Prædikeren 2
1 Jeg sagde ved mig selv: »Vel, jeg vil prøve med Glæde; saa nyd da det gode!« Men se, ogsaa det var Tomhed.
Said, I, in my heart, Come now! I will prove thee with gladness, and look thou on blessedness, —but lo! even that, was vanity.
2 Om Latteren sagde jeg: »Daarskab!« og om Glæden: »Hvad gavner den?«
Of laughter, I said, Madness! and, of mirth, What can it do?
3 Jeg kom paa den Tanke at kvæge mit Legeme med Vin, medens mit Hjerte dog raadede med Visdom, og at slaa mig paa Daarskab, indtil jeg saa, hvad det baader Menneskens Børn at gøre under Himmelen, det Dagetal de lever.
I sought out with my heart, to cherish with wine, my flesh, —but, my heart, was to guide with wisdom, even in laying hold of folly, until I should see which was blessedness for the sons of men, as to that which they could do, under the heavens, during the number of the days of their life.
4 Jeg fuldbyrdede store Værker, byggede mig Huse, plantede mig Vingaarde,
I enlarged my works, —I built me houses, I planted me vineyards;
5 anlagde mig Haver og Lunde og plantede alle Haande Frugttræer deri,
I made me gardens, and parks, —I planted in them trees of every kind of fruit;
6 anlagde mig Damme til at vande en Skov i Opvækst;
I made me pools of water, —to irrigate therefrom the thick-set saplings growing up into trees:
7 jeg købte Trælle og Trælkvinder, og jeg havde hjemmefødte Trælle; ogsaa Kvæg, Hornkvæg og Smaakvæg, havde jeg i større Maader end nogen af dem, der før mig havde været i Jerusalem;
I acquired, men-servants and women-servants, and, the children of the household, were mine, —also possessions, herds and flocks in abundance, were mine, beyond all who had been before me in Jerusalem;
8 jeg samlede mig ogsaa Sølv og Guld, Skatte fra Konger og Lande; jeg tog mig Sangere og Sangerinder og Menneskens Børns Lyst: Hustru og Hustruer.
I heaped me up, both silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings, and provinces, —I provided me singing-men and singing-women, and the delights of the sons of men, a wife and wives.
9 Og jeg blev stor, større end nogen af dem, der før mig havde været i Jerusalem; desuden blev min Visdom hos mig.
So I became great, and increased, more than any one who had been before me in Jerusalem, —moreover, my wisdom, remained with me;
10 Intet, som mine Øjne attraaede, unddrog jeg dem; jeg nægtede ikke mit Hjerte nogen Glæde thi mit Hjerte havde Glæde af al min Flid, og deri laa Lønnen for al min Flid.
and, nothing that mine eyes asked, withheld I from them, —I did not keep back my heart from any gladness, for, my heart, obtained gladness out of all my toil, and so, this, was my portion, out of all my toil.
11 Men da jeg overskuede alt, hvad mine Hænder havde virket, og den Flid, det havde kostet mig, se, da var det alt sammen Tomhed og Jag efter Vind, og der er ingen Vinding under Solen.
When, I, looked upon all my works, which my hands had made, and on my toil, whereon I had toilsomely wrought, then lo! all, was vanity, and feeding on wind, and there was no profit under the sun.
12 Thi hvad gør det Menneske, som kommer efter Kongen? Det samme, som tilforn er gjort? Jeg gav mig da til at sammenligne Visdom med Daarskab og Taabelighed.
Thus turned, I, to look at wisdom, and madness and folly, —for what can the man [do more] who cometh after the king? [save] that which, already, men have done.
13 Jeg saa, at Visdom har samme Fortrin for Taabelighed som Lys for Mørke:
Then saw, I, that wisdom doth excel folly, —as far as light excelleth darkness.
14 Den vise har Øjne i Hovedet, men Taaben vandrer i Mørke. Men jeg skønnede ogsaa, at en og samme Skæbne rammer begge.
As for the wise man, his eyes, are in his head, whereas, the dullard, in darkness, doth walk, —but, I myself, knew that, one destiny, happeneth to them, all.
