Ecclesiastes 10
1 Dead flies can make perfumed oil smell bad. Likewise a little foolishness outweighs great wisdom and honor.
Muscæ morientes perdunt suavitatem unguenti. Pretiosior est sapientia et gloria, parva et ad tempus stultitia.
2 The mind of the wise person chooses the right side, but the mind of the fool goes left!
Cor sapientis in dextera ejus, et cor stulti in sinistra illius.
3 Just the way that fools walk down the road shows they have no sense, making clear to everyone their stupidity.
Sed et in via stultus ambulans, cum ipse insipiens sit, omnes stultos æstimat.
4 If your superior gets angry with you, don't give up and leave. If you stay calm even bad mistakes can be resolved.
Si spiritus potestatem habentis ascenderit super te, locum tuum ne demiseris, quia curatio faciet cessare peccata maxima.
5 I also realized there's another evil here on earth: rulers make a big mistake
Est malum quod vidi sub sole, quasi per errorem egrediens a facie principis:
6 when they put fools in high positions, while those who are richly qualified are put in low positions.
positum stultum in dignitate sublimi, et divites sedere deorsum.
7 I've seen slaves riding on horseback, while princes walk on the ground like slaves.
Vidi servos in equis, et principes ambulantes super terram quasi servos.
8 If you dig a pit, you could fall in. If you knock down a wall, you could be bitten by a snake.
Qui fodit foveam incidet in eam, et qui dissipat sepem mordebit eum coluber.
9 If you quarry stone, you could be injured. If you split logs, you could be hurt.
Qui transfert lapides affligetur in eis, et qui scindit ligna vulnerabitur ab eis.
10 If your ax is blunt and you don't sharpen it, you have to use a lot more force. Conclusion: being wise brings good results.
Si retusum fuerit ferrum, et hoc non ut prius, sed hebetatum fuerit, multo labore exacuetur, et post industriam sequetur sapientia.
11 If the snake bites the snake charmer before it's charmed, there's no benefit to the snake charmer!
Si mordeat serpens in silentio, nihil eo minus habet qui occulte detrahit.
12 Wise words are beneficial, but fools destroy themselves by what they say.
Verba oris sapientis gratia, et labia insipientis præcipitabunt eum;
13 Fools begin by saying foolish things, and end up talking evil nonsense.
initium verborum ejus stultitia, et novissimum oris illius error pessimus.
14 Fools talk on and on, however no one knows what's going to happen, so who can say what the future holds?
Stultus verba multiplicat. Ignorat homo quid ante se fuerit; et quid post se futurum sit, quis ei poterit indicare?
15 Work makes fools so worn out they can't achieve anything.
Labor stultorum affliget eos, qui nesciunt in urbem pergere.
16 You're in trouble if the king of your country is young, and if your leaders are busy feasting from early morning.
Væ tibi, terra, cujus rex puer est, et cujus principes mane comedunt.
17 You're fortunate if your king comes from a noble family, and your leaders feast at the proper time to give themselves energy, and not to get drunk.
Beata terra cujus rex nobilis est, et cujus principes vescuntur in tempore suo, ad reficiendum, et non ad luxuriam.
18 Lazy people let their roofs collapse; idle people don't repair their leaky houses.
In pigritiis humiliabitur contignatio, et in infirmitate manuum perstillabit domus.
19 A good meal brings pleasure; wine makes life pleasant; money provides for all needs.
In risum faciunt panem et vinum ut epulentur viventes; et pecuniæ obediunt omnia.
20 Don't talk badly about the king, not even in your thoughts. Don't talk badly about leaders, even in the privacy of your bedroom. A bird may hear what you say and fly away to tell them.
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 annuntiabit sententiam.
