¹Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour.

¹Uginula muha usmrdi mirisno ulje, a i malo ludosti jače je od mudrosti i časti.

²A wise man's heart is at his right hand; but a fool's heart at his left.

²Mudrac kroči pravim putem, a luđak krivim.

³Yea also, when he that is a fool walketh by the way, his wisdom faileth him, and he saith to every one that he is a fool.

³Dovoljno je da luđak pođe putem: kako razbora nema, svakomu pokazuje da je lud.

⁴If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place; for yielding pacifieth great offences.

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

⁵There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, as an error which proceedeth from the ruler:

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

⁶Folly is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in low place.

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

⁷I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth.

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

⁸He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh an hedge, a serpent shall bite him.

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

⁹Whoso removeth stones shall be hurt therewith; and he that cleaveth wood shall be endangered thereby.

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

¹⁰If the iron be blunt, and he do not whet the edge, then must he put to more strength: but wisdom is profitable to direct.

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

¹¹Surely the serpent will bite without enchantment; and a babbler is no better.

¹¹Ako zmija ujede prije čaranja, ništa onda opčaratelj ne koristi.

¹²The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself.

¹²Pune su miline riječi iz usta mudraca, a bezumnika upropašćuju njegove usne.

¹³The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness: and the end of his talk is mischievous madness.

¹³On počinje svoje besjede ludošću i svršava ih potpunim bezumljem.

¹⁴A fool also is full of words: a man cannot tell what shall be; and what shall be after him, who can tell him?

¹⁴Luđak previše govori: čovjek ne poznaje budućnost, i tko mu može kazati što će poslije njega biti?

¹⁵The labour of the foolish wearieth every one of them, because he knoweth not how to go to the city.

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

¹⁶Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes eat in the morning!

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

¹⁷Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!

¹⁷Blago tebi, zemljo, kad ti je kralj plemenit i knezovi ti u svoje vrijeme blaguju da se okrijepe, a ne da se opiju.

¹⁸By much slothfulness the building decayeth; and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth through.

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

¹⁹A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money answereth all things.

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

²⁰Curse not the king, no not in thy thought; and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter.

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