Ecclesiastes 7
1 A good name is better than fine perfume; and the day of death better than the day of one's birth.
Bedre er et godt Navn end en god Salve og Dødens Dag end ens Fødselsdag.
2 It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men, and the living should take this to heart.
Det er bedre at gaa til Sørgehuset end at gaa til Gæstebudshuset, fordi hint er hvert Menneskes Endeligt; og den levende skal lægge sig det paa Hjerte.
3 Sorrow is better than laughter; for by the sadness of the face the heart is made good.
Græmmelse er bedre end Latter; thi, naar Ansigtet ser ilde ud, kan Hjertet have det godt.
4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.
De vises Hjerte er i Sorrigs Hus; men Daarernes Hjerte er i Glædes Hus.
5 It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools.
Det er bedre at høre Skænd af den vise, end at man hører Sang af Daarer.
6 For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This also is vanity.
Thi som Tjørne sprage under Gryden, saa er Daarers Latter; ogsaa dette er Forfængelighed.
7 Surely extortion makes the wise man foolish; and a bribe destroys the understanding.
Thi Fortrykkelse kan gøre en viis gal, og Gave kan fordærve et Hjerte.
8 Better is the end of a thing than its beginning. The patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.
Enden paa en Ting er bedre end Begyndelsen derpaa; bedre langmodig end hovmodig.
9 Do not be hasty in your spirit to be angry, for anger rests in the bosom of fools.
Vær ikke hastig i dit Sind til at fortørnes; thi Fortørnelse hviler i Daarers Barm.
10 Do not say, "Why were the former days better than these?" For you do not ask wisely about this.
Sig ikke: Hvoraf kom det, at de forrige Dage vare bedre end disse? thi du spørger ikke om saadant af Visdom.
11 Wisdom is as good as an inheritance. Yes, it is more excellent for those who see the sun.
Visdom er god som et Arvegods, ja bedre for dem, som skue Solen;
12 For wisdom is a defense, even as money is a defense; but the excellency of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of him who has it.
thi at være under Visdoms Skygge, er at være under Penges Skygge; og Kundskabs Fortrin er: At Visdommen giver dem Livet, som eje den.
13 Consider the work of God, for who can make that straight, which he has made crooked?
Se Guds Gerning; thi hvo kan gøre det lige, som han gør kroget?
14 In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider; yes, God has made the one side by side with the other, to the end that man should not find out anything after him.
Vær ved et godt Mod paa en god Dag, men betænk paa en ond Dag, at Gud har gjort denne ved Siden af den anden, for at Mennesket ikke skal finde noget, som skal ske efter ham.
15 All this have I seen in my days of vanity: there is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who lives long in his evildoing.
Alt det har jeg set i min Forfængeligheds Dage: Der er en retfærdig, som omkommer i sin Retfærdighed, og der er en ugudelig, som lever længe i sin Ondskab.
16 Do not be overly righteous, neither make yourself overly wise. Why should you destroy yourself?
Vær ikke alt for retfærdig, og te dig ikke overvættes viis; hvorfor vil du ødelægge dig selv?
17 Do not be too wicked, neither be foolish. Why should you die before your time?
Vær ikke alt for uretfærdig, og vær ikke en Daare; hvorfor skulde du dø i Utide?
18 It is good that you should take hold of this. Yes, also from that do not withdraw your hand; for he who fears God will come forth from them all.
Det er godt, at du holder fast ved det ene, men du skal og ikke lade din Haand af fra det andet; thi den, som frygter Gud, undgaar det alt.
19 Wisdom is a strength to the wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city.
Visdom styrker en viis mere end ti vældige, som ere i en Stad.
20 Surely there is not a righteous man on earth, who does good and doesn't sin.
Thi der er ikke et Menneske retfærdigt paa Jorden, som gør godt og ikke synder.
21 Also do not take heed to all words that are spoken, lest you hear your servant curse you;
Læg ikke heller paa dit Hjerte alle de Ord, som man siger, at du ikke skal høre din Tjener forbande dig.
22 for often your own heart knows that you yourself have likewise cursed others.
Thi dit Hjerte ved ogsaa de mange Gange, da du selv har forbandet andre.
23 All this have I proved in wisdom. I said, "I will be wise;" but it was far from me.
Alt det har jeg forsøgt med Visdommen; jeg sagde: Jeg vil opnaa Visdom, men den forblev langt fra mig.
24 That which is, is far off and exceedingly deep. Who can find it out?
Det, som er til, er langt borte og dybt, dybt! hvo kan finde det?
25 I turned around, and my heart sought to know and to search out, and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things, and to know that wickedness is stupidity, and that foolishness is madness.
Jeg vendte mig om med mit Hjerte, for at forstaa og at udgranske og at søge Visdom og Fornuftighed og for at forstaa, at Ugudelighed er Daarskab, og at Daarskab er Vanvid.
26 I find more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and traps, whose hands are chains. Whoever pleases God shall escape from her; but the sinner will be ensnared by her.
Og jeg fandt, hvad der var beskere end Døden: Den Kvinde, hvis Hjerte var Snarer og Garn, og hvis Hænder vare Baand; den, som er velbehagelig for Guds Ansigt, skal undkomme fra hende, men en Synder skal fanges ved hende.
27 Look, this have I found, says the Preacher, one to another, to find out the scheme;
Se, dette har jeg fundet, sagde Prædikeren, det ene efter det andet, idet jeg vilde finde Fornuftighed,
28 which my soul still seeks; but I have not found: one man among a thousand have I found; but a woman among all those have I not found.
hvilken min Sjæl endnu søger, men jeg ikke har fundet; iblandt tusinde fandt jeg een Mand, men fandt ikke en Kvinde iblandt dem alle.
29 Look, this only have I found, that God made humankind upright, but they search for many schemes.
Dog se, dette har jeg fundet, at Gud skabte Mennesket ret; men de søge mange Spidsfindigheder.
