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A Little Foolishness

¹ Dead flies make a ^(C1)perfumer's oil stink, so a little foolishness is weightier than wisdom and honor.² A wise man's heart directs him toward the right, but the foolish ^(C1)man's heart directs him toward the left.³ Even when the fool walks along the road, his ^(F1)sense is lacking and he ^(F2)(C1)demonstrates to everyone that he is a fool.⁴ If the ruler's ^(F1)temper rises against you, ^(C1)do not abandon your position, because ^(C2)composure allays great offenses.

⁵ There is an evil I have seen under the sun, like an error which goes forth from the ruler--^6 (C1)folly is set in many exalted places while rich men sit in humble places.⁷ I have seen ^(C1)slaves riding ^(C2)on horses and princes walking like slaves on the land.

^8 (C1)He who digs a pit may fall into it, and a ^(C2)serpent may bite him who breaks through a wall.⁹ He who quarries stones may be hurt by them, and he who splits logs may be endangered by them.¹⁰ If the ^(F1)axe is dull and he does not sharpen its edge, then he must ^(F2)exert more strength. Wisdom has the advantage of giving success.¹¹ If the serpent bites ^(F1)(C1)before being charmed, there is no profit for the charmer.^12 (C1)Words from the mouth of a wise man are gracious, while the lips of a ^(C2)fool consume him;¹³ the beginning of ^(F1)his talking is folly and the end of ^(F2)it is wicked ^(C1)madness.¹⁴ Yet the ^(C1)fool multiplies words. No man knows what will happen, and who can tell him ^(C2)what will come after him?¹⁵ The toil of ^(F1)a fool so wearies him that he does not even know how to go to a city.¹⁶ Woe to you, O land, whose ^(C1)king is a lad and whose princes ^(F1)feast in the morning.¹⁷ Blessed are you, O land, whose king is of nobility and whose princes eat at the appropriate time--for strength and not for ^(C1)drunkenness.¹⁸ Through ^(C1)indolence the rafters sag, and through slackness the house leaks.¹⁹ Men prepare a meal for enjoyment, and ^(C1)wine makes life merry, and ^(C2)money ^(F1)is the answer to everything.²⁰ Furthermore, ^(C1)in your bedchamber do not ^(C2)curse a king, and in your sleeping rooms do not curse a rich man, for a bird of the heavens will carry the sound and the winged creature will make the matter known.