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The Bible · 669 of 1189

Ecclesiastes 10

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.

Asked of Guide

Why does Ecclesiastes warn against cursing the king or the rich, even in private thoughts?

Ecclesiastes 10 shows the fragile public order and the peril in undermining it: “a bird of the air shall carry the voice” (v.20). The author insists restraint because a ruler’s temper can turn and social consequences reach farther than private speech when a society’s leadership and honor are unstable.

This chapter links practical prudence with political reality—wise speech steadies institutions and foolishness topples them, as when “folly is set in great dignity” (v.6). If you want a close companion, read Proverbs, which treats wisdom as social technology: wise words preserve life and community, foolish words destroy it.

Guide is the guide inside the Gnosis app, where every book on these shelves is free to read. Guide is the part you pay for — your guide has read all of them, and answers about the passage you’re actually on. Ask your guide your own question.