Study Desk

This too I saw as wisdom under the sun, and ^(F1)it impressed me:

there ^(C1)was a small city with few men in it, and a great king came to it, surrounded it, and constructed large siegeworks against it.

But there was found in it a ^(C1)poor wise man, and he ^(F1)saved the city ^(C2)by his wisdom. Yet ^(C3)no one remembered that poor man.

So I said, "^(C1)Wisdom is better than strength." But the wisdom of the poor man is despised, and his words are ^(F1)ignored.

The ^(C1)words of the wise heard in calm are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools.

^(C1)Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but ^(C2)one sinner destroys much good.

Dead flies turn a ^(C1)perfumer's oil rancid, so a little foolishness is more ^(F1)potent than wisdom and honor.

A wise person's heart directs him toward the right, but the foolish ^(C1)person's heart directs him toward the left.

Even when the fool walks along the road, his ^(F1)sense is lacking, and he ^(F2)(C1)demonstrates to everyone that he is a fool.

If the ruler's ^(F1)temper rises against you, ^(C1)do not abandon your place, because ^(C2)composure puts great offenses to rest.

There is an evil I have seen under the sun, like a mistake that proceeds from the ruler:

^(C1)foolishness is set in many exalted places while the rich sit in humble places.

I have seen ^(C1)slaves riding ^(C2)on horses and princes walking like slaves on the land.

^(C1)One who digs a pit may fall into it, and a ^(C2)serpent may bite one who breaks through a wall.

One who quarries stones may be hurt by them, and one who splits logs may be endangered by them.

If the ^(F1)axe is dull and he does not sharpen its ^(F2)edge, then he must exert more strength. Wisdom has the advantage of bringing success.

If the serpent bites ^(F1)(C1)before being charmed, there is no benefit for the charmer.

^(C1)Words from the mouth of a wise person are gracious, while the lips of a ^(C2)fool consume him;

the beginning of ^(F1)his talking is foolishness, and the end of ^(F2)it is evil ^(C1)insanity.

Yet the ^(C1)fool multiplies words. No person knows what will happen, and who can tell him ^(C2)what will come after him?

The labor of ^(F1)a fool makes him so weary that he does not even know how to go to a city.

Woe to you, land whose ^(C1)king is a boy, and whose princes ^(F1)feast in the morning.

Blessed are you, land whose king is of nobility, and whose princes eat at the appropriate time—for strength and not for ^(C1)drunkenness.

Through ^(C1)extreme laziness the rafters sag, and through idleness the house leaks.

People prepare a meal for enjoyment, ^(C1)wine makes life joyful, and ^(C2)money ^(F1)is the answer to everything.

Furthermore, ^(C1)in your bedroom do not ^(C2)curse a king, and in your sleeping rooms do not curse a rich person; for a bird of the sky will bring the sound, and the winged one will make your word known.