Prædikeren 7
1 Godt Navn er bedre end ypperlig Salve, Dødsdag bedre end Fødselsdag;
Better [is] a name than good perfume, And the day of death than the day of birth.
2 bedre at gå til et Sørgehus end at gå til et Gildehus; thi hist er alle Menneskers Ende, og de levende bør tage det til Hjerte
Better to go to a house of mourning, Than to go to a house of banqueting, For that is the end of all men, And the living lays [it] to his heart.
3 Bedre Græmmelse end Latter, thi er Minerne mørke, har Hjertet det godt.
Better [is] sorrow than laughter, For by the sadness of the face the heart becomes better.
4 De vises Hjerte er i Sørgehuset. Tåbernes Hjerte i Glædeshuset.
The heart of the wise [is] in a house of mourning, And the heart of fools in a house of mirth.
5 Bedre at høre på Vismands Skænd end at høre på Tåbers Sang.
Better to hear a rebuke of a wise man, Than [for] a man to hear a song of fools,
6 Som Tjørnekvistes Knitren under Gryden er Tåbers Latter; også det er Tomhed.
For as the noise of thorns under the pot, So [is] the laughter of a fool, even this [is] vanity.
7 Thi uredelig Vinding gør Vismand til Dåre, og Stikpenge ødelægger Hjertet.
Surely oppression makes the wise mad, And a gift destroys the heart.
8 En Sags Udgang er bedre end dens Indgang, Tålmod er bedre end Hovmod.
Better [is] the latter end of a thing than its beginning, Better [is] the patient of spirit, than the haughty of spirit.
9 Vær ikke hastig i dit Sind til at græmmes, thi Græmmelse bor i Tåbers Bryst.
Do not be hasty in your spirit to be angry, For anger in the bosom of fools rests.
10 Spørg ikke: "Hvoraf kommer det, at de gamle Dage var bedre end vore?" Thi således spørger du ikke med Visdom.
Do not say, “What was it, That the former days were better than these?” For you have not asked wisely of this.
11 Bedre er Visdom end Arv, en Fordel for dem, som skuer Solen;
Wisdom [is] good with an inheritance, And an advantage [it is] to those beholding the sun.
12 thi Visdom skygger, som Penge skygger, men Kundskabs Fortrin er dette, at Visdom holder sin Mand i Live.
For wisdom [is] a defense, money [is] a defense, And the advantage of the knowledge of wisdom [is], She revives her possessors.
13 Se på Guds Værk! Hvo kan rette, hvad han har gjort kroget?
See the work of God, For who is able to make straight that which He made crooked?
14 Vær ved godt Mod på den gode Dag og indse på den onde Dag, at Gud skabte denne såvel som hin, for at Mennesket ikke skal finde noget efter sig.
In a day of prosperity be in gladness, And in a day of calamity consider: God has also made this alongside of that, To the intent that man does not find anything after him.
15 Begge Dele så jeg i mine tomme Dage: Der er retfærdige, som omkommer i deres Retfærdighed, og der er gudløse, som lever længe i deres Ondskab.
The whole I have considered in the days of my vanity. There is a righteous one perishing in his righteousness, and there is a wrongdoer prolonging [himself] in his wrong.
16 Vær ikke alt for retfærdig og te dig ikke overvættes viis; hvorfor vil du ødelægge dig selv?
Do not be over-righteous, nor show yourself too wise, why are you desolate?
17 Vær ikke alt for gudløs og vær ingen Dåre; hvorfor vil du dø i Utide?
Do not do much wrong, neither be a fool, why do you die within your time?
18 Det bedste er, at du fastholder det ene og ikke slipper det andet; thi den, der frygter Gud, vil undgå begge Farer.
[It is] good that you lay hold on this, and also, do not withdraw your hand from that, for whoever is fearing God goes out with them all.
19 Visdom gør Vismand stærkere end ti Magthavere i Byen.
The wisdom gives strength to a wise man, more than wealth the rulers who have been in a city.
20 Thi intet Menneske er så retfærdigt på Jorden, at han kun gør gode Gerninger og aldrig synder.
Because there is not a righteous man on earth that does good and does not sin.
21 Giv ikke Agt på alle de Ord, Folk siger, at du ikke skal høre din Træl forbande dig;
Also to all the words that they speak do not give your heart, that you do not hear your servant reviling you.
22 thi du ved med dig selv, at også du mange Gange har forbandet andre.
For many times also has your heart known that you yourself have also reviled others.
23 Alt dette ransagede jeg med Visdom; jeg tænkte: "Jeg vil vorde viis." Men Visdom holdt sig langt fra mig;
All this I have tried by wisdom; I have said, “I am wise,” and it [is] far from me.
24 Tingenes Grund er langt borte, så dyb, så dyb; hvem kan finde den?
Far off [is] that which has been, and deep, deep, who finds it?
25 Jeg tog mig for at vende min Hu til Kundskab og Granskning og til at søge efter Visdom og sikker Viden og til at kende, at Gudløshed er Tåbelighed, Dårskab Vanvid.
I have turned around, also my heart, to know and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and reason, and to know the wrong of folly, and the madness of foolishness.
26 Og beskere end Døden fandt jeg Kvinden, thi hun er et Fangegarn; hendes Hjerfe er et Net og hendes Arme Lænker. Den, som er Gud kær, undslipper hende, men Synderen bliver hendes Fange.
And I am finding more bitter than death, the woman whose heart [is] nets and snares, her hands [are] bands; the good before God escapes from her, but the sinner is captured by her.
27 Se, det fandt jeg ud, sagde Prædikeren, ved at lægge det ene til det andet for at drage min Slutning.
See, this I have found, said the Preacher, one to one, to find out the reason
28 Hvad min Sjæl stadig søgte, men ikke fandt, er dette: Een Mand fandt jeg blandt tusind, men en Kvinde fandt jeg ikke i hele Flokken.
(that still my soul had sought, and I had not found), One man, a teacher, I have found, and a woman among all these I have not found.
29 Dog se, det fandt jeg, at Gud har skabt Menneskene, som de bør være; men de har så mange sære Ting for.
See, this alone I have found, that God made man upright, and they have sought out many inventions.
