[9:13] There is something else I saw, a good example of how wisdom is regarded in this world.
[9:14] There was a little town without many people in it. A powerful king attacked it. He surrounded it and prepared to break through the walls.
[9:15] Someone lived there who was poor, but so clever that he could have saved the town. But no one thought about him.
[9:16] I have always said that wisdom is better than strength, but no one thinks of the poor as wise or pays any attention to what they say.
[9:17] It is better to listen to the quiet words of someone wise than to the shouts of a ruler at a council of fools.
[9:18] Wisdom does more good than weapons, but one sinner can undo a lot of good.
[10:1] Dead flies can make a whole bottle of perfume stink, and a little stupidity can cancel out the greatest wisdom.
[10:2] It is natural for the wise to do the right thing and for fools to do the wrong thing.
[10:3] Their stupidity will be evident even to strangers they meet along the way; they let everyone know that they are fools.
[10:4] If your ruler becomes angry with you, do not hand in your resignation; serious wrongs may be pardoned if you keep calm.
[10:5] Here is an injustice I have seen in the world—an injustice caused by rulers.
[10:6] Stupid people are given positions of authority while the rich are ignored.
[10:7] I have seen slaves on horseback while noblemen go on foot like slaves.
[10:8] If you dig a pit, you fall in it; if you break through a wall, a snake bites you.
[10:9] If you work in a stone quarry, you get hurt by stones. If you split wood, you get hurt doing it.
[10:10] If your ax is dull and you don't sharpen it, you have to work harder to use it. It is smarter to plan ahead.
[10:11] Knowing how to charm a snake is of no use if you let the snake bite first.
[10:12] What the wise say brings them honor, but fools are destroyed by their own words.
[10:13] They start out with silly talk and end up with pure madness.
[10:14] A fool talks on and on. No one knows what is going to happen next, and no one can tell us what will happen after we die.
[10:15] Only someone too stupid to find his way home would wear himself out with work.
[10:16] A country is in trouble when its king is a youth and its leaders feast all night long.
[10:17] But a country is fortunate to have a king who makes his own decisions and leaders who eat at the proper time, who control themselves and don't get drunk.
[10:18] When you are too lazy to repair your roof, it will leak, and the house will fall in.
[10:19] Feasting makes you happy and wine cheers you up, but you can't have either without money.
[10:20] Don't criticize the king, even silently, and don't criticize the rich, even in the privacy of your bedroom. A bird might carry the message and tell them what you said.