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Ecclesiastes 10
New International Version
Ecclesiastes 10
New International Version
10 As dead flies give perfume a bad smell,
so a little folly(A) outweighs wisdom and honor.
2 The heart of the wise inclines to the right,
but the heart of the fool to the left.
3 Even as fools walk along the road,
they lack sense
and show everyone(B) how stupid they are.
4 If a ruler’s anger rises against you,
do not leave your post;(C)
calmness can lay great offenses to rest.(D)
5 There is an evil I have seen under the sun,
the sort of error that arises from a ruler:
6 Fools are put in many high positions,(E)
while the rich occupy the low ones.
7 I have seen slaves on horseback,
while princes go on foot like slaves.(F)
8 Whoever digs a pit may fall into it;(G)
whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.(H)
9 Whoever quarries stones may be injured by them;
whoever splits logs may be endangered by them.(I)
10 If the ax is dull
and its edge unsharpened,
more strength is needed,
but skill will bring success.
11 If a snake bites before it is charmed,
the charmer receives no fee.(J)
12 Words from the mouth of the wise are gracious,(K)
but fools are consumed by their own lips.(L)
13 At the beginning their words are folly;
at the end they are wicked madness—
14 and fools multiply words.(M)
No one knows what is coming—
who can tell someone else what will happen after them?(N)
15 The toil of fools wearies them;
they do not know the way to town.
16 Woe to the land whose king was a servant[a](O)
and whose princes feast in the morning.
17 Blessed is the land whose king is of noble birth
and whose princes eat at a proper time—
for strength and not for drunkenness.(P)
18 Through laziness, the rafters sag;
because of idle hands, the house leaks.(Q)
19 A feast is made for laughter,
wine(R) makes life merry,
and money is the answer for everything.
20 Do not revile the king(S) even in your thoughts,
or curse the rich in your bedroom,
because a bird in the sky may carry your words,
and a bird on the wing may report what you say.
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 10:16 Or king is a child
Eclesiastés 10
La Palabra (Hispanoamérica)
Eclesiastés 10
La Palabra (Hispanoamérica)
Sabios y necios
10 Una mosca muerta pudre un perfume;
un poco de necedad cuenta más que sabiduría y honor.
2 El sabio tiene la mente en su sitio,
el necio la tiene trastocada.
3 El necio, falto de seso,
llama tonto a todo el que encuentra.
4 Si el jefe se enfurece contra ti,
no abandones tu puesto,
porque la mesura evita errores graves.
5 He observado otra desgracia bajo el sol,
un desacierto propio de la autoridad:
6 la necedad encumbrada en altos puestos,
mientras los que valen se sientan abajo.
7 He visto esclavos a caballo
y príncipes que iban a pie, como esclavos.
8 El que cava una fosa, cae en ella;
al que derriba un muro, le muerde una serpiente.
9 El que saca piedras, se lastima con ellas;
el que corta leña, puede hacerse daño.
10 Si se embota el hacha
y no se afilan sus caras,
hay que redoblar esfuerzos.
El éxito está en usar la sabiduría.
11 Si la serpiente muerde
porque no ha sido encantada,
no hay ganancia para el encantador.
12 Las palabras del sabio provocan la estima,
las del necio causan su ruina.
13 El comienzo de su discurso es necedad;
su conclusión, fatal desvarío.
14 El necio habla demasiado
y como nadie conoce el futuro,
nadie le anunciará lo que ha de suceder.
15 El trabajo hastía tanto al necio,
que ni siquiera sabe cómo ir a la ciudad.
Sabiduría cortesana
16 ¡Ay del país donde reina un muchacho,
y cuyos nobles banquetean de madrugada!
17 ¡Dichoso el país donde reina un noble
y cuyos príncipes comen a su hora,
para recobrar fuerzas y no para emborracharse!
18 Al perezoso se le hunde el techo,
al ocioso se le llena la casa de goteras.
19 Para divertirse se celebran banquetes,
el vino alegra la vida
y el dinero todo lo arregla.
20 Ni en tu fuero interno maldigas al rey,
ni en tu propia alcoba maldigas al rico;
porque un pájaro del cielo correrá la voz
y un ser alado contará el asunto.
Ecclesiastes 10
New King James Version
Ecclesiastes 10
New King James Version
Wisdom and Folly
10 Dead[a] flies [b]putrefy the perfumer’s ointment,
And cause it to give off a foul odor;
So does a little folly to one respected for wisdom and honor.
2 A wise man’s heart is at his right hand,
But a fool’s heart at his left.
