedeth from the ruler:

⁶ Folly is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in low place.

⁷ I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth.

⁸ He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh an hedge, a serpent shall bite him.

⁹ Whoso removeth stones shall be hurt therewith; and he that cleaveth wood shall be endangered thereby.

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.

³ Yes, and whenever a fool walks by the way, his heart will fail him, and all that he thinks of is folly.

⁴ If the spirit of the ruler rise up against you, leave not your place; for soothing will put an end to great offenses.

⁵ There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, wherein an error has proceeded from the ruler.

⁶ The fool has been set in very high places, while rich men would sit in a low one.

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

⁸ He that digs a pit shall fall into it; and him that breaks down a hedge a serpent shall bite.

⁹ He that removes stones shall be troubled thereby; he that cleaves wood shall be endangered thereby.

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.

³ Yea also, when the fool walketh by the way, his understanding faileth him, and he saith to every one that he is a fool.

⁴ If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place; for yielding allayeth great offences.

⁵ There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, as it were an error which proceedeth from the ruler:

⁶ folly is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in low place.

⁷ I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth.

⁸ He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh through a fence, a serpent shall bite him.

⁹ Whoso heweth out stones shall be hurt therewith; and he that cleaveth wood is endangered thereby.

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.

³ Even while foolish people walk along the road, they show that they do not have good sense; they show everyone that they are not wise.

⁴ Do not quit working for a ruler when he is angry with you; if you remain calm, he will probably stop being angry.

⁵ There is something else that I have seen here on this earth, something that rulers sometimes do that is wrong/inappropriate:

⁶ They appoint foolish people to have important positions, while they appoint rich people to have unimportant positions.

⁷ They allow slaves to ride on horses like rich people usually do, but they force officials to walk like slaves usually do.

⁸ It is possible that those who dig pits will fall into one of those pits. It is possible that someone who tears down a wall will be bitten by a snake that is in that wall.

⁹ If you work in a quarry, it is possible that a stone will fall on you and injure you. It is possible that men who split logs will be injured by one of those logs.

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.

³ Yes, and whenever a fool walks by the way, his heart will fail him, and all that he thinks of is folly.

⁴ If the spirit of the ruler rise up against you, leave not your place; for soothing will put an end to great offences.

⁵ There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, wherein an error has proceeded from the ruler.

⁶ The fool has been set in very high places, while rich men would sit in a low one.

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

⁸ He that digs a pit shall fall into it; and him that breaks down a hedge a serpent shall bite.

⁹ He that removes stones shall be troubled thereby; he that cleaves wood shall be endangered thereby.

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.

³ Yes also when the fool walks by the way, his understanding fails him, and he says to everyone that he is a fool.

⁴ If the spirit of the ruler rises up against you, don’t leave your place; for gentleness lays great offenses to rest.

⁵ There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, the sort of error which proceeds from the ruler.

⁶ Folly is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in a low place.

⁷ I have seen servants on horses, and princes walking like servants on the earth.

⁸ He who digs a pit may fall into it; and whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.

⁹ Whoever carves out stones may be injured by them. Whoever splits wood may be endangered by it.

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.

³ Yes also when the fool walks by the way, his understanding fails him, and he says to everyone that he is a fool.

⁴ If the spirit of the ruler rises up against you, don’t leave your place; for gentleness lays great offenses to rest.

⁵ There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, the sort of error which proceeds from the ruler.

⁶ Folly is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in a low place.

⁷ I have seen servants on horses, and princes walking like servants on the earth.

⁸ He who digs a pit may fall into it; and whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.

⁹ Whoever carves out stones may be injured by them. Whoever splits wood may be endangered by it.

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.

³ Yes also when the fool walks by the way, his understanding fails him, and he says to everyone that he is a fool.

⁴ If the spirit of the ruler rises up against you, don’t leave your place; for gentleness lays great offences to rest.

⁵ There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, the sort of error which proceeds from the ruler.

⁶ Folly is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in a low place.

⁷ I have seen servants on horses, and princes walking like servants on the earth.

⁸ He who digs a pit may fall into it; and whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.

⁹ Whoever carves out stones may be injured by them. Whoever splits wood may be endangered by it.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

⁸ He 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.

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

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.

³ Yea also, when he that is a fool walketh by the way, his sense faileth him, and he saith to every one that he is a fool.

⁴ If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place; for quietness pacifieth great offences.

⁵ There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, as an error that proceedeth from the ruler:

⁶ folly is set in great dignities, but the rich sit in a low place.

⁷ I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth.

⁸ He that diggeth a pit falleth into it; and whoso breaketh down a hedge, a serpent biteth him.

⁹ Whoso removeth stones is hurt therewith; he that cleaveth wood is endangered thereby.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

³ Just the way that fools walk down the road shows they have no sense, making clear to everyone their stupidity.

