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

¹Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to stink [and] ferment; [so] a little folly is weightier than wisdom [and] honour.

²Mudrac kroči pravim putem, a luđak krivim.

²The heart of a wise [man] is at his right hand; but a fool's heart at his left.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

⁶folly is set in great dignities, but the rich sit in a low place.

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

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

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

⁸He that diggeth a pit falleth into it; and whoso breaketh down a hedge, a serpent biteth him.

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

⁹Whoso removeth stones is hurt therewith; he that cleaveth wood is endangered thereby.

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

¹⁰If the iron be blunt, and one do not whet the edge, then must he apply more strength; but wisdom is profitable to give success.

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

¹¹If the serpent bite before enchantment, then the charmer hath no advantage.

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

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

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

¹³The beginning of the words of his mouth is folly; and the end of his talk is mischievous madness.

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

¹⁴And the fool multiplieth words: [yet] man knoweth not what shall be; and what shall be after him, who will tell him?

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

¹⁵The labour of fools wearieth them, because they know not how to go to the city.

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

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

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

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

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

¹⁸By much sloth fulness the framework falleth in; and through idleness of the hands the house drippeth.

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

¹⁹A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh life merry; but money answereth everything.

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

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