זְבוּבֵי מָוֶת יַבְאִישׁ יַבִּיעַ שֶׁמֶן רוֹקֵחַ יָקָר מֵחָכְמָה מִכָּבוֹד סִכְלוּת מְעָט

Similarly, flies of death, dead flies, or flies that accompany rot, putrefy and froth the perfumed oil, an expensive fragrance oil. Although flies are tiny insects, a single one can impair the odor of a lot of perfume. Likewise, a little folly is weightier than wisdom, than honor. A small measure of foolishness is sufficient to spoil a delicate and refined environment. This is similar to the statement of the previous verse: One sinner is enough to spoil the works of the wise man.

לֵב חָכָם לִימִינוֹ וְלֵב כְּסִיל לִשְׂמֹאלוֹ

The heart of the wise inclines to his right, to his benefit, and the heart of a fool inclines to his left, the wrong side.

וְגַם־בַּדֶּרֶךְ כְּשֶׁסָּכָל הֹלֵךְ לִבּוֹ חָסֵר וְאָמַר לַכֹּל סָכָל הוּא

Even while the fool walks on the way, his heart is lacking and says to everyone that he is a fool. His manner of walking and talking, and his behavior in general, attest to his foolishness.

אִם־רוּחַ הַמּוֹשֵׁל תַּעֲלֶה עָלֶיךָ מְקוֹמְךָ אַל־תַּנַּח כִּי מַרְפֵּא יַנִּיחַ חֲטָאִים גְּדוֹלִים

Kohelet offers a word to the wise: If the spirit of the ruler shall be raised against you, and he is angry with you, do not abandon your place. Stay put and do not depart from his presence because of his rebuke or in a state of shame, for in its abating he will allow great sins. Even great offenses can be forgiven over time, when the ruler’s anger is assuaged, but if you abandon your position in embarrassment, you might lose everything.

יֵשׁ רָעָה רָאִיתִי תַּחַת הַשָּׁמֶשׁ כִּשְׁגָגָה שֶׁיֹּצָא מִלִּפְנֵי הַשַּׁלִּיט

There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, like an error that emerges from before the ruler. One of the great evils in the world is the mistake of one in a position of power. When a person of authority errs, the harm that he is liable to cause is more severe than that of a commoner. Corruption and injustice inevitably follow:

נִתַּן הַסֶּכֶל בַּמְּרוֹמִים רַבִּים ועֲשִׁירִים בַּשֵּׁפֶל יֵשֵׁבוּ

Sometimes folly is set on lofty heights, as incompetent people can rise to prominence, and meanwhile the wealthy in spirit sit in lowliness.

רָאִיתִי עֲבָדִים עַל־סוּסִים וְשָׂרִים הֹלְכִים כַּעֲבָדִים עַל־הָאָרֶץ

I have seen servants conducting themselves like masters, riding upon horses, and princes walking on the ground like servants.

חֹפֵר גּוּמָּץ בּוֹ יִפּוֹל וּפֹרֵץ גָּדֵר יִשְּׁכֶנּוּ נָחָשׁ

Some people fail specifically due to their own actions, and against their best intentions: One who digs a pit, into it he will fall; and one who breaches a fence, a serpent, hiding in the cracks between the stones of the fence, will bite him.

מַסִּיעַ אֲבָנִים יֵעָצֵב בָּהֶם בּוֹקֵעַ עֵצִים יִסָּכֶן בָּם

It is never clear whether labor will yield a commensurate reward, as one who transports stones for a constructive purpose will not always achieve his objective, while he will certainly be distressed by them, as pain and suffering inevitably result from that grueling activity. And similarly, one who splits wood will be endangered by them. He might be cut or wounded by the wood chips. Alternatively, his body may overheat from the hard labor.

אִם־קֵהָה הַבַּרְזֶל וְהוּא לֹא פָנִים קִלְקַל וַחֲיָלִים יְגַבֵּר וְיִתְרוֹן הַכְשֵׁיר חָכְמָה

If the iron of an ax, or any other cutting tool, is blunt, and one did not whet the edge of the blade, even if he intensifies his exertion it will be to no avail. In that instance, the advantage is in preparation with wisdom. Wisdom is advantageous with respect to physical labor, as it enables one to prepare in advance and thus achieve one’s objective with minimal effort.