3 Even when a fool walks along the way,
He lacks wisdom,
(A)And he shows everyone that he is a fool.
4 If the spirit of the ruler rises against you,
(B)Do not leave your post;
For (C)conciliation[c] pacifies great offenses.
5 There is an evil I have seen under the sun,
As an error proceeding from the ruler:
6 (D)Folly is set in [d]great dignity,
While the rich sit in a lowly place.
7 I have seen servants (E)on horses,
While princes walk on the ground like servants.
8 (F)He who digs a pit will fall into it,
And whoever breaks through a wall will be bitten by a serpent.
9 He who quarries stones may be hurt by them,
And he who splits wood may be endangered by it.
10 If the ax is dull,
And one does not sharpen the edge,
Then he must use more strength;
But wisdom [e]brings success.
11 A serpent may bite (G)when it is not charmed;
The [f]babbler is no different.
12 (H)The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious,
But (I)the lips of a fool shall swallow him up;
13 The words of his mouth begin with foolishness,
And the end of his talk is raving madness.
14 (J)A fool also multiplies words.
No man knows what is to be;
Who can tell him (K)what will be after him?
15 The labor of fools wearies them,
For they do not even know how to go to the city!
16 (L)Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child,
And your princes feast in the morning!
17 Blessed are you, O land, when your king is the son of nobles,
And your (M)princes feast at the proper time—
For strength and not for drunkenness!
18 Because of laziness the [g]building decays,
And (N)through idleness of hands the house leaks.
19 A feast is made for laughter,
And (O)wine makes merry;
But money answers everything.
20 (P)Do not curse the king, even in your thought;
Do not curse the rich, even in your bedroom;
For a bird of the air may carry your voice,
And a bird in flight may tell the matter.
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 10:1 Lit. Flies of death
- Ecclesiastes 10:1 Tg., Vg. omit putrefy
- Ecclesiastes 10:4 Lit. healing, health
- Ecclesiastes 10:6 exalted positions
- Ecclesiastes 10:10 Lit. is a successful advantage
- Ecclesiastes 10:11 Lit. master of the tongue
- Ecclesiastes 10:18 Lit. rafters sink
Ecclesiastes 10
International Standard Version
Ecclesiastes 10
International Standard Version
Proverbs about Wisdom and Foolishness
10 As dead flies cause the perfumer’s ointment to stink,
so also does a little foolishness to one’s reputation of wisdom and honor.
2 A wise man’s heart tends toward his right,
but a fool’s heart tends toward his left.
3 Furthermore, the way a fool lives shows he has no sense;
he proclaims to everyone that he’s a fool.
4 If your overseer gets angry at you, don’t resign,
because calmness pacifies great offenses.
5 Here’s another tragedy that I’ve observed on earth,
a kind of error that comes from an overseer:
6 Foolishness is given great honor,
while the prosperous sit in lowly places.[a]
7 And I have observed servants riding[b] on horses,
while princes walk on the ground like servants.
8 Whoever digs a pit may fall into it,
and whoever breaks through a wall
may suffer a snake bite.
9 Someone who quarries stone might be injured;
someone splitting logs can fall into danger.
10 If someone’s ax is blunt—the edge isn’t sharpened—
then more strength will be needed.
Putting wisdom to work will bring success.
11 If a serpent strikes despite being charmed,
there’s no point in being a snake charmer.
12 The words spoken by the wise are gracious,
but the lips of a fool will devour him.
13 He begins his speech with foolishness,
and concludes it with evil madness.
14 The fool overflows with words,
and no one can predict what will happen.
As to what will happen after him,
who can explain it?
15 The work of a fool so wears him out
that he can’t even find his way to town.
16 Woe to the land whose king is a youth
and whose princes feast in the morning.
17 That land is blessed whose king is of noble birth,
whose princes feast at the right time,
for strength, and not to become drunk.
18 Through slothfulness the roof deteriorates,
and a house leaks because of idleness.
19 Festivals are for laughter,
wine makes life pleasant,
and money speaks to everything.
20 Do not curse the king,
even in your thoughts.
Do not curse the rich,
even in your bedroom.
For a bird will fly by and tell what you say,
or something with wings may talk about it.
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 10:6 The Heb. lacks places
- Ecclesiastes 10:7 The Heb. lacks riding
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
La Palabra (Hispanoamérica) (BLPH)
La Palabra, (versión hispanoamericana) © 2010 Texto y Edición, Sociedad Bíblica de España
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
International Standard Version (ISV) 
Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission of Davidson Press, LLC.