Ecclesiastes Chapter 10

3 There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power over the day of death; and there is no discharge in war: neither shall wickedness deliver him that is given to it.

4 All this have I seen, and applied my heart unto every work that is done under the sun:

5 there is a time wherein one man hath power over another to his hurt.

6 So I saw the wicked buried, and they came

7 to the grave; and they that had done right went away from the holy place, and were forgotten in the city: this also is vanity.

8 Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.

9 Though a sinner do evil a hundred times, and prolong his

10 days, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, that fear before him:

11 but it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong

12 his days,

13 which are as a shadow; because he feareth not before God.

14 There is a vanity which is done upon the earth, that there are righteous men unto whom it happeneth according to the work of the wicked; again, there are wicked men to whom it happeneth according to the work of the righteous: I said that this also is vanity.

15 Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be joyful: for that shall abide with him in his labor

16 all the days of his life which God hath given him under the sun.

17 When I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done upon the earth (for also there is that neither day nor night seeth sleep with his eyes),

18 then I beheld all the work of God, that man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun: because however much a man labor to seek it out, yet he shall not find it; yea moreover, though a wise man think to know it, yet shall he not be able to find it.

19 For all this I laid to my heart, even to explore all this: that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God; whether it be love or hatred, man knoweth it not; all is before them.

20 All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth and to him that sacrificeth not; as is the good, so is the sinner;

darby (darby) - eBible.org Darby 1890 plaintext

1 Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to stink [and] ferment; [so] a little folly is weightier than wisdom [and] honour.

2 The heart of a wise [man] is at his right hand; but a fool's heart at his left.

3 Yea also, when he that is a fool walketh by the way, his sense faileth [him], and he saith to every one [that] he is a fool.

4 If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place; for quietness pacifieth great offences.

5 There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, as an error [that] proceedeth from the ruler:

6 folly is set in great dignities, but the rich sit in a low place.

7 I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth.

8 He that diggeth a pit falleth into it; and whoso breaketh down a hedge, a serpent biteth him.

9 Whoso removeth stones is hurt therewith; he that cleaveth wood is endangered thereby.

10 If the iron be blunt, and one do not whet the edge, then must he apply more strength; but wisdom is profitable to give success.

11 If the serpent bite before enchantment, then the charmer hath no advantage.

12 The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool swallow up himself.

13 The beginning of the words of his mouth is folly; and the end of his talk is mischievous madness.

14 And the fool multiplieth words: [yet] man knoweth not what shall be; and what shall be after him, who will tell him?

15 The labour of fools wearieth them, because they know not how to go to the city.

16 Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes eat in the morning!

17 Happy art thou, O land, when thy king is a son of nobles, and thy princes eat in [due] season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!

18 By much sloth fulness the framework falleth in; and through idleness of the hands the house drippeth.

19 A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh life merry; but money answereth everything.

20 Curse not the king, no, not in thy thought; and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber: for the bird of the air will carry the voice, and that which hath wings will tell the matter.

lxxbrent (lxxbrent) - Septuagint (Brenton 1851) eBible USFM

1 Pestilent flies will corrupt a preparation of sweet ointment: [and] a little wisdom is more precious than great glory of folly.

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.

4 If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place; for soothing will put an end to great offences.

5 There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, wherein an error has proceeded from the ruler.

6 The fool has been set in very high places, while rich men would sit in a low one.

7 I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as 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.

9 He that removes stones shall be troubled thereby; he that cleaves wood shall be endangered thereby.

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.

11 If a serpent bite when there is no [charmer's] whisper, then there is no advantage to the charmer.

12 The words of a wise mouth are gracious: but the lips of a fool will swallow him up.

13 The beginning of the words of his mouth is folly: and the end of his talk 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?

15 The labour of fools will afflict them, [as that of one] who knows not to go to the city.

16 Woe to thee, O city, whose king is young, and thy 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.

18 By slothful neglect a building will be brought low: and by idleness of the hands the house will fall to pieces.

19 Men prepare bread for laughter, and wine and oil that the living should rejoice: but to money all things will humbly yield obedience.

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.

vul1914 (vul1914) - Vulgate 1914 UTF-8 (sacredbible.org)

1 Muscæ morientes perdunt suavitatem unguenti. Pretiosior est sapientia et gloria, parva et ad tempus stultitia.

2 Cor sapientis in dextera eius, et cor stulti in sinistra illius.

3 Sed et in via stultus ambulans, cum ipse insipiens sit, omnes stultos æstimat.

4 Si spiritus potestatem habentis ascenderit super te, locum tuum ne demiseris: quia curatio faciet cessare peccata maxima.

5 Est malum quod vidi sub sole, quasi per errorem egrediens a facie principis:

6 positum stultum in dignitate sublimi, et divites sedere deorsum.

7 Vidi servos in equis: et principes ambulantes super terram quasi servos.

8 Qui fodit foveam, incidet in eam: et qui dissipat sepem, mordebit eum coluber.

9 Qui transfert lapides, affligetur in eis: et qui scindit ligna, vulnerabitur ab eis.

10 Si retusum fuerit ferrum, et hoc non ut prius, sed hebetatum fuerit, multo labore exacuetur, et post industriam sequetur sapientia.

