1Just as dead flies make perfume smell bad, a little foolishness can outweigh wisdom and honor.
2A wise person thinks and plans carefully, but a foolish person makes bad decisions.
3Even when a foolish person walks down the road, they lack understanding, and they show everyone that they are a fool.
4If your ruler gets angry with you, don't resign; staying calm can prevent serious mistakes.
5I have seen a terrible wrong happen in this world, an error that comes from a ruler.
6Foolish people are given high positions, while rich people are kept in low positions.
7I have seen servants riding on horses, and princes walking on the ground like servants.
8Whoever digs a pit might fall into it, and whoever breaks through a wall might get bitten by a snake.
9Those who cut stones may get hurt by them. Those who chop wood may be in danger.
10If an axe is dull and you don't sharpen its edge, you have to work much harder; but skill helps you succeed.
11If a snake bites before it is charmed, then the snake charmer's skill is useless.
12The words from a wise person's mouth are kind, but a fool is destroyed by their own words.
13When a fool starts to speak, it is foolishness; and by the end of their talk, it is pure madness.
14A fool also talks too much. No one knows what will happen in the future, and no one can tell us what will happen after we are gone.
15Fools exhaust themselves with their work because they don't even know how to get to the city.
16How terrible for a country when its king is a child and its leaders feast in the morning!
17How fortunate for a country when its king is from a noble family, and its leaders eat at the proper time to gain strength, not to get drunk!
18A sagging roof is a result of laziness, and a leaky house shows that the hands have been idle.
19People have parties for fun, and wine makes them happy; and money can take care of anything.
20Don’t speak badly about the king, not even in your thoughts; and don’t speak badly about the rich, even in your own bedroom. A bird might carry your voice, and something with wings might report what you said.