| New King James Version | New Living Translation |
| 1Dead flies putrefy the perfumer’s ointment, And cause it to give off a foul odor; So does a little folly to one respected for 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 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. |
| 3Even when a fool walks along the way, He lacks wisdom, And he shows everyone that he is a fool. | 3You can identify fools just by the way they walk down the street! |
| 4If the spirit of the ruler rises against you, Do not leave your post; For conciliation pacifies great offenses. | 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 I have seen under the sun, As 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 great dignity, While the rich sit in a lowly place. | 6when they give great authority to foolish people and low positions to people of proven worth. |
| 7I have seen servants on horses, While princes walk on the ground like servants. | 7I have even seen servants riding horseback like princes—and princes walking like servants! |
| 8He who digs a pit will fall into it, And whoever breaks through a wall will be bitten by a serpent. | 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 may be hurt by them, And he who splits wood may be endangered by it. | 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 ax is dull, And one does not sharpen the edge, Then he must use more strength; But wisdom brings success. | 10Using a dull ax requires great strength, so sharpen the blade. That’s the value of wisdom; it helps you succeed. |
| 11A serpent may bite when it is not charmed; The babbler is no different. | 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 shall swallow him up; | 12Wise words bring approval, but fools are destroyed by their own words. |
| 13The words of his mouth begin with foolishness, And the end of his talk is raving madness. | 13Fools base their thoughts on foolish assumptions, so their conclusions will be wicked madness; |
| 14A fool also multiplies words. No man knows what is to be; 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 labor of fools wearies them, For they do not even know 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 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. |
| 17Blessed are you, O land, when your king is the son of nobles, 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. |
| 18Because of laziness the building decays, And through idleness of hands the house leaks. | 18Laziness leads to a sagging roof; idleness leads to a leaky house. |
| 19A feast is made for laughter, And wine makes merry; But money answers everything. | 19A party gives laughter, wine gives happiness, and money gives everything! |
| 20Do not curse the king, even in your thought; Do not curse the rich, even in your bedroom; For a bird of the air may carry your voice, And a bird in flight may 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. |
| The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. 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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