1. Dead flies make the perfumer’s ointment stink, ferment; a little folly outweighs wisdom, esteem.
2. A wise man’s heart is at his right hand, but a fool’s heart at his left.
3. And also, when a fool walks along the way, his heart fails, and he shows everyone that he is a fool.
4. If the spirit of the ruler rises against you, do not leave your post, for calmness lays to rest great faults.
5. There is an evil I have seen under the sun, as a mistake coming from the ruler:
6. Folly is set in many high positions, while the rich sit in a humble place.
7. I have seen servants on horses – and rulers walking on the ground like servants.
8. He who digs a pit falls into it, and whoever breaks through a wall is bitten by a snake.
9. He who quarries stones is hurt by them. He who splits wood is endangered by it.