| New International Version | New Living Translation |
| 1As dead flies give perfume a bad smell, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor. | 1As dead flies cause even a bottle of perfume to stink, so a little foolishness spoils great wisdom and honor. |
| 2The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left. | 2A wise person chooses the right road; a fool takes the wrong one. |
| 3Even as fools walk along the road, they lack sense and show everyone how stupid they are. | 3You can identify fools just by the way they walk down the street! |
| 4If a ruler's anger rises against you, do not leave your post; calmness can lay great offenses to rest. | 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, the sort of error that arises from a ruler: | 5There is another evil I have seen under the sun. Kings and rulers make a grave mistake |
| 6Fools are put in many high positions, while the rich occupy the low ones. | 6when they give great authority to foolish people and low positions to people of proven worth. |
| 7I have seen slaves on horseback, while princes go on foot like slaves. | 7I have even seen servants riding horseback like princes—and princes walking like servants! |
| 8Whoever digs a pit may fall into it; whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake. | 8When you dig a well, you might fall in. When you demolish an old wall, you could be bitten by a snake. |
| 9Whoever quarries stones may be injured by them; whoever splits logs may be endangered by them. | 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 its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed, but skill will bring success. | 10Using a dull ax requires great strength, so sharpen the blade. That’s the value of wisdom; it helps you succeed. |
| 11If a snake bites before it is charmed, the charmer receives no fee. | 11If a snake bites before you charm it, what’s the use of being a snake charmer? |
| 12Words from the mouth of the wise are gracious, but fools are consumed by their own lips. | 12Wise words bring approval, but fools are destroyed by their own words. |
| 13At the beginning their words are folly; at the end they are wicked madness-- | 13Fools base their thoughts on foolish assumptions, so their conclusions will be wicked madness; |
| 14and fools multiply words. No one knows what is coming-- who can tell someone else what will happen after them? | 14they chatter on and on. No one really knows what is going to happen; no one can predict the future. |
| 15The toil of fools wearies them; they do not know the way to town. | 15Fools are so exhausted by a little work that they can’t even find their way home. |
| 16Woe to the land whose king was a servant and whose princes feast in the morning. | 16What sorrow for the land ruled by a servant, the land whose leaders feast in the morning. |
| 17Blessed is the land whose king is of noble birth and whose princes eat at a 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. |
| 18Through laziness, the rafters sag; because of idle hands, the house leaks. | 18Laziness leads to a sagging roof; idleness leads to a leaky house. |
| 19A feast is made for laughter, wine makes life merry, and money is the answer for everything. | 19A party gives laughter, wine gives happiness, and money gives everything! |
| 20Do not revile the king even in your thoughts, or curse the rich in your bedroom, because a bird in the sky may carry your words, and a bird on the wing may report what you say. | 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. |
| New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. | 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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