Ecclésiaste 10
1 Les mouches mortes font sentir mauvais, elles font fermenter l’huile du parfumeur; [ainsi fait] un peu de folie, [à l’égard de] celui qui est estimé pour sa sagesse et sa gloire.
[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 Le cœur du sage est à sa droite, et le cœur du sot, à sa gauche;
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 et même, quand l’insensé marche dans le chemin, le sens lui manque, et il dit à chacun qu’il est un insensé.
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 Si l’esprit du gouverneur s’élève contre toi, ne quitte pas ta place; car la douceur apaise de grands péchés.
Do not quit working for a ruler when he is angry with you; if you remain calm, he will [probably] stop being angry.
5 Il est un mal que j’ai vu sous le soleil, comme une erreur provenant du gouverneur:
There is something [else] that I have seen here on this earth, something that rulers sometimes do that is wrong/inappropriate:
6 le manque de sens est placé dans de hautes dignités, et les riches sont assis dans une position basse.
They appoint foolish people to have important positions, while they appoint rich [people] to have unimportant positions.
7 J’ai vu des serviteurs sur des chevaux, et des princes marchant sur la terre comme des serviteurs.
They allow slaves [to ride] on horses [like rich people usually do], [but] they force officials to walk [like slaves usually do].
8 Qui creuse une fosse y tombe; et qui renverse une clôture, un serpent le mord.
[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 Qui remue des pierres en sera meurtri; qui fend du bois se met en danger.
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 Si le fer est émoussé, et que [celui qui l’emploie] n’en aiguise pas le tranchant, il aura des efforts à faire; mais la sagesse est profitable pour amener le succès.
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 Si le serpent mord parce qu’il n’y a pas de charme, celui qui a une langue ne vaut pas mieux.
If a snake bites a man before he charms/tames it, his ability to charm snakes will not benefit him.
12 Les paroles de la bouche du sage sont pleines de grâce, mais les lèvres d’un sot l’engloutissent.
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 Le commencement des paroles de sa bouche est folie, et la fin de son discours est un mauvais égarement.
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 Et l’insensé multiplie les paroles: l’homme ne sait pas ce qui arrivera; et ce qui sera après lui, qui le lui déclarera?
They talk (too much/without ceasing). None of us knows what will happen in the future, or what will happen after we die.
15 Le travail des sots les lasse, parce qu’ils ne savent pas aller à la ville.
Foolish people become [so] exhausted by the work that they do that they are unable to find the road to their town/homes.
16 Malheur à toi, terre qui as pour roi un jeune garçon, et dont les princes mangent dès le matin!
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 Bienheureuse toi, terre qui as pour roi le fils des nobles, et dont les princes mangent au temps convenable, pour [réparer] leurs forces, et non pour le [plaisir de] boire!
[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 À cause de la paresse, la charpente s’affaisse; et à cause des mains lâches, la maison a des gouttières.
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 On fait un repas pour s’égayer, et le vin rend la vie joyeuse; mais l’argent répond à tout.
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 Ne maudis pas le roi, même dans ta pensée, et ne maudis pas le riche dans la chambre où tu couches, car l’oiseau des cieux en emporterait la voix, et ce qui a des ailes en divulguerait les paroles.
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].
