1 ARST A few dead flies in a bottle of perfume cause all the perfume to stink. Similarly, a small amount of acting foolishly can have a greater effect than acting wisely. BSB BSB: As dead flies bring a stench to the perfumer’s oil, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.
2 ARST If people think sensibly, it will lead them to do what is right; if they think foolishly, it causes them to do what is wrong. BSB BSB: A wise man’s heart inclines to the right, but the heart of a fool to the left.
3 ARST Even while foolish people walk along the road, they show that they do not have good sense. They show everyone that they are not wise. BSB BSB: Even as the fool walks along the road, his sense is lacking, and he shows everyone that he is a fool.
4 ARST Do not quit your job when a ruler is angry with you. If you remain calm, he will probably stop being angry. BSB BSB: If the ruler’s temper flares against you, do not abandon your post, for calmness lays great offenses to rest.
5 ARST There is something else that I have seen here on this earth, something that rulers sometimes do that is wrong: BSB BSB: There is an evil I have seen under the sun—an error that proceeds from the ruler:
6 ARST they appoint foolish people to have important positions, while they appoint rich people to have unimportant positions. BSB BSB: Folly is appointed to great heights, but the rich sit in lowly positions.
7 ARST They allow slaves to ride on horses like rich people usually do, but they force officials to walk like slaves usually do. BSB BSB: I have seen slaves on horseback, while princes go on foot like slaves.
8 ARST It is possible that those who dig pits will fall into one of those pits. It is possible that someone who tears down a wall will be bitten by a snake that is in that wall. BSB BSB: He who digs a pit may fall into it, and he who breaches a wall may be bitten by a snake.
9 ARST If you work in a quarry, it is possible that a stone will fall on you and injure you. It is possible that men who split logs will be injured by one of those logs. BSB BSB: The one who quarries stones may be injured by them, and he who splits logs endangers himself.
10 ARST If your axe is not sharp, you will need to work harder to cut down a tree, but by using wisdom, you will succeed. BSB BSB: If the axe is dull and the blade unsharpened, more strength must be exerted, but skill produces success.
11 ARST If a snake bites a man before he charms it, his ability to charm snakes will not benefit him. BSB BSB: If the snake bites before it is charmed, there is no profit for the charmer.
12 ARST Wise people say what is sensible, and because of that, people honor them, but foolish people are destroyed by what they themselves say. BSB BSB: The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious, but the lips of a fool consume him.
13 ARST When foolish people start to talk, they say foolish things, and they end by saying things that are both wicked and foolish. BSB BSB: The beginning of his talk is folly, and the end of his speech is evil madness.
14 ARST They talk too much. None of us knows what will happen in the future, or what will happen after we die. BSB BSB: Yet the fool multiplies words. No one knows what is coming, and who can tell him what will come after him?
15 ARST Foolish people become very exhausted by the work that they do, with the result that they are even unable to find the road to their town. BSB BSB: The toil of a fool wearies him, for he does not know the way to the city.
16 ARST Terrible things will happen to the people of a nation whose ruler is a foolish young person, whose leaders continually eat, all during the day, every day. BSB BSB: Woe to you, O land whose king is a youth, and whose princes feast in the morning.
17 ARST But how fortunate is a nation if its ruler comes from a noble family, if its leaders feast only at the proper times, and if they eat and drink only to be strong, not to become drunk. BSB BSB: Blessed are you, O land whose king is a son of nobles, and whose princes feast at the proper time—for strength and not for drunkenness.
18 ARST Some men are very lazy and do not repair the beams of their roof, with the result that the roof sags and collapses. If they do not repair the roof, water will leak into the house when it rains. BSB BSB: Through laziness the roof caves in, and in the hands of the idle, the house leaks.
19 ARST Eating food and drinking wine makes us laugh and be happy. If you have enough money, you can buy everything you need. BSB BSB: A feast is prepared for laughter, and wine makes life merry, but money is the answer for everything.
20 ARST Do not even think about cursing the king, or about cursing rich people, even when you are alone in your bedroom. It is always possible that a little bird will hear what you are saying and tell those people what you said about them. BSB BSB: Do not curse the king even in your thoughts, or curse the rich even in your bedroom, for a bird of the air may carry your words, and a winged creature may report your speech.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.