Ecclesiastes 10
1 [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.
Dead flies can make perfumed oil smell bad. Likewise a little foolishness outweighs great wisdom and honor.
2 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.
The mind of the wise person chooses the right side, but the mind of the fool goes left!
3 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.
Just the way that fools walk down the road shows they have no sense, making clear to everyone their stupidity.
4 Do not quit working for a ruler when he is angry with you; if you remain calm, he will [probably] stop being angry.
If your superior gets angry with you, don't give up and leave. If you stay calm even bad mistakes can be resolved.
5 There is something [else] that I have seen here on this earth, something that rulers sometimes do that is wrong/inappropriate:
I also realized there's another evil here on earth: rulers make a big mistake
6 They appoint foolish people to have important positions, while they appoint rich [people] to have unimportant positions.
when they put fools in high positions, while those who are richly qualified are put in low positions.
7 They allow slaves [to ride] on horses [like rich people usually do], [but] they force officials to walk [like slaves usually do].
I've seen slaves riding on horseback, while princes walk on the ground like slaves.
8 [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].
If you dig a pit, you could fall in. If you knock down a wall, you could be bitten by a snake.
9 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.
If you quarry stone, you could be injured. If you split logs, you could be hurt.
10 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.
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.
11 If a snake bites a man before he charms/tames it, his ability to charm snakes will not benefit him.
If the snake bites the snake charmer before it's charmed, there's no benefit to the snake charmer!
12 Wise people say [MTY] what is sensible, and because of that, people honor them; but foolish people are destroyed by what they say [MTY].
Wise words are beneficial, but fools destroy themselves by what they say.
13 When foolish people start to talk, they say things that are foolish, and they end by saying things that are both wicked and foolish.
Fools begin by saying foolish things, and end up talking evil nonsense.
14 They talk (too much/without ceasing). None of us knows what will happen in the future, or what will happen after we die.
Fools talk on and on, however no one knows what's going to happen, so who can say what the future holds?
15 Foolish people become [so] exhausted by the work that they do that they are unable to find the road to their town/homes.
Work makes fools so worn out they can't achieve anything.
16 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.
You're in trouble if the king of your country is young, and if your leaders are busy feasting from early morning.
17 [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.
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.
18 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].
Lazy people let their roofs collapse; idle people don't repair their leaky houses.
19 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].
A good meal brings pleasure; wine makes life pleasant; money provides for all needs.
20 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].
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.
