NAS - Ecclesiastes Chapter 10 to 12

10 A Little Foolishness

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

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

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

11 Cast Your Bread on the Waters

¹Cast your bread on the surface of the waters, for you will find it after many days. ²Divide your portion to seven, or even to eight, for you do not know what misfortune may occur on the earth. ³If the clouds are full, they pour out rain upon the earth; and whether a tree falls toward the south or toward the north, wherever the tree falls, there it lies. ⁴He who watches the wind will not sow and he who looks at the clouds will not reap. ⁵Just as you do not know the path of the wind and how bones are formed in the womb of the pregnant woman, so you do not know the activity of God who makes all things.

⁶Sow your seed in the morning and do not be idle in the evening, for you do not know whether morning or evening sowing will succeed, or whether both of them alike will be good.

⁷The light is pleasant, and it is good for the eyes to see the sun. ⁸Indeed, if a man should live many years, let him rejoice in them all, and let him remember the days of darkness, for they will be many. Everything that is to come will be futility.

⁹Rejoice, young man, during your childhood, and let your heart be pleasant during the days of young manhood. And follow the impulses of your heart and the desires of your eyes. Yet know that God will bring you to judgment for all these things. ¹⁰So, remove grief and anger from your heart and put away pain from your body, because childhood and the prime of life are fleeting.

12 Remember God in Your Youth

¹Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near when you will say, "I have no delight in them"; ²before the sun and the light, the moon and the stars are darkened, and clouds return after the rain; ³in the day that the watchmen of the house tremble, and mighty men stoop, the grinding ones stand idle because they are few, and those who look through windows grow dim; ⁴and the doors on the street are shut as the sound of the grinding mill is low, and one will arise at the sound of the bird, and all the daughters of song will sing softly. ⁵Furthermore, men are afraid of a high place and of terrors on the road; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags himself along, and the caperberry is ineffective. For man goes to his eternal home while mourners go about in the street. ⁶ Remember Him before the silver cord is broken and the golden bowl is crushed, the pitcher by the well is shattered and the wheel at the cistern is crushed; ⁷then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it. ⁸"Vanity of vanities," says the Preacher, "all is vanity!"

Purpose of the Preacher

⁹In addition to being a wise man, the Preacher also taught the people knowledge; and he pondered, searched out and arranged many proverbs. ¹⁰The Preacher sought to find delightful words and to write words of truth correctly.

¹¹The words of wise men are like goads, and masters of these collections are like well-driven nails; they are given by one Shepherd. ¹²But beyond this, my son, be warned: the writing of many books is endless, and excessive devotion to books is wearying to the body.

¹³The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. ¹⁴For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.