1Dead flies corrupt and spoil the perfumer’s oil; more weighty than wisdom or wealth is a little folly!* 2The wise heart turns to the right; the foolish heart to the left.* 3Even when walking in the street the fool, lacking understanding, calls everyone a fool.* 4Should the anger of a ruler burst upon you, do not yield your place; for calmness* abates great offenses. 5I have seen under the sun another evil, like a mistake that proceeds from a tyrant: 6a fool put in high position, while the great and the rich sit in lowly places. 7I have seen slaves on horseback, while princes* went on foot like slaves. 8Whoever digs a pit may fall into it,a and whoever breaks through a wall, a snake may bite. 9Whoever quarries stones may be hurt by them, and whoever chops wood* is in danger from it. 10If the ax becomes dull, and the blade is not sharpened, then effort must be increased. But the advantage of wisdom is success. 11If the snake bites before it is charmed, then there is no advantage in a charmer.* 12Words from the mouth of the wise win favor, but the lips of fools consume them. 13b The beginning of their words is folly, and the end of their talk is utter madness; 14yet fools multiply words. No one knows what is to come, for who can tell anyone what will be?c 15The toil of fools wearies them, so they do not know even the way to town. No One Knows What Evil Will Come16Woe to you, O land, whose king is a youth,* and whose princes feast in the morning! 17Happy are you, O land, whose king is of noble birth, and whose princes dine at the right time— for vigor* and not in drinking bouts. 18Because of laziness, the rafters sag; when hands are slack, the house leaks. 19A feast is made for merriment and wine gives joy to the living, but money answers* for everything. 20Even in your thoughts do not curse the king, nor in the privacy of your bedroom curse the rich; For the birds of the air may carry your voice, a winged creature* may tell what you say. Book IntroductionFootnotesScripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner. Home |
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