Ecclesiastes 10
1 Dying flies ruin the sweetness of the ointment. Wisdom and glory is more precious than a brief and limited foolishness.
Mrtve muhe lekarnarjevemu mazilu povzročijo, da od sebe širi smrdljiv vonj; tako je majhna neumnost tistemu, ki ima sloves zaradi modrosti in časti.
2 The heart of a wise man is in his right hand, and the heart of a foolish man is in his left hand.
Srce modrega človeka je pri njegovi desnici, toda bedakovo srce pri njegovi levici.
3 Moreover, as a foolish man is walking along the way, even though he himself is unwise, he considers everyone to be foolish.
Da, tudi kadar kdor je bedak, hodi po poti, ga njegova modrost izneverja in vsakemu govori, da je bedak.
4 If the spirit of one who holds authority rises over you, do not leave your place, because attentiveness will cause the greatest sins to cease.
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, proceeding from the presence of a prince, as if by mistake:
Je zlo, ki sem ga videl pod soncem, kakor pomota, ki izvira od vladarja:
6 a foolish man appointed to a high dignity, and the rich sitting beneath him.
neumnost je postavljena na visoko dostojanstvo, bogati pa sedijo na nizkem kraju.
7 I have seen servants on horses, and princes walking on the ground like servants.
Videl sem služabnike na konjih, prince pa hoditi kakor služabniki po tleh.
8 Whoever digs a pit will fall into it. And whoever tears apart a hedge, a snake will bite him.
Kdor koplje jamo, bo padel vanjo, kdorkoli pa lomi ograjo, ga bo pičila kača.
9 Whoever carries away stones will be harmed by them. And whoever cuts down trees will be wounded by them.
Kdorkoli odstranja kamne, bo z njimi poškodovan in kdor cepi drva, bo s tem izpostavljen nevarnosti.
10 If the iron is dull, and if it was not that way before, but has been made dull by much labor, then it will be sharpened. And wisdom will follow after diligence.
Če je železo topo in ne nabrusi ostrine, potem mora vložiti več moči; toda modrost je koristna, da usmerja.
11 Whoever slanders in secret is nothing less than a snake that bites silently.
Zagotovo bo kača pičila brez izrekanja uroka in blebetavec ni boljši.
12 Words from the mouth of a wise man are graceful, but the lips of a foolish man will throw him down with violence.
Besede iz ust modrega moža so milostljive, toda ustnice bedaka bodo samega sebe pogoltnile.
13 At the beginning of his words is foolishness, and at the end of his talk is a most grievous error.
Začetek besed iz njegovih ust je nespametnost, konec njegovega govora pa je pogubna norost.
14 The fool multiplies his words. A man does not know what has been before him, and who is able to reveal to him what will be in the future after him?
Tudi bedak je poln besed. Človek ne more povedati kaj bo, in kaj bo za njim, kdo mu lahko pove?
15 The hardship of the foolish will afflict those who do not know to go into the city.
Trud nespametnih izčrpava vsakogar izmed njih, ker ne ve kako iti do mesta.
16 Woe to you, the land whose king is a boy, and whose princes consume in the morning.
Gorje tebi, oh dežela, kadar je tvoj kralj otrok in tvoji princi jedo zjutraj!
17 Blessed is the land whose king is noble, and whose princes eat at the proper time, for refreshment and not for self-indulgence.
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 laziness, a framework shall be brought down, and by the weakness of hands, a house shall collapse through.
Z veliko lenobe zgradba propada in zaradi brezdelja rok kaplja skozi hišo.
19 While laughing, they make bread and wine, so that the living may feast. And all things are obedient to money.
Praznovanje je narejeno za smeh in vino dela vesele, toda denar odgovarja vsem stvarem.
20 You should not slander the king, even in your thoughts, and you should not speak evil of a wealthy man, even in your private chamber. For even the birds of the air will carry your voice, and whatever has wings will announce your opinion.
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.
