Ecclesiastes 10:7-20 in English

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.

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.

²⁰ Revile not the king, no, not in thy thought; and revile not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the heavens shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter.

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.

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.

²⁰ Even in thy conscience, curse not the king; and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the air shall carry thy voice, and that which has wings shall report thy speech.

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.

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.

²⁰ Curse not the king, no not in thy thought; and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter.

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.

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.

²⁰ Curse not the king, no not in thy thought; and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter.

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.

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.

²⁰ Even in your conscience, curse not the king; and curse not the rich in your bedchamber: for a bird of the air shall carry your voice, and that which has wings shall report your speech.

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.

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.

²⁰ Curse not the king, no, not in thy thought; and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter.

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.

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.

²⁰ Do not even think about cursing the king, or cursing rich people, even when you are alone in your bedroom, because it is possible that a little bird will hear what you are saying, and tell those people what you said about them.

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.

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.

²⁰ Even in your conscience, curse not the king; and curse not the rich in your bedchamber: for a bird of the air shall carry your voice, and that which has wings shall report your speech.

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.

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.

²⁰ Don’t curse the king, no, not in your thoughts; and don’t curse the rich in your bedroom, for a bird of the sky may carry your voice, and that which has wings may tell the matter.

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.

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.

²⁰ Don’t curse the king, no, not in your thoughts; and don’t curse the rich in your bedroom, for a bird of the sky may carry your voice, and that which has wings may tell the matter.

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.

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.

²⁰ Don’t curse the king, no, not in your thoughts; and don’t curse the rich in your bedroom, for a bird of the sky may carry your voice, and that which has wings may tell the matter.

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.

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.

²⁰ Say not a curse against the king, even in your thoughts; and even secretly say not a curse against the man of wealth; because a bird of the air will take the voice, and that which has wings will give news of it.

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.

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.

²⁰ Curse not the king, no, not in thy thought; and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber: for the bird of the air will carry the voice, and that which hath wings will tell the matter.

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.

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.

²⁰ Detract 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.

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.

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.

²⁰ Don't talk badly about the king, not even in your thoughts. Don't talk badly about leaders, even in the privacy of your bedroom. A bird may hear what you say and fly away to tell them.

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.

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.

²⁰ Curse not the King, no not in thy thought, neither curse the rich in thy bed chamber: for the foule of the heauen shall carie the voice, and that which hath wings, shall declare the matter.

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.

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.

²⁰ Curse not the king, no, not in thy thought, and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber; for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter.

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.

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.

²⁰ Curse not the king, no not in thy thought; and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter.

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.

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.

²⁰ Even in thy thought thou must not curse a king; and in thy bed-chambers do not curse the rich; for a bird of the air can carry the sound, and that which hath wings can tell the word.

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.

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.

²⁰ Even in thy conscience, curse not the king; And curse not the rich in thy bedchamber: For a bird of the air shall carry thy voice, And that which has wings shall report thy speech.

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.

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.

²⁰ Curse not the king; no, not in thy thought; and curse not the rich in thy bed-chamber! for a bird of the air shall carry the voice; and that which hath wings shall tell the matter.

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.

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.

²⁰ Do not curse the king, not even in your mind, and do not curse rich people in your bedroom. For a bird of the sky might carry your words; whatever has wings can spread the matter.

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.

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.

²⁰ Don’t curse the king, no, not in your thoughts; and don’t curse the rich in your bedroom, for a bird of the sky may carry your voice, and that which has wings may tell the matter.

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.

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.

²⁰ Don’t curse the king, no, not in your thoughts; and don’t curse the rich in your bedroom, for a bird of the sky may carry your voice, and that which has wings may tell the matter.

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.

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 .

²⁰ Curse not the king, no not in thy thought; and curse not the rich in thy bed-chamber: for a bird of the air will carry the voice, and that which hath wings will tell the matter.

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.

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.

²⁰ Don’t curse the king, no, not in your thoughts; and don’t curse the rich in your bedroom, for a bird of the sky may carry your voice, and that which has wings may tell the matter.

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.

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.

²⁰ Don’t curse the king, no, not in your thoughts; and don’t curse the rich in your bedroom, for a bird of the sky may carry your voice, and that which has wings may tell the matter.

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.

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.

²⁰ In thy thought backbite thou not the king, and in the private of thy bed, curse thou not a rich man; for the birds of heaven shall bear thy voice, and he that hath pens or wings, shall tell the sentence.

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.)

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.)

²⁰ In thy thought backbite thou not the king, and in the private of thy bed, curse thou not a rich man; for the birds of heaven shall bear thy voice, and he that hath pens, shall tell the sentence. (In thy thoughts backbite thou not the king, and in the privacy of thy bed, curse thou not the rich; for the birds of the heavens, or of the air, shall carry thy voice, and he that hath wings, shall tell what thou hast said.)

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.

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.

²⁰ Even in thy mind a king revile not, And in the inner parts of thy bed-chamber Revile not the rich: For a fowl of the heavens causeth the voice to go, And a possessor of wings declareth the word.