Ecclesiastes · Free Bible Version
Ecclesiastes 10 Free Bible Version
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
1 Dead flies can make perfumed oil smell bad. Likewise a little foolishness outweighs great wisdom and honor.
1 LAS moscas muertas hacen heder [y] dar mal olor el perfume del perfumista: [así] una pequeña locura, al estimado por sabiduría y honra.
1 Dead flies cause the oil of the perfumer to produce an evil odor; so does a little folly outweigh wisdom and honor.
2 The mind of the wise person chooses the right side, but the mind of the fool goes left!
2 El corazón del sabio está á su mano derecha; mas el corazón del necio á su mano izquierda.
2 A wise man’s heart is at his right hand, but a fool’s heart at his left.
3 Just the way that fools walk down the road shows they have no sense, making clear to everyone their stupidity.
3 Y aun mientras va el necio por el camino, fálta[le] su cordura, y dice á todos, [que] es necio.
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 your superior gets angry with you, don't give up and leave. If you stay calm even bad mistakes can be resolved.
4 Si el espíritu del príncipe se exaltare contra ti, no dejes tu lugar; porque la lenidad hará cesar grandes ofensas.
4 If the spirit of the ruler rises up against you, don’t leave your place; for gentleness lays great offenses to rest.
5 I also realized there's another evil here on earth: rulers make a big mistake
5 Hay un mal que debajo del sol he visto, á manera de error emanado del príncipe:
5 There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, the sort of error which proceeds from the ruler.
6 when they put fools in high positions, while those who are richly qualified are put in low positions.
6 La necedad está colocada en grandes alturas, y los ricos están sentados en lugar bajo.
6 Folly is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in a low place.
7 I've seen slaves riding on horseback, while princes walk on the ground like slaves.
7 Vi siervos en caballos, y príncipes que andaban como siervos sobre la tierra.
7 I have seen servants on horses, and princes walking like servants on the earth.
8 If you dig a pit, you could fall in. If you knock down a wall, you could be bitten by a snake.
8 El que hiciere el hoyo caerá en él; y el que aportillare el vallado, morderále la serpiente.
8 He who digs a pit may fall into it; and whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.
9 If you quarry stone, you could be injured. If you split logs, you could be hurt.
9 El que mudare las piedras, trabajo tendrá en ellas: el que cortare la leña, en ella peligrará.
9 Whoever carves out stones may be injured by them. Whoever splits wood may be endangered by it.
10 If your ax is blunt and you don't sharpen it, you have to use a lot more force. Conclusion: being wise brings good results.
10 Si se embotare el hierro, y su filo no fuere amolado, hay que añadir entonces más fuerza: empero excede la bondad de la sabiduría.
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 the snake bites the snake charmer before it's charmed, there's no benefit to the snake charmer!
11 Muerde la serpiente cuando no está encantada, y el lenguaraz no es mejor.
11 If the snake bites before it is charmed, then is there no profit for the charmer’s tongue.
12 Wise words are beneficial, but fools destroy themselves by what they say.
12 Las palabras de la boca del sabio son gracia; mas los labios del necio causan su propia ruina.
12 The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious; but a fool is swallowed by his own lips.
13 Fools begin by saying foolish things, and end up talking evil nonsense.
13 El principio de las palabras de su boca es necedad; y el fin de su charla nocivo desvarío.
13 The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness; and the end of his talk is mischievous madness.
14 Fools talk on and on, however no one knows what's going to happen, so who can say what the future holds?
14 El necio multiplica palabras: no sabe hombre lo que ha de ser; ¿y quién le hará saber lo que después de él será?
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 Work makes fools so worn out they can't achieve anything.
15 El trabajo de los necios los fatiga; porque no saben por dónde ir á la ciudad.
15 The labor of fools wearies every one of them; for he doesn’t know how to go to the city.
16 You're in trouble if the king of your country is young, and if your leaders are busy feasting from early morning.
16 ¡Ay de ti, tierra, cuando tu rey es muchacho, y tus príncipes comen de mañana!
