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!
Dead flies can make perfumed oil smell bad. Likewise a little foolishness outweighs great wisdom and honor.
2 The heart of the wise [is] at his right hand, And the heart of a fool at his left.
The mind of the wise person chooses the right side, but the mind of the fool goes left!
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.”
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 goes up against you, do not leave your place, For yielding quiets great sinners.
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 I have seen under the sun, As ignorance that goes out from the ruler,
I also realized there's another evil here on earth: rulers make a big mistake
6 He has set the fool in many high places, And the rich sits in a low place.
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 as servants on the earth.
I've seen slaves riding on horseback, while princes walk on the ground like slaves.
8 Whoever is digging a pit falls into it, And whoever is breaking a hedge, a serpent bites him.
If you dig a pit, you could fall in. If you knock down a wall, you could be bitten by a snake.
9 Whoever is removing stones is grieved by them, Whoever is cleaving trees endangered by them.
If you quarry stone, you could be injured. If you split logs, you could be hurt.
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.
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 bites without enchantment, Then there is no advantage to a master of the tongue.
If the snake bites the snake charmer before it's charmed, there's no benefit to the snake charmer!
12 Words of the mouth of the wise [are] gracious, And the lips of a fool swallow him up.
Wise words are beneficial, but fools destroy themselves by what they say.
13 The beginning of the words of his mouth [is] folly, And the latter end of his mouth [Is] mischievous madness.
Fools begin by saying foolish things, and end up talking evil nonsense.
14 And the fool multiplies words: “Man does not know that which is—And that which is after him, who declares to 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 labor of the foolish wearies him, In that he has not known to go to the city.
Work makes fools so worn out they can't achieve anything.
16 Woe to you, O land, when your king [is] a youth, And your 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 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.
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 By slothfulness is the wall brought low, And by idleness of the hands the house drops.
Lazy people let their roofs collapse; idle people don't repair their leaky houses.
19 For mirth they are making a feast, And wine makes life joyful, And the silver answers with all.
A good meal brings pleasure; wine makes life pleasant; money provides for all needs.
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.
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.
