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.
Dead flies can make perfumed oil smell bad. Likewise a little foolishness outweighs great wisdom and honor.
2 The heart of a wise man is at his right hand; but the heart of a fool is at his left.
The mind of the wise person chooses the right side, but the mind of the fool goes left!
3 Yea also, on whatever way the fool walketh, doth he lack proper sense, and he saith to all that he is a fool.
Just the way that fools walk down the road shows they have no sense, making clear to everyone their stupidity.
4 If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place; for submissiveness causeth great offences to be avoided.
If your superior gets angry with you, don't give up and leave. If you stay calm even bad mistakes can be resolved.
5 There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, like an error which proceedeth from the ruler:
I also realized there's another evil here on earth: rulers make a big mistake
6 Folly is set in great high places, and the rich sit in lowness.
when they put fools in high positions, while those who are richly qualified are put in low positions.
7 I have seen servants on horses, and princes walking like servants upon the ground.—
I've seen slaves riding on horseback, while princes walk on the ground like slaves.
8 He that diggeth a pit will fall into it; and him who breaketh down a fence—a serpent will bite him.
If you dig a pit, you could fall in. If you knock down a wall, you could be bitten by a snake.
9 Whoso removeth stones will be hurt through them; and he that cleaveth wood will be endangered thereby.
If you quarry stone, you could be injured. If you split logs, you could be hurt.
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.
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.
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.—
If the snake bites the snake charmer before it's charmed, there's no benefit to the snake charmer!
12 The words of a wise man's mouth [bring] grace; but the lips of a fool will destroy himself.
Wise words are beneficial, but fools destroy themselves by what they say.
13 The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness; and the last that cometh out of his mouth is evil-bringing madness.
Fools begin by saying foolish things, and end up talking evil nonsense.
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?
Fools talk on and on, however no one knows what's going to happen, so who can say what the future holds?
15 The toil of the foolish will weary every one of them, because he knoweth not how to go to the city.—
Work makes fools so worn out they can't achieve anything.
16 Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is lowminded, and when thy princes eat in the morning!
You're in trouble if the king of your country is young, and if your leaders are busy feasting from early morning.
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!—
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.
18 Through slothful hands the rafters will sink; and through idleness of the hands the house will become leaky.
Lazy people let their roofs collapse; idle people don't repair their leaky houses.
19 For gay pleasure they prepare a feast, and wine is to make the living joyful; but money procureth all things.
A good meal brings pleasure; wine makes life pleasant; money provides for all needs.
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.
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.
