Ecclesiastes 7
1 A good reputation is better than expensive perfume, and the day you die is better than the day you were born.
Godt Navn er bedre end ypperlig Salve, Dødsdag bedre end Fødselsdag;
2 It's better to go to a funeral than to a party. In the end, everyone dies, and those who are still alive should think about it.
bedre at gaa til et Sørgehus end at gaa til et Gildehus; thi hist er alle Menneskers Ende, og de levende bør tage det til Hjerte.
3 Sorrow is better than laughter, for tragedy helps us by making us think.
Bedre Græmmelse end Latter, thi er Minerne mørke, har Hjertet det godt.
4 Wise people think about the impact of death, while those who are fools only think about having a good time.
De vises Hjerte er i Sørgehuset. Taabernes Hjerte i Glædeshuset.
5 It's better to listen to criticism from a wise person than to hear the song of fools.
Bedre at høre paa Vismands Skænd end at høre paa Taabers Sang.
6 The laughter of fools is like the crackling of thorn twigs burning under a pot—without sense and quickly over.
Som Tjørnekvistes Knitren under Gryden er Taabers Latter; ogsaa det er Tomhed.
7 Extorting money from others makes wise people into fools, and accepting bribes corrupts the mind.
Thi uredelig Vinding gør Vismand til Daare, og Stikpenge ødelægger Hjertet.
8 Completing something is better than starting it. Being patient is better than being proud.
En Sags Udgang er bedre end dens Indgang, Taalmod er bedre end Hovmod.
9 Don't be quick to get angry, for anger controls the minds of fools.
Vær ikke hastig i dit Sind til at græmmes, thi Græmmelse bor i Taabers Bryst.
10 Don't ask, “Why were the good old days better than now?” Asking such questions shows you are not wise.
Spørg ikke: »Hvoraf kommer det, at de gamle Dage var bedre end vore?« Thi saaledes spørger du ikke med Visdom.
11 Wisdom is good—it's like receiving an inheritance. It benefits everyone in life.
Bedre er Visdom end Arv, en Fordel for dem, som skuer Solen;
12 For wisdom provides security, as does money, but the advantage for those who have wisdom is that they are kept safe and sound!
thi Visdom skygger, som Penge skygger, men Kundskabs Fortrin er dette, at Visdom holder sin Mand i Live.
13 Think about what God does. If he makes something bent, you can't straighten it!
Se paa Guds Værk! Hvo kan rette, hvad han har gjort kroget?
14 On a good day, be happy. When a bad day comes, stop and think. God made each day, so you don't know what will happen to you next.
Vær ved godt Mod paa den gode Dag og indse paa den onde Dag, at Gud skabte denne saavel som hin, for at Mennesket ikke skal finde noget efter sig.
15 Throughout my life I've seen so much that is hard to understand. Good people who die young despite doing what is right, and wicked people who live long evil lives.
Begge Dele saa jeg i mine tomme Dage: Der er retfærdige, som omkommer i deres Retfærdighed, og der er gudløse, som lever længe i deres Ondskab.
16 Don't think you can make yourself right by a lot of religious observance, and don't pretend to be so wise. Do you want to destroy yourself?
Vær ikke alt for retfærdig og te dig ikke overvættes viis; hvorfor vil du ødelægge dig selv?
17 On the other hand, don't decide to live an evil life—don't be a fool! Why die before your time?
Vær ikke alt for gudløs og vær ingen Daare; hvorfor vil du dø i Utide?
18 You ought to keep in mind these warnings. Those who follow God will be sure to avoid both.
Det bedste er, at du fastholder det ene og ikke slipper det andet; thi den, der frygter Gud, vil undgaa begge Farer.
19 Wisdom gives a wise person greater power than ten town councilors.
Visdom gør Vismand stærkere end ti Magthavere i Byen.
20 There's not one good person in all the world who always does what is right and never sins.
Thi intet Menneske er saa retfærdigt paa Jorden, at han kun gør gode Gerninger og aldrig synder.
21 Don't take to heart everything that people say, otherwise you may hear your servant talking badly about you,
Giv ikke Agt paa alle de Ord, Folk siger, at du ikke skal høre din Træl forbande dig;
22 for you know how many times you yourself have talked badly about others!
thi du ved med dig selv, at ogsaa du mange Gange har forbandet andre.
23 I have examined all this using the principles of wisdom. I told myself, “I will think wisely.” But wisdom eluded me.
Alt dette ransagede jeg med Visdom; jeg tænkte: »Jeg vil vorde viis.« Men Visdom holdt sig langt fra mig;
24 Everything that exists is beyond our grasp—too deep for our understanding. Who can comprehend it?
Tingenes Grund er langt borte, saa dyb, saa dyb; hvem kan finde den?
25 I turned my thoughts to discover, investigate, and to find out more about wisdom and what makes sense. I wanted to know more about how stupid evil really is, and how ridiculous it is to be a fool.
Jeg tog mig for at vende min Hu til Kundskab og Granskning og til at søge efter Visdom og sikker Viden og til at kende, at Gudløshed er Taabelighed, Daarskab Vanvid.
26 I discovered something more horrible than death: foolishness like a woman who tries to entrap you, who wants to use her mind and hands to catch you and tie you up. Those who follow God will not be caught, but sinners will fall into her trap.
Og beskere end Døden fandt jeg Kvinden, thi hun er et Fangegarn; hendes Hjerte er et Net og hendes Arme Lænker. Den, som er Gud kær, undslipper hende, men Synderen bliver hendes Fange.
27 This is what I discovered after putting two and two together to try and find out what it all meant, says the Teacher.
Se, det fandt jeg ud, sagde Prædikeren, ved at lægge det ene til det andet for at drage min Slutning.
28 Although I really searched, I didn't find what I was looking for. People say, “I found one man among a thousand, but not one woman.”
Hvad min Sjæl stadig søgte, men ikke fandt, er dette: Een Mand fandt jeg blandt tusind, men en Kvinde fandt jeg ikke i hele Flokken.
29 But I did find this one thing: God made people to do what's right, but they have followed their own ideas.
Dog se, det fandt jeg, at Gud har skabt Menneskene, som de bør være; men de har saa mange sære Ting for.
