Ecclesiastes 4
1 And I have turned, and I see all the oppressions that are done under the sun, and behold, the tear of the oppressed, and they have no comforter; and at the hand of their oppressors [is] power, and they have no comforter.
Opet stadoh promatrati sva nasilja koja se čine pod suncem, i gle, suze potlačenih, i nikog nema da ih utre; i nasilje iz tlačiteljske ruke, a zaštitnika niotkuda.
2 And I am praising the dead who have already died above the living who are yet alive.
Zato sretnima smatram mrtve koji su već pomrli; sretniji su od živih što još žive.
3 And better than both of them [is] he who has not yet been, in that he has not seen the evil work that has been done under the sun.
A od obojih je sretniji onaj koji još nije postao, koji nije vidio zlih djela što se čine pod suncem.
4 And I have seen all the labor, and all the benefit of the work, because for it a man is the envy of his neighbor. Even this [is] vanity and distress of spirit.
Nadalje iskusih da svaki napor i svaki uspjeh pribavlja čovjeku zavist njegova bližnjeg. I to je ispraznost i pusta tlapnja.
5 The fool is clasping his hands, and eating his own flesh:
Bezumnik prekriži ruke i izjeda sebe.
6 “Better [is] a handful [with] quietness, than two handfuls [with] labor and distress of spirit.”
Bolja je puna šaka u miru nego obje pregršti mučna rada i puste tlapnje.
7 And I have turned, and I see a vain thing under the sun:
I još jednu opazih ispraznost pod suncem:
8 There is one, and there is not a second; even son or brother he has not, and there is no end to all his labor! His eye also is not satisfied with riches, and [he does not say], “For whom am I laboring and bereaving my soul of good?” This also is vanity, it is a sad travail.
Čovjek potpun samac - bez sina, bez brata, i opet nema kraja njegovu trudu; oči mu se ne mogu nasititi blaga; a ne misli: za koga se mučim i uskraćujem dobro sebi? I to je ispraznost i zla briga.
9 The two [are] better than the one, in that they have a good reward by their labor.
Bolje je dvojici nego jednome, jer imaju bolju plaću za svoj trud.
10 For if they fall, the one raises up his companion, but woe to the one who falls and there is not a second to raise him up!
Padne li jedan, drugi će ga podići; a teško jednomu! Ako padne, nema nikoga da ga podigne.
11 Also, if two lie down, then they have heat, but how has one heat?
Pa ako se i spava udvoje, toplije je; a kako će se samac zagrijati?
12 And if the one strengthens himself, the two stand against him; and the threefold cord is not quickly broken.
I ako tko udari na jednoga, dvojica će mu se oprijeti; i trostruko se uže ne kida brzo.
13 Better is a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king, who has not known to be warned anymore.
Bolji je mladić siromašan a mudar nego kralj star a lud, koji više ne zna za savjet.
14 For from a house of prisoners he has come out to reign, for even in his own kingdom he has been poor.
Jer mladić može izići iz tamnice i postati kraljem, iako se rodio kao prosjak u svom kraljevstvu.
15 I have seen all the living, who are walking under the sun, with the second youth who stands in his place;
Opazih kako svi koji žive i hode pod suncem pristaju uz mladića, uz nastupnika koji ga naslijedi.
16 there is no end to all the people, to all who were before them; also, the latter do not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and distress of spirit.
On stupa na čelo bezbrojnih podanika i kasniji se naraštaji ne mogahu zbog njega radovati. I to je zacijelo ispraznost i pusta tlapnja.
