Ecclesiastes 4
1 Then I turned and saw all the oppressions which take place under the sun; and, behold, there were the tears of the oppressed, and they had no comforter; and from the hand of their oppressors there was violence, and they had no comforter.
Fremdeles saa jeg al den Undertrykkelse, som sker under Solen; jeg saa de undertryktes Taarer og ingen trøstede dem; de led Vold af deres Undertrykkeres Haand, og ingen trøstede dem.
2 Therefore I praised the dead, who have been long ago dead, more than the living, who are yet alive.
Da priste jeg de døde, som allerede er døde, lykkeligere end de levende, som endnu er i Live;
3 Yea, better than both of them is he who hath not yet been, who hath not seen the evil work which is done under the sun.
men lykkeligere end begge den, som slet ikke er til, som ikke har set det onde, der sker under Solen.
4 And I saw all labor, and all success in work, that for this a man is envied by his neighbor. This also is vanity, and striving after wind.
Og jeg saa, at al Flid og alt dygtigt Arbejde udspringer af den enes Misundelse mod den anden. Ogsaa det er Tomhed og Jag efter Vind.
5 The fool foldeth his hands together and eateth his own flesh.
Daaren lægger Hænderne i Skødet og æder sig selv op.
6 Better is a hand full of quietness, than both hands full of weariness and striving after wind.
Bedre en Haandfuld Hvile end Hænderne fulde af Flid og Jag efter Vind.
7 Then I turned and saw other vanity under the sun.
Og mere Tomhed saa jeg under Solen.
8 There is one who is alone, and no one with him; yea, he hath neither son nor brother; yet is there no end to all his labor, and his eye is not satisfied with riches. “For whom, then [[saith he]], do I labor and deprive myself of good?” This also is vanity; yea, it is an evil thing!
Mangen staar alene og har ikke nogen ved sin Side, hverken Søn eller Broder, og dog er der ingen Ende paa al hans Flid og hans Øje bliver ikke mæt af Rigdom. Men, for hvis Skyld gør jeg mig Flid og nægter mig enhver Nydelse? Ogsaa det, er Tomhed og ondt Slid.
9 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor.
To er bedre faren end een, thi de faar god Løn for deres Flid;
10 For if they fall, the one will lift his fellow up; but woe to him who is alone when he falleth, and hath not another to help him up!
hvis den ene falder, kan den anden rejse sin Fælle op. Men ve den ensomme! Thi falder han, er der ingen til at rejse ham op.
11 Again, if two lie together, then they have heat; but how can one be warm alone?
Og naar to ligger sammen, bliver de varme; men hvorledes kan den ensomme blive varm?
12 And if an enemy prevail against one, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
Og naar nogen kan overvælde den ensomme, saa kan to staa sig imod ham; tretvundet Snor brister ikke i Hast.
13 Better is a child poor but wise, than a king old and foolish, who will no more be admonished.
Bedre faren er en fattig Yngling, som er viis, end en gammel Konge, som er en Taabe og ikke mere har Forstand til at lade sig raade.
14 For out of prison cometh forth such a one to reign; for in his own kingdom he was born a poor man.
Thi hin gik ud af Fængselet for at blive Konge, skønt han var født i Fattigdom under den andens Regering.
15 I saw that all the living, who walk under the sun, were with the child who stood up in his stead.
Jeg saa alle, som levede og færdedes under Solen, stille sig ved den Ynglings Side, som skulde træde i Kongens Sted;
16 There was no end to all the people before whom he went forth; yet they that come afterwards shall not rejoice in him. This also is vanity, and striving after wind.
der var ikke Tal paa alle de Mennesker, han stod i Spidsen for; men heller ikke over ham glæder de senere Slægter sig; nej, ogsaa det er Tomhed og Jag efter Vind.
