Ordsprogene 24
1 Misund ej onde Folk, hav ikke lyst til at være med dem;
Be not thou envious of wicked men, And desire not to be with them!
2 thi deres Hjerte pønser paa Vold, deres Læbers Ord volder Men.
For their heart studieth destruction, And their lips speak mischief.
3 Ved Visdom bygges et Hus, ved Indsigt holdes det oppe,
Through wisdom is a house builded, And by understanding is it established;
4 ved Kundskab fyldes Kamrene med alskens kosteligt, herligt Gods.
Yea, by knowledge are the chambers filled With all precious and goodly substance.
5 Vismand er større end Kæmpe, kyndig Mand mer end Kraftkarl.
The wise man is strong; Yea, the man of understanding establisheth his strength.
6 Thi Krig skal du føre efter modent Overlæg, vel staar det til, hvor mange giver Raad.
For by wise counsel shalt thou make war, And by the multitude of counsellors cometh success.
7 Visdom er Daaren for høj, han aabner ej Munden i Porten.
Wisdom is too high for the fool; He openeth not his mouth at the gate.
8 Den, der har ondt i Sinde, kaldes en rænkefuld Mand.
He that deviseth to do evil Shall be called mischief-master.
9 Hvad en Daare har for, er Synd, en Spotter er Folk en Gru.
The purpose of folly is sin; And a scoffer is an abomination to men.
10 Taber du Modet paa Trængslens Dag, da er din Kraft kun ringe.
If thy spirit faint in the day of adversity, Faint will be thy strength.
11 Frels dem, der slæbes til Døden, red dem, der vakler hen for at dræbes.
Deliver thou those who are dragged to death, And those who totter to the slaughter, —O keep them back!
12 Siger du: »Se, jeg vidste det ikke« — mon ej han, der vejer Hjerter, kan skønne? Han, der tager Vare paa din Sjæl, han ved det, han gengælder Mennesker, hvad de har gjort.
If thou sayst, “Behold, we knew it not!” Doth not he that weigheth the heart observe it? Yea, he that keepeth thy soul knoweth it. And he will render to every man according to his works.
13 Spis Honning, min Søn, det er godt, og Kubens Saft er sød for din Gane;
Eat honey, my son, for it is good, And the honeycomb, which is sweet to thy taste;
14 vid, at saa er og Visdom for Sjælen! Naar du finder den, har du en Fremtid, dit Haab bliver ikke til intet.
So learn thou wisdom for thy soul! When thou hast found it, there shall be a reward, And thy expectation shall not be cut off.
15 Lur ej paa den retfærdiges Bolig, du gudløse, ødelæg ikke hans Hjem;
Plot not, O wicked man! against the habitation of the righteous; Spoil not his resting-place!
16 thi syv Gange falder en retfærdig og staar op, men gudløse styrter i Fordærv.
For though the righteous fall seven times, yet shall he rise up again; But the wicked shall fall into mischief.
17 Falder din Fjende, saa glæd dig ikke, snubler han, juble dit Hjerte ikke,
Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, And let not thy heart be glad when he stumbleth;
18 at ikke HERREN skal se det med Mishag og vende sin Vrede fra ham.
Lest the LORD see, and it displease him, And he turn away his anger from him.
19 Græm dig ej over Ugerningsmænd, misund ikke de gudløse;
Fret not thyself on account of evil men, Neither be thou envious of the wicked;
20 thi den onde har ingen Fremtid, gudløses Lampe gaar ud.
For there shall be no posterity to the evil man; The lamp of the wicked shall be put out.
21 Frygt HERREN og Kongen, min Søn, indlad dig ikke med Folk, som gør Oprør;
My son, fear thou the LORD and the king; And mingle not with them that are given to change!
22 thi brat kommer Ulykke fra dem, uventet Fordærv fra begge.
For their calamity shall rise up suddenly, And their ruin, coming from them both, in a moment.
23 Ogsaa følgende Ordsprog er af vise Mænd. Partiskhed i Retten er ilde.
These also are words of the wise. It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment.
24 Mod den, som kender en skyldig fri, er Folkeslags Banden, Folkefærds Vrede;
He that saith to the wicked, “Thou art righteous,” Him shall the people curse; Nations shall abhor him.
25 men dem, der dømmer med Ret, gaar det vel, dem kommer Lykkens Velsignelse over.
But it shall be well with them that punish him, And the blessing of prosperity shall come upon them.
26 Et Kys paa Læberne giver den, som kommer med ærligt Svar.
He that giveth a right answer Kisseth the lips.
27 Fuldfør din Gerning udendørs, gør dig færdig ude paa Marken og byg dig siden et Hus!
Arrange thy work without, And prepare it in thy field: Afterwards thou mayst build thy house.
28 Vidn ikke falsk mod din Næste, vær ikke letsindig med dine Læber;
Be not a witness without cause against thy neighbor, And deceive not with thy lips.
29 sig ikke: »Jeg gør mod ham, som han gjorde mod mig, jeg gengælder hver hans Gerning.«
Say not, “As he hath done to me, So will I do to him; I will render to the man according to his doings.”
30 Jeg kom forbi en lad Mands Mark og et uforstandigt Menneskes Vingaard;
I passed by the field of the slothful, And by the vineyard of the man void of understanding,
31 se, den var overgroet af Tidsler, ganske skjult af Nælder; Stendiget om den laa nedbrudt.
And, lo! it was all overgrown with thorns, And the face thereof was covered with nettles, And the stone wall thereof was broken down.
32 Jeg skued og skrev mig det bag Øre, jeg saa og tog Lære deraf:
Then I saw, and considered it well; I looked upon it. and received instruction.
33 Lidt Søvn endnu, lidt Blund, lidt Hvile med samlagte Hænder:
“A little sleep, a little slumber! A little folding of the hands to rest!”
34 Som en Stimand kommer da Fattigdom over dig, Trang som en skjoldvæbnet Mand.
So shall poverty come upon thee like a highwayman; Yea, want like an armed man.
