1 As dead flies cause even a bottle of perfume to stink,so a little foolishness spoils great wisdom and honor.
2 A wise person chooses the right road;a fool takes the wrong one.
3 You can identify foolsjust by the way they walk down the street!
4 If your boss is angry at you, don’t quit!A quiet spirit can overcome even great mistakes.
5 There is another evil I have seen under the sun. Kings and rulers make a grave mistake
6 when they give great authority to foolish people and low positions to people of proven worth.
7 I have even seen servants riding horseback like princes—and princes walking like servants!
8 When you dig a well,you might fall in.When you demolish an old wall,you could be bitten by a snake.
9 When you work in a quarry,stones might fall and crush you.When you chop wood,there is danger with each stroke of your ax.
10 Using a dull ax requires great strength,so sharpen the blade.That’s the value of wisdom;it helps you succeed.
11 If a snake bites before you charm it,what’s the use of being a snake charmer?
12 Wise words bring approval,but fools are destroyed by their own words.
13 Fools base their thoughts on foolish assumptions,so their conclusions will be wicked madness;
14 they chatter on and on.No one really knows what is going to happen;no one can predict the future.
15 Fools are so exhausted by a little workthat they can’t even find their way home.
16 What sorrow for the land ruled by a servant,the land whose leaders feast in the morning.
17 Happy is the land whose king is a noble leaderand whose leaders feast at the proper timeto gain strength for their work, not to get drunk.
18 Laziness leads to a sagging roof;idleness leads to a leaky house.
19 A party gives laughter,wine gives happiness,and money gives everything!
20 Never make light of the king, even in your thoughts.And don’t make fun of the powerful, even in your own bedroom.For a little bird might deliver your messageand tell them what you said.