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10:1  As dead flies spoil the perfumer’s oil, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.
10:2  The mind of the wise tends toward the right, but the mind of the fool toward the left.
10:3  Fools lack all sense even when they walk down the street; they show everyone that they are fools.
10:4  If a ruler’s temper rises against you, don’t leave your post, because calmness alleviates great offenses.
10:5  There’s an evil that I have seen under the sun: the kind of mistake that comes from people in power.
10:6  Fools are appointed to high posts, while the rich sit in lowly positions.
10:7  I have seen slaves on horseback, while princes walk on foot like slaves.
10:8  Whoever digs a pit may fall into it, and whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.
10:9  Whoever quarries stones may be injured by them; whoever splits logs may be endangered by them.
10:10  If an ax is dull and one doesn’t sharpen it first, then one must exert more force. It’s profitable to be skillful and wise.
10:11  If a snake bites before it’s charmed, then there’s no profit for the snake charmer.
10:12  Words from a wise person’s mouth are beneficial, but fools are devoured by their own lips.
10:13  Fools start out talking foolishness and end up speaking awful nonsense.
10:14  Fools talk too much! No one knows what will happen; no one can say what will happen in the future.
10:15  The hard work of fools tires them out because they don’t even know the way to town!
10:16  Too bad for you, land, whose king is a boy and whose princes feast in the morning.
10:17  Happy is the land whose king is dignified and whose princes feast at the right time for energy, not for drunkenness.
10:18  Through laziness, the roof sags; through idle hands, the house leaks.
10:19  Feasts are made for laughter, wine cheers the living, and money answers everything.
10:20  Don’t curse a king even in private; don’t curse the rich in your bedroom, because a bird could carry your voice; some winged creature could report what you said!