⁵ There is an evil I have seen under the sun,
As an error proceeding from the ruler:
⁶ Folly is set in ^[d]great dignity,
While the rich sit in a lowly place.
⁷ I have seen servants on horses,
While princes walk on the ground like servants.

⁸ He who digs a pit will fall into it,
And whoever breaks through a wall will be bitten by a serpent.
⁹ He who quarries stones may be hurt by them,
And he who splits wood may be endangered by it.
¹⁰ If the ax is dull,
And one does not sharpen the edge,
Then he must use more strength;
But wisdom ^[e]brings success.

¹¹ A serpent may bite when it is not charmed;
The ^[f]babbler is no different.
¹² The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious,
But the lips of a fool shall swallow him up;
¹³ The words of his mouth begin with foolishness,
And the end of his talk is raving madness.
¹⁴ A fool also multiplies words.
No man knows what is to be;
Who can tell him what will be after him?
¹⁵ The labor of fools wearies them,
For they do not even know how to go to the city!

¹⁶ Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child,
And your princes feast in the morning!
¹⁷ Blessed are you, O land, when your king is the son of nobles,
And your princes feast at the proper time—
For strength and not for drunkenness!
¹⁸ Because of laziness the ^[g]building decays,
And through idleness of hands the house leaks.
¹⁹ A feast is made for laughter,
And wine makes merry;
But money answers everything.

²⁰ Do not curse the king, even in your thought;
Do not curse the rich, even in your bedroom;
For a bird of the air may carry your voice,
And a bird in flight may tell the matter.