Wisdom and Folly

A little folly can ruin the fragrance of wisdom and honor just as dead flies spoil perfumer's oil, so moral failure need not be large to be damaging. The wise person's heart is directed rightly while the fool's heart bends the wrong way, and even under an angry ruler, composure is wiser than abandoning one's place in panic or resentment.

A¹s dead flies bring a stench to the perfumer’s oil, ²A wise man’s heart inclines to the right, ³Even as the fool walks along the road, his sense is lacking, ⁴If the ruler’s temper flares against you, do not abandon your post,

The Teacher observes an evil in public life when folly is elevated and the worthy are humiliated, like slaves riding while princes walk on foot. He then turns to ordinary labor, noting that actions carry risks and that wisdom helps mitigate them: one may fall into his own pit, be injured by his own work, or exhaust himself needlessly if he refuses the foresight that sharpens the axe before striking.

⁵There is an evil I have seen under the sun — ⁶Folly is appointed to great heights, ⁷I have seen slaves on horseback, ⁸He who digs a pit may fall into it, ⁹The one who quarries stones may be injured by them, ¹⁰If the axe is dull and the blade unsharpened,

If a snake bites before it is charmed, skill comes too late to help, illustrating how folly often wastes the proper moment. Wise words are gracious and measured, but the fool begins in folly, ends in madness, multiplies speech about things he does not know, and wearies himself even in basic tasks because he lacks the sense to find the road to town.

¹¹If the snake bites before it is charmed, ¹²The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious, ¹³The beginning of his talk is folly, ¹⁴Yet the fool multiplies words. ¹⁵The toil of a fool wearies him,

A land suffers when its king is immature and its princes feast at the wrong time, but it is blessed when leaders are noble and self-controlled, eating for strength rather than indulgence. Laziness lets the roof sag, material life depends on practical provision, and yet even private curses against authority are dangerous, since words and thoughts have a way of traveling farther than expected.

¹⁶Woe to you, O land whose king is a youth, ¹⁷Blessed are you, O land whose king is a son of nobles, ¹⁸Through laziness the roof caves in, ¹⁹A feast is prepared for laughter, and wine makes life merry, ²⁰Do not curse the king even in your thoughts,