Read The Message Ecclesiastes 10 Bible Online

Ecclesiastes 10 - The Message bible

Ecclesiastes 10

¹Dead flies in perfume make it stink, And a little foolishness decomposes much wisdom.

²Wise thinking leads to right living; Stupid thinking leads to wrong living.

³Fools on the road have no sense of direction. The way they walk tells the story: “There goes the fool again!”

⁴If a ruler loses his temper against you, don’t panic; A calm disposition quiets intemperate rage. * * *

⁵Here’s a piece of bad business I’ve seen on this earth, An error that can be blamed on whoever is in charge: Immaturity is given a place of prominence, While maturity is made to take a backseat. I’ve seen unproven upstarts riding in style, While experienced veterans are put out to pasture. * * *

⁸Caution: The trap you set might catch you. Warning: Your accomplice in crime might double-cross you.

⁹Safety first: Quarrying stones is dangerous. Be alert: Felling trees is hazardous.

¹⁰Remember: The duller the ax the harder the work; Use your head: The more brains, the less muscle.

¹¹If the snake bites before it’s been charmed, What’s the point in then sending for the charmer? * * *

¹²The words of a wise person are gracious. The talk of a fool self-destructs— He starts out talking nonsense And ends up spouting insanity and evil.

¹⁴Fools talk way too much, Chattering stuff they know nothing about.

¹⁵A decent day’s work so fatigues fools That they can’t find their way back to town. * * *

¹⁶Unlucky the land whose king is a young pup, And whose princes party all night. Lucky the land whose king is mature, Where the princes behave themselves And don’t drink themselves silly. * * *

¹⁸A shiftless man lives in a tumbledown shack; A lazy woman ends up with a leaky roof.

¹⁹Laughter and bread go together, And wine gives sparkle to life— But it’s money that makes the world go around.

²⁰Don’t bad-mouth your leaders, not even under your breath, And don’t abuse your betters, even in the privacy of your home. Loose talk has a way of getting picked up and spread around. Little birds drop the crumbs of your gossip far and wide.