⁴ If your superior gets angry with you, don't give up and leave. If you stay calm even bad mistakes can be resolved.

⁵ I also realized there's another evil here on earth: rulers make a big mistake

⁶ when they put fools in high positions, while those who are richly qualified are put in low positions.

⁷ I've seen slaves riding on horseback, while princes walk on the ground like slaves.

⁸ If you dig a pit, you could fall in. If you knock down a wall, you could be bitten by a snake.

⁹ If you quarry stone, you could be injured. If you split logs, you could be hurt.

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.

³ And also when the foole goeth by the way, his heart faileth, and he telleth vnto all that he is a foole.

⁴ If the spirite of him that ruleth, rise vp against thee, leaue not thy place: for gentlenes pacifieth great sinnes.

⁵ There is an euil that I haue seene vnder the sunne, as an errour that proceedeth from the face of him that ruleth.

⁶ Follie is set in great excellencie, and the riche set in the lowe place.

⁷ I haue seene seruants on horses, and princes walking as seruants on the ground.

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

⁹ He that remooueth stones, shall hurt himselfe thereby, and hee that cutteth wood, shall be in danger thereby.

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.

³ Yea also, when a fool walketh by the way, his understanding faileth him, and he saith to every one that he is a fool.

⁴ If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place; for gentleness allayeth great offences.

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

⁶ Folly is set on great heights, and the rich sit in low place.

⁷ I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth.

⁸ He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh through a fence, a serpent shall bite him.

⁹ Whoso quarrieth stones shall be hurt therewith; and he that cleaveth wood is endangered thereby.

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.

³ Yea also, when he that is a fool walketh by the way, his wisdom faileth him, and he saith to every one that he is a fool.

⁴ If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place; for yielding pacifieth great offences.

⁵ There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, as an error which proceedeth from the ruler:

⁶ folly is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in low place.

⁷ I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth.

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

⁹ Whoso removeth stones shall be hurt therewith; and he that cleaveth wood shall be endangered thereby.

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.

³ Yea also, on whatever way the fool walketh, doth he lack proper sense, and he saith to all that he is a fool.

⁴ If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place; for submissiveness causeth great offences to be avoided.

⁵ There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, like an error which proceedeth from the ruler:

⁶ Folly is set in great high places, and the rich sit in lowness.

⁷ I have seen servants on horses, and princes walking like servants upon the ground.—

⁸ He that diggeth a pit will fall into it; and him who breaketh down a fence—a serpent will bite him.

⁹ Whoso removeth stones will be hurt through them; and he that cleaveth wood will be endangered thereby.

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.

³ Yea, and whenever a fool walks by the way, His heart will fail him, And all that he thinks of is folly.

⁴ If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, Leave not thy place; For soothing will put an end to great offenses.

⁵ There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, Wherein an error has proceeded from the ruler.

⁶ The fool has been set in very high places, While rich men would sit in a low one.

⁷ I have seen servants upon horses, And princes walking as servants on the earth.

⁸ He that digs a pit shall fall into it; And him that breaks down a hedge a serpent shall bite.

⁹ He that removes stones shall be troubled thereby; He that cleaves wood shall be endangered thereby.

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.

³ Yea, even when the fool walketh in the way, his understanding faileth him, and he saith to every one that he is a fool.

⁴ If the anger of a ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place! for gentleness pacifieth great offences.

⁵ There is an evil which I have seen under the sun; an error which proceedeth from a ruler.

⁶ Folly is set in many high stations, and the noble sit in a low place.

⁷ I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants on foot.

⁸ He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh down a wall, a serpent shall bite him.

⁹ Whoso removeth stones shall be hurt therewith, and he that cleaveth wood shall be endangered thereby.

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.

³ When a fool walks down a road, his thinking is deficient, proving to everyone he is a fool.

⁴ If the emotions of a ruler rise up against you, do not leave your work. Calm can quiet down great outrage.

⁵ There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, a kind of error that comes from a ruler:

⁶ Fools are given leadership positions, while successful men are given low positions.

⁷ I have seen slaves riding horses, and successful men walking like slaves on the ground.

⁸ Anyone who digs a pit can fall into it, and whenever someone breaks down a wall, a snake can bite him.

⁹ Whoever cuts out stones can be hurt by them, and the man who chops wood is endangered by it.

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.

³ Yes also when the fool walks by the way, his understanding fails him, and he says to everyone that he is a fool.

⁴ If the spirit of the ruler rises up against you, don’t leave your place; for gentleness lays great offenses to rest.

⁵ There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, the sort of error which proceeds from the ruler.

⁶ Folly is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in a low place.

⁷ I have seen servants on horses, and princes walking like servants on the earth.

