Prædikeren 5
1 Forvar din Fod, naar du vil gaa til Guds Hus, og vær nær for at høre; dette er bedre, end naar Daarerne yde Slagtoffer; thi de vide ikke, at de gøre ondt.
Be careful when you go into God's house. It's better to listen and respond rather than offer meaningless sacrifices. People who do that don't even know they are doing wrong.
2 Vær ikke snar med din Mund, og lad dit Hjerte ikke haste med at fremføre et Ord for Guds Ansigt; thi Gud er i Himmelen og du paa Jorden, derfor lad dine Ord være faa!
Don't say rash things, and think before you speak to God. For God is in heaven, and you are on earth, so keep it short.
3 Thi hvor der er megen Møje, komme Drømme; og hvor der er mange Ord, der hører man Daarens Røst.
When you worry too much, you get nightmares; when you talk too much, you say foolish things.
4 Naar du lover Gud et Løfte, tøv ikke med at betale det; thi han har ikke Velbehag til Daarer; hvad du lover, det betal!
When you make a vow to God, with a curse on you if you don't keep it, don't be slow in keeping it, for he is not happy with foolish behavior. So do what you promised!
5 Det er bedre, at du intet lover, end at du lover og ikke betaler.
Better not to make any vows at all than to make vow you don't keep.
6 Tilsted ikke din Mund at bringe Synd over dit Kød, og sig ikke for Engelens Ansigt, at det var en Overilelse; hvi skulde Gud fortørnes for din Røst og fordærve dine Hænders Gerning?
Don't let your mouth cause you to sin. And don't tell the priest that your vow was a mistake, for why would you antagonize God by breaking your promise? He could bring your own curse down on you.
7 Thi hvor der er mange Drømme, der er Forfængelighed, og ligesaa, hvor der er mange Ord; men frygt Gud!
There are certainly many dreams, questions of meaning, and lots of different ideas, but you are to follow God.
8 Dersom du ser, at en fattig fortrykkes, og at Ret og Retfærdighed krænkes i Landskabet, da forundre dig ikke over den Idræt; thi en Høj er Vogter over en Høj, og den Højeste over dem begge;
If you see poor people somewhere being oppressed, or truth and justice violated, don't be shocked at it, for every official is responsible to others higher up, and there are officials over them as well.
9 og en Fordel for Jorden i det Hele er det, at der er en Konge over det dyrkede Land.
However, what the land produces is for everyone—even the king benefits from what is grown.
10 Hvo der elsker Penge, kan ikke mættes af Penge, og hvo som elsker meget Gods, ikke af Indtægt; ogsaa dette er Forfængelighed.
People who love money never have enough money; those who love wealth never have enough income. This too is so temporary and makes little sense.
11 Hvor Godset bliver meget, bliver der mange, som fortære det; hvad Fordel er der da for dem, som eje det, uden det, at deres Øjne se derpaa?
The more you earn, the more you have eating into your income. It only looks like you have more!
12 Hvo der arbejder, ham er Søvnen sød, hvad heller han æder lidet eller meget; men den riges Mættelse tillader ham ej at sove.
Those who work hard sleep well, whether they have a little to eat or plenty, but the rich own so much they don't get any rest.
13 Der er et slemt Onde, som jeg saa under Solen, at Rigdom bevares af sin Herre til hans egen Ulykke;
I observed something here that is really sickening: people who hoard money damage themselves.
14 og at denne Rigdom gaar til Grunde ved en uheldig Stræben, saa at, om han avlede en Søn, der ikke bliver noget i hans Haand.
They put their money into bad investments and lose everything. Now when we're born, we don't bring anything into the world.
15 Ligesom han udgik af sin Moders Liv, saa skal han atter nøgen gaa bort, som han kom; og han skal, trods sit Arbejde, ikke tage noget, som han kan føre i sin Haand.
When we die, we leave just as naked as when we were born, taking nothing with us from all we've worked for.
16 Ogsaa dette er et slemt Onde, at han i alle Maader skal gaa bort, saaledes som han kom; hvad Fordel har han da deraf, at han har arbejdet hen i Vejret?
This also makes me sick! What do people gain, working for the wind?
17 Ja, alle sine Dage æder han sit Brød i Mørket, og han har megen Græmmelse tillige med sin Sygdom og Harme.
They live their lives in darkness, very frustrated, sick, and resentful.
18 Se her, hvad jeg har set: At det er godt og smukt at æde og drikke og at se godt af alt sit Arbejde, som man arbejder med under Solen i alle sine Levedage, som Gud har givet en; thi det er hans Del;
But I observed that what is good and right is to eat, drink, and to find enjoyment in the work God gives us here in this life. This is God's gift to us.
19 og naar der er et Menneske, som Gud har givet Rigdom og Gods og givet ham Magt at æde deraf og at modtage sin Del og at glæde sig i sit Arbejde: Da er dette en Guds Gave.
In addition, everyone to whom God gives wealth and possessions he also gives the ability to enjoy these gifts, to be grateful for what they are given, and to enjoy the work they do. This is also God's gift to us.
20 Thi han vil ikke tænke meget paa sit Livs Dage, efterdi Gud bønhører ham, i hvad der er hans Hjertes Glæde.
In fact such people have little time to think about life because God keeps them busy with all that makes them happy.
