Ordsprogene 24
1 Vær ikke misundelig paa onde Mennesker, og hav ikke Lyst til at være hos dem!
Don't be jealous of evil people; don't long to spend time with them,
2 Thi deres Hjerte grunder paa Ødelæggelse, og deres Læber udtale, hvad der er til Fortræd.
for they think up cruel plans and discuss how to cause trouble.
3 Ved Visdom bygges et Hus, og ved Forstand befæstes det;
A house is built by wisdom; its foundation is made secure through understanding.
4 og ved Kundskab blive Kamrene fulde af alt dyrebart og yndigt Gods.
Its rooms are filled by knowledge with all kinds of valuable and beautiful objects.
5 En viis Mand er stærk, og en kyndig Mand styrker sin Kraft.
If you have wisdom, you are strong; if you have knowledge, your power increases,
6 Thi efter Vejledning skal du føre din Krig, og hvor mange Raadgivere ere, der er Frelse.
for with wise guidance you can go to war; you will be victorious by having many good advisors.
7 Visdommen er for høj for en Daare, for Retten skal han ikke oplade sin Mund.
Wisdom goes over the heads of stupid people; they have nothing to contribute when important matters are discussed.
8 Hvo som tænker paa at gøre ondt, ham kalder man en skalkagtig Mand.
Anyone who plans to do evil will be seen as a troublemaker.
9 Daarskabs Anslag er Synd, og en Spotter er en Vederstyggelighed iblandt Folk.
Plans thought up by stupid people are sinful. Everyone hates those who are scornful of others.
10 Du viste Svaghed paa Nødens Dag; din Kraft var ringe.
If you give up in times of trouble, it shows how weak you are.
11 Red dem, som føres til Døden, dem, som vaklende drage hen at miste Livet; maatte du dog holde dem tilbage!
Rescue those who are being led away to be executed; save those who are stumbling on their way to be slaughtered.
12 Naar du siger: „Se, vi kende det ikke”, mon da ikke den, som prøver Hjerter, forstaar det, og den, som tager Vare paa din Sjæl, kender det, saa at han betaler et Menneske efter dets Gerning?
If you say, “Look, we didn't know anything about this,” don't you think the God who judges your motives will see what's happening? He who watches over you knows, and he will pay people back for what they've done.
13 Æd Honning, min Søn! thi den er god, og Honningkage er sød for din Gane;
My son, eating honey is good for you; the honeycomb tastes sweet.
14 lær saaledes Visdom for din Sjæl; naar du finder den, og der er en Eftertid, skal din Forhaabning ikke tilintetgøres.
In the same way, you should know that wisdom is good for you; if you find it, there will be a future for you, and your hope will not be crushed.
15 Lur ikke, du ugudelige! paa den retfærdiges Bolig; ødelæg ikke hans Hjem!
Don't be like a criminal waiting to ambush the home of good people; don't attack the place where they live.
16 Thi en retfærdig kan falde syv Gange og staa op igen; men de ugudelige skulle styrte i Ulykken.
Those who do right may fall down seven times, and still get up again; but the wicked are brought down by disaster.
17 Glæd dig ikke, naar din Fjende falder, og lad dit Hjerte ikke fryde sig, naar han snubler;
Don't celebrate when your enemies fall; don't be glad when they trip up,
18 at ikke Herren skal se det, og det maatte være ondt i hans Øjne, og han skal vende sin Vrede fra ham til dig.
otherwise when the Lord sees it, he'll be unhappy with you and won't punish your enemies as he planned.
19 Lad ikke din Vrede optændes imod de onde; vær ikke misundelig paa de ugudelige!
Don't get all upset over the wicked, or be jealous of those who do wrong,
20 Thi den onde skal ingen Eftertid have; de ugudeliges Lampe skal udslukkes.
for evil people have no future—the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out.
21 Min Søn! frygt Herren og Kongen; bland dig ikke iblandt dem, der hige efter Forandringer!
My son, honor the Lord and the king, and don't join those who are rebellious,
22 Thi Ulykke fra dem kommer hastelig, og Fordærvelse fra dem begge — hvo kender den?
for disaster will suddenly fall on them. Who knows how the Lord and king will punish them?
23 Ogsaa dette er af de vise: At anse Personer i Dommen er ikke godt.
These are more sayings of the wise: Showing favoritism when passing judgment is wrong.
24 Hvo som siger til den skyldige: Du er retfærdig, ham skulle Folkeslægter forbande; Folkefærd skulle vredes paa ham.
Those who tell the guilty, “You're innocent,” will be cursed by the people and hated by the nation,
25 Men dem, som straffe ham, skal det gaa vel, og der skal komme en god Velsignelse over dem.
while those who convict the guilty will be appreciated, and will receive a rich blessing.
26 Kys paa Læber giver den, som svarer med rette Ord.
An honest answer is a kiss on the lips.
27 Beskik din Gerning derude, og gør den færdig for dig paa Ageren; byg saa siden dit Hus!
Do the work you need to do outside first, then prepare and sow your fields, and only after that start building your house.
28 Bliv ikke letsindigt Vidne imod din Næste; og du skulde besvige med dine Læber?
Don't testify against your neighbors without having a good reason, and don't tell lies.
29 Sig ikke: Ligesom han gjorde mig, saa vil jeg gøre ham; jeg vil betale enhver efter hans Gerning.
Don't say to yourself, “I'm going to do to him what he did to me! I'll pay him back for what he's done!”
30 Jeg gik over en lad Mands Ager og over et uforstandigt Menneskes Vingaard,
I walked past the field of a lazy man, past a vineyard of someone with no sense.
31 og se, den var aldeles løbet op i Tidsler, dens Overflade var skjult med Nælder, og Stengærdet derom var nedbrudt.
It was all overgrown with thorns, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall had fallen down.
32 Der jeg saa det, lagde jeg mig det paa Hjerte; jeg saa til, jeg annammede en Lærdom:
As I looked I thought about it, and what I saw taught me a lesson:
33 At sove lidt, at slumre lidt, at folde Hænderne lidt for at ligge —,
You may say, “Please, just a little more sleep, a little longer snooze, a little more folding of the arms to rest”—
34 saa skal din Armod komme som en Vandringsmand og din Mangel som skjoldvæbnet Mand.
and poverty will attack you like a robber, destitution like an armed warrior.