16 Woe to you, land, when your king is a child, and your princes eat in the morning!
17 You're fortunate if your king comes from a noble family, and your leaders feast at the proper time to give themselves energy, and not to get drunk.
17 ¡Bienaventurada, tú, tierra, cuando tu rey es hijo de nobles, y tus príncipes comen á su hora, por refección, y no por el beber!
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 Lazy people let their roofs collapse; idle people don't repair their leaky houses.
18 Por la pereza se cae la techumbre, y por flojedad de manos se llueve la casa.
18 By slothfulness the roof sinks in; and through idleness of the hands the house leaks.
19 A good meal brings pleasure; wine makes life pleasant; money provides for all needs.
19 Por el placer se hace el convite, y el vino alegra los vivos: y el dinero responde á todo.
19 A feast is made for laughter, and wine makes the life glad; and money is the answer for all things.
20 Don't talk badly about the king, not even in your thoughts. Don't talk badly about leaders, even in the privacy of your bedroom. A bird may hear what you say and fly away to tell them.
20 Ni aun en tu pensamiento digas mal del rey, ni en los secretos de tu cámara digas mal del rico; porque las aves del cielo llevarán la voz, y las que tienen alas harán saber la palabra.
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 Matthew 5:13–16; Galatians 2:12–14; Nehemiah 13:26; Exodus 30:25; 2 Chronicles 19:2
- 2 Luke 12:18–20; Ecclesiastes 10:14; Luke 14:28–32; Ecclesiastes 10:10; Proverbs 17:16
- 3 Proverbs 18:2; Proverbs 13:16; Proverbs 18:6; 1 Peter 4:4; Ecclesiastes 5:3
- 4 Proverbs 25:15; Ecclesiastes 8:3; 1 Samuel 25:24–44
- 5 Ecclesiastes 5:13; Ecclesiastes 6:1; Ecclesiastes 9:3; Ecclesiastes 4:7; Ecclesiastes 3:16
- 6 Proverbs 28:12; Proverbs 29:2; Esther 3:1; Psalm 12:8; 1 Kings 12:13–14
- 7 Proverbs 19:10; Esther 6:8; Proverbs 30:22
- 8 Proverbs 26:27; Psalm 7:15–16; Esther 7:10; Amos 5:19; Psalm 9:15–16
- 10 James 1:5; Colossians 4:5; Ecclesiastes 10:15; 1 Corinthians 14:20; Ephesians 5:15–17
- 11 Jeremiah 8:17; Psalm 58:4–5; Psalm 52:2; Psalm 64:3; Proverbs 18:21
- 12 Colossians 4:6; Luke 4:22; Proverbs 15:2; Proverbs 22:11; Ephesians 4:29
- 13 1 Samuel 25:10–11; Proverbs 29:9; 1 Samuel 20:26–33; 1 Samuel 22:7–8; 2 Kings 6:27
- 14 Proverbs 15:2; Ecclesiastes 5:3; James 4:13–14; Ecclesiastes 8:7; Ecclesiastes 3:22
- 15 Isaiah 57:1; Jeremiah 50:4–5; Ecclesiastes 10:3; Psalm 107:7; Psalm 107:4
- 16 Isaiah 3:12; Isaiah 5:11–12; Isaiah 3:4–5; Proverbs 20:1–2; Jeremiah 21:12
- 17 Proverbs 31:4–5; Deuteronomy 14:26; Isaiah 5:11; Ecclesiastes 10:6–7; Jeremiah 30:21
- 18 Proverbs 14:1; Proverbs 24:30–34; Proverbs 20:4; Proverbs 21:25; Hebrews 6:11
- 19 Psalm 104:15; Philippians 4:15–19; Isaiah 24:11; Ecclesiastes 2:1–2; Luke 12:19
- 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).
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)
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)