Ecclesiastes 10
1 Dead flies cause a perfumer's perfume To send forth a stink; The precious by reason of wisdom — By reason of honour — a little folly!
Uginula muha usmrdi mirisno ulje, a i malo ludosti jače je od mudrosti i časti.
2 The heart of the wise [is] at his right hand, And the heart of a fool at his left.
Mudrac kroči pravim putem, a luđak krivim.
3 And also, when he that is a fool Is walking in the way, his heart is lacking, And he hath said to every one, 'He [is] a fool.'
Dovoljno je da luđak pođe putem: kako razbora nema, svakomu pokazuje da je lud.
4 If the spirit of the ruler go up against thee, Thy place leave not, For yielding quieteth great sinners.
Ako se na te digne vladaočev gnjev, ne ostavljaj svoga mjesta, jer blagost sprečava velike grijehe.
5 There is an evil I have seen under the sun, As an error that goeth out from the ruler,
Ima zlo što ga vidjeh pod suncem kao prestupak koji dolazi od vladaoca:
6 He hath set the fool in many high places, And the rich in a low place do sit.
ludost se podiže na najviša mjesta, a veliki zauzimaju niske položaje.
7 I have seen servants on horses, And princes walking as servants on the earth.
Vidjeh sluge na konjima, a knezove gdje idu pješice kao sluge.
8 Whoso is digging a pit falleth into it, And whoso is breaking a hedge, a serpent biteth him.
Tko jamu kopa, u nju pada; i tko ruši zid, ujeda ga zmija.
9 Whoso is removing stones is grieved by them, Whoso is cleaving trees endangered by them.
Tko lomi kamenje, ono ga ranjava; tko cijepa drva, može nastradati.
10 If the iron hath been blunt, And he the face hath not sharpened, Then doth he increase strength, And wisdom [is] advantageous to make right.
Kad zatupi željezo i oštrica mu nije nabrušena, tada treba više snage; a nagrada mudrosti je uspjeh.
11 If the serpent biteth without enchantment, Then there is no advantage to a master of the tongue.
Ako zmija ujede prije čaranja, ništa onda opčaratelj ne koristi.
12 Words of the mouth of the wise [are] gracious, And the lips of a fool swallow him up.
Pune su miline riječi iz usta mudraca, a bezumnika upropašćuju njegove usne.
13 The beginning of the words of his mouth [is] folly, And the latter end of his mouth [Is] mischievous madness.
On počinje svoje besjede ludošću i svršava ih potpunim bezumljem.
14 And the fool multiplieth words: 'Man knoweth not that which is, And that which is after him, who doth declare to him?'
Luđak previše govori: čovjek ne poznaje budućnost, i tko mu može kazati što će poslije njega biti?
15 The labour of the foolish wearieth him, In that he hath not known to go unto the city.
Luđake mori njihov trud; tko ne zna puta, ne može u grad.
16 Woe to thee, O land, when thy king [is] a youth, And thy princes do eat in the morning.
Jao tebi, zemljo, kad ti je kralj premlad i knezovi se već ujutro goste.
17 Happy art thou, O land, When thy king [is] a son of freemen, And thy princes do eat in due season, For might, and not for drunkenness.
Blago tebi, zemljo, kad ti je kralj plemenit i knezovi ti u svoje vrijeme blaguju da se okrijepe, a ne da se opiju.
18 By slothfulness is the wall brought low, And by idleness of the hands doth the house drop.
S lijenosti se ugiblju grede, zbog nebrige prokišnjava kuća.
19 For mirth they are making a feast, And wine maketh life joyful, And the silver answereth with all.
Ali su gozbe radi zabave i vino uveseljava život, a novci pribavljaju sve.
20 Even in thy mind a king revile not, And in the inner parts of thy bed-chamber Revile not the rich: For a fowl of the heavens causeth the voice to go, And a possessor of wings declareth the word.
Ni u svojoj misli ne kuni kralja, ni u svojoj ložnici ne kuni bogataša, jer će ptice odnijeti glas i kleveta lako okrilati.