⁸ He who digs a pit may fall into it; and whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.

⁹ Whoever carves out stones may be injured by them. Whoever splits wood may be endangered by it.

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.

³ Yes also when the fool walks by the way, his understanding fails him, and he says to everyone that he is a fool.

⁴ If the spirit of the ruler rises up against you, don’t leave your place; for gentleness lays great offences to rest.

⁵ There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, the sort of error which proceeds from the ruler.

⁶ Folly is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in a low place.

⁷ I have seen servants on horses, and princes walking like servants on the earth.

⁸ He who digs a pit may fall into it; and whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.

⁹ Whoever carves out stones may be injured by them. Whoever splits wood may be endangered by it.

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.

³ Also, when he that is a fool walketh by the way, his wisdom faileth him , and he saith to every one that he is a fool.

⁴ If the spirit of the ruler riseth against thee, leave not thy place; for yielding pacifieth great offenses.

⁵ There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, as an error which proceedeth from the ruler:

⁶ Folly is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in low place.

⁷ I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth.

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

⁹ Whoever removeth stones shall be hurt by them; and he that cleaveth wood shall be endangered by it.

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.

³ Yes also when the fool walks by the way, his understanding fails him, and he says to everyone that he is a fool.

⁴ If the spirit of the ruler rises up against you, don’t leave your place; for gentleness lays great offenses to rest.

⁵ There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, the sort of error which proceeds from the ruler.

⁶ Folly is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in a low place.

⁷ I have seen servants on horses, and princes walking like servants on the earth.

⁸ He who digs a pit may fall into it; and whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.

⁹ Whoever carves out stones may be injured by them. Whoever splits wood may be endangered by it.

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.

³ Yes also when the fool walks by the way, his understanding fails him, and he says to everyone that he is a fool.

⁴ If the spirit of the ruler rises up against you, don’t leave your place; for gentleness lays great offences to rest.

⁵ There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, the sort of error which proceeds from the ruler.

⁶ Folly is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in a low place.

⁷ I have seen servants on horses, and princes walking like servants on the earth.

⁸ He who digs a pit may fall into it; and whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.

⁹ Whoever carves out stones may be injured by them. Whoever splits wood may be endangered by it.

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.

³ But also a fool going in the way, when he is unwise, guesseth all men fools.

⁴ If the spirit of him, that hath power, goeth upon thee, forsake thou not thy place; for curing, or caring, or taking heed, shall make greatest sins to cease.

⁵ An evil there is, that I saw under the sun, and going out as by error from the face of the prince;

⁶ a fool set in high dignity, and rich men sit beneath.

⁷ I saw servants on horses, and princes as servants going on the earth.

⁸ He that diggeth a ditch, shall fall into it; and an adder shall bite him, that destroyeth a hedge.

⁹ He that beareth over stones, shall be tormented in those; and he that cutteth trees, shall be wounded of those or them.

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.

³ But also a fool going in the way, when he is unwise, guesseth all men fools. (And a fool, going on the way, since he is unwise, thinketh that all the other people be fools.)

⁴ If the spirit of him, that hath power, goeth upon thee, forsake thou not thy place, (or If the spirit of him, who hath power, goeth against thee, do not leave thy position, that is, do not resign thy post); for curing, or taking heed, shall make (the) greatest sins to cease.

⁵ An evil there is, that I saw under the sun, and going out as by error from the face of the prince; (There is an evil that I saw under the sun, and going out as an error from the leader, or from the ruler;)

⁶ a fool (is) set in high dignity, and rich men sit beneath.

⁷ I saw servants on horses, and princes as servants going on the earth. (I saw servants riding on horses, and princes, or leaders, walking on the ground like servants.)

⁸ He that diggeth a ditch, shall fall into it; and an adder shall bite him, that destroyeth a hedge. (He who diggeth a ditch, shall fall into it; and he who destroyeth a hedge, shall be bitten by a serpent hiding in it.)

⁹ He that beareth over stones, shall be tormented in those; and he that cutteth trees, shall be wounded of those. (He who carrieth stones, can be hurt by them; and he who cutteth wood, can be injured when cutting it.)

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.)

³ And also, when he that is a fool Is walking in the way, his heart is lacking, And he hath said to every one, 'He is a fool.'

⁴ If the spirit of the ruler go up against thee, Thy place leave not, For yielding quieteth great sinners.

⁵ There is an evil I have seen under the sun, As an error that goeth out from the ruler,

⁶ He hath set the fool in many high places, And the rich in a low place do sit.

⁷ I have seen servants on horses, And princes walking as servants on the earth.

⁸ Whoso is digging a pit falleth into it, And whoso is breaking a hedge, a serpent biteth him.

⁹ Whoso is removing stones is grieved by them, Whoso is cleaving trees endangered by them.

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.