Ecclesiastes 10
1 Dead flies make the oil of the perfumer give out an evil smell; more valued is a little wisdom than the great glory of the foolish.
[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 The heart of the wise man goes in the right direction; but the heart of a foolish man in the wrong.
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 And when the foolish man is walking in the way, he has no sense and lets everyone see that he is foolish.
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 If the wrath of the ruler is against you, keep in your place; in him who keeps quiet even great sins may be overlooked.
Do not quit working for a ruler when he is angry with you; if you remain calm, he will [probably] stop being angry.
5 There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, like an error which comes by chance from a ruler:
There is something [else] that I have seen here on this earth, something that rulers sometimes do that is wrong/inappropriate:
6 The foolish are placed in high positions, but men of wealth are kept low.
They appoint foolish people to have important positions, while they appoint rich [people] to have unimportant positions.
7 I have seen servants on horses, and rulers walking on the earth as servants.
They allow slaves [to ride] on horses [like rich people usually do], [but] they force officials to walk [like slaves usually do].
8 He who makes a hole for others will himself go into it, and for him who makes a hole through a wall the bite of a snake will be a punishment.
[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 He who gets out stones from the earth will be damaged by them, and in the cutting of wood there is 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 If the iron has no edge, and he does not make it sharp, then he has to put out more strength; but wisdom makes things go well.
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 If a snake gives a bite before the word of power is said, then there is no longer any use in the word of power.
If a snake bites a man before he charms/tames it, his ability to charm snakes will not benefit him.
12 The words of a wise man's mouth are sweet to all, but the lips of a foolish man are his destruction.
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 The first words of his mouth are foolish, and the end of his talk is evil crime.
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 The foolish are full of words; man has no knowledge of what will be; and who is able to say what will be after him?
They talk (too much/without ceasing). None of us knows what will happen in the future, or what will happen after we die.
15 The work of the foolish will be a weariness to him, because he has no knowledge of the way to the town.
Foolish people become [so] exhausted by the work that they do that they are unable to find the road to their town/homes.
16 Unhappy is the land whose king is a boy, and whose rulers are feasting in the morning.
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 Happy is the land whose ruler is of noble birth, and whose chiefs take food at the right time, for strength and not for feasting.
[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 When no work is done the roof goes in, and when the hands do nothing water comes into the house.
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 A feast is for laughing, and wine makes glad the heart; but by the one and the other money is wasted.
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 Say not a curse against the king, even in your thoughts; and even secretly say not a curse against the man of wealth; because a bird of the air will take the voice, and that which has wings will give news of it.
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].
