Dead flies cause the oil of the perfumer {Or, to stink and putrefy}to send forth an evil odor; so doth a little folly {Or, him that is valued for wisdom}outweigh wisdom and honor.
A wise man's heart is at his right hand; but a fool's heart at his left.
Yea also, when the fool walketh by the way, his {Hebrew: heart.}understanding faileth him, and he saith {Or, of}to every one that he is a fool.
If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place; for {Or, calmness leaveth great sins undone}gentleness allayeth great offences.
There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, as it were an error which proceedeth from the ruler:
folly is set in great {Hebrew: heights.}dignity, and the rich sit in a low place.
I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking like servants upon the earth.
He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh through a wall, a serpent shall bite him.
Whoso {Or, moveth stones}heweth out stones shall be hurt therewith; and he that cleaveth wood is endangered thereby.
If the iron be blunt, and one do not whet the edge, then must he put to more strength: but wisdom is profitable to direct.
{Or, Surely the serpent will bite where there is no enchantment; and the slanderer is no better}If the serpent bite {Hebrew: without enchantment.}before it is charmed, then is there no advantage in {Hebrew: the master of the tongue.}the charmer.
The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself.
The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness; and the end of {Hebrew: his mouth.}his talk is mischievous madness.
A fool also multiplieth words: yet man knoweth not what shall be; and that which shall be after him, who can tell him?
The labor of fools wearieth every one of them; for he knoweth not how to go to the city.
Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a {Or, servant}child, and thy princes eat in the morning!
Happy art thou, O land, when thy king is {Or, a free man}the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!
By slothfulness the {Or, rafters sink}roof sinketh in; and through idleness of the hands the house leaketh.
A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh glad the life; and money answereth all things.
Revile not the king, no, not in thy thought; and revile not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the heavens shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter.
Querverweise zu Prediger 10,10 Pred 10,10
The labor of fools wearieth every one of them; for he knoweth not how to go to the city.
Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man.
Then said I, Wisdom is better than strength: nevertheless the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard.
The words of the wise heard in quiet are better than the cry of him that ruleth among fools.
Now therefore let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt.
Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint overseers over the land, and take up the fifth part of the land of Egypt in the seven plenteous years.
And let them gather all the food of these good years that come, and lay up grain under the hand of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and let them keep it.
And the food shall be for a store to the land against the seven years of famine, which shall be in the land of Egypt; that the land perish not through the famine.
And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants.
And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom the spirit of God is?
And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath showed thee all of this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou:
Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God be with thee: be thou for the people to God-ward, and bring thou the causes unto God:
and thou shalt teach them the statutes and the laws, and shalt show them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do.
Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating unjust gain; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens:
and let them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge themselves: so shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear the burden with thee.
If thou shalt do this thing, and God command thee so, then thou shalt be able to endure, and all this people also shall go to their place in peace.
Give thy servant therefore an {Hebrew: hearing.}understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and evil; for who is able to judge this thy {Hebrew: heavy.}great people?
And of the children of Issachar, men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, the heads of them were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their commandment.
This is the thing that ye shall do: a third part of you, that come in on the sabbath, of the priests and of the Levites, shall be porters of the thresholds;
and a third part shall be at the king's house; and a third part at the gate of the foundation: and all the people shall be in the courts of the house of Jehovah.
But let none come into the house of Jehovah, save the priests, and they that minister of the Levites; they shall come in, for they are holy: but all the people shall keep the charge of Jehovah.
And the Levites shall compass the king round about, every man with his weapons in his hand; and whosoever cometh into the house, let him be slain: and be ye with the king when he cometh in, and when he goeth out.
So the Levites and all Judah did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded: and they took every man his men, those that were to come in on the sabbath; with those that were to go out on the sabbath; for Jehoiada the priest dismissed not the courses.
And Jehoiada the priest delivered to the captains of hundreds the spears, and bucklers, and shields, that had been king David's, which were in the house of God.
And he set all the people, every man with his weapon in his hand, from the right {Hebrew: shoulder.}side of the house to the left {Hebrew: shoulder.}side of the house, along by the altar and the house, by the king round about.
Then they brought out the king's son, and {Or, put upon him the crown and the testimony}put the crown upon him, and gave him the testimony, and made him king: and Jehoiada and his sons anointed him; and they said, Long live the king.
Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and {Or, simple}harmless as doves.
Now in these days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a murmuring of the {Greek: Hellenists.}Grecian Jews against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration.
And the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not {Greek: pleasing.}fit that we should forsake the word of God, and {Or, minister to tables}serve tables.
{Some ancient authorities read But, brethren, look ye out from among you.}Look ye out therefore, brethren, from among you seven men of good report, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.
But we will continue stedfastly in prayer, and in the ministry of the word.
And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus a proselyte of Antioch;
whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands upon them.
And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem exceedingly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.
And Stephen, full of grace and power, wrought great wonders and signs among the people.
But there arose certain of them that were of the synagogue called the synagogue of the {Or, Freemen}Libertines, and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia and Asia, disputing with Stephen.
And when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and questioning with them, the brethren appointed that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question.
They therefore, being brought on their way by the church, passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the Gentiles: and they caused great joy unto all the brethren.
And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the church and the apostles and the elders, and they rehearsed all things that God had done with them.
But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees who believed, saying, It is needful to circumcise them, and to charge them to keep the law of Moses.
And the apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider of this matter.
And when there had been much questioning, Peter rose up, and said unto them,Brethren, ye know that {Greek: from early days.}a good while ago God made choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the {Or, good tidings}gospel, and believe.
And God, who knoweth the heart, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Spirit, even as he did unto us;
and he made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith.
Now therefore why make ye trial of God, that ye should put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?
But we believe that we shall be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in like manner as they.
And all the multitude kept silence; and they hearkened unto Barnabas and Paul rehearsing what signs and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles through them.
And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying,Brethren, hearken unto me:
Symeon hath rehearsed how first God visited the {See marginal note on chapter 5:42.}Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name.
And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written,
{Amos 9:11, 12.}After these things I will return,And I will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen;And I will build again the ruins thereof,And I will set it up:
That the residue of men may seek after the Lord,And all the {See marginal note on chapter 5:42.}Gentiles, upon whom my name is called,
Saith the Lord, {Or, who doeth these things which were known & c.}who maketh these things known from of old.
Wherefore my judgment is, that we trouble not them that from among the Gentiles turn to God;
but that we {Or, enjoin them}write unto them, that they abstain from the pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from what is strangled, and from blood.
For Moses from generations of old hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath.
For your obedience is come abroad unto all men. I rejoice therefore over you: but I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple unto that which is evil.
Brethren, be not children in mind: yet in malice be ye babes, but in mind be {Greek: of full age. Compare chapter 2:6.}men.
Look therefore carefully how ye walk, not as unwise, but as wise;
{Greek: buying up the opportunity.}redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Wherefore be ye not foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, {Greek: buying up the opportunity.}redeeming the time.
But if any of you lacketh wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all liberally and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.