Ecclesiastes 9
1 I had my mind consider all this. Wise and good people and everything they do are in God's hands. Love or hate—who knows what will happen to them?
Ja, alt dette lagde jeg mig paa Sinde, og mit Hjerte indsaa det alt sammen: at de retfærdige og de vise og deres Gerninger er i Guds Haand. Hverken om Kærlighed eller Had kan Menneskene vide noget; alt, hvad der er dem for Øje, er Tomhed.
2 Yet we all share the same destiny—those who do right, those who do evil, the good, the religiously-observant and those that are not, those who sacrifice and those who don't. Those who do good are as those who sin, those who make vows to God are as those who don't.
Thi alle faar en og samme Skæbne, retfærdig og gudløs, god og ond, ren og uren, den, som ofrer, og den, som ikke ofrer; det gaar den gode som Synderen, den sværgende som den, der skyr at sværge.
3 This is just so wrong—that everyone here on earth should suffer the same fate! On top of that, people's minds are filled with evil. They spend their lives thinking about stupid things, and then they die.
Det er det, der er Fejlen ved alt, hvad der sker under Solen, at alle faar en og samme Skæbne; derfor er ogsaa Menneskebørnenes Hjerte fuldt af ondt, og der er Daarskab i deres Hjerte Livet igennem, og til sidst maa de ned til de døde.
4 But the living still have hope—a live dog is better than a dead lion!
Kun for den, der hører til de levendes Flok, er der Haab; thi levende Hund er bedre faren end død Løve.
5 The living are conscious of the fact that they're going to die, but the dead have no consciousness of anything. They don't receive any further benefit; they're forgotten.
Thi de levende ved dog, at de skal dø, men de døde ved ingenting, og Løn har de ikke mere i Vente; thi Mindet om dem slettes ud.
6 Their love, hate, and envy—it's all gone. They have no further part in anything that happens here on earth.
Baade deres Kærlighed og deres Had og deres Misundelse er for længst borte, og de faar ingen Sinde mere Lod og Del i noget af det, som sker under Solen.
7 So go ahead and eat your food, and enjoy it. Drink your wine with a happy heart. That's what God intends that you should do.
Saa spis da dit Brød med Glæde, drik vel til Mode din Vin; thi din Id har Gud for længst kendt god.
8 Always wear smart clothes and look good.
Dine Klæder være altid hvide, lad Olie ikke savnes paa dit Hoved!
9 Enjoy life with the wife that you love—the one God gave you—during all the days of this brief life, all these passing days whose meaning is so hard to understand as you work here on earth.
Nyd Livet med den Kvinde, du elsker, alle dine tomme Levedage, som gives dig under Solen; thi det er din Lod og Del af Livet og af den Flid, du gør dig under Solen.
10 Whatever you do, do it with all your strength, for when you go to the grave there's no more working or thinking, no more knowing or being wise. (Sheol h7585)
Gør efter Evne alt, hvad din Haand finder Styrke til; thi der er hverken Virke eller Tanke eller Kundskab eller Visdom i Dødsriget, hvor du stævner hen. (Sheol h7585)
11 I thought about other things that happen here on earth. Races are not always won by the fastest runner. Battles are not always decided by the strongest warrior. Also, the wise do not always have food, intelligent people do not always make money, and those who are clever do not always win favor. Time and chance affect all of them.
Og atter saa jeg under Solen, at Hurtigløberen ikke er Herre over Løbet eller Heltene over Kampen, ej heller de vise over Brødet, ej heller de kløgtige over Rigdom, ej heller de kloge over Yndest, men alle er de bundet af Tid og Tilfælde.
12 You can't predict when your end will come. Just like fish caught in a net, or birds caught in a trap, so people are suddenly caught by death when they least expect it.
Thi et Menneske kender lige saa lidt sin Tid som Fisk, der fanges i det slemme Garn, eller Fugle, der hildes i Snaren; ligesom disse fanges Menneskens Børn i Ulykkens Stund, naar den brat falder over dem.
13 Here's another aspect of wisdom that impressed me about what happens here on earth.
Ogsaa dette Tilfælde af Visdom saa jeg under Solen, og det gjorde dybt Indtryk paa mig:
14 Once there was a small town with only a few inhabitants. A powerful king came and besieged the town, building great earth ramps against its walls.
Der var en lille By med faa Indbyggere, og mod den kom en stor Konge; han omringede den og byggede høje Volde imod den;
15 In that town lived a man who was wise, but poor. He saved the town by his wisdom. But no one remembered to thank that poor man.
men der fandtes i Byen en fattig Mand, som var viis, og han frelste den ved sin Visdom. Men ingen mindedes den fattige Mand.
16 As I've always said, “Wisdom is better than strength.” Yet the wisdom of that poor man was dismissed—people didn't pay attention to what he said.
Da sagde jeg: »Visdom er bedre end Styrke, men den fattiges Visdom agtes ringe, og hans Ord høres ikke.«
17 It's better to listen to the calm words of a wise person than the shouts of a ruler of fools.
Vismænds Ord, der høres i Ro, er bedre end en Herskers Raab iblandt Daarer.
18 It's better to have wisdom than weapons of war; but a sinner can destroy a lot of good.
Visdom er bedre end Vaaben, men en eneste Synder kan ødelægge meget godt.
