49 lines
2.1 KiB
Markdown
49 lines
2.1 KiB
Markdown
# Chapter 10
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1 As dead flies cause even a bottle of perfume to stink,
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so a little foolishness spoils great wisdom and honor.
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2 A wise person chooses the right road;
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a fool takes the wrong one.
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3 You can identify fools
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just by the way they walk down the street!
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4 If your boss is angry at you, don’t quit!
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A quiet spirit can overcome even great mistakes.
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5 There is another evil I have seen under the sun. Kings and rulers make a grave mistake
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6 when they give great authority to foolish people and low positions to people of proven worth.
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7 I have even seen servants riding horseback like princes—and princes walking like servants!
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8 When you dig a well,
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you might fall in.
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When you demolish an old wall,
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you could be bitten by a snake.
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9 When you work in a quarry,
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stones might fall and crush you.
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When you chop wood,
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there is danger with each stroke of your ax.
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10 Using a dull ax requires great strength,
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so sharpen the blade.
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That’s the value of wisdom;
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it helps you succeed.
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11 If a snake bites before you charm it,
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what’s the use of being a snake charmer?
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12 Wise words bring approval,
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but fools are destroyed by their own words.
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13 Fools base their thoughts on foolish assumptions,
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so their conclusions will be wicked madness;
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14 they chatter on and on.
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No one really knows what is going to happen;
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no one can predict the future.
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15 Fools are so exhausted by a little work
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that they can’t even find their way home.
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16 What sorrow for the land ruled by a servant,
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the land whose leaders feast in the morning.
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17 Happy is the land whose king is a noble leader
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and whose leaders feast at the proper time
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to gain strength for their work, not to get drunk.
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18 Laziness leads to a sagging roof;
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idleness leads to a leaky house.
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19 A party gives laughter,
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wine gives happiness,
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and money gives everything!
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20 Never make light of the king, even in your thoughts.
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And don’t make fun of the powerful, even in your own bedroom.
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For a little bird might deliver your message
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and tell them what you said. |