| New Living Translation | NET Bible |
| 1As dead flies cause even a bottle of perfume to stink, so a little foolishness spoils great wisdom and honor. | 1One dead fly makes the perfumer's ointment give off a rancid stench, so a little folly can outweigh much wisdom. |
| 2A wise person chooses the right road; a fool takes the wrong one. | 2A wise person's good sense protects him, but a fool's lack of sense leaves him vulnerable. |
| 3You can identify fools just by the way they walk down the street! | 3Even when a fool walks along the road he lacks sense, and shows everyone what a fool he is. |
| 4If your boss is angry at you, don’t quit! A quiet spirit can overcome even great mistakes. The Ironies of Life | 4If the anger of the ruler flares up against you, do not resign from your position, for a calm response can undo great offenses. |
| 5There is another evil I have seen under the sun. Kings and rulers make a grave mistake | 5I have seen another misfortune on the earth: It is an error a ruler makes. |
| 6when they give great authority to foolish people and low positions to people of proven worth. | 6Fools are placed in many positions of authority, while wealthy men sit in lowly positions. |
| 7I have even seen servants riding horseback like princes—and princes walking like servants! | 7I have seen slaves on horseback and princes walking on foot like slaves. |
| 8When you dig a well, you might fall in. When you demolish an old wall, you could be bitten by a snake. | 8One who digs a pit may fall into it, and one who breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake. |
| 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. | 9One who quarries stones may be injured by them; one who splits logs may be endangered by them. |
| 10Using a dull ax requires great strength, so sharpen the blade. That’s the value of wisdom; it helps you succeed. | 10If an iron axhead is blunt and a workman does not sharpen its edge, he must exert a great deal of effort; so wisdom has the advantage of giving success. |
| 11If a snake bites before you charm it, what’s the use of being a snake charmer? | 11If the snake should bite before it is charmed, the snake charmer is in trouble. |
| 12Wise words bring approval, but fools are destroyed by their own words. | 12The words of a wise person win him favor, but the words of a fool are self-destructive. |
| 13Fools base their thoughts on foolish assumptions, so their conclusions will be wicked madness; | 13At the beginning his words are foolish and at the end his talk is wicked madness, |
| 14they chatter on and on. No one really knows what is going to happen; no one can predict the future. | 14yet a fool keeps on babbling. No one knows what will happen; who can tell him what will happen in the future? |
| 15Fools are so exhausted by a little work that they can’t even find their way home. | 15The toil of a stupid fool wears him out, because he does not even know the way to the city. |
| 16What sorrow for the land ruled by a servant, the land whose leaders feast in the morning. | 16Woe to you, O land, when your king is childish, and your princes feast in the morning! |
| 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. | 17Blessed are you, O land, when your king is the son of nobility, and your princes feast at the proper time--with self-control and not in drunkenness. |
| 18Laziness leads to a sagging roof; idleness leads to a leaky house. | 18Because of laziness the roof caves in, and because of idle hands the house leaks. |
| 19A party gives laughter, wine gives happiness, and money gives everything! | 19Feasts are made for laughter, and wine makes life merry, but money is the answer for everything. |
| 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. | 20Do not curse a king even in your thoughts, and do not curse the rich while in your bedroom; for a bird might report what you are thinking, or some winged creature might repeat your words. |
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