< Ecclesiastes 6 >

1 Here was an evil, I had seen under the sun, —and it is, common, among men:
Der er en Ulykke, som jeg saa under Solen, og den er svar over Menneskene:
2 A man to whom God giveth riches and gains and honour, so that nothing doth he lack for his soul—of all that he craveth, and yet God doth not give him power to eat thereof, but, a man unknown, eateth it, —this, was vanity, and, an incurable evil, it was.
Naar der er en Mand, hvem Gud giver Rigdom og Gods og Ære, og han fattes intet for sin Sjæl af alt det, som han vil begære, og Gud giver ham ikke Magt til at æde deraf, men en fremmed Mand fortærer det: Da er dette Forfængelighed og en slem Lidelse.
3 Though a man should beget a hundred children, and live, many years, so that many should be the days of his years but, his own soul, should not be satisfied with the good, and he should not even have, a burial, I said, Better than he, is an untimely birth!
Dersom en Mand avlede hundrede Børn og levede mange Aar, saa hans Aars Dage bleve mange, og hans Sjæl dog ikke mættedes af det gode, og han heller ingen Begravelse fik: Saa siger jeg, at et utidigt Foster er bedre faren end han.
4 For, in vain, it came in, and, in darkness, it departeth, —and, with darkness, its name, is covered:
Thi dette kom med Forfængelighed og gaar bort i Mørket, og dets Navn bliver skjult i Mørket.
5 even the sun, it never saw, nor aught did it know, —more quietness, hath this than the other.
Det hverken saa eller kendte Sol; det har mere Ro end han.
6 Even though one hath lived a thousand years twice told, yet, good, hath he not seen, —is it not, unto one place, that, all, are going?
Ja, dersom han end levede tusinde Aar to Gange og ikke saa det gode, farer dog ikke enhver til et Sted?
7 All the toil of man, is for his mouth, —though, even the desire, is not satisfied!
Alt Menneskets Arbejde er for hans Mund; men Sjælen kan dog ikke fyldes.
8 For what profit hath the wise man, over the dullard? What can, the poor man, know—so as to walk before the living?
Thi hvad Fortrin har den vise fremfor Daaren? hvad har den fattige, som forstaar at vandre for de levende?
9 Better what the eyes behold, than the wandering of desire, —even this, was vanity, and a feeding on wind.
Bedre er, hvad man ser for Øjnene, end Sjælens Begær; ogsaa dette er Forfængelighed og Aandsfortærelse.
10 Whatsoever one may be, long ago, was he called by his name, and it is known that it is—Son of Earth, —he cannot, therefore, contend with one stronger than he.
Hvad en er — hans Navn er allerede nævnt, og det er vitterligt, at han er et Menneske; og han kan ikke trætte med den, som er ham for mægtig.
11 Seeing there are things in abundance which make vanity abound, what profit hath man?
Thi der er mange Ting, de foraarsage megen Forfængelighed; hvad Fordel har et Menneske deraf?
12 For who knoweth what is good for a man throughout his life, for the number of the days of his life of vanity, seeing he will make them, like a shadow, —for who can tell a man, what shall be after him, under the sun?
Thi hvo ved, hvad der er godt for Mennesket i dette Liv, i hans Forfængeligheds Livsdages Tal, hvilke han tilbringer som en Skygge? thi hvo vil kundgøre et Menneske, hvad der skal ske efter ham under Solen?

< Ecclesiastes 6 >