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10:1  Dead flies make perfumed oil ferment and stink, just as a little stupidity outweighs wisdom and honor.
10:2  A wise man’s heart heads right, but a fool’s heart heads left.
10:3  Even when a fool is walking down the road, he does not know where he is going, and he advertises to everyone that he is a fool.
10:4  If a ruler’s anger rises against you, do not abandon your post, because keeping calm puts serious sins to rest.
10:5  There is an evil I have seen under the sun. What a mistake rulers make!
10:6  Stupidity is placed in many high places, but the rich are seated in low positions.
10:7  I have seen slaves on horses, while princes walk on the ground like slaves.
10:8  A person who digs a pit might fall into it, and one who breaks through a wall might be bitten by a snake.
10:9  A person who quarries stones may be hurt by them. Someone who splits logs may be endangered by them.
10:10  If the ax is dull and no one sharpens its edge, the person chopping must apply more strength, but an advantage of wisdom is that it gives success.
10:11  If the snake bites before it is charmed, there is no advantage to having a charmer.
10:12  Words from a wise man’s mouth bring favor, but a fool’s lips swallow him up.
10:13  The fool starts out by saying stupid things, but he ends up speaking wicked madness.
10:14  The fool multiplies words. No one knows what will be in the future, and who can tell him what will come after him?
10:15  The hard work of fools wears them out so much that they no longer know their way to town.
10:16  How unfortunate you are, O land, when your king once was a servant, and your officials overeat in the morning.
10:17  How blessed you are, O land, when your king is a son of nobles, and your officials eat at the right time—to get stronger, not to get drunk.
10:18  Because of laziness, roof beams sag. Because of idle hands, the house leaks.
10:19  Food is made for pleasure. Wine makes life happy, but money is the answer for everything.
10:20  Do not curse the king even in your thoughts, and do not curse a rich person in your bedroom, for a bird in the skies might carry your voice, or a bird in flight might reveal the matter.