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Ecclesiastes 10:11

Ecclesiastes 10:12-1953 kjv — The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself. The beginning of the word…

King James Version

12

The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself.

13

The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness: and the end of his talk is mischievous madness.

14

A fool also is full of words: a man cannot tell what shall be; and what shall be after him, who can tell him?

15

The labour of the foolish wearieth every one of them, because he knoweth not how to go to the city.

16

Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes eat in the morning!

17

Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!

18

By much slothfulness the building decayeth; and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth through.

19

A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money answereth all things.

20

Curse not the king, no not in thy thought; and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter.

— Ecclesiastes 10:12-1953, King James Version

Read in Another Translation

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Ecclesiastes 10:12-1953 in Other Translations

6 versions All translations
  • ASV

    “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 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 child, and thy princes eat in the morning! Happy art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness! By slothfulness the 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. ”

  • WEB

    “The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious; but a fool is swallowed by his own lips. The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness; and the end of his talk is mischievous madness. A fool also multiplies words. Man doesn't know what will be; and that which will be after him, who can tell him? The labor of fools wearies every one of them; for he doesn't know how to go to the city. Woe to you, land, when your king is a child, and your princes eat in the morning! Happy are you, land, when your king is the son of nobles, and your princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness! By slothfulness the roof sinks in; and through idleness of the hands the house leaks. A feast is made for laughter, and wine makes the life glad; and money is the answer for all things. Don't curse the king, no, not in your thoughts; and don't curse the rich in your bedroom: for a bird of the sky may carry your voice, and that which has wings may tell the matter.”

  • NET

    “Words and Works of Wise Men and Fools The words of a wise person win him favor, but the words of a fool are self-destructive. At the beginning his words are foolish and at the end his talk is wicked madness, yet a fool keeps on babbling. No one knows what will happen; who can tell him what will happen in the future? The toil of a stupid fool wears him out, because he does not even know the way to the city. The Problem with Foolish Rulers Woe to you, O land, when your king is childish, and your princes feast in the morning! Blessed 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. Because of laziness the roof caves in, and because of idle hands the house leaks. Feasts are made for laughter, and wine makes life merry, but money is the answer for everything. Do 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.”

  • DRB

    “The words of the mouth of a wise man are grace: but the lips of a fool shall throw him down headlong. The beginning of his words is folly, and the end of his talk is a mischievous error. A fool multiplieth words. A man cannot tell what hath been before him: and what shall be after him, who can tell him? The labour of fools shall afflict them that know not how to go to the city. Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and when the princes eat in the morning. Blessed is the land, whose king is noble, and whose princes eat in due season for refreshment, and not for riotousness. By slothfulness a building shall be brought down, and through the weakness of hands, the house shall drop through. For laughter they make bread, and wine that the living may feast: and all things obey money. Detract not the king, no not in thy thought; and speak not evil of the rich man in thy private chamber: because even the birds of the air will carry thy voice, and he that hath wings will tell what thou hast said. ”

  • BBE

    “The words of a wise man's mouth are sweet to all, but the lips of a foolish man are his destruction. The first words of his mouth are foolish, and the end of his talk is evil crime. The foolish are full of words; man has no knowledge of what will be; and who is able to say what will be after him? The work of the foolish will be a weariness to him, because he has no knowledge of the way to the town. Unhappy is the land whose king is a boy, and whose rulers are feasting in the morning. Happy is the land whose ruler is of noble birth, and whose chiefs take food at the right time, for strength and not for feasting. When no work is done the roof goes in, and when the hands do nothing water comes into the house. A feast is for laughing, and wine makes glad the heart; but by the one and the other money is wasted. Say not a curse against the king, even in your thoughts; and even secretly say not a curse against the man of wealth; because a bird of the air will take the voice, and that which has wings will give news of it.”

  • KJVA

    “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 his talk is mischievous madness. A fool also is full of words: a man cannot tell what shall be; and what shall be after him, who can tell him? The labour of the foolish wearieth every one of them, because he knoweth not how to go to the city. Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes eat in the morning! Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness! By much slothfulness the building decayeth; and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth through. A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money answereth all things. Curse not the king, no not in thy thought; and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter. ”

Ecclesiastes 10 — Context

9

Whoso removeth stones shall be hurt therewith; and he that cleaveth wood shall be endangered thereby.

10

If the iron be blunt, and he do not whet the edge, then must he put to more strength: but wisdom is profitable to direct.

11

Surely the serpent will bite without enchantment; and a babbler is no better.

12

The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself.

13

The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness: and the end of his talk is mischievous madness.

14

A fool also is full of words: a man cannot tell what shall be; and what shall be after him, who can tell him?

15

The labour of the foolish wearieth every one of them, because he knoweth not how to go to the city.

16

Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes eat in the morning!

17

Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!

18

By much slothfulness the building decayeth; and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth through.

19

A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money answereth all things.

20

Curse not the king, no not in thy thought; and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter.

Ecclesiastes 10:12-1953 — Frequently Asked Questions

7 questions
What does Ecclesiastes 10:12-1953 say?
Ecclesiastes 10:12-1953 in the King James Version reads: “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 his talk is mischievous madness. A fool also is full of words: a man cannot tell what shall be; and what shall be after him, who can tell him? The labour of the foolish wearieth every one of them, because he knoweth not how to go to the city. Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes eat in the morning! Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness! By much slothfulness the building decayeth; and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth through. A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money answereth all things. Curse not the king, no not in thy thought; and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter. ”
Where is Ecclesiastes 10:12-1953 in the Bible?
Ecclesiastes 10:12-1953 is found in the Old Testament, in the book of Ecclesiastes, chapter 10, verses 12–1953.
Who wrote Ecclesiastes?
Ecclesiastes is traditionally attributed to Solomon (traditional; identified as "the Preacher, son of David"). It was written c. 940 BC.
What is the book of Ecclesiastes about?
Ecclesiastes is a candid meditation on life "under the sun" — its pleasures, its pains, and its apparent vanity. The Preacher tries wisdom, wealth, work, and pleasure, finds them all empty without God, and concludes that fearing God and keeping his commandments is the whole of man.
What are the major themes of Ecclesiastes?
Ecclesiastes explores themes including Vanity, Time, Meaning, Fear of God, Mortality. These themes shape the meaning and context of Ecclesiastes 10:12-1953.
What translation should I read Ecclesiastes 10:12-1953 in?
Ecclesiastes 10:12-1953 is available on GodsGoodBook in the King James Version (KJV), American Standard Version (ASV), World English Bible (WEB), NET Bible, Young's Literal Translation, Darby Bible, Douay-Rheims Bible, and the Bible in Basic English. Each translation reflects different translation philosophies — use the translation picker on this page to compare them, or browse our full translations directory.
How can I memorize Ecclesiastes 10:12-1953?
Ecclesiastes 10:12-1953 reads (KJV): “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 his talk is mischievous madness. A fool also is full of words: a man cannot tell what shall be; and what shall be after him, who can tell him? The labour of the foolish wearieth every one of them, because he knoweth not how to go to the city. Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes eat in the morning! Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness! By much slothfulness the building decayeth; and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth through. A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money answereth all things. Curse not the king, no not in thy thought; and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter. ” Read it aloud, break it into short phrases, repeat each phrase three times before adding the next, then put the phrases together. Reading it in multiple translations (above) often helps the meaning settle.
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