| English Standard Version | New Living Translation |
| 1Dead flies make the perfumer’s ointment give off a stench; so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor. | 1As dead flies cause even a bottle of perfume to stink, so a little foolishness spoils great wisdom and honor. |
| 2A wise man’s heart inclines him to the right, but a fool’s heart to the left. | 2A wise person chooses the right road; a fool takes the wrong one. |
| 3Even when the fool walks on the road, he lacks sense, and he says to everyone that he is a fool. | 3You can identify fools just by the way they walk down the street! |
| 4If the anger of the ruler rises against you, do not leave your place, for calmness will lay great offenses to rest. | 4If your boss is angry at you, don’t quit! A quiet spirit can overcome even great mistakes. The Ironies of Life |
| 5There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, as it were an error proceeding from the ruler: | 5There is another evil I have seen under the sun. Kings and rulers make a grave mistake |
| 6folly is set in many high places, and the rich sit in a low place. | 6when they give great authority to foolish people and low positions to people of proven worth. |
| 7I have seen slaves on horses, and princes walking on the ground like slaves. | 7I have even seen servants riding horseback like princes—and princes walking like servants! |
| 8He who digs a pit will fall into it, and a serpent will bite him who breaks through a wall. | 8When you dig a well, you might fall in. When you demolish an old wall, you could be bitten by a snake. |
| 9He who quarries stones is hurt by them, and he who splits logs is endangered by them. | 9When you work in a quarry, stones might fall and crush you. When you chop wood, there is danger with each stroke of your ax. |
| 10If the iron is blunt, and one does not sharpen the edge, he must use more strength, but wisdom helps one to succeed. | 10Using a dull ax requires great strength, so sharpen the blade. That’s the value of wisdom; it helps you succeed. |
| 11If the serpent bites before it is charmed, there is no advantage to the charmer. | 11If a snake bites before you charm it, what’s the use of being a snake charmer? |
| 12The words of a wise man’s mouth win him favor, but the lips of a fool consume him. | 12Wise words bring approval, but fools are destroyed by their own words. |
| 13The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness, and the end of his talk is evil madness. | 13Fools base their thoughts on foolish assumptions, so their conclusions will be wicked madness; |
| 14A fool multiplies words, though no man knows what is to be, and who can tell him what will be after him? | 14they chatter on and on. No one really knows what is going to happen; no one can predict the future. |
| 15The toil of a fool wearies him, for he does not know the way to the city. | 15Fools are so exhausted by a little work that they can’t even find their way home. |
| 16Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child, and your princes feast in the morning! | 16What sorrow for the land ruled by a servant, the land whose leaders feast in the morning. |
| 17Happy are you, O land, when your king is the son of the nobility, and your princes feast at the proper time, for strength, and not for drunkenness! | 17Happy is the land whose king is a noble leader and whose leaders feast at the proper time to gain strength for their work, not to get drunk. |
| 18Through sloth the roof sinks in, and through indolence the house leaks. | 18Laziness leads to a sagging roof; idleness leads to a leaky house. |
| 19Bread is made for laughter, and wine gladdens life, and money answers everything. | 19A party gives laughter, wine gives happiness, and money gives everything! |
| 20Even in your thoughts, do not curse the king, nor in your bedroom curse the rich, for a bird of the air will carry your voice, or some winged creature tell the matter. | 20Never make light of the king, even in your thoughts. And don’t make fun of the powerful, even in your own bedroom. For a little bird might deliver your message and tell them what you said. |
| ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved. | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
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