Ecclesiastes 10
1 Dead flies cause the precious oil of the apothecary to become stinking and foaming; so doth a little folly him that is valued for wisdom and honor.
Uginula muha usmrdi mirisno ulje, a i malo ludosti jače je od mudrosti i časti.
2 The heart of a wise man is at his right hand; but the heart of a fool is at his left.
Mudrac kroči pravim putem, a luđak krivim.
3 Yea also, on whatever way the fool walketh, doth he lack proper sense, and he saith to all that he is a fool.
Dovoljno je da luđak pođe putem: kako razbora nema, svakomu pokazuje da je lud.
4 If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place; for submissiveness causeth great offences to be avoided.
Ako se na te digne vladaočev gnjev, ne ostavljaj svoga mjesta, jer blagost sprečava velike grijehe.
5 There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, like an error which proceedeth from the ruler:
Ima zlo što ga vidjeh pod suncem kao prestupak koji dolazi od vladaoca:
6 Folly is set in great high places, and the rich sit in lowness.
ludost se podiže na najviša mjesta, a veliki zauzimaju niske položaje.
7 I have seen servants on horses, and princes walking like servants upon the ground.—
Vidjeh sluge na konjima, a knezove gdje idu pješice kao sluge.
8 He that diggeth a pit will fall into it; and him who breaketh down a fence—a serpent will bite him.
Tko jamu kopa, u nju pada; i tko ruši zid, ujeda ga zmija.
9 Whoso removeth stones will be hurt through them; and he that cleaveth wood will be endangered thereby.
Tko lomi kamenje, ono ga ranjava; tko cijepa drva, može nastradati.
10 If the iron be blunt, and man do not whet the edge, then must he exert more strength; but the advantage of making it properly sharp is wisdom.
Kad zatupi željezo i oštrica mu nije nabrušena, tada treba više snage; a nagrada mudrosti je uspjeh.
11 If the serpent do bite because no one uttered a charm, then hath the man that can use his tongue [in charming] no preference.—
Ako zmija ujede prije čaranja, ništa onda opčaratelj ne koristi.
12 The words of a wise man's mouth [bring] grace; but the lips of a fool will destroy himself.
Pune su miline riječi iz usta mudraca, a bezumnika upropašćuju njegove usne.
13 The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness; and the last that cometh out of his mouth is evil-bringing madness.
On počinje svoje besjede ludošću i svršava ih potpunim bezumljem.
14 The fool also multiplieth words; [but] a man cannot know what is to be; and what is to be after him, who can tell him?
Luđak previše govori: čovjek ne poznaje budućnost, i tko mu može kazati što će poslije njega biti?
15 The toil of the foolish will weary every one of them, because he knoweth not how to go to the city.—
Luđake mori njihov trud; tko ne zna puta, ne može u grad.
16 Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is lowminded, and when thy princes eat in the morning!
Jao tebi, zemljo, kad ti je kralj premlad i knezovi se već ujutro goste.
17 Happy art thou, O land, when thy king is noble-spirited, and thy princes eat in proper time, for strengthening, and not for gluttony!—
Blago tebi, zemljo, kad ti je kralj plemenit i knezovi ti u svoje vrijeme blaguju da se okrijepe, a ne da se opiju.
18 Through slothful hands the rafters will sink; and through idleness of the hands the house will become leaky.
S lijenosti se ugiblju grede, zbog nebrige prokišnjava kuća.
19 For gay pleasure they prepare a feast, and wine is to make the living joyful; but money procureth all things.
Ali su gozbe radi zabave i vino uveseljava život, a novci pribavljaju sve.
20 Even in thy thought thou must not curse a king; and in thy bed-chambers do not curse the rich; for a bird of the air can carry the sound, and that which hath wings can tell the word.
Ni u svojoj misli ne kuni kralja, ni u svojoj ložnici ne kuni bogataša, jer će ptice odnijeti glas i kleveta lako okrilati.
