Prædikeren 10
1 Døde Fluer bringe Salvekogerens Salve til at stinke og gære; saaledes kan en liden Daarskab veje mere end Visdom og Ære.
[A few] dead flies in [a bottle of] perfume cause [all] the perfume to stink. Similarly [SIM], a small amount of acting foolishly can have a greater effect than acting wisely.
2 Den vises Hjerte er ved hans højre Side; men Daarens Hjerte er ved hans venstre Side.
If people think sensibly, it will lead them to do what is right; if they think foolishly, it causes them to do what is wrong.
3 Ogsaa naar Daaren vandrer paa Vejen, fattes han Forstand, og han siger om enhver, at han er en Daare.
Even while foolish people walk along the road, they show that they do not have good sense; they show everyone that they are not wise.
4 Dersom Herskerens Vrede rejser sig imod dig, da forlad ikke din Plads; thi Sagtmodighed standser store Synder.
Do not quit working for a ruler when he is angry with you; if you remain calm, he will [probably] stop being angry.
5 Der er et Onde, som jeg saa under Solen, ret som det var en Fejl, der udgaar fra Herskerens Ansigt:
There is something [else] that I have seen here on this earth, something that rulers sometimes do that is wrong/inappropriate:
6 Daarskaben er sat paa de store Højder, men de rige sidde lavt.
They appoint foolish people to have important positions, while they appoint rich [people] to have unimportant positions.
7 Jeg saa Tjenere paa Heste og Fyrster gaa til Fods som Tjenere, paa Jorden.
They allow slaves [to ride] on horses [like rich people usually do], [but] they force officials to walk [like slaves usually do].
8 Den som graver en Grav, skal falde i den; og den som nedriver et Gærde, ham skal en Slange bide.
[It is possible that] those who dig pits will fall into one of those pits. [It is possible that] someone who tears down a wall will be bitten by a snake [that is in that wall].
9 Hvo som bryder Stene op, skal faa Smerte af dem; hvo som kløver Træ, skal komme i Fare derved.
If you work in a quarry, [it is possible that] a stone [will fall on you and] injure you. [It is possible that] men who split logs will be injured by one of those logs.
10 Naar Jernet bliver sløvt, og man ikke skærper Æggen, da maa man siden anstrenge Kræfterne; men Visdom er nyttig til at gøre en Ting rettelig.
If your axe is not sharp [DOU], you will need to work harder [to cut down a tree], but by being wise, you will succeed.
11 Dersom Slangen bider, gavner Besværgelse intet, og Tungens Ejermand har ingen Fordel.
If a snake bites a man before he charms/tames it, his ability to charm snakes will not benefit him.
12 Ordene af den vises Mund ere yndige; men Daarens Læber opsluge ham selv.
Wise people say [MTY] what is sensible, and because of that, people honor them; but foolish people are destroyed by what they say [MTY].
13 Hans Munds Ords Begyndelse er Daarskab; og det sidste af hans Mund er fordærvelig Galskab.
When foolish people start to talk, they say things that are foolish, and they end by saying things that are both wicked and foolish.
14 Og en Daare gør mange Ord; Mennesket kan ikke vide, hvad der skal ske; og hvo kan forkynde ham, hvad der skal ske efter ham.
They talk (too much/without ceasing). None of us knows what will happen in the future, or what will happen after we die.
15 Daarens Arbejde gør ham træt, efterdi han ikke kender Vej til By.
Foolish people become [so] exhausted by the work that they do that they are unable to find the road to their town/homes.
16 Ve dig, du Land! hvis Konge er et Barn, og hvis Fyrster æde om Morgenen.
Terrible things will happen to the people of a nation whose ruler is a foolish young man, and whose [other] leaders continually eat, all day long, every day.
17 Lykkeligt er du, Land! hvis Konge er født af de ypperste, og hvis Fyrster æde i rette Tid til Styrke og ikke til Drukkenskab.
[But] a nation will prosper if its ruler is from a (noble/well-educated) family, and if its [other] leaders feast [only] at the proper times, and [if they eat and drink only] to be strong, not to become drunk.
18 Ved Ladhed synke Bjælkerne, og ved Hændernes Slaphed drypper det ned i Huset.
Some men are very lazy [and do not repair the rafters], with the result that the rafters sag [and collapse]; and if they do not repair the roof, water will leak into the house [when it rains].
19 Man gør Maaltid for at le, og Vinen glæder de levende, og Penge gøre alting ud.
Eating food and drinking wine causes us to laugh and be happy, [but] we are able to enjoy those things only if we have money [to buy them].
20 Band ikke Kongen, end ikke i din Tanke, og band ikke en rig i dit inderste Sengekammer; thi en Fugl under Himmelen kan føre Røsten frem, og den bevingede bringer Ordet ud.
Do not even think about cursing the king, or cursing rich [people, even] when you are [alone] in your bedroom, because [it is possible that] a little bird will hear [what you are saying], [and] tell those people what you said [about them].
