Ordsprogene 24
1 Misund ej onde Folk, hav ikke lyst til at være med dem;
Don't be jealous of evil people; don't long to spend time with them,
2 thi deres Hjerte pønser på Vold, deres Læbers Ord volder Men.
for they think up cruel plans and discuss how to cause trouble.
3 Ved Visdom bygges et Hus, ved Indsigt holdes det oppe,
A house is built by wisdom; its foundation is made secure through understanding.
4 ved Kundskab fyldes kamrene med alskens kosteligt, herligt Gods.
Its rooms are filled by knowledge with all kinds of valuable and beautiful objects.
5 Vismand er større end Kæmpe, kyndig Mand mer end Kraftkarl.
If you have wisdom, you are strong; if you have knowledge, your power increases,
6 Thi Krig skal du føre efter modent Overlæg, vel står det til, hvor mange giver Råd.
for with wise guidance you can go to war; you will be victorious by having many good advisors.
7 Visdom er Dåren for høj, han åbner ej Munden i Porten.
Wisdom goes over the heads of stupid people; they have nothing to contribute when important matters are discussed.
8 Den, der har ondt i Sinde, kaldes en rænkefuld Mand.
Anyone who plans to do evil will be seen as a troublemaker.
9 Hvad en Dåre har for, er Synd, en Spotter er Folk en Gru.
Plans thought up by stupid people are sinful. Everyone hates those who are scornful of others.
10 Taber du Modet på Trængslens Dag, da er din Kraft kun ringe.
If you give up in times of trouble, it shows how weak you are.
11 Frels dem, der slæbes til Døden, red dem, der vakler hen for at dræbes.
Rescue those who are being led away to be executed; save those who are stumbling on their way to be slaughtered.
12 Siger du: "Se, jeg vidste det ikke" - mon ej han, der vejer Hjerter, kan skønne? Han, der tager Vare på din Sjæl, han ved det, han gengælder Mennesker, hvad de har gjort.
If you say, “Look, we didn't know anything about this,” don't you think the God who judges your motives will see what's happening? He who watches over you knows, and he will pay people back for what they've done.
13 Spis Honning, min Søn, det er godt, og Kubens Saft er sød for din Gane;
My son, eating honey is good for you; the honeycomb tastes sweet.
14 vid, at så er og Visdom for Sjælen! Når du finder den, har du en Fremtid, dit Håb bliver ikke til intet.
In the same way, you should know that wisdom is good for you; if you find it, there will be a future for you, and your hope will not be crushed.
15 Lur ej på den retfærdiges Bolig, du gudløse, ødelæg ikke hans Hjem;
Don't be like a criminal waiting to ambush the home of good people; don't attack the place where they live.
16 thi syv Gange falder en retfærdig og står op, men gudløse styrter i Fordærv.
Those who do right may fall down seven times, and still get up again; but the wicked are brought down by disaster.
17 Falder din Fjende, så glæd dig ikke, snubler han, juble dit Hjerte ikke,
Don't celebrate when your enemies fall; don't be glad when they trip up,
18 at ikke HERREN skal se det med Mishag og vende sin Vrede fra ham.
otherwise when the Lord sees it, he'll be unhappy with you and won't punish your enemies as he planned.
19 Græm dig ej over Ugerningsmænd, misund ikke de gudløse;
Don't get all upset over the wicked, or be jealous of those who do wrong,
20 thi den onde har ingen Fremtid, gudløses Lampe går ud.
for evil people have no future—the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out.
21 Frygt HERREN og Kongen, min Søn, indlad dig ikke med Folk, som gør Oprør;
My son, honor the Lord and the king, and don't join those who are rebellious,
22 thi brat kommer Ulykke fra dem, uventet Fordærv fra begge.
for disaster will suddenly fall on them. Who knows how the Lord and king will punish them?
23 Også følgende Ordsprog er af vise Mænd. Partiskhed i Retten er ilde.
These are more sayings of the wise: Showing favoritism when passing judgment is wrong.
24 Mod den, som kender en skyldig fri, er Folkeslags Banden, Folkefærds Vrede;
Those who tell the guilty, “You're innocent,” will be cursed by the people and hated by the nation,
25 men dem, der dømmer med Ret, går det vel, dem kommer Lykkens Velsignelse over.
while those who convict the guilty will be appreciated, and will receive a rich blessing.
26 Et Kys på Læberne giver den, som kommer med ærligt Svar.
An honest answer is a kiss on the lips.
27 Fuldfør din Gerning udendørs, gør dig færdig ude på Marken og byg dig siden et Hus!
Do the work you need to do outside first, then prepare and sow your fields, and only after that start building your house.
28 Vidn ikke falsk mod din Næste, vær ikke letsindig med dine Læber;
Don't testify against your neighbors without having a good reason, and don't tell lies.
29 sig ikke: "Jeg gør mod ham, som han gjorde mod mig, jeg gengælder hver hans Gerning."
Don't say to yourself, “I'm going to do to him what he did to me! I'll pay him back for what he's done!”
30 Jeg kom forbi en lad Mands Mark og et uforstandigt Menneskes Vingård;
I walked past the field of a lazy man, past a vineyard of someone with no sense.
31 se, den var overgroet af Tidsler, ganske skjult af Nælder; Stendiget om den lå nedbrudt.
It was all overgrown with thorns, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall had fallen down.
32 Jeg skued og skrev mig det bag Øre, jeg så og tog Lære deraf:
As I looked I thought about it, and what I saw taught me a lesson:
33 Lidt Søvn endnu, lidt Blund, lidt Hvile med samlagte Hænder:
You may say, “Please, just a little more sleep, a little longer snooze, a little more folding of the arms to rest”—
34 Som en Stimand kommer da Fattigdom over dig, Trang som en skjoldvæbnet Mand.
and poverty will attack you like a robber, destitution like an armed warrior.
