Ecclesiastes 2
1 [Then] I said to myself, “Okay, I will try to do everything that I enjoy. I will find out whether doing what I enjoy can truly enable me to be happy.” But I found out that doing that was also useless/senseless.
Jeg sagde ved mig selv: "Vel, jeg vil prøve med Glæde; så nyd da det gode!" Men se, også det var Tomhed.
2 [So] I said [to myself], “It is foolish to laugh [all the time], and continually doing what I enjoy does not seem to bring any lasting benefit.”
Om Latteren sagde jeg: "Dårskab!" og om Glæden: "Hvad gavner den?"
3 [So], after thinking a lot about it, I decided to (cheer myself/cause myself to be happy) by drinking [a lot of] wine. [So] while I was still trying to be wise, I decided to do things that [many] people do to be happy during the short time that they are alive on the earth.
Jeg kom på den Tanke at kvæge mit Legeme med Vin, medens mit Hjerte dog rådede med Visdom, og at slå mig på Dårskab, indtil jeg så, hvad det båder Menneskens Børn at gøre under Himmelen, det Dagetal de lever.
4 I did great things: I [caused] houses to be built for myself and vineyards to be planted.
Jeg fuldbyrdede store Værker, byggede mig Huse, plantede mig Vingårde,
5 I [told my workers] to make gardens and parks. [Then] I [told them to] fill the gardens with many kinds of fruit trees.
anlagde mig Haver og Lunde og plantede alle Hånde Frugttræer deri,
6 I [told them to] build reservoirs to store water to irrigate the fruit trees.
anlagde mig Damme til at vande en Skov i Opvækst;
7 I bought male and female slaves, and babies [who later became my slaves] were born in my palace. I also owned more livestock than any of the previous kings in Jerusalem had owned.
jeg købte Trælle og Trælkvinder, og jeg havde hjemmefødte Trælle; også Kvæg, Hornkvæg og Småkvæg, havde jeg i større Måder end nogen af dem, der før mig havde været i Jerusalem;
8 I also accumulated large amounts of silver and gold [that were paid to me] from the treasures of kings and rulers of provinces. [I hired] men and women to sing for me, and I had many (concubines/slave wives) who gave me [much] pleasure [EUP].
jeg samlede mig også Sølv og Guld, Skatte fra Konger og Lande; jeg tog mig Sangere og Sangerinder og Menneskens Børns Lyst: Hustru og Hustruer.
9 So, I became greater than anyone else who had ever lived in Jerusalem, and I was [very] wise.
Og jeg blev stor, større end nogen af dem, der før mig havde været i Jerusalem; desuden blev min Visdom hos mig.
10 I got everything [LIT] that I [SYN] saw and wanted. I did everything [LIT] that I thought would enable me to be happy. All those things that I [SYN] enjoyed were [like] a reward for all my hard work.
Intet, som mine Øjne attråede, unddrog jeg dem; jeg nægtede ikke mit Hjerte nogen Glæde thi mit Hjerte havde Glæde af al min Flid, og deri lå Lønnen for al min Flid.
11 [But] then I thought about all the hard work that I [SYN] had done [to get all those things], and none of it seems to bring any lasting benefit [DOU]. It was all [like] chasing the wind.
Men da jeg overskuede alt, hvad mine Hænder havde virket, og den Flid, det havde kostet mig, se, da var det alt sammen Tomhed og Jag efter Vind, og der er ingen Vinding under Solen.
12 Then I started to think about being wise, and [also about] being foolish [DOU]. [I said to myself, “I certainly do not think that] [RHQ] the next king will be able to do anything better than I can.”
Thi hvad gør det Menneske, som kommer efter Kongen? Det samme, som tilforn er gjort? Jeg gav mig da til at sammenligne Visdom med Dårskab og Tåbelighed.
13 And I thought, “Surely it is better to be wise than to be foolish, like light is better than darkness,
Jeg så, at Visdom har samme Fortrin for Tåbelighed som Lys for Mørke:
14 [because] wise people [walk in the daylight and] [IDM] can see where they are going, but foolish people walk in the darkness [and cannot see where they are going].” But I [also] realized that both wise people and foolish people eventually die.