11 Si mordeat serpens in silentio, nihil eo minus habet qui occulte detrahit.

12 Verba oris sapientis gratia: et labia insipientis præcipitabunt eum:

13 Initium verborum eius stultitia, et novissimum oris illius error pessimus.

14 Stultus verba multiplicat. Ignorat homo quid ante se fuerit: et quid post se futurum sit, quis ei poterit indicare?

15 Labor stultorum affliget eos, qui nesciunt in urbem pergere.

16 Væ tibi terra, cuius rex puer est, et cuius principes mane comedunt.

17 Beata terra, cuius rex nobilis est, et cuius principes vescuntur in tempore suo ad reficiendum, et non ad luxuriam.

18 In pigritiis humiliabitur contignatio, et in infirmitate manuum perstillabit domus.

19 In risum faciunt panem, et vinum ut epulentur viventes: et pecuniæ obediunt omnia.

20 In cogitatione tua regi ne detrahas, et in secreto cubiculi tui ne maledixeris diviti: quia et aves cæli portabunt vocem tuam, et qui habet pennas annunciabit sententiam.

web (web) - WorldEnglish.Bible — CC0 modern update of ASV

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.

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 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, the sort of error which proceeds from the ruler.

6 Folly is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in a low place.

7 I have seen servants on horses, and princes walking like servants on the earth.

8 He who digs a pit may fall into it; and whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.

9 Whoever carves out stones may be injured by them. Whoever splits wood may be endangered by it.

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 before it is charmed, then is there no profit for the charmer’s tongue.

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 foolishness; and the end of his talk is mischievous madness.

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 labor of fools wearies every one of them; for he doesn’t know how to go to the city.

16 Woe to you, land, when your king is a child, and your princes eat in the morning!

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 slothfulness the roof sinks in; and through idleness of the hands the house leaks.

19 A feast is made for laughter, and wine makes the life glad; and money is the answer for all things.

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.

ylt (ylt) - Bible.com YLT98 plain UTF-8

1 Dead flies cause a perfumer's perfume To send forth a stink; The precious by reason of wisdom--By reason of honour--a little folly!

2 The heart of the wise <FI>is<Fi> at his right hand, And the heart of a fool at his left.

3 And also, when he that is a fool Is walking in the way, his heart is lacking, And he hath said to every one, `He <FI>is<Fi> a fool.'

4 If the spirit of the ruler go up against thee, Thy place leave not, For yielding quieteth great sinners.

5 There is an evil I have seen under the sun, As an error that goeth out from the ruler,

6 He hath set the fool in many high places, And the rich in a low place do sit.

7 I have seen servants on horses, And princes walking as servants on the earth.

8 Whoso is digging a pit falleth into it, And whoso is breaking a hedge, a serpent biteth him.

9 Whoso is removing stones is grieved by them, Whoso is cleaving trees endangered by them.

10 If the iron hath been blunt, And he the face hath not sharpened, Then doth he increase strength, And wisdom <FI>is<Fi> advantageous to make right.

11 If the serpent biteth without enchantment, Then there is no advantage to a master of the tongue.

12 Words of the mouth of the wise <FI>are<Fi> gracious, And the lips of a fool swallow him up.

13 The beginning of the words of his mouth <FI>is<Fi> folly, And the latter end of his mouth <FI>Is<Fi> mischievous madness.

14 And the fool multiplieth words: `Man knoweth not that which is, And that which is after him, who doth declare to him?'

15 The labour of the foolish wearieth him, In that he hath not known to go unto the city.

16 Woe to thee, O land, when thy king <FI>is<Fi> a youth, And thy princes do eat in the morning.

17 Happy art thou, O land, When thy king <FI>is<Fi> a son of freemen, And thy princes do eat in due season, For might, and not for drunkenness.

18 By slothfulness is the wall brought low, And by idleness of the hands doth the house drop.

19 For mirth they are making a feast, And wine maketh life joyful, And the silver answereth with all.

20 Even in thy mind a king revile not, And in the inner parts of thy bed-chamber Revile not the rich: For a fowl of the heavens causeth the voice to go, And a possessor of wings declareth the word.

Explanations by Age Level

Explain Like I'm 5

A long, long time ago, there was nothing at all - no earth, no sky, no animals, no people. It was all dark and empty. But God was there! God is so powerful that He can make anything just by speaking. So God said "Let there be light!" and BOOM! There was light everywhere! God saw that the light was beautiful and good. He called the light "day" and the darkness "night." This was the very first day when God started making our wonderful world!

Explain Like I'm 10

Before anything existed - no planets, stars, or life - God decided to create the universe. The earth started out as a dark, empty place covered with water. But God's Spirit was there, ready to bring order and beauty to everything. When God spoke and said "Let there be light," light immediately appeared because God's words have incredible power. God looked at the light and was pleased with what He had made. He organized time by separating light (day) from darkness (night), creating the first 24-hour period. This shows us that God is organized and purposeful in everything He does.

Explain Like I'm 15

Genesis 1:1-5 establishes fundamental theological truths about God and creation. The Hebrew word "bara" (created) indicates creation from nothing (ex nihilo), demonstrating God's absolute sovereignty and power. The phrase "without form and void" (tohu wa-bohu) describes a state of chaos that God transforms into order. The Spirit of God "hovering" or "brooding" over the waters suggests active, caring involvement in creation. The creation of light before the sun (created on day 4) indicates that God Himself is the ultimate source of light and energy. The establishment of day and night creates the framework of time, showing that God operates within orderly patterns while transcending them. This passage refutes both atheistic materialism and pantheism, establishing that God is both transcendent (separate from creation) and immanent (actively involved in it).