Parallel Verses

Youngs Literal Translation

Dead flies cause a perfumer's perfume To send forth a stink; The precious by reason of wisdom -- By reason of honour -- a little folly!

New American Standard Bible

Dead flies make a perfumer’s oil stink, so a little foolishness is weightier than wisdom and honor.

King James Version

Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour.

Holman Bible

Dead flies make a perfumer’s oil ferment and stink;
so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.

International Standard Version

As dead flies cause the perfumer's ointment to stink, so also does a little foolishness to one's reputation of wisdom and honor.

A Conservative Version

Dead flies cause the oil of the perfumer to send forth an evil odor, [so] a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.

American Standard Version

Dead flies cause the oil of the perfumer to send forth an evil odor;'so doth a little folly outweigh wisdom and honor.

Amplified

Dead flies make the oil of the perfumer give off a foul odor; so a little foolishness [in one who is esteemed] outweighs wisdom and honor.

Bible in Basic English

Dead flies make the oil of the perfumer give out an evil smell; more valued is a little wisdom than the great glory of the foolish.

Darby Translation

Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to stink and ferment; so a little folly is weightier than wisdom and honour.

Julia Smith Translation

Flies of death will cause the oil of the perfume to stink, it will ferment: the preciousness of wisdom above the honor of the least folly.

King James 2000

Dead flies cause the ointment of the perfumer to send forth a foul odor: so does a little folly to him that is respected for wisdom and honor.

Lexham Expanded Bible

Dead flies cause a bad smell [and] ruin the ointment of the perfumer. So also a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.

Modern King James verseion

As dead flies cause the perfumer's ointment to stink and ferment; so a little folly is more rare than wisdom and than honor.

Modern Spelling Tyndale-Coverdale

Dead flies corrupt sweet ointment and make it to stink. Even so, oft times, he that hath been had in estimation for wisdom and honour is abhorred because of a little foolishness.

NET Bible

One dead fly makes the perfumer's ointment give off a rancid stench, so a little folly can outweigh much wisdom.

New Heart English Bible

Dead flies cause the oil of the perfumer to send forth an evil odor; so does a little folly outweigh wisdom and honor.

The Emphasized Bible

Dead flies, cause to stink and ferment, the oil of the perfumer, - More costly than wisdom or honour, is a little folly.

Webster

Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth an offensive odor: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honor.

World English Bible

Dead flies cause the oil of the perfumer to send forth an evil odor; so does a little folly outweigh wisdom and honor.

Topics

Interlinear

English(KJV)
Strong's
Root Form
Definition
Usage
מות 
Maveth 
Usage: 156

זבוּב 
Z@buwb 
fly
Usage: 2

שׁמן 
Shemen 
Usage: 193

of the apothecary
רקח 
Raqach 
Usage: 8

to send forth
נבע 
Naba` 
Usage: 11

בּאשׁ 
Ba'ash 
Usage: 17

so doth a little
מעט מעט 
M@`at 
Usage: 101

שׂכלוּת סכלוּת 
Cikluwth 
Usage: 7

חכמה 
Chokmah 
Usage: 149

References

Morish

Fly

Smith

Watsons

Verse Info

Context Readings

The Burden Of Folly

1 Dead flies cause a perfumer's perfume To send forth a stink; The precious by reason of wisdom -- By reason of honour -- a little folly! 2 The heart of the wise is at his right hand, And the heart of a fool at his left.

Cross References

Exodus 30:25

and thou hast made it a holy anointing oil, a compound mixture, work of a compounder; it is a holy anointing oil.

Exodus 30:34-35

And Jehovah saith unto Moses, 'Take to thee spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum, spices and pure frankincense; they are part for part;

2 Chronicles 19:2

and go out unto his presence doth Jehu son of Hanani, the seer, and saith unto king Jehoshaphat, 'To give help to the wicked, and to those hating Jehovah, dost thou love? and for this against thee is wrath from before Jehovah,

Nehemiah 6:13

so that he is an hireling, that I may fear and do so, and I had sinned, and it had been to them for an evil name that they may reproach me.

Nehemiah 13:26

By these did not Solomon king of Israel sin? and among the many nations there was no king like him, and beloved by his God he was, and God maketh him king over all Israel -- even him did the strange women cause to sin.

Matthew 5:13-16

'Ye are the salt of the land, but if the salt may lose savour, in what shall it be salted? for nothing is it good henceforth, except to be cast without, and to be trodden down by men.

Galatians 2:12-14

for before the coming of certain from James, with the nations he was eating, and when they came, he was withdrawing and separating himself, fearing those of the circumcision,

King James Version Public Domain

Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers.

International Standard Version Copyright © 1996-2008 by the ISV Foundation.

New American Standard Bible Copyright ©1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org

American Standard Version Public Domain

NET Bible copyright © 1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. NetBible

Basic English, produced by Mr C. K. Ogden of the Orthological Institute - public domain