Ecclesiastes / Assorted Proverbs on Wisdom, Folly, and Disorder

Assorted Proverbs on Wisdom, Folly, and Disorder

Ecclesiastes 9:13-10:20

Chapter 9

¹³ Also—this I have seen: wisdom under the sun, and it is great to me. ¹⁴ There was a small city and few men in it, and a great king came to it and surrounded it and built great siegeworks against it. ¹⁵ And he found in it a poor wise man, and he delivered the city by his wisdom, and humanity did not remember that poor man. ¹⁶ And I said, "I am the LORD. Good wisdom is from might, but the wisdom of the poor man is despised, and his words are not heard." ¹⁷ The words of skilled artisans in gentleness are heard more than the cry of distress of one ruling over Pleiades. ¹⁸ The goodness of wisdom is better than vessels of approach, and one sinner will destroy much goodness.

Chapter 10

¹ Dead flies make the perfumer's precious ointment stink and overflow; a little folly outweighs wisdom and glory. ² The heart of a wise man is to his right, and the heart of a fool is to his left. ³ And even on the way as a fool he walks, his heart lacks and he says to everyone, "He is a fool." ⁴ If the wind of the ruler rises against you, do not rest from your place, for healing lays down great sins. ⁵ There is an evil I have seen under the sun: like an unintentional sin that went out from before the face of the ruler. ⁶ He has given fools many chief officers in divine heights, and rich men have sat in humiliation. ⁷ I have seen slaves on horses and princes walking like slaves on the earth. ⁸ He who digs a pit in it falls, and he who breaches a wall, a snake bites him. ⁹ One who moves stones will be hurt by them; one who splits trees will be endangered by them. ¹⁰ If the iron is dull and he does not sharpen it, then it requires more strength; but wisdom brings advantage to success. ¹¹ If the serpent bites without whispering, there is no advantage to the master of the tongue. ¹² The words of the mouth of the wise one are grace, and the lips of the fool swallow him. ¹³ The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness, and the end of the words of his mouth is evil madness. ¹⁴ And the fool multiplies words—man does not know what will be, and which will be after him; who will tell him? ¹⁵ The toil of fools will wear us out, who do not know how to go to the city of refuge skillfully. ¹⁶ Woe to you, O land, whose king is a boy and whose officials eat in the morning! ¹⁷ Blessed are you, land, whose king is a son of nobles, and whose rulers eat in the morning in might and not in drunkenness. ¹⁸ Through sluggardness the beam will rot, and through lowliness of hands the house will drip. ¹⁹ For laughter makes bread, and wine makes life rejoice, and silver answers everything. ²⁰ Even in your knowledge, king, do not curse, and in the chambers of your bed do not curse the rich, because a bird of the heavens will carry the voice, and the owner of wings will declare the word.