1995 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
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
Dead 4194 flies 2070 make a perfumer’s 7543 oil 8081 stink 887, so a little 4592 foolishness 5531 is weightier 3368 than 4480 wisdom 2451 [and] honor 3519b.
10:2
A wise 2450 man’s 2450 heart 3820 [directs him] toward the right 3225, but the foolish 3684 man’s 3684 heart 3820 [directs him] toward the left 8040.
10:3
Even 1571 when 7945 the fool 5530 walks 1980 along the road 1870, his sense 3820 is lacking 2637 and he demonstrates 559 to everyone 3605 [that] he is a fool 5530.
10:4
If 518 the ruler’s 4910 temper 7307 rises 5927 against 5921 you, do not abandon 5117 your position 4725, because 3588 composure 4832 allays 5117 great 1419 offenses 2399.
10:5
¶ There 3426 is an evil 7463a I have seen 7200 under 8478 the sun 8121, like an error 7684 which 7945 goes 3318 forth 3318 from the ruler 7989—
10:6
folly 5529 is set 5414 in many 7227a exalted 4791 places 4791 while rich 6223 men 6223 sit 3427 in humble 8216 places 8216.
10:7
I have seen 7200 slaves 5650 [riding] on horses 5483b and princes 8269 walking 1980 like slaves 5650 on the land 776.
10:8
¶ He who digs 2658 a pit 1475 may fall 5307 into it, and a serpent 5175 may bite 5391a him who breaks 6555 through 6555 a wall 1447.
10:9
He who quarries 5265 stones 68 may be hurt 6087a by them, and he who splits 1234 logs 6086 may be endangered 5533 by them.
10:10
If 518 the axe 1270 is dull 6949a and he does not sharpen 7043 [its] edge 6440, then he must exert 1396 more strength 2428. Wisdom 2451 has the advantage 3504 of giving 3787 success 3787.
10:11
If 518 the serpent 5175 bites 5391a before being charmed 3908, there 369 is no 369 profit 3504 for the charmer 1167 3956.
10:12
Words 1697 from the mouth 6310 of a wise 2450 man 2450 are gracious 2580, while the lips 8193 of a fool 3684 consume 1104 him;
10:13
the beginning 8462 of his talking 1697 6310 is folly 5531 and the end 319 of it is wicked 7463a madness 1948.
10:14
Yet the fool 5530 multiplies 7235a words 1697. No 3808 man 120 knows 3045 what 4100 will happen 1961, and who 4310 can tell 5046 him what 834 will come 1961 after 4480 310 him?
10:15
The toil 5999 of a fool 3684 [so] wearies 3021 him that he does not [even] know 3045 how to go 1980 to a city 5892b.
10:16
Woe 337 to you, O land 776, whose 7945 king 4428 is a lad 5288 and whose princes 8269 feast 398 in the morning 1242.
10:17
Blessed 835 are you, O land 776, whose 7945 king 4428 is of nobility 1121 2715 and whose princes 8269 eat 398 at the appropriate time 6256—for strength 1369 and not for drunkenness 8358.
10:18
Through indolence 6103 the rafters 4746 sag 4355, and through slackness 8220 3027 the house 1004 leaks 1811.
10:19
[Men] prepare 6213a a meal 3899 for enjoyment 7814, and wine 3196 makes 8055 life 2425b merry 8055, and money 3701 is the answer 6030a to everything 3605.
10:20
Furthermore 1571, in your bedchamber 4093 do not curse 7043 a king 4428, and in your sleeping 4904 rooms 2315 do not curse 7043 a rich 6223 man 6223, for a bird 5775 of the heavens 8064 will carry 1980 the sound 6963 and the winged 3671 creature will make 5046 the matter 1697 known 5046.
