Ecclesiastes or, the Preacher 10

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1 Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour ⚑

2 A wise man’s heart is at his right hand but a fool’s heart at his left ⚑

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 ⚑

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 ⚑

King James Version (1769) with Apocrypha · Crosswire Bible Society / eBible.org (standard text of 1769) · Public Domain

Cross-references: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · public domain