Ecclesiastes 9:13-10:20

New American Standard Bible

¹³ This too I saw as wisdom under the sun, and ^[a]it impressed me: ¹⁴ there ^(A)was a small city with few men in it, and a great king came to it, surrounded it, and constructed large siegeworks against it. ¹⁵ But there was found in it a ^(B)poor wise man, and he ^[b]saved the city ^(C)by his wisdom. Yet ^(D)no one remembered that poor man. ¹⁶ So I said, “^(E)Wisdom is better than strength.” But the wisdom of the poor man is despised, and his words are ^[c]ignored. ¹⁷ The ^(F)words of the wise heard in calm are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools. ^18 (G)Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but ^(H)one sinner destroys much good.

A Little Foolishness

10 Dead flies turn a ^(I)perfumer’s oil rancid, so a little foolishness is more ^[d]potent than wisdom and honor. ² A wise person’s heart directs him toward the right, but the foolish ^(J)person’s heart directs him toward the left. ³ Even when the fool walks along the road, his ^[e]sense is lacking, and he ^[f](K)demonstrates to everyone that he is a fool. ⁴ If the ruler’s ^[g]temper rises against you, ^(L)do not abandon your place, because ^(M)composure puts great offenses to rest.

⁵ There is an evil I have seen under the sun, like a mistake that proceeds from the ruler: ^6 (N)foolishness is set in many exalted places while the rich sit in humble places. ⁷ I have seen ^(O)slaves riding ^(P)on horses and princes walking like slaves on the land.

^8 (Q)One who digs a pit may fall into it, and a ^(R)serpent may bite one who breaks through a wall. ⁹ One who quarries stones may be hurt by them, and one who splits logs may be endangered by them. ¹⁰ If the ^[h]axe is dull and he does not sharpen its ^[i]edge, then he must exert more strength. Wisdom has the advantage of bringing success. ¹¹ If the serpent bites ^[j](S)before being charmed, there is no benefit for the charmer. ^12 (T)Words from the mouth of a wise person are gracious, while the lips of a ^(U)fool consume him; ¹³ the beginning of ^[k]his talking is foolishness, and the end of ^[l]it is evil ^(V)insanity. ¹⁴ Yet the ^(W)fool multiplies words. No person knows what will happen, and who can tell him ^(X)what will come after him? ¹⁵ The labor of ^[m]a fool makes him so weary that he does not even know how to go to a city. ¹⁶ Woe to you, land whose ^(Y)king is a boy, and whose princes ^[n]feast in the morning. ¹⁷ Blessed are you, land whose king is of nobility, and whose princes eat at the appropriate time—for strength and not for ^(Z)drunkenness. ¹⁸ Through ^(AA)extreme laziness the rafters sag, and through idleness the house leaks. ¹⁹ People prepare a meal for enjoyment, ^(AB)wine makes life joyful, and ^(AC)money ^[o]is the answer to everything. ²⁰ Furthermore, ^(AD)in your bedroom do not ^(AE)curse a king, and in your sleeping rooms do not curse a rich person; for a bird of the sky will bring the sound, and the winged one will make your word known.