Propovjednik 9
1 Razmišljah o svemu tome i shvatih kako su i pravednici i mudraci, sa djelima svojim, u Božjoj ruci; i čovjek ne razumije ni ljubavi ni mržnje, i njemu su obje ispraznost.
So I took all this to heart and concluded that the righteous and the wise, as well as their deeds, are in God’s hands. Man does not know what lies ahead, whether love or hate.
2 Svima je ista kob, pravednomu kao i opakom, čistomu i nečistomu, onomu koji žrtvuje kao i onomu koji ne žrtvuje; jednako dobru kao i grešniku, onomu koji se zaklinje kao i onomu koji se boji zakletve.
It is the same for all: There is a common fate for the righteous and the wicked, for the good and the bad, for the clean and the unclean, for the one who sacrifices and the one who does not. As it is for the good, so it is for the sinner; as it is for the one who makes a vow, so it is for the one who refuses to take a vow.
3 Najgore je od svega što biva pod suncem ovo: ista je kob svima, ljudsko je srce puno zla, ludost je u srcima ljudi dok žive, a potom se pridružuju mrtvima.
This is an evil in everything that is done under the sun: There is one fate for everyone. Furthermore, the hearts of men are full of evil and madness while they are alive, and afterward they join the dead.
4 Jer onaj tko je među živima, ima nade: i živ pas više vrijedi nego mrtav lav.
There is hope, however, for anyone who is among the living; for even a live dog is better than a dead lion.
5 Živi barem znaju da će umrijeti, a mrtvi ne znaju ništa niti imaju više nagrade, jer se zaboravlja i spomen na njih.
For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing. They have no further reward, because the memory of them is forgotten.
6 Davno je nestalo i njihove ljubavi, i mržnje, i zavisti, i više nemaju udjela ni u čem što biva pod suncem.
Their love, their hate, and their envy have already vanished, and they will never again have a share in all that is done under the sun.
7 Zato s radošću jedi svoj kruh i vesela srca pij svoje vino, jer se Bogu već prije svidjelo tvoje djelo.
Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a cheerful heart, for God has already approved your works:
8 U svako doba nosi haljine bijele i ulja nek' ne ponestane na tvojoj glavi.
Let your garments always be white, and never spare the oil for your head.
9 Uživaj život sa ženom koju ljubiš u sve dane svojega ispraznog vijeka koji ti Bog daje pod suncem, jer to je tvoj udio u životu i u trudu kojim se trudiš pod suncem.
Enjoy life with your beloved wife all the days of the fleeting life that God has given you under the sun—all your fleeting days. For this is your portion in life and in your labor under the sun.
10 I što god nakaniš učiniti, učini dok možeš, jer nema ni djela, ni umovanja, ni spoznaje, ni mudrosti u Podzemlju u koje ideš. (Sheol h7585)
Whatever you find to do with your hands, do it with all your might, for in Sheol, where you are going, there is no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom. (Sheol h7585)
11 Osim toga, vidjeh pod suncem: ne dobivaju trku hitri, ni boj hrabri; nema kruha za mudraca, ni bogatstva za razumne, ni milosti za učene, jer vrijeme i kob sve ih dostiže.
I saw something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong; neither is the bread to the wise, nor the wealth to the intelligent, nor the favor to the skillful. For time and chance happen to all.
12 Čovjek ne zna svoga časa: kao ribe ulovljene u podmukloj mreži, i kao ptice u zamku uhvaćene, tako se hvataju sinovi ljudski u vrijeme nevolje koja ih iznenada spopada.
For surely no man knows his time: Like fish caught in a cruel net or birds trapped in a snare, so men are ensnared in an evil time that suddenly falls upon them.
13 Još vidjeh pod suncem i ovu “mudrost” koja mi se učini velikom:
I have also seen this wisdom under the sun, and it was great to me:
14 Bi jedan malen grad i u njem malo ljudi, a na nj udari velik kralj, opkoli ga i podiže oko njega velike opsadne tornjeve.
There was a small city with few men. A mighty king came against it, surrounded it, and built large siege ramps against it.
15 Ali se u njemu nađe čovjek siromah mudar koji spasi grad svojom mudrošću, a poslije se nitko nije sjećao toga čovjeka.
Now a poor wise man was found in the city, and he saved the city by his wisdom. Yet no one remembered that poor man.
16 Ipak ja velim: bolja je mudrost nego jakost, ali se ne cijeni mudrost siromaha i ne slušaju njegove riječi.
And I said, “Wisdom is better than strength, but the wisdom of the poor man is despised, and his words are not heeded.”
17 Blage se riječi mudraca bolje čuju nego vika zapovjednika nad luđacima.
The calm words of the wise are heeded over the shouts of a ruler among fools.
18 Mudrost više vrijedi nego bojno oružje, ali jedan jedini grešnik pokvari mnogo dobra.
Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good.
