Ecclesiastes 10
1 Dying flies spoil the sweetness of the ointment. Wisdom and glory is more precious than a small and shortlived folly.
[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 a wise man is in his right hand, and the heart of a fool is in his left hand.
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 Yea, and the fool when he walketh in the way, whereas be himself is a fool, esteemeth all men fools.
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 spirit of him that hath power, ascend upon thee, leave not thy place: because care will make the greatest sins to cease.
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 that I have seen under the sun, as it were by an error proceeding from the face of the prince:
There is something [else] that I have seen here on this earth, something that rulers sometimes do that is wrong/inappropriate:
6 A fool set in high dignity, and the rich sitting beneath.
They appoint foolish people to have important positions, while they appoint rich [people] to have unimportant positions.
7 I have seen servants upon horses: and princes walking on the ground 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 that diggeth a pit, shall fall into it: and he that breaketh a hedge, a serpent shall bite him.
[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 that removeth stones, shall be hurt by them: and he that cutteth trees, shall be wounded by them.
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 be blunt, and be not as before, but be made blunt, with much labour it shall be sharpened: and after industry shall follow wisdom.
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 serpent bite in silence, he is nothing better that backbiteth secretly.
If a snake bites a man before he charms/tames it, his ability to charm snakes will not benefit him.
12 The words of the mouth of a wise man are grace: but the lips of a fool shall throw him down headlong.
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 beginning of his words is folly, and the end of his talk is a mischievous error.
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 A fool multiplieth words. A man cannot tell what hath been before him: and what shall be after him, who can tell 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 labour of fools shall afflict them that know not bow to go to the city.
Foolish people become [so] exhausted by the work that they do that they are unable to find the road to their town/homes.
16 Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and when the princes eat 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 Blessed is the land, whose king is noble, and whose princes eat in due season for refreshment, and not for riotousness.
[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 By slothfulness a building shall be brought down, and through the weakness of hands, the house shall drop through.
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 For laughter they make bread, and wine that the living may feast: and all things obey money.
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 Detract not the king, no not in thy thought; and speak not evil of the rich man in thy private chamber: because even the birds of the air will carry thy voice, and he that hath wings will tell what thou hast said.
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].
