The Problem with Foolish Rulers

16 Woe to you, O land, when your king is childish,

and your princes feast in the morning!

17 Blessed are you, O land, when your king is the son of nobility,

and your princes feast at the proper time – with self-control and not in drunkenness.

18 Because of laziness the roof caves in,

and because of idle hands the house leaks.

19 Feasts are made for laughter,

and wine makes life merry,

but money is the answer for everything.

20 Do not curse a king even in your thoughts,

and do not curse the rich while in your bedroom;

for a bird might report what you are thinking,

or some winged creature might repeat your words.

11 Send your grain overseas,

for after many days you will get a return.

2 Divide your merchandise among seven or even eight investments,

for you do not know what calamity may happen on earth.

3 If the clouds are full of rain, they will empty themselves on the earth,

and whether a tree falls to the south or to the north, the tree will lie wherever it falls.

4 He who watches the wind will not sow,

and he who observes the clouds will not reap.

5 Just as you do not know the path of the wind,

or how the bones form in the womb of a pregnant woman,

so you do not know the work of God who makes everything.

6 Sow your seed in the morning,

and do not stop working until the evening;

for you do not know which activity will succeed –

whether this one or that one, or whether both will prosper equally.