Ecclesiastes 10
1 Dead flies can make perfumed oil smell bad. Likewise a little foolishness outweighs great wisdom and honor.
muscae morientes perdunt suavitatem unguenti pretiosior est sapientia et gloria parva ad tempus stultitia
2 The mind of the wise person chooses the right side, but the mind of the fool goes left!
cor sapientis in dextera eius et cor stulti in sinistra illius
3 Just the way that fools walk down the road shows they have no sense, making clear to everyone their stupidity.
sed et in via stultus ambulans cum ipse insipiens sit omnes stultos aestimat
4 If your superior gets angry with you, don't give up and leave. If you stay calm even bad mistakes can be resolved.
si spiritus potestatem habentis ascenderit super te locum tuum ne dimiseris quia curatio cessare faciet peccata maxima
5 I also realized there's another evil here on earth: rulers make a big mistake
est malum quod vidi sub sole quasi per errorem egrediens a facie principis
6 when they put fools in high positions, while those who are richly qualified are put in low positions.
positum stultum in dignitate sublimi et divites sedere deorsum
7 I've seen slaves riding on horseback, while princes walk on the ground like slaves.
vidi servos in equis et principes ambulantes quasi servos super terram
8 If you dig a pit, you could fall in. If you knock down a wall, you could be bitten by a snake.
qui fodit foveam incidet in eam et qui dissipat sepem mordebit eum coluber
9 If you quarry stone, you could be injured. If you split logs, you could be hurt.
qui transfert lapides adfligetur in eis et qui scindit ligna vulnerabitur ab eis
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.
si retunsum fuerit ferrum et hoc non ut prius sed hebetatum erit multo labore exacuatur et post industriam sequitur sapientia
11 If the snake bites the snake charmer before it's charmed, there's no benefit to the snake charmer!
si mordeat serpens in silentio nihil eo minus habet qui occulte detrahit
12 Wise words are beneficial, but fools destroy themselves by what they say.
verba oris sapientis gratia et labia insipientis praecipitabunt eum
13 Fools begin by saying foolish things, and end up talking evil nonsense.
initium verborum eius stultitia et novissimum oris illius error pessimus
14 Fools talk on and on, however no one knows what's going to happen, so who can say what the future holds?
stultus verba multiplicat ignorat homo quid ante se fuerit et quod post futurum est quis illi poterit indicare
15 Work makes fools so worn out they can't achieve anything.
labor stultorum adfliget eos qui nesciunt in urbem pergere
16 You're in trouble if the king of your country is young, and if your leaders are busy feasting from early morning.
vae tibi terra cuius rex est puer et cuius principes mane comedunt
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.
beata terra cuius rex nobilis est et cuius principes vescuntur in tempore suo ad reficiendum et non ad luxuriam
18 Lazy people let their roofs collapse; idle people don't repair their leaky houses.
in pigritiis humiliabitur contignatio et in infirmitate manuum perstillabit domus
19 A good meal brings pleasure; wine makes life pleasant; money provides for all needs.
in risu faciunt panem ac vinum ut epulentur viventes et pecuniae oboedient omnia
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.
in cogitatione tua regi ne detrahas et in secreto cubiculi tui ne maledixeris diviti quia avis caeli portabit vocem tuam et qui habet pinnas adnuntiabit sententiam
