Prædikeren 11
1 Kast dit Brød paa Vandet, Thi du faar det igen, gaar end lang Tid hen.
Send forth thy bread on the face of the waters, For in the multitude of the days thou dost find it.
2 Del dit Gods i syv otte Dele, thi du ved ej, hvad ondt der kan ske paa Jorden.
Give a portion to seven, and even to eight, For thou knowest not what evil is on the earth.
3 Er Skyerne fulde af Regn, saa gyder de den ud over Jorden; og falder et Træ mod Syd eller Nord; saa bliver det liggende der, hvor det falder.
If the thick clouds are full of rain, On the earth they empty [themselves]; And if a tree doth fall in the south or to the north, The place where the tree falleth, there it is.
4 Man faar aldrig saaet, naar man kigger efter Vinden, og aldrig høstet, naar man ser efter Skyerne.
Whoso is observing the wind soweth not, And whoso is looking on the thick clouds reapeth not.
5 Som du ikke kender Vindens Vej eller Fostret i Moders Liv, saa kender du ej heller Guds Virke, han, som virker alt.
As thou knowest not what [is] the way of the spirit, How — bones in the womb of the full one, So thou knowest not the work of God who maketh the whole.
6 Saa din Sæd ved Gry og lad Haanden ej hvile ved Kvæld; thi du ved ej, om dette eller hint vil lykkes, eller begge Dele er lige gode.
In the morning sow thy seed, And at even withdraw not thy hand, For thou knowest not which is right, this or that, Or whether both of them alike [are] good.
7 Lyset er lifligt, at skue Solen er godt for Øjnene;
Sweet also [is] the light, And good for the eyes to see the sun.
8 ja, lever et Menneske mange Aar, skal han glæde sig over dem alle og komme Mørkets Dage i Hu, thi af dem er der mange i Vente; alt, hvad der kommer, er Tomhed.
But, if man liveth many years, In all of them let him rejoice, And remember the days of darkness, For they are many! all that is coming [is] vanity.
9 Glæd dig, Yngling, i din Ungdom, vær vel til Mode i Livets Vaar; gaa, hvor dit Hjerte lyster, og nyd, hvad dit Øje skuer; men vid, at for alle disse Ting skal du kræves til Regnskab af Gud.
Rejoice, O young man, in thy childhood, And let thy heart gladden thee in days of thy youth, And walk in the ways of thy heart, And in the sight of thine eyes, And know thou that for all these, Doth God bring thee into judgment.
10 Slaa Mismod ud af dit Sind, hold Sygdom fjernt fra din Krop; thi Ungdom og Livsgry er Tomhed!
And turn aside anger from thy heart, And cause evil to pass from thy flesh, For the childhood and the age [are] vanity!
