Ecclesiastes 10
1 Dead flies cause a perfumer’s perfume To send forth a stink; The precious by reason of wisdom—By reason of honor—a little folly!
Uginula muha usmrdi mirisno ulje, a i malo ludosti jače je od mudrosti i časti.
2 The heart of the wise [is] at his right hand, And the heart of a fool at his left.
Mudrac kroči pravim putem, a luđak krivim.
3 And also, when he that is a fool Is walking in the way, his heart is lacking, And he has said to everyone, “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 goes up against you, do not leave your place, For yielding quiets great sinners.
Ako se na te digne vladaočev gnjev, ne ostavljaj svoga mjesta, jer blagost sprečava velike grijehe.
5 There is an evil I have seen under the sun, As ignorance that goes out from the ruler,
Ima zlo što ga vidjeh pod suncem kao prestupak koji dolazi od vladaoca:
6 He has set the fool in many high places, And the rich sits in a low place.
ludost se podiže na najviša mjesta, a veliki zauzimaju niske položaje.
7 I have seen servants on horses, And princes walking as servants on the earth.
Vidjeh sluge na konjima, a knezove gdje idu pješice kao sluge.
8 Whoever is digging a pit falls into it, And whoever is breaking a hedge, a serpent bites him.
Tko jamu kopa, u nju pada; i tko ruši zid, ujeda ga zmija.
9 Whoever is removing stones is grieved by them, Whoever is cleaving trees endangered by them.
Tko lomi kamenje, ono ga ranjava; tko cijepa drva, može nastradati.
10 If the iron has been blunt, And he has not sharpened the face, Then he increases strength, And wisdom [is] advantageous to make right.
Kad zatupi željezo i oštrica mu nije nabrušena, tada treba više snage; a nagrada mudrosti je uspjeh.
11 If the serpent bites without enchantment, Then there is no advantage to a master of the tongue.
Ako zmija ujede prije čaranja, ništa onda opčaratelj ne koristi.
12 Words of the mouth of the wise [are] gracious, And the lips of a fool swallow him up.
Pune su miline riječi iz usta mudraca, a bezumnika upropašćuju njegove usne.
13 The beginning of the words of his mouth [is] folly, And the latter end of his mouth [Is] mischievous madness.
On počinje svoje besjede ludošću i svršava ih potpunim bezumljem.
14 And the fool multiplies words: “Man does not know that which is—And that which is after him, who declares to him?”
Luđak previše govori: čovjek ne poznaje budućnost, i tko mu može kazati što će poslije njega biti?
15 The labor of the foolish wearies him, In that he has not known to go to the city.
Luđake mori njihov trud; tko ne zna puta, ne može u grad.
16 Woe to you, O land, when your king [is] a youth, And your princes eat in the morning.
Jao tebi, zemljo, kad ti je kralj premlad i knezovi se već ujutro goste.
17 Blessed are you, O land, When your king [is] a son of nobles, And your princes eat in due season, For might, and not for drunkenness.
Blago tebi, zemljo, kad ti je kralj plemenit i knezovi ti u svoje vrijeme blaguju da se okrijepe, a ne da se opiju.
18 By slothfulness is the wall brought low, And by idleness of the hands the house drops.
S lijenosti se ugiblju grede, zbog nebrige prokišnjava kuća.
19 For mirth they are making a feast, And wine makes life joyful, And the silver answers with all.
Ali su gozbe radi zabave i vino uveseljava život, a novci pribavljaju sve.
20 Even in your mind do not revile a king, And in the inner parts of your bed-chamber do not revile the rich: For a bird of the heavens causes the voice to go, And a possessor of wings declares 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.
