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.
As dead flies cause perfume to stink, so a little folly can overpower 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 heart of a wise person tends to the right, but the heart of a fool tends to the 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.
When a fool walks down a road, his thinking is deficient, proving to everyone he is a fool.
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 the emotions of a ruler rise up against you, do not leave your work. Calm can quiet down great outrage.
5 There is something [else] that I have seen here on this earth, something that rulers sometimes do that is wrong/inappropriate:
There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, a kind of error that comes from a ruler:
6 They appoint foolish people to have important positions, while they appoint rich [people] to have unimportant positions.
Fools are given leadership positions, while successful men are given 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 have seen slaves riding horses, and successful men walking like slaves on the ground.
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].
Anyone who digs a pit can fall into it, and whenever someone breaks down a wall, a snake can bite him.
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.
Whoever cuts out stones can be hurt by them, and the man who chops wood is endangered by it.
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 an iron blade is dull, and a man does not sharpen it, then he must use more strength, but wisdom provides an advantage for success.
11 If a snake bites a man before he charms/tames it, his ability to charm snakes will not benefit him.
If a snake bites before it is charmed, then there is no advantage for the 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].
The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious, but the lips of a fool consume him.
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.
As words begin to flow from a fool's mouth, foolishness comes out, and at the end his mouth flows with wicked madness.
14 They talk (too much/without ceasing). None of us knows what will happen in the future, or what will happen after we die.
A fool multiplies words, but no one knows what is coming. Who knows what is coming after him?
15 Foolish people become [so] exhausted by the work that they do that they are unable to find the road to their town/homes.
The toil of fools wearies them, so that they do not even know the road to town.
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.
Woe to you, land, if your king is a young boy, and if your leaders begin feasting in the 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.
But blessed are you, land, if your king is the son of nobles, and if your leaders eat at the right time, for strength, and not for drunkenness!
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].
Because of laziness the roof sinks in, and because of idle hands the house leaks.
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].
People prepare food for laughter, wine brings enjoyment to life, and money fills the need for everything.
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].
Do not curse the king, not even in your mind, and do not curse rich people in your bedroom. For a bird of the sky might carry your words; whatever has wings can spread the matter.
