Ecclesiastes 12
1 And remember thy Creator in the days of thy youth, before the evil days come, and the years draw nigh, of which thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;
Tænk Paa din Skaber i Ungdommens Dage, førend de onde Dage kommer og Aarene nærmer sig, om hvilke du vil sige: »I dem har jeg ikke Behag!«
2 before the sun, and the light, and the moon, and the stars, be darkened, and the clouds return after the rain;
før Sol og Lys og Maane og Stjerner hylles i Mørke og der atter kommer Skyer efter Regn,
3 in the day when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows are darkened,
Tiden, da Husets Vogtere bæver, de stærke Mænd bliver krumme, da Møllepigerne svigter, fordi de er faa, og de bliver mørke, som kigger ved Gluggerne,
4 and the doors are shut toward the street; when the sound of the grinding is subdued, and they rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of song are brought low;
da begge Gadedørene lukkes, mens Møllen gaar med dæmpet Lyd, da man staar op ved Spurvenes Kvidder og alle Sangens Døtre hvisker,
5 they are also afraid of what is high, and terrors are in the way, and the almond is despised, and the grasshopper is a burden, and the caper-berry is without effect; (for man goeth to his age-long home, and the mourners go about the streets; )
da man ogsaa ængstes for Bakker, og Rædsler lurer paa Vejen, da Mandeltræet blomstrer; Græshoppen slappes og Kapersbærret svigter, nu Mennesket gaar til sin evige Bolig og Sørgetoget gaar gennem Gaden,
6 — before the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be shattered at the fountain, or the wheel be broken at the cistern;
førend Sølvsnoren brister og Guldskaalen brydes itu, før Krukken slaas i Stykker ved Kilden og det søndrede Hjul falder ned i Brønden
7 and the dust return to the earth as it was, and the spirit return unto God who gave it.
og Støvet vender tilbage til Jorden som før og Aanden til Gud, som gav den.
8 Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher: all is vanity.
Endeløs Tomhed, sagde Prædikeren, alt er Tomhed.
9 And moreover, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; and he pondered, and sought out, [and] set in order many proverbs.
Endnu skal siges, at Prædikeren var viis; han gav ogsaa Folket Kundskab; han granskede og ransagede og formede mange Ordsprog.
10 The Preacher sought to find out acceptable words; and that which was written is upright, words of truth.
Prædikeren søgte at finde Fyndord og optegnede sanddru Lære, Sandhedsord.
11 The words of the wise are as goads, and the collections [of them] as nails fastened in: they are given from one shepherd.
Som Pigkæppe er de vises Ord, som inddrevne Søm, der sidder tæt; de er givet af en og samme Hyrde.
12 And besides, my son, be warned by them: of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh.
Endnu skal siges: Min Søn, var dig! Der er ingen Ende paa, som der skrives Bøger, og megen Gransken trætter Legemet.
13 Let us hear the end of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole of man.
Enden paa Sagen, naar alt er hørt, er: Frygt Gud og hold hans Bud! Thi det bør hvert Menneske gøre.
14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil.
Thi hver en Gerning bringer Gud for Retten, naar han dømmer alt, hvad der er skjult, være sig godt eller ondt.
