Chapter 10

¹Dying flies spoil the sweetness of the ointment. Wisdom and glory is more precious than a small and shortlived folly. ²The heart of a wise man is in his right hand, and the heart of a fool is in his left hand. ³Yea, and the fool when he walketh in the way, whereas be himself is a fool, esteemeth all men fools. ⁴If the spirit of him that hath power, ascend upon thee, leave not thy place: because care will make the greatest sins to cease. ⁵There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, as it were by an error proceeding from the face of the prince: ⁶A fool set in high dignity, and the rich sitting beneath. ⁷I have seen servants upon horses: and princes walking on the ground as servants. ⁸He that diggeth a pit, shall fall into it: and he that breaketh a hedge, a serpent shall bite him. ⁹He that removeth stones, shall be hurt by them: and he that cutteth trees, shall be wounded by them. ¹⁰If 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. ¹¹If a serpent bite in silence, he is nothing better that backbiteth secretly. ¹²The words of the mouth of a wise man are grace: but the lips of a fool shall throw him down headlong. ¹³The beginning of his words is folly, and the end of his talk is a mischievous error. ¹⁴A fool multiplieth words. A man cannot tell what hath been before him: and what shall be after him, who can tell him? ¹⁵The labour of fools shall afflict them that know not bow to go to the city. ¹⁶Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and when the princes eat in the morning. ¹⁷Blessed is the land, whose king is noble, and whose princes eat in due season for refreshment, and not for riotousness. ¹⁸By slothfulness a building shall be brought down, and through the weakness of hands, the house shall drop through. ¹⁹For laughter they make bread, and wine that the living may feast: and all things obey money. ²⁰Detract 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.