^1. DEAD flies make a perfumer's oil stink, so a little foolishness is weightier than wisdom and honor.

^2. A wise man's heart directs him toward the right, but the foolish man's heart directs him toward the left.

^3. Even when the fool walks along the road, his [2] sense is lacking and he [1] demonstrates to everyone that he is a fool.

^4. If the ruler's [3] temper rises against you, do not abandon your position, because composure allays great offenses.

^5. There is an evil I have seen under the sun, like an error which goes forth from the ruler --

^6. folly is set in many exalted places while rich men sit in humble places.

^7. I have seen slaves riding on horses and princes walking like slaves on the land.

^8. He who digs a pit may fall into it, and a serpent may bite him who breaks through a wall.

^9. He who quarries stones may be hurt by them, and he who splits logs may be endangered by them.

^10. If the [5] axe is dull and he does not sharpen its edge, then he must [4] exert more strength. Wisdom has the advantage of giving success.

^11. If the serpent bites [6] before being charmed, there is no profit for the charmer.

^12. Words from the mouth of a wise man are gracious, while the lips of a fool consume him;

^13. the beginning of [8] his talking is folly and the end of [7] it is wicked madness.

^14. Yet the fool multiplies words. No man knows what will happen, and who can tell him what will come after him?

^15. The toil of [9] a fool so wearies him that he does not even know how to go to a city.

^16. Woe to you, O land, whose king is a lad and whose princes [10] feast in the morning.

^17. Blessed are you, O land, whose king is of nobility and whose princes eat at the appropriate time -- for strength and not for drunkenness.

^18. Through indolence the rafters sag, and through slackness the house leaks.

^19. Men prepare a meal for enjoyment, and wine makes life merry, and money [11] is the answer to everything.

^20. Furthermore, in your bedchamber do not curse a king, and in your sleeping rooms do not curse a rich man, for a bird of the heavens will carry the sound and the winged creature will make the matter known.