Ecclesiastes
10
- As dead flies give perfume a bad smell,
so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.
- The heart of the wise inclines to the right,
but the heart of the fool to the left.
- Even as he walks along the road, the fool
lacks sense and shows everyone how stupid he is.
- If a ruler's anger rises against you, do
not leave your post; calmness can lay great errors to rest.
- There is an evil I have seen under the sun,
the sort of error that arises from a ruler:
- Fools are put in many high positions, while
the rich occupy the low ones.
- I have seen slaves on horseback, while princes
go on foot like slaves.
- Whoever digs a pit may fall into it; whoever
breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.
- Whoever quarries stones may be injured by
them; whoever splits logs may be endangered by them.
- If the ax is dull and its edge unsharpened,
more strength is needed but skill will bring success.
- If a snake bites before it is charmed, there
is no profit for the charmer.
- Words from a wise man's mouth are gracious,
but a fool is consumed by his own lips.
- At the beginning his words are folly; at
the end they are wicked madness --
- and the fool multiplies words. No one knows
what is coming -- who can tell him what will happen after him ?
- A fool's work wearies him; he does not know
the way to town.
- Woe to you, O land whose king was a servant
and whose princes feast in the morning.
- Blessed are you, O land whose king is of
noble birth and whose princes eat at a proper time -- for strength and not
for drunkenness.
- If a man is lazy, the rafters sag; if his
hands are idle, the house leaks.
- A feast is made for laughter, and wine makes
life merry, but money is the answer for everything.
- Do not revile the king even in your thoughts,
or curse the rich in your bedroom, because a bird of the air may carry your
words, and a bird on the wing may report what you say.
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