Ecclesiastes 10

1 Dead flies can make perfumed oil smell bad. Likewise a little foolishness outweighs great wisdom and honor.

Uginula muha usmrdi mirisno ulje, a i malo ludosti jače je od mudrosti i časti.

2 The mind of the wise person chooses the right side, but the mind of the fool goes left!

Mudrac kroči pravim putem, a luđak krivim.

3 Just the way that fools walk down the road shows they have no sense, making clear to everyone their stupidity.

Dovoljno je da luđak pođe putem: kako razbora nema, svakomu pokazuje da je lud.

4 If your superior gets angry with you, don't give up and leave. If you stay calm even bad mistakes can be resolved.

Ako se na te digne vladaočev gnjev, ne ostavljaj svoga mjesta, jer blagost sprečava velike grijehe.

5 I also realized there's another evil here on earth: rulers make a big mistake

Ima zlo što ga vidjeh pod suncem kao prestupak koji dolazi od vladaoca:

6 when they put fools in high positions, while those who are richly qualified are put in low positions.

ludost se podiže na najviša mjesta, a veliki zauzimaju niske položaje.

7 I've seen slaves riding on horseback, while princes walk on the ground like slaves.

Vidjeh sluge na konjima, a knezove gdje idu pješice kao sluge.

8 If you dig a pit, you could fall in. If you knock down a wall, you could be bitten by a snake.

Tko jamu kopa, u nju pada; i tko ruši zid, ujeda ga zmija.

9 If you quarry stone, you could be injured. If you split logs, you could be hurt.

Tko lomi kamenje, ono ga ranjava; tko cijepa drva, može nastradati.

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.

Kad zatupi željezo i oštrica mu nije nabrušena, tada treba više snage; a nagrada mudrosti je uspjeh.

11 If the snake bites the snake charmer before it's charmed, there's no benefit to the snake charmer!

Ako zmija ujede prije čaranja, ništa onda opčaratelj ne koristi.

12 Wise words are beneficial, but fools destroy themselves by what they say.

Pune su miline riječi iz usta mudraca, a bezumnika upropašćuju njegove usne.

13 Fools begin by saying foolish things, and end up talking evil nonsense.

On počinje svoje besjede ludošću i svršava ih potpunim bezumljem.

14 Fools talk on and on, however no one knows what's going to happen, so who can say what the future holds?

Luđak previše govori: čovjek ne poznaje budućnost, i tko mu može kazati što će poslije njega biti?

15 Work makes fools so worn out they can't achieve anything.

Luđake mori njihov trud; tko ne zna puta, ne može u grad.

16 You're in trouble if the king of your country is young, and if your leaders are busy feasting from early morning.

Jao tebi, zemljo, kad ti je kralj premlad i knezovi se već ujutro goste.

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.

Blago tebi, zemljo, kad ti je kralj plemenit i knezovi ti u svoje vrijeme blaguju da se okrijepe, a ne da se opiju.

18 Lazy people let their roofs collapse; idle people don't repair their leaky houses.

S lijenosti se ugiblju grede, zbog nebrige prokišnjava kuća.

19 A good meal brings pleasure; wine makes life pleasant; money provides for all needs.

Ali su gozbe radi zabave i vino uveseljava život, a novci pribavljaju sve.

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.

Ni u svojoj misli ne kuni kralja, ni u svojoj ložnici ne kuni bogataša, jer će ptice odnijeti glas i kleveta lako okrilati.