Ecclesiastes 4
1 Again I looked, and I considered all the oppression taking place under the sun. I saw the tears of the oppressed, and they had no comforter; the power lay in the hands of their oppressors, and there was no comforter.
Fremdeles saa jeg al den Undertrykkelse, som sker under Solen; jeg saa de undertryktes Taarer og ingen trøstede dem; de led Vold af deres Undertrykkeres Haand, og ingen trøstede dem.
2 So I admired the dead, who had already died, above the living, who are still alive.
Da priste jeg de døde, som allerede er døde, lykkeligere end de levende, som endnu er i Live;
3 But better than both is he who has not yet existed, who has not seen the evil that is done under the sun.
men lykkeligere end begge den, som slet ikke er til, som ikke har set det onde, der sker under Solen.
4 I saw that all labor and success spring from a man’s envy of his neighbor. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.
Og jeg saa, at al Flid og alt dygtigt Arbejde udspringer af den enes Misundelse mod den anden. Ogsaa det er Tomhed og Jag efter Vind.
5 The fool folds his hands and consumes his own flesh.
Daaren lægger Hænderne i Skødet og æder sig selv op.
6 Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and pursuit of the wind.
Bedre en Haandfuld Hvile end Hænderne fulde af Flid og Jag efter Vind.
7 Again, I saw futility under the sun.
Og mere Tomhed saa jeg under Solen.
8 There is a man all alone, without even a son or brother. And though there is no end to his labor, his eyes are still not content with his wealth: “For whom do I toil and bereave my soul of enjoyment?” This too is futile—a miserable task.
Mangen staar alene og har ikke nogen ved sin Side, hverken Søn eller Broder, og dog er der ingen Ende paa al hans Flid og hans Øje bliver ikke mæt af Rigdom. Men, for hvis Skyld gør jeg mig Flid og nægter mig enhver Nydelse? Ogsaa det, er Tomhed og ondt Slid.
9 Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor.
To er bedre faren end een, thi de faar god Løn for deres Flid;
10 For if one falls down, his companion can lift him up; but pity the one who falls without another to help him up!
hvis den ene falder, kan den anden rejse sin Fælle op. Men ve den ensomme! Thi falder han, er der ingen til at rejse ham op.
11 Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; but how can one keep warm alone?
Og naar to ligger sammen, bliver de varme; men hvorledes kan den ensomme blive varm?
12 And though one may be overpowered, two can resist. Moreover, a cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
Og naar nogen kan overvælde den ensomme, saa kan to staa sig imod ham; tretvundet Snor brister ikke i Hast.
13 Better is a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer knows how to take a warning.
Bedre faren er en fattig Yngling, som er viis, end en gammel Konge, som er en Taabe og ikke mere har Forstand til at lade sig raade.
14 For the youth has come from the prison to the kingship, though he was born poor in his own kingdom.
Thi hin gik ud af Fængselet for at blive Konge, skønt han var født i Fattigdom under den andens Regering.
15 I saw that all who lived and walked under the sun followed this second one, the youth who succeeded the king.
Jeg saa alle, som levede og færdedes under Solen, stille sig ved den Ynglings Side, som skulde træde i Kongens Sted;
16 There is no limit to all the people who were before them. Yet the successor will not be celebrated by those who come even later. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.
der var ikke Tal paa alle de Mennesker, han stod i Spidsen for; men heller ikke over ham glæder de senere Slægter sig; nej, ogsaa det er Tomhed og Jag efter Vind.
