Ecclesiastes 10

KJ3 Literal Translation — Chapter 10 of 12

¹ As flies of death cause the perfumer's oil to stink and ferment; so a little foolishness is heavier than wisdom and honor.

² The heart of the wise one is toward his right, but the fool's heart toward his left.

³ And also, in the way in which a fool walks, his heart is lacking, and he says to all that he is a fool.

Chapter Summary

Observations of wisdom and folly: of riot, laziness, and money. Men's thoughts of kings ought to be reverent.

עִֽיר excitement H5892 · TWOT 1587a

יִסָּ֥כֶן incur danger H5533 · TWOT 1495

תְּבַלְּעֶֽ swallow down H1104 · TWOT 251

יִתְר֔וֹן advantage H3504 · TWOT 936f

אַשְׁרֵ֣י happiness H835 · TWOT 183a

The Weight of Folly

Just as dead flies cause a perfumer's oil to stink, a little foolishness outweighs great wisdom and honor. A fool's heart leads him astray.

Wisdom in Dealing with Rulers

If a ruler's spirit rises against a person in anger, they should not desert their post, because calmness pacifies great offenses.

The Hazards of Labor and Value of Skill

Mundane tasks carry risks. Applying wisdom brings success and is much more effective than using brute strength with a blunt iron axe.

The Weight of Folly

Just as dead flies cause a perfumer's oil to stink, a little foolishness outweighs great wisdom and honor. A fool's heart leads him astray.

Ecclesiastes 10:1-3

Wisdom in Dealing with Rulers

If a ruler's spirit rises against a person in anger, they should not desert their post, because calmness pacifies great offenses.

Ecclesiastes 10:4-7

The Hazards of Labor and Value of Skill

Mundane tasks carry risks. Applying wisdom brings success and is much more effective than using brute strength with a blunt iron axe.

Ecclesiastes 10:8-11

Word-for-word literal translation with Hebrew interlinear, Strong's numbers, and audio.