Ecclesiastes/Qohelet 10

NEW JERUSALEM	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 One dead fly can spoil the scent-maker's oil: a grain of stupidity outweighs wisdom and glory.	1 More weighty than wisdom or wealth is a little folly!
2 The sage's heart leads him aright, the fool's leads him astray.	2 The wise man's understanding turns him to his right; the fool's understanding turns him to his left.
3 A fool walks down the road, he has no wit -- and everyone remarks, 'How silly he is!'	3 When the fool walks through the street, in his lack of understanding he calls everything foolish.
4 If the anger of the ruler rises against you, do not leave your post; composure mitigates grave offences.	4 Should the anger of the ruler burst upon you, forsake not your place; for mildness abates great offenses.
5 One evil I observe under the sun: the sort of misjudgement to which rulers are prone-	5 I have seen under the sun another evil, like a mistake that proceeds from the ruler:
6 fol y promoted to the top and the rich taking the lowest place.	6 a fool put in lofty position while the rich sit in lowly places.
7 I see slaves riding on horses and princes on foot like slaves.	7 I have seen slaves on horseback, while princes walked on the ground like slaves.
8 He who digs a pit fal s into it, he who undermines a wal gets bitten by a snake,	8 He who digs a pit may fall into it, and he who breaks through a wall may be bitten by a serpent.
9 he who quarries stones gets hurt by them, he who chops wood takes a risk from it.	9 He who moves stones may be hurt by them, and he who chops wood is in danger from it.
10 If, for want of sharpening, the blade is blunt, you have to work twice as hard; but it is the outcome that makes wisdom rewarding.	10 If the iron becomes dull, though at first he made easy progress, he must increase his efforts; but the craftsman has the advantage of his skill.
11 If, for want of charming, the snake bites, the snake-charmer gets nothing out of it.	11 If the serpent bites because it has not been charmed, then there is no advantage for the charmer.
12 The sayings of a sage give pleasure, what a fool says procures his own ruin:	12 Words from the wise man's mouth win favor, but the fool's lips consume him.
13 his words have their origin in stupidity and their ending in treacherous fol y.	13 The beginning of his words is folly, and the end of his talk is utter madness;
14 A fool talks a great deal, but none of us in fact can tel the future; what wil happen after us, who cantel ?	14 yet the fool multiplies words. Man knows not what is to come, for who can tell him what is to come after him?
15 A fool finds hard work very tiring, he cannot even find his own way into town.	15 When will the fool be weary of his labor, he who knows not the way to the city?
16 Woe to you, country with a lad for king, and where princes start feasting in the morning!	16 Woe to you, O land, whose king was a servant, and whose princes dine in the morning!
17 Happy the land whose king is nobly born, where princes eat at a respectable hour to keepthemselves strong and not merely to revel!	17 Blessed are you, O land, whose king is of noble birth, and whose princes dine at the right time (for vigor and not in drinking bouts).
18 Thanks to idleness, the roof-tree gives way, thanks to carelessness, the house lets in the rain.	18 When hands are lazy, the rafters sag; when hands are slack, the house leaks.
19 We give parties to enjoy ourselves, wine makes us cheerful and money has an answer for everything.	19 Bread and oil call forth merriment and wine makes the living glad, but money answers for everything.
20 Do not abuse the king, even in thought, do not abuse a rich man, even in your bedroom, for a bird ofthe air might carry the news, a winged messenger might repeat what you have said.	20 Even in your thoughts do not make light of the king, nor in the privacy of your bedroom revile the rich. Because the birds of the air may carry your voice, a winged creature may tell what you say.