Ecclesiastes 4
1 Then I turned to consider all the ways people oppress others here on earth. Look at the tears of the oppressed—there's no one to comfort them! Powerful people oppress them, and there's no one to comfort them!
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 I congratulated those who were already dead, for the dead are better off than those who are still alive and being oppressed.
Zatorej sem bolj hvalil mrtve, ki so že mrtvi, kakor živeče, ki so še živi.
3 But best of all are those who have never existed—they haven't seen the evil things people do to each other here on earth.
Da, kakor oni oboji je boljši tisti, ki še ni bil, ki še ni videl zlobnega dela, ki je storjeno pod soncem.
4 I observed that every skill in work comes from competition with others. Once again this is hard to understand, like trying to hold on to the elusive 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 Fools fold their arms and do nothing—so in the end they're all used up.
Bedak drži prekrižane roke in jé svoje lastno meso.
6 It's better to earn a little without stress than a lot with too much stress and chasing after the wind.
Boljše je prgišče s spokojnostjo, kakor obe roki napolnjeni z muko in draženjem duha.
7 Then I turned to consider something else here on earth that is also frustratingly hard to understand.
Potem sem se vrnil in videl ničevost pod soncem.
8 What about someone who has no family to help him, no brother or son, who works all the time, but isn't satisfied with the money he makes. “Who am I working for?” he asks himself. “Why am I preventing myself from enjoying life?” Such a situation is hard to explain—it's an evil business!
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, for they can help each other in their work.
Dva sta boljša kakor eden, zato ker imata dobro nagrado za svoj trud.
10 If one of them falls down, the other can help them up, but how sad it is for someone who falls down and doesn't have anyone to help them 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 In the same way, if two people lie down together, they keep each other warm, but you can't keep yourself warm if you're alone.
Ponovno, če dva ležita skupaj, potem imata toploto, toda kako se lahko nekdo ogreje sam?
12 Someone fighting against one other person may win, but not if they are fighting against two. A cord made of three strands can't be torn apart quickly.
In če eden zoper njega prevlada, se mu bosta zoperstavila dva in trojna vrvica ni hitro pretrgana.
13 A poor young person who's wise is better than an old and foolish king who no longer accepts advice.
Boljši je ubog in moder otrok, kakor star in nespameten kralj, ki noče biti več opomnjen.
14 He may even come out of prison to reign over his kingdom, even though he was born poor.
Kajti on prihaja iz ječe, da vlada, medtem ko tisti, ki je prav tako rojen v njegovem kraljestvu, postaja ubog.
15 I observed everyone here on earth following the youth who takes his place.
Preudaril sem vse živeče, ki hodijo pod soncem, z drugim otrokom, ki bo vstal namesto njega.
16 He is surrounded by crowds of supporters, but the next generation isn't happy with him. This also illustrates the passing nature of life whose meaning is elusive, like pursuing the wind for understanding.
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.
