| King James Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1Dead 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. | 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 is at his right hand; but a fool's heart at his left. | 2A wise person chooses the right road; a fool takes the wrong one. |
| 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. | 3You can identify fools just by the way they walk down the street! |
| 4If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place; for yielding pacifieth great offences. | 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 which I have seen under the sun, as an error which proceedeth from the ruler: | 5There is another evil I have seen under the sun. Kings and rulers make a grave mistake |
| 6Folly is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in low place. | 6when they give great authority to foolish people and low positions to people of proven worth. |
| 7I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth. | 7I have even seen servants riding horseback like princes—and princes walking like servants! |
| 8He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh an hedge, a serpent shall bite him. | 8When you dig a well, you might fall in. When you demolish an old wall, you could be bitten by a snake. |
| 9Whoso removeth stones shall be hurt therewith; and he that cleaveth wood shall be endangered thereby. | 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 be blunt, and he do not whet the edge, then must he put to more strength: but wisdom is profitable to direct. | 10Using a dull ax requires great strength, so sharpen the blade. That’s the value of wisdom; it helps you succeed. |
| 11Surely the serpent will bite without enchantment; and a babbler is no better. | 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 are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself. | 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 mischievous madness. | 13Fools base their thoughts on foolish assumptions, so their conclusions will be wicked 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? | 14they chatter on and on. No one really knows what is going to happen; no one can predict the future. |
| 15The labour of the foolish wearieth every one of them, because he knoweth not how to go to the city. | 15Fools are so exhausted by a little work that they can’t even find their way home. |
| 16Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes eat in the morning! | 16What sorrow for the land ruled by a servant, the land whose leaders feast 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! | 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. |
| 18By much slothfulness the building decayeth; and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth through. | 18Laziness leads to a sagging roof; idleness leads to a leaky house. |
| 19A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money answereth all things. | 19A party gives laughter, wine gives happiness, and money gives everything! |
| 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. | 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. |
| King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com. | 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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