< Ecclesiastes 12 >
1 Remember then thy Creator in the days of thy youth, before the evil days come, and the years draw nigh, when 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, are 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 shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out shall be darkened in the windows,
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 shall be shut in the street, when the sound of the grinding is low; and one shall start up at the voice of a bird, and all the daughters of music shall be 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 Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and terrors shall be in the way; and the almond-tree shall blossom, and the grasshopper shall drag itself along, and the caperberry shall fail; because man goeth to his 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 is snapped asunder, and the golden bowl is shattered, and the pitcher is broken at the fountain, and the wheel falleth shattered, into the pit;
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 returneth to the earth as it was, and the spirit returneth 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 Koheleth; all is vanity.
Endeløs Tomhed, sagde Prædikeren, alt er Tomhed.
9 And besides that Koheleth was wise, he also taught the people knowledge; yea, 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 Koheleth sought to find out words of delight, and that which was written uprightly, even words of truth.
Prædikeren søgte at finde Fyndord og optegnede sanddru Lære, Sandhedsord.
11 The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails well fastened are those that are composed in collections; 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 furthermore, my son, be admonished: 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 The end of the matter, all having been heard: fear God, and keep His commandments; for this is the whole 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 the judgment concerning every hidden 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.