| New King James Version | New International Version |
| 1Dead flies putrefy the perfumer’s ointment, And cause it to give off a foul odor; So does a little folly to one respected for wisdom and honor. | 1As dead flies give perfume a bad smell, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor. |
| 2A wise man’s heart is at his right hand, But a fool’s heart at his left. | 2The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left. |
| 3Even when a fool walks along the way, He lacks wisdom, And he shows everyone that he is a fool. | 3Even as fools walk along the road, they lack sense and show everyone how stupid they are. |
| 4If the spirit of the ruler rises against you, Do not leave your post; For conciliation pacifies great offenses. | 4If a ruler's anger rises against you, do not leave your post; calmness can lay great offenses to rest. |
| 5There is an evil I have seen under the sun, As an error proceeding from the ruler: | 5There is an evil I have seen under the sun, the sort of error that arises from a ruler: |
| 6Folly is set in great dignity, While the rich sit in a lowly place. | 6Fools are put in many high positions, while the rich occupy the low ones. |
| 7I have seen servants on horses, While princes walk on the ground like servants. | 7I have seen slaves on horseback, while princes go on foot like slaves. |
| 8He who digs a pit will fall into it, And whoever breaks through a wall will be bitten by a serpent. | 8Whoever digs a pit may fall into it; whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake. |
| 9He who quarries stones may be hurt by them, And he who splits wood may be endangered by it. | 9Whoever quarries stones may be injured by them; whoever splits logs may be endangered by them. |
| 10If the ax is dull, And one does not sharpen the edge, Then he must use more strength; But wisdom brings success. | 10If the ax is dull and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed, but skill will bring success. |
| 11A serpent may bite when it is not charmed; The babbler is no different. | 11If a snake bites before it is charmed, the charmer receives no fee. |
| 12The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious, But the lips of a fool shall swallow him up; | 12Words from the mouth of the wise are gracious, but fools are consumed by their own lips. |
| 13The words of his mouth begin with foolishness, And the end of his talk is raving madness. | 13At the beginning their words are folly; at the end they are wicked madness-- |
| 14A fool also multiplies words. No man knows what is to be; Who can tell him what will be after him? | 14and fools multiply words. No one knows what is coming-- who can tell someone else what will happen after them? |
| 15The labor of fools wearies them, For they do not even know how to go to the city! | 15The toil of fools wearies them; they do not know the way to town. |
| 16Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child, And your princes feast in the morning! | 16Woe to the land whose king was a servant and whose princes feast in the morning. |
| 17Blessed are you, O land, when your king is the son of nobles, And your princes feast at the proper time— For strength and not for drunkenness! | 17Blessed is the land whose king is of noble birth and whose princes eat at a proper time-- for strength and not for drunkenness. |
| 18Because of laziness the building decays, And through idleness of hands the house leaks. | 18Through laziness, the rafters sag; because of idle hands, the house leaks. |
| 19A feast is made for laughter, And wine makes merry; But money answers everything. | 19A feast is made for laughter, wine makes life merry, and money is the answer for everything. |
| 20Do not curse the king, even in your thought; Do not curse the rich, even in your bedroom; For a bird of the air may carry your voice, And a bird in flight may tell the matter. | 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. |
| The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. | 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. |
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