1750 Challoner Revision of the Douay-Rheims (DR)

Ecclesiastes 10

1 Observations of wisdom and folly. 16 Of riot, 18 slothfulness, 19 and money. 20 Men's thoughts of kings ought to be reverent.

 10:1 ¶ Dying flies spoil the sweetness of the ointment. Wisdom and glory is more precious than a small and shortlived folly.

 10:2 The heart of a wise man is in his right hand, and the heart of a fool is in his left hand.

 10:3 Yea, and the fool when he walketh in the way, whereas he himself is a fool, esteemeth all men fools.

 10:4 If the spirit of him that hath power, ascend upon thee, leave not thy place: because care will make the greatest sins to cease.

 10:5 There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, as it were by an error proceeding from the face of the prince:

 10:6 A fool set in high dignity, and the rich sitting beneath.

 10:7 I have seen servants upon horses: and princes walking on the ground as servants.

 10:8 He that diggeth a pit, shall fall into it: and he that breaketh a hedge, a serpent shall bite him.

 10:9 He that removeth stones, shall be hurt by them: and he that cutteth trees, shall be wounded by them.

 10:10 If the iron be blunt, and be not as before, but be made blunt, with much labour it shall be sharpened: and after industry shall follow wisdom.

 10:11 If a serpent bite in silence, he is nothing better that backbiteth secretly.

 10:12 The words of the mouth of a wise man are grace: but the lips of a fool shall throw him down headlong.

 10:13 The beginning of his words is folly, and the end of his talk is a mischievous error.

 10:14 A fool multiplieth words. A man cannot tell what hath been before him: and what shall be after him, who can tell him?

 10:15 The labour of fools shall afflict them that know not how to go to the city.

 10:16 ¶ Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and when the princes eat in the morning.

 10:17 Blessed is the land, whose king is noble, and whose princes eat in due season for refreshment, and not for riotousness.

 10:18 ¶ By slothfulness a building shall be brought down, and through the weakness of hands, the house shall drop through.

 10:19 ¶ For laughter they make bread, and wine that the living may feast: and all things obey money.

 10:20 ¶ Detract not the king, no not in thy thought; and speak not evil of the rich man in thy private chamber: because even the birds of the air will carry thy voice, and he that hath wings will tell what thou hast said.