Prædikeren 5
1 Va'r din Fod, naar du gaar til Guds Hus! At komme for at høre er bedre, end at Daarer bringer Slagtoffer, thi de har ikke Forstand til andet end at gøre ondt.
Keep thy foot, when thou goest into the house of God, and draw nigh to hear. For much better is obedience, than the victims of fools, who know not what evil they do.
2 Lad ikke din Mund løbe eller dit Hjerte haste med at udtale et Ord for Guds Aasyn; thi Gud er i Himmelen og du paa Jorden, derfor skal dine Ord være faa.
Speak not any thing rashly, and let not thy heart be hasty to utter a word before God. For God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.
3 Thi meget Slid giver Drømme, og mange Ord giver Daaretale.
Dreams follow many cares: and in many words shall be found folly.
4 Naar du giver Gud et Løfte, saa tøv ikke med at holde det! Thi der er ingen Glæde ved Daarer. Hvad du lover, skal du holde.
If thou hast vowed any thing to God, defer not to pay it: for an unfaithful and foolish promise displeaseth him: but whatsoever thou hast vowed, pay it.
5 Det er bedre, at du ikke lover, end at du lover uden at holde.
And it is much better not to vow, than after a vow not to perform the things promised.
6 Lad ikke din Mund bringe Skyld over dit Legeme og sig ikke til Guds Sendebud, at det var af Vanvare! Hvorfor skal Gud vredes over din Tale og nedbryde dine Hænders Værk?
Give not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin: and say not before the angel: There is no providence: lest God be angry at thy words, and destroy all the works of thy hands.
7 Thi af mange Drømme og Ord kommer mange Skuffelser; nej, frygt Gud!
Where there are many dreams, there are many vanities, and words without number: but do thou fear God.
8 Naar du ser den fattige undertrykt og Lov og Ret krænket paa din Egn, saa undre dig ikke over den Ting; thi paa den høje vogter en højere, og andre endnu højere vogter paa dem begge.
If thou shalt see the oppressions of the poor, and violent judgments, and justice perverted in the province, wonder not at this matter: for he that is high hath another higher, and there are others still higher than these:
9 Dog, en Fordel for et Land er det i alt Fald, at der er en Konge over dyrket Jord.
Moreover there is the king that reigneth over all the land subject to him.
10 Den, der elsker Sølv, mættes aldrig af Sølv, og den, der elsker Rigdom, mættes aldrig af Vinding. Ogsaa det er Tomhed.
A covetous man shall not be satisfied with money: and he that loveth riches shall reap no fruit from them: so this also is vanity.
11 Jo mere Gods, des flere til at fortære det, og hvad Gavn har Ejeren da deraf, ud over at hans Øjne ser det?
Where there are great riches, there are also many to eat them. And what doth it profit the owner, but that he seeth the riches with his eyes?
12 Sød er Arbejderens Søvn, hvad enten han har lidt eller meget at spise; men den riges Overflod giver ikke ham Lov til at sove.
Sleep is sweet to a labouring man, whether he eat little or much: but the fulness of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.
13 Der er et slemt Onde, som jeg saa under Solen: Rigdom gemt hen af sin Ejermand til hans Ulykke;
There is also another grievous evil, which I have seen under the sun: riches kept to the hurt of the owner.
14 gaar Rigdommen tabt ved et Uheld, og han har avlet en Søn, saa bliver der intet til ham.
For they are lost with very great affliction: he hath begotten a son, who shall be in extremity of want.
15 Som han udgik af sin Moders Liv, skal han atter gaa bort, lige saa nøgen som han kom, og ved sin Flid vinder han intet, han kan tage med sig.
As he came forth naked from his mother’s womb, so shall he return, and shall take nothing away with him of his labour.
16 Ogsaa det er et slemt Onde: ganske som han kom, gaar han bort, og hvad Vinding har han saa af, at han gør sig Flid hen i Vejret?
A most deplorable evil: as he came, so shall he return. What then doth it profit him that he hath laboured for the wind?
17 Og dertil kommer et helt Liv i Mørke, Sorg og stor Kvide, Sygdom og Kummer.
All the days of his life he eateth in darkness, and in many cares, and in misery, and sorrow.
18 Se, hvad der efter mit Skøn er godt og smukt, det er at spise og drikke og nyde det gode under al den Flid, man gør sig under Solen, alle de Levedage Gud giver en; thi det er den Del, man har;
This therefore hath seemed good to me, that a man should eat and drink, and enjoy the fruit of his labour, wherewith he hath laboured under the sun, all the days of his life, which God hath given him: and this is his portion.
19 og hver Gang Gud giver et Menneske Rigdom og Gods og sætter ham i Stand til at nyde det, og tage sin Del og glæde sig under sin Flid, da er det en Guds Gave;
And every man to whom God hath given riches, and substance, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to enjoy his portion, and to rejoice of his labour: this is the gift of God.
20 thi da tænker han ikke stort paa sine Levedage, idet Gud lader ham være optaget af sit Hjertes Glæde.
For he shall not much remember the days of his life, because God entertaineth his heart with delight,
