Ecclesiastes 5
1 Keep thy foot when thou go to the house of God, for to draw near to hear is better than to give the sacrifice of fools. For they know not that they do evil.
Forvar din Fod, naar du vil gaa til Guds Hus, og vær nær for at høre; dette er bedre, end naar Daarerne yde Slagtoffer; thi de vide ikke, at de gøre ondt.
2 Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thy heart be hasty to utter anything before God. For God is in heaven, and thou upon earth. Therefore let thy words be few.
Vær ikke snar med din Mund, og lad dit Hjerte ikke haste med at fremføre et Ord for Guds Ansigt; thi Gud er i Himmelen og du paa Jorden, derfor lad dine Ord være faa!
3 For a dream comes with a multitude of business, and a fool's voice with a multitude of words.
Thi hvor der er megen Møje, komme Drømme; og hvor der er mange Ord, der hører man Daarens Røst.
4 When thou vow a vow to God, defer not to pay it, for he has no pleasure in fools. Pay that which thou vow.
Naar du lover Gud et Løfte, tøv ikke med at betale det; thi han har ikke Velbehag til Daarer; hvad du lover, det betal!
5 Better is it that thou should not vow, than that thou should vow and not pay.
Det er bedre, at du intet lover, end at du lover og ikke betaler.
6 Do not allow thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin, nor say thou before the agent, that is was an error. Why should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thy hands?
Tilsted ikke din Mund at bringe Synd over dit Kød, og sig ikke for Engelens Ansigt, at det var en Overilelse; hvi skulde Gud fortørnes for din Røst og fordærve dine Hænders Gerning?
7 For in the multitude of dreams there are vanities, and in many words. But fear thou God.
Thi hvor der er mange Drømme, der er Forfængelighed, og ligesaa, hvor der er mange Ord; men frygt Gud!
8 If thou see the oppression of a poor man, and the violent wresting of justice and righteousness in a province, marvel not at the matter. For a man higher than the high is observing, and there are higher men than they.
Dersom du ser, at en fattig fortrykkes, og at Ret og Retfærdighed krænkes i Landskabet, da forundre dig ikke over den Idræt; thi en Høj er Vogter over en Høj, og den Højeste over dem begge;
9 Moreover the abundance of the land is for all. The king himself is served by the field.
og en Fordel for Jorden i det Hele er det, at der er en Konge over det dyrkede Land.
10 He who loves silver shall not be satisfied with silver, nor he who loves abundance, with increase. This also is vanity.
Hvo der elsker Penge, kan ikke mættes af Penge, og hvo som elsker meget Gods, ikke af Indtægt; ogsaa dette er Forfængelighed.
11 When goods increase, they are increased who eat them. And what advantage is there to the owner of it, except the beholding of them with his eyes?
Hvor Godset bliver meget, bliver der mange, som fortære det; hvad Fordel er der da for dem, som eje det, uden det, at deres Øjne se derpaa?
12 The sleep of a laboring man is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the fullness of the rich will not allow him to sleep.
Hvo der arbejder, ham er Søvnen sød, hvad heller han æder lidet eller meget; men den riges Mættelse tillader ham ej at sove.
13 There is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun: Riches were kept by the owner of it to his hurt.
Der er et slemt Onde, som jeg saa under Solen, at Rigdom bevares af sin Herre til hans egen Ulykke;
14 And those riches perish in a bad venture. And if he has begotten a son, there is nothing in his hand.
og at denne Rigdom gaar til Grunde ved en uheldig Stræben, saa at, om han avlede en Søn, der ikke bliver noget i hans Haand.
15 As he came forth from his mother's womb, naked shall he go again as he came, and shall take nothing for his labor, which he may carry away in his hand.
Ligesom han udgik af sin Moders Liv, saa skal han atter nøgen gaa bort, som han kom; og han skal, trods sit Arbejde, ikke tage noget, som han kan føre i sin Haand.
16 And this also is a grievous evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go. And what profit has he that he labored for the wind?
Ogsaa dette er et slemt Onde, at han i alle Maader skal gaa bort, saaledes som han kom; hvad Fordel har han da deraf, at han har arbejdet hen i Vejret?
17 All his days also he eats in gloom, and he is greatly troubled, and has depression and anger.
Ja, alle sine Dage æder han sit Brød i Mørket, og han har megen Græmmelse tillige med sin Sygdom og Harme.
18 Behold, that which I have seen to be good and to be fitting is for a man to eat and to drink, and to enjoy good in all his labor in which he labors under the sun all the days of his life which God has given him, for this is his portion.
Se her, hvad jeg har set: At det er godt og smukt at æde og drikke og at se godt af alt sit Arbejde, som man arbejder med under Solen i alle sine Levedage, som Gud har givet en; thi det er hans Del;
19 Every man also to whom God has given riches and wealth, and has given him power to eat of it, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labor-this is the gift of God.
og naar der er et Menneske, som Gud har givet Rigdom og Gods og givet ham Magt at æde deraf og at modtage sin Del og at glæde sig i sit Arbejde: Da er dette en Guds Gave.
20 For he shall not much remember the days of his life, because God answers him in the joy of his heart.
Thi han vil ikke tænke meget paa sit Livs Dage, efterdi Gud bønhører ham, i hvad der er hans Hjertes Glæde.