אִם־יִשֹּׁךְ הַנָּחָשׁ בְּלוֹא לָחַשׁ וְאֵין יִתְרוֹן לְבַעַל הַלָּשׁוֹן

If the serpent bites without a spell, since the charmer could not control it, there is no advantage to the charmer [ba’al halashon]. Alternatively, the term ba’al halashon refers to a person who speaks evil, likening him to a serpent that bites: Just as there are snakebites that no spell can heal, so too one who speaks evil can cause irrevocable harm.

דִּבְרֵי פִי־חָכָם חֵן ושִׂפְתוֹת כְּסִיל תְּבַלְּעֶנּוּ

In contrast to one who speaks evil, the words of the mouth of a wise man are grace, but the lips of a fool, his ill-advised comments, will destroy him, lead to his ruin, or cause him to lose the respect of others.

תְּחִלַּת דִּבְרֵי־פִיהוּ סִכְלוּת וְאַחֲרִית פִּיהוּ הוֹלֵלוּת רָעָה

The beginning of the words from his mouth is foolishness, and the end from his mouth is evil debauchery. His statements are initially merely silly, but ultimately they will lead to insanity.

והַסָּכָל יַרְבֶּה דְבָרִים לֹא־יֵדַע הָאָדָם מַה־שֶּׁיִּהְיֶה ואֲשֶׁר יִהְיֶה מֵאַחֲרָיו מִי יַגִּיד לוֹ

Unlike a wise person, who remains mostly quiet, mindful that silence is a safeguard for wisdom, the fool will proliferate words. In his many comments he presumes to be able to foresee the future, but man knows not what will be, and that which will be after him, who can tell him?

עֲמַל הַכְּסִילִים תְּיַגְּעֶנּוּ אֲשֶׁר לֹא־יָדַע לָלֶכֶת אֶל־עִיר

The toil of the fools will exhaust him, as he will not know how to go to a city. Since a fool does not know how to reach his objective, he soon becomes weary and wastes his energy for nothing.

אִי לָךְ אֶרֶץ שֶׁמַּלְכֵּךְ נָעַר וְשָׂרַיִךְ בַּבֹּקֶר יֹאכֵלוּ

One’s wisdom or foolishness is manifest in his conduct. Woe is you, land, that your king is a boy, young and inexperienced, and ruins the land with his vanities, and your princes dine in the morning, instead of working on behalf of the country.

אַשְׁרֵיךְ אֶרֶץ שֶׁמַּלְכֵּךְ בֶּן־חוֹרִים וְשָׂרַיִךְ בָּעֵת יֹאכֵלוּ בִּגְבוּרָה וְלֹא בַשְּׁתִי

Happy are you, land, that your king is a free man, or the son of an esteemed family, a distinguished individual, and your princes dine at the proper time, not immediately upon waking, but at the appropriate time, in accordance with the tasks ahead. If so, they will eat in valor, enough for them to be healthy and strong, and not in drunkenness.

בַּעֲצַלְתַּיִם יִמַּךְ הַמְּקָרֶה וּבְשִׁפְלוּת יָדַיִם יִדְלֹף הַבָּיִת

With laziness, due to idleness, the ceiling sags, the roof collapses. When a roof is not properly maintained, it sags and may eventually collapse. And with idleness of the hands, the house leaks. Neglect of a house will lead to a leaky roof.

לִשְׂחוֹק עֹשִׂים לֶחֶם וְיַיִן יְשַׂמַּח חַיִּים וְהַכֶּסֶף יַעֲנֶה אֶת־הַכֹּל

Kohelet lists the power of money alongside the value of wisdom and diligence: For laughter, entertainment, one prepares bread, a feast, and wine cheers the living, and money answers everything, provides a solution for all problems.

גַּם בְּמַדָּעֲךָ מֶלֶךְ אַל־תְּקַלֵּל ובְחַדְרֵי מִשְׁכָּבְךָ אַל־תְּקַלֵּל עָשִׁיר כִּי עוֹף הַשָּׁמַיִם יוֹלִיךְ אֶת־הַקּוֹל וּבַעַל כְּנָפַיִם יַגֵּיד דָּבָר

Even in your thought do not curse a king, and even when you are alone in your bedrooms do not curse the rich, as a bird of the heavens will carry the voice, and a winged creature will tell a matter. Any spoken words will eventually become public, as even if they are not spread by people, they will be disseminated by birds or other airy, imperceptible airborne mediums. Therefore, one must be careful even with regard to his thoughts, and all the more so with regard to his spoken words, which are liable to cause the speaker great trouble.