Ecclesiastes · Majority Standard Bible
Ecclesiastes 10 Majority Standard Bible
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
1 As dead flies bring a stench to the perfumer’s oil, so a little folly outweighs 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.
2 A wise man’s heart inclines to the right, but the heart of a fool to the left.
2 El corazón del sabio está á su mano derecha; mas el corazón del necio á su mano izquierda.
3 Even as the fool walks along the road, his sense is lacking, and he shows everyone that he is a fool.
3 Y aun mientras va el necio por el camino, fálta[le] su cordura, y dice á todos, [que] es necio.
4 If the ruler’s temper flares against you, do not abandon your post, for calmness lays great offenses to rest.
4 Si el espíritu del príncipe se exaltare contra ti, no dejes tu lugar; porque la lenidad hará cesar grandes ofensas.
5 There is an evil I have seen under the sun—an error that proceeds from the ruler:
5 Hay un mal que debajo del sol he visto, á manera de error emanado del príncipe:
6 Folly is appointed to great heights, but the rich sit in lowly positions.
6 La necedad está colocada en grandes alturas, y los ricos están sentados en lugar bajo.
7 I have seen slaves on horseback, while princes go on foot like slaves.
7 Vi siervos en caballos, y príncipes que andaban como siervos sobre la tierra.
8 He who digs a pit may fall into it, and he who breaches a wall may be bitten by a snake.
8 El que hiciere el hoyo caerá en él; y el que aportillare el vallado, morderále la serpiente.
9 The one who quarries stones may be injured by them, and he who splits logs endangers himself.
9 El que mudare las piedras, trabajo tendrá en ellas: el que cortare la leña, en ella peligrará.
10 If the axe is dull and the blade unsharpened, more strength must be exerted, but skill produces success.
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.
11 If the snake bites before it is charmed, there is no profit for the charmer.
11 Muerde la serpiente cuando no está encantada, y el lenguaraz no es mejor.
12 The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious, but the lips of a fool consume him.
12 Las palabras de la boca del sabio son gracia; mas los labios del necio causan su propia ruina.
13 The beginning of his talk is folly, and the end of his speech is evil madness.
13 El principio de las palabras de su boca es necedad; y el fin de su charla nocivo desvarío.
14 Yet the fool multiplies words. No one knows what is coming, and who can tell him what will come after him?
14 El necio multiplica palabras: no sabe hombre lo que ha de ser; ¿y quién le hará saber lo que después de él será?
15 The toil of a fool wearies him, for he does not know the way to the city.
15 El trabajo de los necios los fatiga; porque no saben por dónde ir á la ciudad.
16 Woe to you, O land whose king is a youth, and whose princes feast in the morning.
16 ¡Ay de ti, tierra, cuando tu rey es muchacho, y tus príncipes comen de mañana!
17 Blessed are you, O land whose king is a son of nobles, and whose princes feast at the proper time—for strength and not for drunkenness.
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!
18 Through laziness the roof caves in, and in the hands of the idle, the house leaks.
18 Por la pereza se cae la techumbre, y por flojedad de manos se llueve la casa.
19 A feast is prepared for laughter, and wine makes life merry, but money is the answer for everything.
19 Por el placer se hace el convite, y el vino alegra los vivos: y el dinero responde á todo.
20 Do not curse the king even in your thoughts, or curse the rich even in your bedroom, for a bird of the air may carry your words, and a winged creature may report your speech.
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.
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)