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Ecclesiastes 10:1-4
New American Standard Bible
Ecclesiastes 10:1-4
New American Standard Bible
A Little Foolishness
10 Dead flies turn a (A)perfumer’s oil rancid, so a little foolishness is more [a]potent than wisdom and honor. 2 A wise person’s heart directs him toward the right, but the foolish (B)person’s heart directs him toward the left. 3 Even when the fool walks along the road, his [b]sense is lacking, and he [c](C)demonstrates to everyone that he is a fool. 4 If the ruler’s [d]temper rises against you, (D)do not abandon your place, because (E)composure puts great offenses to rest.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Ecclesiastes 10:1 Lit costly
- Ecclesiastes 10:3 Lit heart
- Ecclesiastes 10:3 Lit says
- Ecclesiastes 10:4 Lit spirit
Ecclesiastes 10:1-4
New International Version
Ecclesiastes 10:1-4
New International Version
10 As dead flies give perfume a bad smell,
so a little folly(A) outweighs wisdom and honor.
2 The heart of the wise inclines to the right,
but the heart of the fool to the left.
3 Even as fools walk along the road,
they lack sense
and show everyone(B) how stupid they are.
4 If a ruler’s anger rises against you,
do not leave your post;(C)
calmness can lay great offenses to rest.(D)
New American Standard Bible (NASB) 
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. 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.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.