Ecclesiastes 10
1 Dead flies can make perfumed oil smell bad. Likewise a little foolishness outweighs great wisdom and honor.
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.
2 The mind of the wise person chooses the right side, but the mind of the fool goes left!
The heart of the wise man goes in the right direction; but the heart of a foolish man in the wrong.
3 Just the way that fools walk down the road shows they have no sense, making clear to everyone their stupidity.
And when the foolish man is walking in the way, he has no sense and lets everyone see that he is foolish.
4 If your superior gets angry with you, don't give up and leave. If you stay calm even bad mistakes can be resolved.
If the wrath of the ruler is against you, keep in your place; in him who keeps quiet even great sins may be overlooked.
5 I also realized there's another evil here on earth: rulers make a big mistake
There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, like an error which comes by chance from a ruler:
6 when they put fools in high positions, while those who are richly qualified are put in low positions.
The foolish are placed in high positions, but men of wealth are kept low.
7 I've seen slaves riding on horseback, while princes walk on the ground like slaves.
I have seen servants on horses, and rulers walking on the earth as servants.
8 If you dig a pit, you could fall in. If you knock down a wall, you could be bitten by a snake.
He who makes a hole for others will himself go into it, and for him who makes a hole through a wall the bite of a snake will be a punishment.
9 If you quarry stone, you could be injured. If you split logs, you could be hurt.
He who gets out stones from the earth will be damaged by them, and in the cutting of wood there is danger.
10 If your ax is blunt and you don't sharpen it, you have to use a lot more force. Conclusion: being wise brings good results.
If the iron has no edge, and he does not make it sharp, then he has to put out more strength; but wisdom makes things go well.
11 If the snake bites the snake charmer before it's charmed, there's no benefit to the snake charmer!
If a snake gives a bite before the word of power is said, then there is no longer any use in the word of power.
12 Wise words are beneficial, but fools destroy themselves by what they say.
The words of a wise man's mouth are sweet to all, but the lips of a foolish man are his destruction.
13 Fools begin by saying foolish things, and end up talking evil nonsense.
The first words of his mouth are foolish, and the end of his talk is evil crime.
14 Fools talk on and on, however no one knows what's going to happen, so who can say what the future holds?
The foolish are full of words; man has no knowledge of what will be; and who is able to say what will be after him?
15 Work makes fools so worn out they can't achieve anything.
The work of the foolish will be a weariness to him, because he has no knowledge of the way to the town.
16 You're in trouble if the king of your country is young, and if your leaders are busy feasting from early morning.
Unhappy is the land whose king is a boy, and whose rulers are feasting in the morning.
17 You're fortunate if your king comes from a noble family, and your leaders feast at the proper time to give themselves energy, and not to get drunk.
Happy is the land whose ruler is of noble birth, and whose chiefs take food at the right time, for strength and not for feasting.
18 Lazy people let their roofs collapse; idle people don't repair their leaky houses.
When no work is done the roof goes in, and when the hands do nothing water comes into the house.
19 A good meal brings pleasure; wine makes life pleasant; money provides for all needs.
A feast is for laughing, and wine makes glad the heart; but by the one and the other money is wasted.
20 Don't talk badly about the king, not even in your thoughts. Don't talk badly about leaders, even in the privacy of your bedroom. A bird may hear what you say and fly away to tell them.
Say not a curse against the king, even in your thoughts; and even secretly say not a curse against the man of wealth; because a bird of the air will take the voice, and that which has wings will give news of it.
