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Ecclesiastes · Brenton's English Septuagint

Ecclesiastes 10 Brenton's English Septuagint

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About Brenton
  • Individual translator
  • OT: Septuagint (Greek)
  • Septuagint Old Testament (no New Testament)
  • Formal (word for word)
  • 1844
  • Public domain

Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings

Notes on this text (2)
Brenton Brenton's English Septuagint
WEB World English Bible (Classic, with Deuterocanon)
1 Pestilent flies will corrupt a preparation of sweet ointment: [and] a little wisdom is more precious than great glory of folly.
1 Dead flies cause the oil of the perfumer to produce an evil odor; so does a little folly outweigh wisdom and honor.
2 A wise man's heart is at his right hand; but a fool's heart at his left.
2 A wise man’s heart is at his right hand, but a fool’s heart at his left.
3 Yea, and whenever a fool walks by the way, his heart will fail him, and all that he thinks of is folly.
3 Yes also when the fool walks by the way, his understanding fails him, and he says to everyone that he is a fool.
4 If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place; for soothing will put an end to great offences.
4 If the spirit of the ruler rises up against you, don’t leave your place; for gentleness lays great offenses to rest.
5 There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, wherein an error has proceeded from the ruler.
5 There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, the sort of error which proceeds from the ruler.
6 The fool has been set in very high places, while rich men would sit in a low one.
6 Folly is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in a low place.
7 I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants on the earth.
7 I have seen servants on horses, and princes walking like servants on the earth.
8 He that digs a pit shall fall into it; and him that breaks down a hedge a serpent shall bite.
8 He who digs a pit may fall into it; and whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.
9 He that removes stones shall be troubled thereby; he that cleaves wood shall be endangered thereby.
9 Whoever carves out stones may be injured by them. Whoever splits wood may be endangered by it.
10 If the axe-head should fall off, then the man troubles his countenance, and he must put forth more strength: and [in that case] skill is of no advantage to a man.
10 If the ax is blunt, and one doesn’t sharpen the edge, then he must use more strength; but skill brings success.
11 If a serpent bite when there is no [charmer's] whisper, then there is no advantage to the charmer.
11 If the snake bites before it is charmed, then is there no profit for the charmer’s tongue.
12 The words of a wise mouth are gracious: but the lips of a fool will swallow him up.
12 The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious; but a fool is swallowed by his own lips.
13 The beginning of the words of his mouth is folly: and the end of his talk mischievous madness.
13 The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness; and the end of his talk is mischievous madness.
14 A fool moreover multiplies words: man knows not what has been, nor what will be: who shall tell him what will come after him?
14 A fool also multiplies words. Man doesn’t know what will be; and that which will be after him, who can tell him?
15 The labour of fools will afflict them, [as that of one] who knows not to go to the city.
15 The labor of fools wearies every one of them; for he doesn’t know how to go to the city.
16 Woe to thee, O city, whose king is young, and thy princes eat in the morning!
16 Woe to you, land, when your king is a child, and your princes eat in the morning!
17 Blessed art thou, O land, whose king is a son of nobles, and whose princes shall eat seasonably, for strength, and shall not be ashamed.
17 Happy are you, land, when your king is the son of nobles, and your princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!
18 By slothful neglect a building will be brought low: and by idleness of the hands the house will fall to pieces.
18 By slothfulness the roof sinks in; and through idleness of the hands the house leaks.
19 Men prepare bread for laughter, and wine and oil that the living should rejoice: but to money all things will humbly yield obedience.
19 A feast is made for laughter, and wine makes the life glad; and money is the answer for all things.
20 Even in thy conscience, curse not the king; and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the air shall carry thy voice, and that which has wings shall report thy speech.
20 Don’t curse the king, no, not in your thoughts; and don’t curse the rich in your bedroom, for a bird of the sky may carry your voice, and that which has wings may tell the matter.
Cross references (19)

Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.

  1. 1 Matthew 5:13–16; Galatians 2:12–14; Nehemiah 13:26; Exodus 30:25; 2 Chronicles 19:2
  2. 2 Luke 12:18–20; Ecclesiastes 10:14; Luke 14:28–32; Ecclesiastes 10:10; Proverbs 17:16
  3. 3 Proverbs 18:2; Proverbs 13:16; Proverbs 18:6; 1 Peter 4:4; Ecclesiastes 5:3
  4. 4 Proverbs 25:15; Ecclesiastes 8:3; 1 Samuel 25:24–44
  5. 5 Ecclesiastes 5:13; Ecclesiastes 6:1; Ecclesiastes 9:3; Ecclesiastes 4:7; Ecclesiastes 3:16
  6. 6 Proverbs 28:12; Proverbs 29:2; Esther 3:1; Psalm 12:8; 1 Kings 12:13–14
  7. 7 Proverbs 19:10; Esther 6:8; Proverbs 30:22
  8. 8 Proverbs 26:27; Psalm 7:15–16; Esther 7:10; Amos 5:19; Psalm 9:15–16
  9. 10 James 1:5; Colossians 4:5; Ecclesiastes 10:15; 1 Corinthians 14:20; Ephesians 5:15–17
  10. 11 Jeremiah 8:17; Psalm 58:4–5; Psalm 52:2; Psalm 64:3; Proverbs 18:21
  11. 12 Colossians 4:6; Luke 4:22; Proverbs 15:2; Proverbs 22:11; Ephesians 4:29
  12. 13 1 Samuel 25:10–11; Proverbs 29:9; 1 Samuel 20:26–33; 1 Samuel 22:7–8; 2 Kings 6:27
  13. 14 Proverbs 15:2; Ecclesiastes 5:3; James 4:13–14; Ecclesiastes 8:7; Ecclesiastes 3:22
  14. 15 Isaiah 57:1; Jeremiah 50:4–5; Ecclesiastes 10:3; Psalm 107:7; Psalm 107:4
  15. 16 Isaiah 3:12; Isaiah 5:11–12; Isaiah 3:4–5; Proverbs 20:1–2; Jeremiah 21:12
  16. 17 Proverbs 31:4–5; Deuteronomy 14:26; Isaiah 5:11; Ecclesiastes 10:6–7; Jeremiah 30:21
  17. 18 Proverbs 14:1; Proverbs 24:30–34; Proverbs 20:4; Proverbs 21:25; Hebrews 6:11
  18. 19 Psalm 104:15; Philippians 4:15–19; Isaiah 24:11; Ecclesiastes 2:1–2; Luke 12:19
  19. 20 Acts 23:5; Luke 12:2–3; 2 Kings 6:12; Exodus 22:28; Ecclesiastes 7:21–22

Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences

What the Fathers said

Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).

How these were chosen

“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).

  1. Quotes verse 10:16 Augustine of Hippo, The City of God (Book XVII, Chapter 19)

    Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in season, in fortitude, and not in confusion!" He has called the devil a youth, because of the folly and pride, and rashness and unruliness, and other vices which are wont to abound at that age; but Christ is the Son of nobles, …

    Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)

  2. Quotes verse 10:4 Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lectures (Lecture II)

    Therefore saith the Preacher, If the spirit of him that hath power rise up against thee, quit not thy place.

    Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)