< Prædikeren 7 >
1 Godt Navn er bedre end ypperlig Salve, Dødsdag bedre end Fødselsdag;
A good name is better than costly perfume, and the day of death is better 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
It is better to go to a house of mourning than to a house of feasting, for mourning comes to all people at the end of life, so living people must take this to heart.
3 Bedre Græmmelse end Latter, thi er Minerne mørke, har Hjertet det godt.
Grief is better than laughter, for after sadness of face comes gladness of heart.
4 De vises Hjerte er i Sørgehuset. Tåbernes Hjerte i Glædeshuset.
The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of feasting.
5 Bedre at høre på Vismands Skænd end at høre på Tåbers Sang.
It is better to listen to the rebuke of the wise than to listen to the song of fools.
6 Som Tjørnekvistes Knitren under Gryden er Tåbers Latter; også det er Tomhed.
For like the crackling of thorns burning under a pot, so also is the laughter of fools. This, too, is vapor.
7 Thi uredelig Vinding gør Vismand til Dåre, og Stikpenge ødelægger Hjertet.
Extortion certainly makes a wise man foolish, and a bribe corrupts the heart.
8 En Sags Udgang er bedre end dens Indgang, Tålmod er bedre end Hovmod.
Better is the end of a matter than the beginning; and the people patient in spirit are better than the proud in spirit.
9 Vær ikke hastig i dit Sind til at græmmes, thi Græmmelse bor i Tåbers Bryst.
Do not be quick to anger in your spirit, for anger resides in the hearts of fools.
10 Spørg ikke: "Hvoraf kommer det, at de gamle Dage var bedre end vore?" Thi således spørger du ikke med Visdom.
Do not say, “Why were the days of old better than these?” For it is not because of wisdom that you ask this question.
11 Bedre er Visdom end Arv, en Fordel for dem, som skuer Solen;
Wisdom, like an inheritance, is good. It benefits those who see the sun.
12 thi Visdom skygger, som Penge skygger, men Kundskabs Fortrin er dette, at Visdom holder sin Mand i Live.
For wisdom provides protection as money can provide protection, but the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom gives life to whoever has it.
13 Se på Guds Værk! Hvo kan rette, hvad han har gjort kroget?
Consider the deeds of God: Who can straighten out anything he has 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.
When times are good, live happily in that good, but when times are bad, consider this: God has allowed both to exist side by side. For this reason, no one will find out anything that is coming 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.
I have seen many things in my meaningless days. There are righteous people who perish in spite of their righteousness, and there are wicked people who live a long life in spite of their evil.
16 Vær ikke alt for retfærdig og te dig ikke overvættes viis; hvorfor vil du ødelægge dig selv?
Do not be self-righteous, wise in your own eyes. Why should you destroy yourself?
17 Vær ikke alt for gudløs og vær ingen Dåre; hvorfor vil du dø i Utide?
Do not be too wicked or foolish. Why should you die before 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 should take hold of this wisdom, and that you should not let go of righteousness. For the person who fears God will meet all his obligations.
19 Visdom gør Vismand stærkere end ti Magthavere i Byen.
Wisdom is powerful in the wise man, more than ten rulers in a city.
20 Thi intet Menneske er så retfærdigt på Jorden, at han kun gør gode Gerninger og aldrig synder.
There is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.
21 Giv ikke Agt på alle de Ord, Folk siger, at du ikke skal høre din Træl forbande dig;
Do not listen to every word that is spoken, because you might hear your servant curse you.
22 thi du ved med dig selv, at også du mange Gange har forbandet andre.
Similarly, you know yourself that in your own heart you have often cursed others.
23 Alt dette ransagede jeg med Visdom; jeg tænkte: "Jeg vil vorde viis." Men Visdom holdt sig langt fra mig;
All this have I proven by wisdom. I said, “I will be wise,” but it was more than I could be.
24 Tingenes Grund er langt borte, så dyb, så dyb; hvem kan finde den?
Wisdom is far off and very deep. Who can find 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 turned my heart to learn and examine and seek wisdom and the explanations of reality, and to understand that evil is stupid and that folly is madness.
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.
I found that more bitter than death is any woman whose heart is full of snares and nets, and whose hands are chains. Whoever pleases God will escape from her, but the sinner will be taken by her.
27 Se, det fandt jeg ud, sagde Prædikeren, ved at lægge det ene til det andet for at drage min Slutning.
“Consider what I have discovered,” says the Teacher. “I have been adding one discovery to another in order to find an explanation of reality.
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.
This is what I am still looking for, but I have not found it. I did find one righteous man among a thousand, but a woman among all those I did not find.
29 Dog se, det fandt jeg, at Gud har skabt Menneskene, som de bør være; men de har så mange sære Ting for.
I have discovered only this: That God created humanity upright, but they have gone away looking for many difficulties.”