15 Da sagde jeg ved mig selv: »Taabens Skæbne rammer ogsaa mig; hvad har jeg da for, at jeg er blevet overvættes viis?« Og jeg sagde ved mig selv, at ogsaa det er Tomhed;
Then said, I, in my heart, As it happeneth to the dullard, even to me, will it happen, but wherefore, then, became, I, wise to excess? Therefore spake I, in my heart, Even this, is vanity.
16 thi den vises Minde er lige saa lidt evigt som Taabens, fordi nu engang alt glemmes i kommende Dage; ak! den vise maa dø saa godt som Taaben.
For there is no remembrance of a wise man, more than of a dullard, unto times age-abiding, —seeing that, already, in the days to come, all hath been forgotten, how then cometh it that the wise man dieth equally with the dullard?
17 Da blev jeg led ved Livet, thi ilde tyktes mig det, som sker under Solen; thi det er alt sammen Tomhed og Jag efter Vind.
Therefore I hated life, for, a vexation unto me, was the work which was done under the sun, —for, all, was vanity, and a feeding on wind.
18 Og jeg blev led ved al den Flid, jeg, har gjort mig under Solen, fordi jeg maa efterlade mit Værk til den, som kommer efter mig.
Therefore hated, I, all my toil, wherein I was toiling, under the sun, —in that I should leave it for the man who should come after me;
19 Hvo ved, om det bliver en Vismand eller en Taabe? Og dog skal han raade over alt, hvad jeg med Flid og Visdom vandt under Solen. Ogsaa det er Tomhed.
and who could know whether a, wise man, he would be or a foolish, and yet he would lord it over all my toil, wherein I had toiled and wherein I had acted wisely, under the sun, —even this, was vanity.
20 Og jeg var ved at fortvivle over al den Flid, jeg har gjort mig under Solen;
Then resolved I, to give my heart over to despair, —concerning all the toil, wherein I had toiled, under the sun.
21 thi der har et Menneske gjort sig. Flid med Visdom, Kundskab og Dygtighed, og saa maa han overlade sit Eje til et Menneske, som ikke har lagt Flid derpaa. Ogsaa det er Tomhed og et stort Onde.
For here is a man, whose toil hath been with wisdom and with knowledge and with skill, —yet, to a man who hath not toiled therein, shall he leave it as his portion, even this, was vanity and a great vexation.
22 Thi hvad faar et Menneske for al sin Flid og sit Hjertes Higen, som han gør sig Flid med under Solen?
For what hath the man for all his toil, and for the striving of his heart, —wherein, he himself, toiled under the sun?
23 Alle hans Dage er jo Lidelse, og hans Slid er Græmmelse; end ikke om Natten finder hans Hjerte Hvile. Ogsaa det er Tomhed.
For, all his days, are pains, and, vexatious, is his employment, even in the night, his heart lieth not down, —even this, was, vanity.
24 Intet er bedre for et Menneske end at spise og drikke og give sin Sjæl gode Dage ved sin Flid. Og det skønnede jeg, at ogsaa det kommer fra Guds Haand.
There was nothing more blessed for Man [than] that he should eat and drink, and see his desireth for blessedness in his toil, —even this, saw, I myself, that, from the hand of God, it was.
25 Thi hvo kan spise eller drikke uden hans Vilje?
For who could eat and who could enjoy, so well as I?
26 Thi det Menneske, som er godt i hans Øjne, giver han Visdom, Kundskab og Glæde; men den, som synder, giver han Slid med at samle og ophobe for saa at give det til en, som er god i Guds Øjne. Ogsaa det er Tomhed og Jag efter Vind.
For, to a man who is good before him, hath he given wisdom and knowledge and gladness, —whereas, to the sinner, he hath given employment, to gather and heap up, to give to one who is good before God, even this, was vanity, and a feeding on wind.
