1898 Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

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 flies cause a perfumer's perfume To send forth a stink; The precious by reason of wisdom—By reason of honour—a little folly!

 10:2 The heart of the wise [is] at his right hand, And the heart of a fool at his left.

 10:3 And also, when he that is a fool Is walking in the way, his heart is lacking, And he hath said to every one, 'He [is] a fool.'

 10:4 If the spirit of the ruler go up against thee, Thy place leave not, For yielding quieteth great sinners.

 10:5 There is an evil I have seen under the sun, As an error that goeth out from the ruler,

 10:6 He hath set the fool in many high places, And the rich in a low place do sit.

 10:7 I have seen servants on horses, And princes walking as servants on the earth.

 10:8 Whoso is digging a pit falleth into it, And whoso is breaking a hedge, a serpent biteth him.

 10:9 Whoso is removing stones is grieved by them, Whoso is cleaving trees endangered by them.

 10:10 If the iron hath been blunt, And he the face hath not sharpened, Then doth he increase strength, And wisdom [is] advantageous to make right.

 10:11 If the serpent biteth without enchantment, Then there is no advantage to a master of the tongue.

 10:12 Words of the mouth of the wise [are] gracious, And the lips of a fool swallow him up.

 10:13 The beginning of the words of his mouth [is] folly, And the latter end of his mouth [Is] mischievous madness.

 10:14 And the fool multiplieth words: 'Man knoweth not that which is, And that which is after him, who doth declare to him?'

 10:15 The labour of the foolish wearieth him, In that he hath not known to go unto the city.

 10:16 ¶ Woe to thee, O land, when thy king [is] a youth, And thy princes do eat in the morning.

 10:17 Happy art thou, O land, When thy king [is] a son of freemen, And thy princes do eat in due season, For might, and not for drunkenness.

 10:18 ¶ By slothfulness is the wall brought low, And by idleness of the hands doth the house drop.

 10:19 ¶ For mirth they are making a feast, And wine maketh life joyful, And the silver answereth with all.

 10:20 ¶ Even in thy mind a king revile not, And in the inner parts of thy bed-chamber Revile not the rich: For a fowl of the heavens causeth the voice to go, And a possessor of wings declareth the word.