SCRIPTURE FOR TODAY WEDNESDAY 19 DEC. 2018.

1 Just as dead flies make perfumed oil stink, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.

2
A wise man’s heart leads him rightly, but a fool’s heart leads him astray;

3
and when a fool travels, he has no good sense, thus showing everyone that he is a fool.

4
If a ruler gets angry at you, stay at your post, because calmness soothes great offenses.

5
Another evil I have seen under the sun, the kind of mistake rulers make, is that

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fools are promoted to high positions, while the rich occupy humble places.

7
I have seen servants riding horses, while princes walk on foot like slaves.

8
He who digs a pit may fall into it; he who breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.

9
He who quarries stones may get hurt by them, he who chops wood puts himself in danger.

10
If the [hatchet’s] iron [blade] is blunt, and [its user] doesn’t sharpen it, he will have to exert more effort; but the expert has the advantage of his skill.

11
If a snake bites before it is charmed, the snake-charmer has no advantage.

12
The words spoken by the wise bring them favor, but the lips of a fool swallow him up.

13
What he says starts with foolishness and ends with wicked madness.

14
A fool keeps talking and talking, yet no one knows what the future will bring -can anyone tell a person what will happen after he’s gone?

15
The efforts of a fool wear him out; he doesn’t even know the way to town!

16
Woe to you, land, when your king is a child, and your leaders start their parties in the morning!

17
Happy are you, land, when your king is well-born, and your princes eat at the proper time, in order to stay strong, not to get drunk!

18
When the owner is lazy, the roof sags; when hands are idle, the house leaks.

19
Parties are made for having a good time, wine adds cheer to life, and money has an answer for everything.

20
Don’t insult the king, not even in your thoughts; and don’t insult the wealthy, not even in your bedroom; for a bird in the air might carry the news, a creature with wings might repeat what you said.

Ecclesiastes 10:1-20 (CJB)

Stay blessed and have a great day.