Ecclesiastes 10
1 Muscæ morientes perdunt suavitatem unguenti. Pretiosior est sapientia et gloria, parva et ad tempus stultitia.
[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 Cor sapientis in dextera eius, et cor stulti in sinistra illius.
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 Sed et in via stultus ambulans, cum ipse insipiens sit, omnes stultos æstimat.
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 spiritus potestatem habentis ascenderit super te, locum tuum ne demiseris: quia curatio faciet cessare peccata maxima.
Do not quit working for a ruler when he is angry with you; if you remain calm, he will [probably] stop being angry.
5 Est malum quod vidi sub sole, quasi per errorem egrediens a facie principis:
There is something [else] that I have seen here on this earth, something that rulers sometimes do that is wrong/inappropriate:
6 positum stultum in dignitate sublimi, et divites sedere deorsum.
They appoint foolish people to have important positions, while they appoint rich [people] to have unimportant positions.
7 Vidi servos in equis: et principes ambulantes super terram quasi servos.
They allow slaves [to ride] on horses [like rich people usually do], [but] they force officials to walk [like slaves usually do].
8 Qui fodit foveam, incidet in eam: et qui dissipat sepem, mordebit eum coluber.
[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 transfert lapides, affligetur in eis: et qui scindit ligna, vulnerabitur ab eis.
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 retusum fuerit ferrum, et hoc non ut prius, sed hebetatum fuerit, multo labore exacuetur, et post industriam sequetur sapientia.
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 mordeat serpens in silentio, nihil eo minus habet qui occulte detrahit.
If a snake bites a man before he charms/tames it, his ability to charm snakes will not benefit him.
12 Verba oris sapientis gratia: et labia insipientis præcipitabunt eum:
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 Initium verborum eius stultitia, et novissimum oris illius error pessimus.
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 Stultus verba multiplicat. Ignorat homo quid ante se fuerit: et quid post se futurum sit, quis ei poterit indicare?
They talk (too much/without ceasing). None of us knows what will happen in the future, or what will happen after we die.
15 Labor stultorum affliget eos, qui nesciunt in urbem pergere.
Foolish people become [so] exhausted by the work that they do that they are unable to find the road to their town/homes.
16 Væ tibi terra, cuius rex puer est, et cuius principes mane comedunt.
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 Beata terra, cuius rex nobilis est, et cuius principes vescuntur in tempore suo ad reficiendum, et non ad luxuriam.
[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 In pigritiis humiliabitur contignatio, et in infirmitate manuum perstillabit domus.
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 In risum faciunt panem, et vinum ut epulentur viventes: et pecuniæ obediunt omnia.
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 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.
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].
