Ecclesiastes, 10

1. One dead fly can spoil the scent-maker's oil: a grain of stupidity outweighs wisdom and glory.

2. The sage's heart leads him aright, the fool's leads him astray.

3. A fool walks down the road, he has no wit -- and everyone remarks, 'How silly he is!'

4. If the anger of the ruler rises against you, do not leave your post; composure mitigates grave offences.

5. One evil I observe under the sun: the sort of misjudgement to which rulers are prone-

6. folly promoted to the top and the rich taking the lowest place.

7. I see slaves riding on horses and princes on foot like slaves.

8. He who digs a pit falls into it, he who undermines a wall gets bitten by a snake,

9. he who quarries stones gets hurt by them, he who chops wood takes a risk 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.

11. If, for want of charming, the snake bites, the snake-charmer gets nothing out of it.

12. The sayings of a sage give pleasure, what a fool says procures his own ruin:

13. his words have their origin in stupidity and their ending in treacherous folly.

14. A fool talks a great deal, but none of us in fact can tell the future; what will happen after us, who can tell?

15. A fool finds hard work very tiring, he cannot even find his own way into town.

16. Woe to you, country with a lad for king, and where princes start feasting in the morning!

17. Happy the land whose king is nobly born, where princes eat at a respectable hour to keep themselves strong and not merely to revel!

18. Thanks to idleness, the roof-tree gives way, thanks to carelessness, the house lets in the rain.

19. We give parties to enjoy ourselves, wine makes us cheerful and money has an answer for everything.

20. Do not abuse the king, even in thought, do not abuse a rich man, even in your bedroom, for a bird of the air might carry the news, a winged messenger might repeat what you have said.