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.
Tako sem se vrnil in preudaril vsa zatiranja, ki so storjena pod soncem in gledal solze tistih, ki so bili zatirani in niso imeli tolažnika in je bila moč na strani njihovih zatiralcev, toda niso imeli nobenega tolažnika.
2 So I admired the dead, who had already died, above the living, who are still alive.
Zatorej sem bolj hvalil mrtve, ki so že mrtvi, kakor živeče, ki so še živi.
3 But better than both is he who has not yet existed, who has not seen the evil that is done under the sun.
Da, kakor oni oboji je boljši tisti, ki še ni bil, ki še ni videl zlobnega dela, ki je storjeno pod soncem.
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.
Ponovno, preudaril sem vso muko in vsako pravilno delo, da zaradi tega človeku zavidajo njegovi sosedi. Tudi to je ničevost in draženje duha.
5 The fool folds his hands and consumes his own flesh.
Bedak drži prekrižane roke in jé svoje lastno meso.
6 Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and pursuit of the wind.
Boljše je prgišče s spokojnostjo, kakor obe roki napolnjeni z muko in draženjem duha.
7 Again, I saw futility under the sun.
Potem sem se vrnil in videl ničevost pod soncem.
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.
Tam je nekdo sam in ni drugega, da, nima niti otroka niti brata, vendar ni konca vsemu njegovemu trudu, niti njegovo oko ni nasičeno z bogastvi, niti ne pravi: »Za koga se trudim in svoji duši kratim dobro?« Tudi to je ničevost, da, to je boleča muka.
9 Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor.
Dva sta boljša kakor eden, zato ker imata dobro nagrado za svoj trud.
10 For if one falls down, his companion can lift him up; but pity the one who falls without another to help him up!
Kajti če padeta, bo vsak dvignil svojega tovariša; toda gorje tistemu, ki je sam, ko pade, kajti nima drugega, da mu pomaga pokonci.
11 Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; but how can one keep warm alone?
Ponovno, če dva ležita skupaj, potem imata toploto, toda kako se lahko nekdo ogreje sam?
12 And though one may be overpowered, two can resist. Moreover, a cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
In če eden zoper njega prevlada, se mu bosta zoperstavila dva in trojna vrvica ni hitro pretrgana.
13 Better is a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer knows how to take a warning.
Boljši je ubog in moder otrok, kakor star in nespameten kralj, ki noče biti več opomnjen.
14 For the youth has come from the prison to the kingship, though he was born poor in his own kingdom.
Kajti on prihaja iz ječe, da vlada, medtem ko tisti, ki je prav tako rojen v njegovem kraljestvu, postaja ubog.
15 I saw that all who lived and walked under the sun followed this second one, the youth who succeeded the king.
Preudaril sem vse živeče, ki hodijo pod soncem, z drugim otrokom, ki bo vstal namesto njega.
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.
Ni konca vsemu ljudstvu, celó vseh, ki so bili pred njimi. Tudi tisti, ki pridejo potem, se ne bodo veselili v njem. Zagotovo je tudi to ničevost in draženje duha.
