1 DEAD flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour.
2 A wise man’s heart is at his right hand; but a fool’s heart at his left.
3 Yea also, when he that is a fool walketh by the way, his wisdom faileth him, and he saith to every one that he is a fool.
4 If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place; for yielding pacifieth great offences.
5 There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, as an error which proceedeth from the ruler:
6 Folly is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in low place.
7 I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth.
8 He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh an hedge, a serpent shall bite him.
9 Whoso removeth stones shall be hurt therewith; and he that cleaveth wood shall be endangered thereby.
10 If the iron be blunt, and he do not whet the edge, then must he put to more strength: but wisdom is profitable to direct.
11 Surely the serpent will bite without enchantment; and a babbler is no better.
12 The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself.
13 The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness: and the end of his talk is mischievous madness.
14 A fool also is full of words: a man cannot tell what shall be; and what shall be after him, who can tell him?
15 The labour of the foolish wearieth every one of them, because he knoweth not how to go to the city.
16 Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes eat in the morning!
17 Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!
18 By much slothfulness the building decayeth; and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth through.
19 A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money answereth all things.
20 Curse not the king, no not in thy thought; and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter.

1 Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour.

2A wise man's heart is at his right hand; but a fool's heart at his left.

3Yea also, when he that is a fool walketh by the way, his wisdom faileth him, and he saith to every one that he is a fool.

4If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place; for yielding pacifieth great offences.

5There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, as an error which proceedeth from the ruler:

6Folly is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in low place.

7I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth.

8He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh an hedge, a serpent shall bite him.

9Whoso removeth stones shall be hurt therewith; and he that cleaveth wood shall be endangered thereby.

10If the iron be blunt, and he do not whet the edge, then must he put to more strength: but wisdom is profitable to direct.

11Surely the serpent will bite without enchantment; and a babbler is no better.

12The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself.

13The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness: and the end of his talk is mischievous madness.

14A fool also is full of words: a man cannot tell what shall be; and what shall be after him, who can tell him?

15The labour of the foolish wearieth every one of them, because he knoweth not how to go to the city.

16Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes eat in the morning!

17Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!

18By much slothfulness the building decayeth; and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth through.

19A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money answereth all things.

20Curse not the king, no not in thy thought; and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter.

III == Prov 13:16 ; 18:2

IV == 1st Sam 25:24-35 ; Prov 25:15 ; Eccl 8:3

VI == Esth 3:1

VII == Prov 19:10 ; 30:22

VIII == Ps 7:15 ; Prov 26:27

XI == Ps 58:4-5 ; Jer 8:17

XII == Prov 10:14 , 32 ; 12:13 ; 18:7

XIV == Prov 15:2 ; Eccl 3:22 ; 6:12 ; 8:7

XVI == Isa 3:4-5 , 12 ; 5:11

XVII == Prov 31:4

XIX == Ps 104:15

XX == Ex 22:28 ; Luke 19:40 ; Acts 23:5

1 More weighty than wisdom or wealth is a little folly!

2 The wise man's understanding turns him to his right; the fool's understanding turns him to his left.

3 When the fool walks through the street, in his lack of understanding he calls everything foolish.

4 Should the anger of the ruler burst upon you, forsake not your place; for mildness abates great offenses.

5 I have seen under the sun another evil, like a mistake that proceeds from the ruler:

6 a fool put in lofty position while the rich sit in lowly places.

7 I have seen slaves on horseback, while princes walked on the ground like slaves.

8 He who digs a pit may fall into it, and he who breaks through a wall may be bitten by a serpent.

9 He who moves stones may be hurt by them, and he who chops wood is in danger from it.

10 If the iron becomes dull, though at first he made easy progress, he must increase his efforts; but the craftsman has the advantage of his skill.

11 If the serpent bites because it has not been charmed, then there is no advantage for the charmer.

12 Words from the wise man's mouth win favor, but the fool's lips consume him.

13 The beginning of his words is folly, and the end of his talk is utter madness;

14 yet the fool multiplies words. Man knows not what is to come, for who can tell him what is to come after him?

15 When will the fool be weary of his labor, he who knows not the way to the city?

16 Woe to you, O land, whose king was a servant, and whose princes dine in the morning!

17 Blessed are you, O land, whose king is of noble birth, and whose princes dine at the right time (for vigor and not in drinking bouts).

18 When hands are lazy, the rafters sag; when hands are slack, the house leaks.

19 Bread and oil call forth merriment and wine makes the living glad, but money answers for everything.

20 Even in your thoughts do not make light of the king, nor in the privacy of your bedroom revile the rich. Because the birds of the air may carry your voice, a winged creature may tell what you say.

v 1. This continues the thought of previous verses, a little pollution ruins perfume.

v 2-7. A fool’s actions declare him to be a fool. It is sad that because of improper decrees by a ruler, the position of honor due one of wisdom is sometimes reversed.

v 8-11. Wisdom may prevent some one from being injured or show how to help him, using sharp axe, but may be nullified by poor timing, there is no advantage in being a charmer, if he doesn’t charm a snake before it bites.

v 12-15. In contrast to a wise man’s words, a fool’s chatter is worthless from start to finish because he doesn’t know how to get to town, (or,  doesn’t have a clue).

v 16-20. Solomon contrasts competent and incompetent leaders and their life styles. Be very cautious of criticizing incompetent leaders lest word get back to them.