Prædikeren 3
1 Alt har sin Stund og hver en Ting under Himmelen sin Tid:
For, every thing, there is a season, —and a time for every pursuit, under the heavens: —
2 Tid til at fødes og Tid til at dø, Tid til at plante og Tid til at rydde,
A time to be born, and a time to die, —A time to plant, and a time to uproot what is planted;
3 Tid til at dræbe og Tid til at læge, Tid til at nedrive og Tid til at opbygge,
A time to kill, and a time to heal, —A time to break down, and a time to build up;
4 Tid til at græde og Tid til at le, Tid til at sørge og Tid til at danse,
A time to weep, and a time to laugh, —A time to wail, and a time to dance for joy;
5 Tid til at kaste Sten, og Tid til at sanke Sten, Tid til at favne og Tid til ikke at favne,
A time to cast away stones, and a time to heap up stones, —A time to embrace, and a time to be far from loving embrace;
6 Tid til at søge og Tid til at miste, Tid til at gemme og Tid til at bortkaste,
A time to seek, and a time to give up as lost, —A time to keep, and a time to cast away;
7 Tid til at flænge og Tid til at sy, Tid til at tie og Tid til at tale,
A time to rend, and a time to sew, —A time to be silent, and a time to speak;
8 Tid til at elske og Tid til at hade, Tid til Krig og Tid til Fred.
A time to love and a time to hate, —A time of war, and a time of peace.
9 Hvad Løn for sin Flid har da den, der arbejder?
What profit hath he that worketh, in that wherein, himself, hath toiled?
10 Jeg saa det Slid, som Gud har givet Menneskens Børn at slide med.
I looked at the employment which God hath given to the sons of men, to work therein:
11 Alt har han skabt smukt til rette Tid; ogsaa Evigheden har han lagt i deres Hjerte, dog saaledes at Menneskene hverken fatter det første eller det sidste af, hvad Gud har virket.
Everything, hath he made beautiful in its own time, —also, intelligence, hath he put in their heart, without which men could not find out the work which God hath wrought, from the beginning even unto the end.
12 Jeg skønnede, at der ikke gives noget andet Gode for dem end at glæde sig og have det godt, saa længe de lever.
I know that there is no blessedness in them, —save to be glad, and to do well with one’s life.
13 Dog ogsaa det at spise og drikke og nyde det gode under al sin Flid er for hvert Menneske en Guds Gave.
Though indeed, that any man should eat and drink, and see blessedness, in all his toil, it is, the gift of God.
14 Jeg skønnede, at alt, hvad Gud virker, bliver evindelig, uden at noget kan føjes til eller tages fra; og saaledes har Gud gjort det, for at man skal frygte for hans Aasyn.
I know, that, whatsoever God doeth, the same, shall be age-abiding, unto it, there is nothing to add, and, from it, there is nothing to take away, —and, God, hath done it, that men should stand in awe before him.
15 Hvad der sker, var allerede, og hvad der skal ske, har allerede været; Gud leder det svundne op.
That which was, already, had been, and, that which shall be, already, shall have been, —but, God, seeketh that which hath been chased away.
16 Fremdeles saa jeg under Solen, at Gudløshed var paa Rettens Sted og Gudløshed paa Retfærds Sted.
Then, again, I saw under the sun, the place of justice, that there was lawlessness, and, the place of righteousness, that there was lawlessness.
17 Jeg sagde ved mig selv: »Den retfærdige og den gudløse dømmer Gud; thi for hver en Ting og hver en Idræt har han fastsat en Tid.«
Said, I, in my heart, Both the righteous and the lawless, will God judge, —for [there will be] a time for every pursuit, and concerning every work—there.
18 Jeg sagde ved mig selv: »Det er for Menneskenes Skyld, for at Gud kan prøve dem, og for at de selv kan se, at de er Dyr.«
Said, I, in my heart, as concerning the sons of men, That God was minded to prove them, —and that they might see, that they were beasts, of themselves.
19 Thi Menneskers og Dyrs Skæbne er ens; som den ene dør, dør den anden, og en og samme Aand har de alle; Mennesket har intet forud for Dyrene, thi alt er Tomhed.
For, as regardeth the destiny of the sons of men and the destiny of beasts, one fate, have they, as dieth the one, so, dieth the other, and, one spirit, have they all, —and, the pre-eminence of man over beast, is nothing, for, all, were vanity:
20 Alle gaar sammesteds hen, alle blev til af Muld, og alle vender tilbage til Mulden.
all, go unto one place, —all, came from the dust, and all, return to the dust.
21 Hvo ved, om Menneskenes Aand stiger opad, og om Dyrenes Aand farer nedad til Jorden?
Who knoweth the spirit of the sons of men, whether it, ascendeth, above, —or the spirit of the beast, whether it, descendeth, below, to the earth?
22 Saaledes indsaa jeg, at intet er bedre for Mennesket end at glæde sig ved sin Gerning, thi det er hans Del; thi hvo kan bringe ham saa vidt, at han kan se, hvad der kommer efter hans Død?
So I saw, that there was nothing better than that a man should be glad in his works, for, that, is his portion, —for who can bring him in, to look upon that which shall be after him?
