Prædikeren 5
1 Va'r din fod, når du går til Guds Hus! At komme for at høre er bedre, end at Dårer bringer Slagtoffer, thi de har ikke Forstand til andet end at gøre ondt.
Be careful when you go into God's house. It's better to listen and respond rather than offer meaningless sacrifices. People who do that don't even know they are doing wrong.
2 Lad ikke din Mund løbe eller dit Hjerte haste med at udtale et Ord for Guds Åsyn; thi Gud er i Himmelen og du på Jorden, derfor skal dine Ord være få.
Don't say rash things, and think before you speak to God. For God is in heaven, and you are on earth, so keep it short.
3 Thi meget Slid giver Drømme, og mange Ord giver Dåretale.
When you worry too much, you get nightmares; when you talk too much, you say foolish things.
4 Når du giver Gud et Løfte, så tøv ikke med at holde det! Thi der er ingen Glæde ved Dårer. Hvad du lover, skal du holde.
When you make a vow to God, with a curse on you if you don't keep it, don't be slow in keeping it, for he is not happy with foolish behavior. So do what you promised!
5 Det er bedre, at du ikke lover, end at du lover uden at holde.
Better not to make any vows at all than to make vow you don't keep.
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?
Don't let your mouth cause you to sin. And don't tell the priest that your vow was a mistake, for why would you antagonize God by breaking your promise? He could bring your own curse down on you.
7 Thi af mange Drømme og Ord kommer mange Skuffelser; nej, frygt Gud!
There are certainly many dreams, questions of meaning, and lots of different ideas, but you are to follow God.
8 Når du ser den fattige undertrykt og Lov og Ret krænket på din Egn, så undre dig ikke over den Ting; thi på den høje vogter en højere, og andre endnu højere vogter på dem begge.
If you see poor people somewhere being oppressed, or truth and justice violated, don't be shocked at it, for every official is responsible to others higher up, and there are officials over them as well.
9 Dog, en Fordel for et Land er det i alt Fald, at der er en Konge over dyrket Jord.
However, what the land produces is for everyone—even the king benefits from what is grown.
10 Den, der elsker Sølv, mættes aldrig af Sølv, og den, der elsker Rigdom, mættes aldrig af Vinding. Også det er Tomhed.
People who love money never have enough money; those who love wealth never have enough income. This too is so temporary and makes little sense.
11 Jo mere Gods, des flere til at fortære det, og hvad Gavn har Ejeren da deraf, ud over at hans Øjne ser det?
The more you earn, the more you have eating into your income. It only looks like you have more!
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.
Those who work hard sleep well, whether they have a little to eat or plenty, but the rich own so much they don't get any rest.
13 Der er et slemt Onde, som jeg så under Solen: Rigdom gemt hen af sin Ejermand til hans Ulykke;
I observed something here that is really sickening: people who hoard money damage themselves.
14 går Rigdommen tabt ved et Uheld, og han har avlet en Søn, så bliver der intet til ham.
They put their money into bad investments and lose everything. Now when we're born, we don't bring anything into the world.
15 Som han udgik af sin Moders Liv, skal han atter gå bort, lige så nøgen som han kom, og ved sin Flid vinder han intet, han kan tage med sig.
When we die, we leave just as naked as when we were born, taking nothing with us from all we've worked for.
16 Også det er et slemt Onde: ganske som han kom, går han bort, og hvad Vinding har han så af, at han gør sig Flid hen i Vejret?
This also makes me sick! What do people gain, working for the wind?
17 Og dertil kommer et helt Liv i Mørke, Sorg og stor Kvide, Sygdom og Kummer.
They live their lives in darkness, very frustrated, sick, and resentful.
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;
But I observed that what is good and right is to eat, drink, and to find enjoyment in the work God gives us here in this life. This is God's gift to us.
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;
In addition, everyone to whom God gives wealth and possessions he also gives the ability to enjoy these gifts, to be grateful for what they are given, and to enjoy the work they do. This is also God's gift to us.
20 thi da tænker han ikke stort på sine Levedage, idet Gud lader ham være optaget af sit Hjertes Glæde.
In fact such people have little time to think about life because God keeps them busy with all that makes them happy.
