Prediker 5
1 Let op uw wandel, Als ge opgaat naar Gods huis. Want wie daarheen gaat, om te luisteren, Doet beter dan de dwazen, die wel offeren, Maar niet weten, wanneer zij kwaad doen.
When you enter God’s temple, you should be sure to listen carefully. Doing that is better than offering sacrifices to God [and then not obeying him], which is foolish.
2 Wees niet gauw met uw mond, En laat uw hart geen overijlde woorden uiten voor God; Want God is in de hemel, gij hier op aarde. Wees dus spaarzaam met uw woorden;
Think carefully before you speak [MTY] or before you promise God that you will do something [IDM]. [Do not forget that] God is in heaven [and he is all-powerful] and you are here on the earth, so think carefully before you [make any promises to God].
3 Want zoals dromen uit veel beslommeringen ontstaan, Zo komt er van veel spreken onverstandige taal.
If you are continually thinking [and worrying] about things, you will have bad dreams about them and not rest [well]. And the more you talk, the more likely it will be that you will say things that are foolish.
4 Wanneer gij aan God iets belooft, Stel dan de vervulling niet uit; Want lichtzinnigen behagen Hem niet. Volbreng dus wat gij belooft;
When you solemnly promise God that you will do something, do not be foolish by delaying in doing it, because God is not pleased with foolish people. Do [all] the things that you promise God that you will do.
5 Beter is het niet te beloven, Dan uw belofte niet te volbrengen.
It is better to not promise [anything] than to promise to do something, and [then] not doing it.
6 Laat uw mond geen schuld op u werpen, Door voor Gods afgezant te zeggen: Het was onbewust. Waarom zou God om uw woord in toorn ontsteken, En het werk uwer handen vernielen?
Do not sin by promising to do something and then not doing it. And [when you promise God to do something and do not do it], do not say to God’s priest that it was a mistake for you to promise to do that. If you do that, God will certainly [RHQ] become very angry with you, and he will take from you everything that you [SYN] have worked to acquire.
7 Want zoals er in veel dromen dwaasheid schuilt, Zo ook in veelheid van woorden. Vrees daarentegen God.
Promising to do something and not doing it is like [SIM] a dream that has no value; instead, revere God [by doing what you promised him that you would do].
8 Wanneer de arme verdrukt wordt, En recht en wet worden verkracht: Zo ge dat ziet in het land, Verwonder u hierover dan niet. Want de ene beambte helpt den ander, En de hogere helpt hen beiden;
Do not be surprised if you see poor [people] being (oppressed/treated cruelly) [by powerful/influential people], or if you see judges making unjust decisions throughout the land. [That happens] because the people who do that are supervised [and cheated by] more important officials [DOU],
9 Het enige voordeel, dat het land eruit trekt, Is, dat de koning door zijn land wordt gediend.
and even the king forces the people to give him some of the crops that they harvest.
10 Wie het geld bemint, heeft nooit genoeg; En wie aan rijkdom hangt, heeft er geen voordeel van: Ook dit is ijdelheid.
Everyone who tries to [get as much] money as they can will never think that they have enough. They will never be satisfied with the money that they have. That also is senseless.
11 Waar rijkdom is, zijn vele klaplopers; De bezitter zelf heeft er geen genot van Dan wat lust van de ogen.
The more money that we have, the more people want us to spend our money to buy things for them. So people who have a lot of money do not [RHQ] benefit from it; they see [MTY] it when they get it, but it soon (disappears/is completely spent).
12 Zoet is de rust van den werkman, Of hij weinig of veel te eten heeft; Maar de overvloed van den rijke Stoort hem nog in de slaap.
Those who work hard sleep peacefully [at night], even if they do not have much food to eat. But rich [people] do not sleep well, because [they worry] about their money.
13 Een droevig kwaad zag ik onder de zon: Rijkdom door den bezitter bewaard tot eigen ongeluk.
I have seen [another] terrible thing that happens here on the earth [MTY]: People save [up all] their money and become rich, [but] they are not helped by saving a lot of money,
14 Die rijkdom gaat verloren door tegenspoed; En de kinderen, die hij verwekte, bezitten niets meer.
[because] something happens that causes their money to be gone, and when they die, there is no money for their children to get/inherit.
15 Zoals hij voortkwam uit de schoot van zijn moeder, Zo gaat hij heen, naakt als hij kwam; Niets neemt hij mee van zijn zwoegen:
When we are born, we do not bring anything with us, and when we die, we take nothing with us from all that we have earned by our working hard.
16 Ook dit is een droevig kwaad. Juist zoals men komt, gaat men heen. Wat voor nut heeft het dan, dat men zich aftobt voor wind?
That also seems senseless. People bring nothing [into the world when they are born], and they leave [this world] taking nothing with them. They have worked hard, but they receive no lasting benefit [MET].
17 Enkel dat men zijn dagen in duisternis doorbrengt, In veel kommer, verdriet en ontstemming.
[Furthermore, rich people] are always miserable [MET] and sad, and depressed/discouraged and often sick and (resentful/thinking that what has happened to them is unfair).
18 Zie, zo leerde ik begrijpen, Dat het goed is te eten en te drinken, En te genieten van het werk, Waarmee men zich aftobt onder de zon, Al de levensdagen, die God iemand geeft: Want dit komt hem toe.
So, the best thing for people to do here on the earth during the few years that God allows them to be alive is to eat and drink and to enjoy their work, because those are the things that God has given to them.
19 Geeft God iemand rijkdom en schatten, Stelt Hij hem in staat ervan te gebruiken, Zijn deel ervan te nemen, van zijn arbeid te genieten: Dan is ook dit een gave Gods.
If people are rich and have a lot of possessions, and are able to (enjoy/be happy with) the things that they have and to enjoy their work, those things are [also] gifts from God.
20 Dan denkt hij niet veel aan de kortheid des levens, Omdat God zijn hart met vreugde vervult.
Those people do not worry much about [everything that has happened] during the time that they have been alive, because God enables them to be happy doing everything that they do.
