Ecclesiastes 10

New Living Translation

10 As dead flies cause even a bottle of perfume to stink,
    so a little foolishness spoils great wisdom and honor.

² A wise person chooses the right road;
    a fool takes the wrong one.

³ You can identify fools
    just by the way they walk down the street!

⁴ If your boss is angry at you, don’t quit!
    A quiet spirit can overcome even great mistakes.

⁸ When you dig a well,
    you might fall in.
When you demolish an old wall,
    you could be bitten by a snake.
⁹ When you work in a quarry,
    stones might fall and crush you.
When you chop wood,
    there is danger with each stroke of your ax.

¹⁰ Using a dull ax requires great strength,
    so sharpen the blade.
That’s the value of wisdom;
    it helps you succeed.

¹¹ If a snake bites before you charm it,
    what’s the use of being a snake charmer?

¹² Wise words bring approval,
    but fools are destroyed by their own words.

¹³ Fools base their thoughts on foolish assumptions,
    so their conclusions will be wicked madness;
¹⁴     they chatter on and on.

No one really knows what is going to happen;
    no one can predict the future.

¹⁵ Fools are so exhausted by a little work
    that they can’t even find their way home.

¹⁶ What sorrow for the land ruled by a servant,^[a]
    the land whose leaders feast in the morning.
¹⁷ Happy is the land whose king is a noble leader
    and whose leaders feast at the proper time
    to gain strength for their work, not to get drunk.

¹⁸ Laziness leads to a sagging roof;
    idleness leads to a leaky house.

¹⁹ A party gives laughter,
    wine gives happiness,
    and money gives everything!

²⁰ Never make light of the king, even in your thoughts.
    And don’t make fun of the powerful, even in your own bedroom.
For a little bird might deliver your message
    and tell them what you said.