Ecclesiastes 8
1 Who is really a wise man, and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? The wisdom of a man, lighteth up his countenance, but, by defiance of countenance, one is disfigured.
Hvo er som den vise, og hvo ved at tyde en Ting? Visdom faar et Menneskes Aasyn til at lyse, og Aasynets Haardhed mildnes.
2 I [said], The bidding of the king, observe thou, even out of regard to the oath of God.
Hold en Konges Bud! Men drejer det sig om en Gudsed, saa forhast dig ikke.
3 Not rashly from his presence, shouldst thou go: do not take thy stand in a vexatious thing, —for, whatsoever he pleaseth, he will do.
Gaa bort fra hans Aasyn og bliv ikke staaende, naar Sagen staar slet; thi han kan gøre alt, hvad han vil.
4 Where the word of a king is, there is power, —who then may say to him, What wouldst thou do?
Thi en Konges Ord er Magtsprog, og hvo kan sige til ham: »Hvad gør du?«
5 He that observeth the commandment, will not notice a vexatious thing, —and, of time and manner, will the heart of the wise take note.
Den, som holder Budet, skal ikke mærke til noget ondt, og Dommens Tid skal den vises Hjerte kende.
6 For, to every pursuit, there is a time and a manner, —when, the vexation of man, is great concerning it.
Thi enhver Ting har sin Tid og sin Dom, men det er et tyngende Onde for Mennesket,
7 For there is no one who knoweth what shall be, for, when it shall be, who will tell him?
at han ikke ved, hvad der vil ske; thi hvo kan sige ham hvorledes Fremtiden bliver?
8 No man, hath power over the spirit, to retain the spirit, and, none, hath power over the day of death, and there is no furlough in war, —neither shall lawlessness deliver them who are given thereto.
Som intet Menneske er Herre over Vinden, saa 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, had I seen, and tried to apply my heart to every work which was done under the sun, —at such time as one man had power over another man, to his hurt.
Alt dette saa jeg, idet jeg rettede min Tanke paa hver en Idræt, som øves under Solen: Der er Tider, da det ene Menneske hersker over det andet til hans Ulykke.
10 And, thereupon, I considered the lawless when buried, when they had entered, [their graves], that, from the place of the Holy One, they used to go and boast in the city that they had so done, —even this, was vanity.
Ligeledes saa jeg gudløse stedes til Hvile, medens de, som gjorde det rette, maatte gaa bort fra det hellige Sted og glemtes i Byen. Ogsaa det er Tomhed.
11 Because sentence against a wicked work is not executed speedily—on this account, the heart of the sons of men is fully set within them, to commit wickedness.
Fordi den onde Gerning ikke i Hast rammes af Dommen faar Menneskenes Hjerte Mod til at gøre det onde,
12 Though a sinner be committing wickedness a hundred times, and continuing long in his own way, yet I surely know that it shall be well to them who revere God, who stand in awe before him;
eftersom Synderen gør det onde fra første Færd og dog lever længe; men ogsaa ved jeg, at det skal gaa dem godt, som frygter Gud, fordi de frygter for hans Aasyn,
13 but, well, shall it not be to the lawless man, neither shall he lengthen out his days like a shadow, —because he standeth not in awe before God.
og at det ikke skal gaa de gudløse godt, og at deres Levetid ikke skal længes som Skyggen, fordi de ikke frygter for Guds Aasyn.
14 Here was a vain thing which was done upon the earth—that there were righteous men unto whom it happened according to the work of the lawless, and there were lawless men, unto whom it happened according to the work of the righteous, —I said, that, even this, was vanity.
Der er en Tomhed, som forekommer paa Jorden: at der findes retfærdige, hvem det gaar, som om de havde gjort de gudløses Gerninger, og gudløse, hvem det gaar som om de havde gjort de retfærdiges Gerninger. Jeg sagde: Ogsaa det er Tomhed.
15 Then extolled I, gladness, in that there was nothing better for a man, under the sun, than to eat and to drink, and to be glad, —since, that, should tarry with him in his toil, for the days of his life which God had given 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 consider the business that was done upon the earth, then surely, by day and by night, there was one who suffered not his eyes, to sleep.
Hver Gang jeg vendte min Hu til at nemme Visdom og granske det Slid, som gaar for sig paa Jorden — thi hverken Dag eller Nat faar man Søvn i Øjnene —
17 Then I considered all the work of God, that man could not find out the work that was done under the sun, inasmuch as man toileth in seeking and yet cannot find, —yea, even though the wise man should say he knoweth, yet can he not find it out.
da indsaa jeg, at det er saaledes 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.
