Ecclesiastes 10
1 Dead flies make the oil of the perfumer loathsome and corrupt; thus doth a little folly weigh down wisdom and honor.
Mrtve muhe lekarnarjevemu mazilu povzročijo, da od sebe širi smrdljiv vonj; tako je majhna neumnost tistemu, ki ima sloves zaradi modrosti in časti.
2 A wise man's mind is at his right hand; but a fool's mind is at his left.
Srce modrega človeka je pri njegovi desnici, toda bedakovo srce pri njegovi levici.
3 Yea, even when the fool walketh in the way, his understanding faileth him, and he saith to every one that he is a fool.
Da, tudi kadar kdor je bedak, hodi po poti, ga njegova modrost izneverja in vsakemu govori, da je bedak.
4 If the anger of a ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place! for gentleness pacifieth great offences.
Če vladarjev duh vstane zoper tebe, ne zapusti svojega mesta, kajti ustrežljivost pomirja velike prestopke.
5 There is an evil which I have seen under the sun; an error which proceedeth from a ruler.
Je zlo, ki sem ga videl pod soncem, kakor pomota, ki izvira od vladarja:
6 Folly is set in many high stations, and the noble sit in a low place.
neumnost je postavljena na visoko dostojanstvo, bogati pa sedijo na nizkem kraju.
7 I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants on foot.
Videl sem služabnike na konjih, prince pa hoditi kakor služabniki po tleh.
8 He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh down a wall, a serpent shall bite him.
Kdor koplje jamo, bo padel vanjo, kdorkoli pa lomi ograjo, ga bo pičila kača.
9 Whoso removeth stones shall be hurt therewith, and he that cleaveth wood shall be endangered thereby.
Kdorkoli odstranja kamne, bo z njimi poškodovan in kdor cepi drva, bo s tem izpostavljen nevarnosti.
10 If the iron be blunt, and one do not whet the edge, then must he put forth more strength; but an advantage for giving success hath wisdom.
Če je železo topo in ne nabrusi ostrine, potem mora vložiti več moči; toda modrost je koristna, da usmerja.
11 If a serpent bite before he is charmed, then there is no advantage to the charmer.
Zagotovo bo kača pičila brez izrekanja uroka in blebetavec ni boljši.
12 The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool are his destruction.
Besede iz ust modrega moža so milostljive, toda ustnice bedaka bodo samega sebe pogoltnile.
13 The beginning of the words of his mouth is folly, and the end of his talk is mischievous madness.
Začetek besed iz njegovih ust je nespametnost, konec njegovega govora pa je pogubna norost.
14 A fool also multiplieth words, though no man knoweth what shall be; and who can tell him what shall be after him?
Tudi bedak je poln besed. Človek ne more povedati kaj bo, in kaj bo za njim, kdo mu lahko pove?
15 The labor of the foolish man wearieth him, because he knoweth not how to go to the city.
Trud nespametnih izčrpava vsakogar izmed njih, ker ne ve kako iti do mesta.
16 Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes feast in the morning!
Gorje tebi, oh dežela, kadar je tvoj kralj otrok in tvoji princi jedo zjutraj!
17 Happy thou, O land, when thy king is a noble, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!
Blagoslovljena si ti, oh dežela, kadar je tvoj kralj sin plemičev in tvoji princi jedo v pravšnjem obdobju, za moč in ne za pijanost!
18 By much slothfulness the building decayeth; and by the slackness of the hands the house leaketh.
Z veliko lenobe zgradba propada in zaradi brezdelja rok kaplja skozi hišo.
19 A feast is made for laughter, and wine makes merry; but money answereth all things.
Praznovanje je narejeno za smeh in vino dela vesele, toda denar odgovarja vsem stvarem.
20 Curse not the king; no, not in thy thought; and curse not the rich in thy bed-chamber! for a bird of the air shall carry the voice; and that which hath wings shall tell the matter.
Ne preklinjaj kralja niti v svojih mislih in ne preklinjaj bogatega v svoji spalnici, kajti zračna ptica bo odnesla glas in kar ima peruti, bo povedalo zadevo.
