16 Woe to the land whose king was a servant

and whose princes feast in the morning.

17 Blessed is the land whose king is of noble birth

and whose princes eat at a proper time—

for strength and not for drunkenness.

18 Through laziness, the rafters sag;

because of idle hands, the house leaks.

19 A feast is made for laughter,

wine makes life merry,

and money is the answer for everything.

20 Do not revile the king even in your thoughts,

or curse the rich in your bedroom,

because a bird in the sky may carry your words,

and a bird on the wing may report what you say.

16 Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes eat in the morning! 17 Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!

18 By much slothfulness the building decayeth; and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth through.

19 A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money answereth all things.

20 Curse not the king, no not in thy thought; and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter.

16 What sorrow for the land ruled by a servant,

the land whose leaders feast in the morning.

17 Happy is the land whose king is a noble leader

and whose leaders feast at the proper time

to gain strength for their work, not to get drunk.

18 Laziness leads to a sagging roof;

idleness leads to a leaky house.

19 A party gives laughter,

wine gives happiness,

and money gives everything!

20 Never make light of the king, even in your thoughts.

And don’t make fun of the powerful, even in your own bedroom.

For a little bird might deliver your message

and tell them what you said.

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 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.

16 How terrible it is for a country whose king is a child

and whose leaders eat all morning.

17 How lucky a country is whose king comes from a good family,

whose leaders eat only at mealtime

and for strength, not to get drunk.

18 If someone is lazy, the roof will begin to fall.

If he doesn’t fix it, the house will leak.

19 A party makes you feel good,

wine makes you feel happy,

and money buys anything.

20 Don’t make fun of the king,

and don’t make fun of rich people, even in your bedroom.

A little bird might carry your words;

a bird might fly and tell what you said.

16 Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes eat in the morning! 17 Happy art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness! 18 By slothfulness the roof sinketh in; and through idleness of the hands the house leaketh. 19 A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh glad the life; and money answereth all things. 20 Revile not the king, no, not in thy thought; and revile not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the heavens shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter.

16 Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes eat in the morning! 17 Happy art thou, O land, when thy king is a son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness! 18 By much sloth fulness the framework falleth in; and through idleness of the hands the house drippeth. 19 A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh life merry; but money answereth everything. 20 Curse not the king, no, not in thy thought; and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber: for the bird of the air will carry the voice, and that which hath wings will tell the matter.

16 How horrible it will be for any country where the king used to be a servant and where the high officials throw parties in the morning. 17 A country is blessed when the king is from a noble family and when the high officials eat at the right time in order to get strength and not to get drunk. 

18 A roof sags because of laziness. A house leaks because of idle hands. 

19 A meal is made for laughter, and wine makes life pleasant, but money is the answer for everything. 

20 Don’t curse the king even in your thoughts, and don’t curse rich people even in your bedroom. A bird may carry your words, or some winged creature may repeat what you say. 

16 Woe to you, land, when your king is a youth

and your princes feast in the morning.

17 Blessed are you, land, when your king is a son of nobles

and your princes feast at the proper time—

for strength and not for drunkenness.

18 Because of laziness the roof caves in,

and because of negligent hands the house leaks.

19 A feast is prepared for laughter,

and wine makes life happy,

and money is the answer for everything.

20 Do not curse the king even in your thoughts,

and do not curse a rich person even in your bedroom,

for a bird of the sky may carry the message,

and a winged creature may report the matter.

16 Alas for you, O land, when your king is a servant,

and your princes feast in the morning!

17 Happy are you, O land, when your king is a nobleman,

and your princes feast at the proper time—

for strength, and not for drunkenness!

18 Through sloth the roof sinks in,

and through indolence the house leaks.

19 Feasts are made for laughter;

wine gladdens life,

and money meets every need.

20 Do not curse the king, even in your thoughts,

or curse the rich, even in your bedroom;

for a bird of the air may carry your voice,

or some winged creature tell the matter.

16 Woe to you, O land, when your king is a youth

and your princes feast in the morning.

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

and your princes feast at the proper time—

to gain strength and not to get drunk.

18 Through sloth the roof sinks in,

and through idleness of hands the house leaks.

19 Feasts are held for celebration,

wine cheers the living,

and money answers everything.

20 Do not curse the king even in your thoughts,

and do not curse the rich even in your own bedroom,

for a bird of the sky may carry your voice;

a winged messenger may repeat your words.

16 How terrible it is for a land whose king used to be a servant!

How terrible if its princes get drunk in the morning!

17 How blessed is the land whose king was born into the royal family!

How blessed if its princes eat and drink at the proper time!

How blessed if they eat and drink to become strong and not to get drunk!

18 When a man won’t work, the roof falls down.

When his hands aren’t busy, the house leaks.

19 People laugh at a dinner party.

And wine makes life happy.

People think money can buy everything.

20 Don’t call down curses on the king.

Don’t even think about doing it.

Don’t call down curses on rich people.

Don’t even do it in your bedroom.

A bird might fly away and carry your words.

It might report what you said.

16 Woe to you, O land, whose king is a lad and whose princes feast in the morning.

17 Blessed are you, O land, whose king is of nobility and whose princes eat at the appropriate time—for strength and not for drunkenness.

18 Through indolence the rafters sag, and through slackness the house leaks.

19 Men prepare a meal for enjoyment, and wine makes life merry, and money is the answer to everything.

20 Furthermore, in your bedchamber do not curse a king, and in your sleeping rooms do not curse a rich man, for a bird of the heavens will carry the sound and the winged creature will make the matter known.