Ecclesiastes, 10

1. Dying flies ruin the sweetness of the ointment. Wisdom and glory is more precious than a brief and limited foolishness.

1. Uginula muha usmrdi mirisno ulje, a i malo ludosti jaèe je od mudrosti i èasti.

2. The heart of a wise man is in his right hand, and the heart of a foolish man is in his left hand.

2. Mudrac kroèi pravim putem, a luðak krivim.

3. Moreover, as a foolish man is walking along the way, even though he himself is unwise, he considers everyone to be foolish.

3. Dovoljno je da luðak poðe putem: kako razbora nema, svakomu pokazuje da je lud.

4. If the spirit of one who holds authority rises over you, do not leave your place, because attentiveness will cause the greatest sins to cease.

4. Ako se na te digne vladaoèev gnjev, ne ostavljaj svoga mjesta, jer blagost spreèava velike grijehe.

5. There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, proceeding from the presence of a prince, as if by mistake:

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

6. a foolish man appointed to a high dignity, and the rich sitting beneath him.

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

7. I have seen servants on horses, and princes walking on the ground like servants.

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

8. Whoever digs a pit will fall into it. And whoever tears apart a hedge, a snake will bite him.

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

9. Whoever carries away stones will be harmed by them. And whoever cuts down trees will be wounded by them.

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

10. If the iron is dull, and if it was not that way before, but has been made dull by much labor, then it will be sharpened. And wisdom will follow after diligence.

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

11. Whoever slanders in secret is nothing less than a snake that bites silently.

11. Ako zmija ujede prije èaranja, ništa onda opèaratelj ne koristi.

12. Words from the mouth of a wise man are graceful, but the lips of a foolish man will throw him down with violence.

12. Pune su miline rijeèi iz usta mudraca, a bezumnika upropašæuju njegove usne.

13. At the beginning of his words is foolishness, and at the end of his talk is a most grievous error.

13. On poèinje svoje besjede ludošæu i svršava ih potpunim bezumljem.

14. The fool multiplies his words. A man does not know what has been before him, and who is able to reveal to him what will be in the future after him?

14. Luðak previše govori: èovjek ne poznaje buduænost, i tko mu može kazati što æe poslije njega biti?

15. The hardship of the foolish will afflict those who do not know to go into the city.

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

16. Woe to you, the land whose king is a boy, and whose princes consume in the morning.

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

17. Blessed is the land whose king is noble, and whose princes eat at the proper time, for refreshment and not for self-indulgence.

17. 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 laziness, a framework shall be brought down, and by the weakness of hands, a house shall collapse through.

18. S lijenosti se ugiblju grede, zbog nebrige prokišnjava kuæa.

19. While laughing, they make bread and wine, so that the living may feast. And all things are obedient to money.

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

20. You should not slander the king, even in your thoughts, and you should not speak evil of a wealthy man, even in your private chamber. For even the birds of the air will carry your voice, and whatever has wings will announce your opinion.

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