Prædikeren 1
1 Ord af Prædikeren, Davids Søn, Konge i Jerusalem.
Words of a preacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem:
2 Endeløs Tomhed, sagde Prædikeren, endeløs Tomhed, alt er Tomhed!
Vanity of vanities, said the Preacher, Vanity of vanities: the whole [is] vanity.
3 Hvad Vinding har Mennesket af al den Flid, han gør sig under Solen?
What advantage [is] to man by all his labour that he laboureth at under the sun?
4 Slægt gaar, og Slægt kommer, men Jorden staar til evig Tid.
A generation is going, and a generation is coming, and the earth to the age is standing.
5 Sol staar op, og Sol gaar ned og haster igen til sin Opgangs Sted.
Also, the sun hath risen, and the sun hath gone in, and unto its place panting it is rising there.
6 Vinden gaar mod Syd og drejer mod Nord, den drejer atter og atter og vender tilbage til samme Kredsløb.
Going unto the south, and turning round unto the north, turning round, turning round, the wind is going, and by its circuits the wind hath returned.
7 Alle Bække løber i Havet, men Havet bliver ikke fuldt; det Sted, til hvilket Bækkene løber, did bliver de ved at løbe.
All the streams are going unto the sea, and the sea is not full; unto a place whither the streams are going, thither they are turning back to go.
8 Alting slider sig træt; Mand hører ikke op med at tale, Øjet bliver ikke mæt af at se, Øret ej fuldt af at høre.
All these things are wearying; a man is not able to speak, the eye is not satisfied by seeing, nor filled is the ear from hearing.
9 Det, der kommer, er det, der var, det, der sker, er det, der skete; der er slet intet nyt under Solen.
What [is] that which hath been? it [is] that which is, and what [is] that which hath been done? it [is] that which is done, and there is not an entirely new thing under the sun.
10 Kommer der noget, om hvilket man siger: »Se, her er da noget nyt!« det har dog for længst været til i Tiderne forud for os.
There is a thing of which [one] saith: 'See this, it [is] new!' already it hath been in the ages that were before us!
11 Ej mindes de svundne Slægter, og de ny, som kommer engang, skal ej heller mindes af dem, som kommer senere hen.
There is not a remembrance of former [generations]; and also of the latter that are, there is no remembrance of them with those that are at the last.
12 Jeg, Prædikeren, var Konge over Israel i Jerusalem.
I, a preacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.
13 Jeg vendte min Hu til at ransage og med Visdom udgranske alt, hvad der sker under Himmelen; det er et ondt Slid, som Gud har givet Menneskens Børn at slide med.
And I have given my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom concerning all that hath been done under the heavens. It [is] a sad travail God hath given to the sons of man to be humbled by it.
14 Jeg saa alt, hvad der sker under Solen, og se, det er alt sammen Tomhed og Jag efter Vind.
I have seen all the works that have been done under the sun, and lo, the whole [is] vanity and vexation of spirit!
15 Kroget kan ej blive lige, og halvt kan ej blive helt.
A crooked thing [one] is not able to make straight, and a lacking thing is not able to be numbered.
16 Jeg tænkte ved mig selv: »Se, jeg har vundet større og rigere Visdom end alle de, der før mig var over Jerusalem, og mit Hjerte har skuet Visdom og Kundskab i Fylde.«
I — I spake with my heart, saying, 'I, lo, I have magnified and added wisdom above every one who hath been before me at Jerusalem, and my heart hath seen abundantly wisdom and knowledge.
17 Jeg vendte min Hu til at fatte, hvad der er Visdom og Kundskab, og hvad der er Daarskab og Taabelighed; jeg skønnede, at ogsaa det er Jag efter Vind.
And I give my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I have known that even this [is] vexation of spirit;
18 Thi megen Visdom megen Græmmelse, øget Kundskab øget Smerte.
for, in abundance of wisdom [is] abundance of sadness, and he who addeth knowledge addeth pain.'