Den vise har Øjne i Hovedet, men Tåben vandrer i Mørke. Men jeg skønnede også, at en og samme Skæbne rammer begge.
15 So I said to myself, “I am very wise, but I will [die at the end of my life], like foolish people do. So (how has it benefited me to be very wise?/it certainly has not benefited me to be very wise [RHQ]). I do not understand why [people consider that] it is valuable to be wise.
Da sagde jeg ved mig selv: "Tåbens Skæbne rammer også mig; hvad har jeg da for, at jeg er blevet overvættes viis?" Og jeg sagde ved mig selv, at også det er Tomhed;
16 Wise people and foolish people all die. And after we die, we will all eventually be forgotten [DOU].”
thi den vises Minde er lige sålidt evigt som Tåbens, fordi nu engang alt glemmes i kommende Dage; ak! den vise må dø så godt som Tåben.
17 So I hated being alive, because everything that we do here on the earth [MTY] distresses me. It all seems to be useless [like] chasing the wind.
Da blev jeg led ved Livet, thi ilde tyktes mig det, som sker under Solen; thi det er alt sammen Tomhed og Jag efter Vind.
18 I [also began to] hate all the hard work that I had done, because [when I die], everything [that I have acquired] will belong to the next king.
Og jeg blev led ved al den Flid, jeg, har gjort mig under Solen, fordi jeg må efterlade mit Værk til den, som kommer efter mig.
19 And (who/no one) knows [RHQ] whether he will be wise or whether he will be foolish. But even if he is foolish, he will acquire all the things that I worked very hard and wisely to get.
Hvo ved, om det bliver en Vismand eller en Tåbe? Og dog skal han råde over alt, hvad jeg med Flid og Visdom vandt under Solen. Også det er Tomhed.
20 I thought about all the hard work that I had done. [It seemed useless], and I became depressed/discouraged.
Og jeg var ved at fortvivle over al den Flid, jeg har gjort mig under Solen;
21 Some people work wisely and skillfully, using the things that they have learned. But [when they die], they leave everything, and someone who has not worked hard acquires those things. And that also [seemed to] be senseless and caused me to be discouraged.
thi der har et Menneske gjort sig. Flid med Visdom, Kundskab og Dygtighed, og så må han overlade sit Eje til et Menneske, som ikke har lagt Flid derpå. Også det er Tomhed og et stort Onde.
22 So, it seems that people do not [RHQ] get much for all the hard work that they do and for worrying.
Thi hvad får et Menneske for al sin Flid og sit Hjertes Higen, som han gør sig Flid med under Solen?
23 Every day the work that they do causes them to experience pain and to be worried. And during the night, their minds are not able to rest. That also is very frustrating.
Alle hans Dage er jo Lidelse, og hans Slid er Græmmelse; end ikke om Natten finder hans Hjerte Hvile. Også det er Tomhed.
24 [So I decided that] the best thing that we can do is to enjoy what we eat and drink, and [also] enjoy our work. And I realized that those things are what God intends for us.
Intet er bedre for et Menneske end at spise og drikke og give sin Sjæl gode Dage ved sin Flid. Og det skønnede jeg, at også det kommer fra Guds Hånd.
25 There is absolutely no one [RHQ] who is able to enjoy those things if God does not give those things to him.
Thi hvo kan spise eller drikke uden hans Vilje?
26 God enables those who please him to be wise, to know [many things], and to enjoy [many things]. But if sinful people work hard and become rich, God [can] take their money away from them and give it to those who please him. But that also is something that is difficult for me to understand. [Their working hard seems] useless, [like] chasing the wind.
Thi det Menneske, som er godt i hans Øjne, giver han Visdom, Kundskab og Glæde; men den, som synder, giver han Slid med at samle og ophobe for så at give det til en, som er god i Guds Øjne. Også det er Tomhed og Jag efter Vind.
