Ecclesiastes 10
1 Muscæ morientes perdunt suavitatem unguenti. Pretiosior est sapientia et gloria, parva et ad tempus stultitia.
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!
2 Cor sapientis in dextera eius, et cor stulti in sinistra illius.
The heart of the wise [is] at his right hand, And the heart of a fool at his left.
3 Sed et in via stultus ambulans, cum ipse insipiens sit, omnes stultos æstimat.
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.”
4 Si spiritus potestatem habentis ascenderit super te, locum tuum ne demiseris: quia curatio faciet cessare peccata maxima.
If the spirit of the ruler goes up against you, do not leave your place, For yielding quiets great sinners.
5 Est malum quod vidi sub sole, quasi per errorem egrediens a facie principis:
There is an evil I have seen under the sun, As ignorance that goes out from the ruler,
6 positum stultum in dignitate sublimi, et divites sedere deorsum.
He has set the fool in many high places, And the rich sits in a low place.
7 Vidi servos in equis: et principes ambulantes super terram quasi servos.
I have seen servants on horses, And princes walking as servants on the earth.
8 Qui fodit foveam, incidet in eam: et qui dissipat sepem, mordebit eum coluber.
Whoever is digging a pit falls into it, And whoever is breaking a hedge, a serpent bites him.
9 Qui transfert lapides, affligetur in eis: et qui scindit ligna, vulnerabitur ab eis.
Whoever is removing stones is grieved by them, Whoever is cleaving trees endangered by them.
10 Si retusum fuerit ferrum, et hoc non ut prius, sed hebetatum fuerit multo labore, exacuetur, et post industriam sequetur sapientia.
If the iron has been blunt, And he has not sharpened the face, Then he increases strength, And wisdom [is] advantageous to make right.
11 Si mordeat serpens in silentio, nihil eo minus habet qui occulte detrahit.
If the serpent bites without enchantment, Then there is no advantage to a master of the tongue.
12 Verba oris sapientis gratia: et labia insipientis præcipitabunt eum:
Words of the mouth of the wise [are] gracious, And the lips of a fool swallow him up.
13 Initium verborum eius stultitia, et novissimum oris illius error pessimus.
The beginning of the words of his mouth [is] folly, And the latter end of his mouth [Is] mischievous madness.
14 Stultus verba multiplicat. Ignorat homo quid ante se fuerit: et quid post se futurum sit, quis ei poterit indicare?
And the fool multiplies words: “Man does not know that which is—And that which is after him, who declares to him?”
15 Labor stultorum affliget eos, qui nesciunt in urbem pergere.
The labor of the foolish wearies him, In that he has not known to go to the city.
16 Væ tibi terra, cuius rex puer est, et cuius principes mane comedunt.
Woe to you, O land, when your king [is] a youth, And your princes eat in the morning.
17 Beata terra, cuius rex nobilis est, et cuius principes vescuntur in tempore suo ad reficiendum, et non ad luxuriam.
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.
18 In pigritiis humiliabitur contignatio, et in infirmitate manuum perstillabit domus.
By slothfulness is the wall brought low, And by idleness of the hands the house drops.
19 In risum faciunt panem, et vinum ut epulentur viventes: et pecuniæ obediunt omnia.
For mirth they are making a feast, And wine makes life joyful, And the silver answers with all.
20 In cogitatione tua regi ne detrahas, et in secreto cubiculi tui ne maledixeris diviti: quia et aves cæli portabunt vocem tuam, et qui habet pennas annunciabit sententiam.
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.
