Ecclesiastes 8
1 Who [is] as the wise? And who knows the interpretation of a thing? The wisdom of man causes his face to shine, and the hardness of his face is changed.
Hvo er som den vise, og hvo ved at tyde en Ting? Visdom får et Menneskes Åsyn til at lyse, og Åsynets Hårdhed mildnes.
2 I [counsel]: keep the command of a king, even for the sake of an oath [to] God.
Hold en Konges Bud! Men drejer det sig om en Gudsed, så forhast dig ikke.
3 Do not be troubled at his presence, you may go, do not stand in an evil thing, for all that he pleases he does.
Gå bort fra hans Åsyn og bliv ikke stående, når Sagen står slet; thi han kan gøre alt, hvad han vil.
4 Where the word of a king [is] power [is], and who says to him, “What do you do?”
Thi en Konges Ord er Magtsprog, og hvo kan sige til ham: "Hvad gør du?"
5 Whoever is keeping a command knows no evil thing, and time and judgment the heart of the wise knows.
Den, som holder Budet, skal ikke mærke til noget ondt, og Dommens Tid skal den vises Hjerte kende.
6 For to every delight there is a time and a judgment, for the misfortune of man is great on him.
Thi enhver Ting har sin Tid og sin Dom, men det er et tyngende Onde for Mennesket,
7 For he does not know that which will be, for when it will be who declares to him?
at han ikke ved, hvad der vil ske; thi hvo kan sige ham hvorledes Fremtiden bliver?
8 There is no man ruling over the spirit to restrain the spirit, and there is no authority over the day of death, and there is no discharge in battle, and wickedness does not deliver its possessors.
Som intet Menneske er Herre over Vinden, så han kan spærre den inde, er ingen Herre over Dødens Dag; Krig kan man ikke unddrage sig, og Gudløshed frier ikke sin Mand.
9 All this I have seen so as to give my heart to every work that has been done under the sun; a time that man has ruled over man to his own evil.
Alt dette så jeg, idet jeg rettede min Tanke på hver en Idræt, som øves under Solen: Der er Tider, da det ene Menneske hersker over det andet til hans Ulykke.
10 And so I have seen the wicked buried, and they went in, even from the Holy Place they go, and they are forgotten in the city whether they had so done. This [is] also vanity.
Ligeledes så jeg gudløse stedes til Hvile, medens de, som gjorde det rette, måtte gå bort fra det hellige Sted og glemtes i Byen. Også det er Tomhed.
11 Because sentence has not been done [on] an evil work speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of man is full within them to do evil.
Fordi den onde Gerning ikke i Hast rammes af Dommen får Menneskenes Hjerte Mod til at gøre det onde,
12 Though a sinner is doing evil one hundred [times], and prolonging [himself] for it, surely also I know that there is good to those fearing God, who fear before Him.
eftersom Synderen gør det onde fra første Færd og dog lever længe; men også ved jeg, at det skal gå dem godt, som frygter Gud, fordi de frygter for hans Åsyn,
13 And good is not to the wicked, and he does not prolong days as a shadow, because he is not fearing before God.
og at det ikke skal gå de gudløse godt, og at deres Levetid ikke skal længes som Skyggen, fordi de ikke frygter for Guds Åsyn.
14 There is a vanity that has been done on the earth, that there are righteous ones to whom it is coming according to the work of the wicked, and there are wicked ones to whom it is coming according to the work of the righteous. I have said that this [is] also vanity.
Der er en Tomhed, som forekommer på Jorden: at der findes retfærdige, hvem det går, som om de havde gjort de gudløses Gerninger, og gudløse, hvem det går som om de havde gjort de retfærdiges Gerninger. Jeg sagde: Også det er Tomhed.
15 And I have praised mirth because there is no good to man under the sun except to eat and to drink, and to rejoice, and it remains with him of his labor the days of his life that God has given to him under the sun.
Og jeg priste Glæden, fordi Mennesket ikke har andet Gode under Solen end at spise og drikke og være glad, og at dette ledsager ham under hans Flid i de Levedage, Gud giver ham under Solen.
16 When I gave my heart to know wisdom and to see the business that has been done on the earth (for there is also a spectator in whose eyes sleep is not by day and by night),
Hver Gang jeg vendte min Hu til at nemme Visdom og granske det Slid, som går for sig på Jorden - thi hverken Dag eller Nat får man Søvn i Øjnene -
17 then I considered all the work of God, that man is not able to find out the work that has been done under the sun, because though man labor to seek, yet he does not find; and even though the wise man speak of knowing he is not able to find.
da indså jeg, at det er således med alt Guds Værk, at Mennesket ikke kan udgrunde det, som sker under Solen; thi trods al den Flid, et Menneske gør sig med at søge, kan han ikke udgrunde det; og selv om den vise mener at kende det, kan han ikke udgrunde det.
