< Ecclesiastes 10 >
1 [A few] dead flies in [a bottle of] perfume cause [all] the perfume to stink. Similarly [SIM], a small amount of acting foolishly can have a greater effect than acting wisely.
2 If people think sensibly, it will lead them to do what is right; if they think foolishly, it causes them to do what is wrong.
3 Even while foolish people walk along the road, they show that they do not have good sense; they show everyone that they are not wise.
4 Do not quit working for a ruler when he is angry with you; if you remain calm, he will [probably] stop being angry.
5 There is something [else] that I have seen here on this earth, something that rulers sometimes do that is wrong/inappropriate:
6 They appoint foolish people to have important positions, while they appoint rich [people] to have unimportant positions.
7 They allow slaves [to ride] on horses [like rich people usually do], [but] they force officials to walk [like slaves usually do].
8 [It is possible that] those who dig pits will fall into one of those pits. [It is possible that] someone who tears down a wall will be bitten by a snake [that is in that wall].
9 If you work in a quarry, [it is possible that] a stone [will fall on you and] injure you. [It is possible that] men who split logs will be injured by one of those logs.
10 If your axe is not sharp [DOU], you will need to work harder [to cut down a tree], but by being wise, you will succeed.
11 If a snake bites a man before he charms/tames it, his ability to charm snakes will not benefit him.
12 Wise people say [MTY] what is sensible, and because of that, people honor them; but foolish people are destroyed by what they say [MTY].
13 When foolish people start to talk, they say things that are foolish, and they end by saying things that are both wicked and foolish.
14 They talk (too much/without ceasing). None of us knows what will happen in the future, or what will happen after we die.
15 Foolish people become [so] exhausted by the work that they do that they are unable to find the road to their town/homes.
16 Terrible things will happen to the people of a nation whose ruler is a foolish young man, and whose [other] leaders continually eat, all day long, every day.
17 [But] a nation will prosper if its ruler is from a (noble/well-educated) family, and if its [other] leaders feast [only] at the proper times, and [if they eat and drink only] to be strong, not to become drunk.
18 Some men are very lazy [and do not repair the rafters], with the result that the rafters sag [and collapse]; and if they do not repair the roof, water will leak into the house [when it rains].
19 Eating food and drinking wine causes us to laugh and be happy, [but] we are able to enjoy those things only if we have money [to buy them].
20 Do not even think about cursing the king, or cursing rich [people, even] when you are [alone] in your bedroom, because [it is possible that] a little bird will hear [what you are saying], [and] tell those people what you said [about them].
