Ecclesiastes 4
1 I thought some more about all the suffering that people are caused to experience on the earth [MTY]. I saw the tears of people who were (oppressed/treated cruelly) and who had no one to comfort/encourage them. Those who oppressed them had power, and there was absolutely no one who was able to comfort those who were being oppressed.
Opet stadoh promatrati sva nasilja koja se čine pod suncem, i gle, suze potlačenih, i nikog nema da ih utre; i nasilje iz tlačiteljske ruke, a zaštitnika niotkuda.
2 [So] I thought that those who are already dead are more fortunate than those who are still alive.
Zato sretnima smatram mrtve koji su već pomrli; sretniji su od živih što još žive.
3 And those who have not been born yet are more fortunate than those who are still alive and those who have died, [because] those who have not been born have not seen all the evil things that are done on the earth.
A od obojih je sretniji onaj koji još nije postao, koji nije vidio zlih djela što se čine pod suncem.
4 I also thought about all the hard work that people do and the skills that they have. And I thought about how they compete with each other because they are envious of others, [and I concluded that] this also is something that is not accomplishing anything useful, [like] chasing the wind.
Nadalje iskusih da svaki napor i svaki uspjeh pribavlja čovjeku zavist njegova bližnjeg. I to je ispraznost i pusta tlapnja.
5 Foolish people [refuse to work]; they sit idly, with their hands folded, [and do not work]. [So] they ruin themselves.
Bezumnik prekriži ruke i izjeda sebe.
6 [So I say], “It is better to be content with not having much money, than to work very hard and try to get a lot of money, which is [as useless as] chasing the wind.”
Bolja je puna šaka u miru nego obje pregršti mučna rada i puste tlapnje.
7 I thought about something else that happens on the earth [MTY] that seems senseless.
I još jednu opazih ispraznost pod suncem:
8 There are men who live alone; they do not have a wife or children or any brothers living with them; every day they work [very hard], without stopping, to get a lot of money, but they are never satisfied with the things that they have. They never ask [themselves], “Why am I working very hard to earn more money? Why am I not doing things that would cause me to be happy?” What they do also seems senseless.
Čovjek potpun samac - bez sina, bez brata, i opet nema kraja njegovu trudu; oči mu se ne mogu nasititi blaga; a ne misli: za koga se mučim i uskraćujem dobro sebi? I to je ispraznost i zla briga.
9 Having someone [work] with you is better than being by yourself [all the time]. If you have a friend, he can help you to do your work.
Bolje je dvojici nego jednome, jer imaju bolju plaću za svoj trud.
10 If you fall down, he can help you get up again. But if you fall down when you are alone, it will be difficult for you, because there will be no one to help you stand up.
Padne li jedan, drugi će ga podići; a teško jednomu! Ako padne, nema nikoga da ga podigne.
11 Similarly, if two people sleep together, they can keep each other warm. But someone who sleeps alone will certainly not [RHQ] be warm.
Pa ako se i spava udvoje, toplije je; a kako će se samac zagrijati?
12 Someone who is alone can easily be attacked and defeated by another person, but two people can help each other and (resist/defend themselves against) someone who attacks them. [Three people can defend themselves even more easily], [like] a rope that is made from three cords is harder to break [than a rope made from two cords].
I ako tko udari na jednoga, dvojica će mu se oprijeti; i trostruko se uže ne kida brzo.
13 A young man who is poor but wise is a better person than a foolish old king who refuses to pay attention when people try to give him good advice.
Bolji je mladić siromašan a mudar nego kralj star a lud, koji više ne zna za savjet.
14 It is possible for a young man like that to succeed and some day become king, even if his parents were poor or even if he was in prison some of the time.
Jer mladić može izići iz tamnice i postati kraljem, iako se rodio kao prosjak u svom kraljevstvu.
15 But then some other young man becomes king, and everyone (starts to support/is pleased with) him.
Opazih kako svi koji žive i hode pod suncem pristaju uz mladića, uz nastupnika koji ga naslijedi.
16 Large crowds of people crowd around him. But after a few years, they will reject him, [too]. So it is all senseless, [like] chasing after the wind.
On stupa na čelo bezbrojnih podanika i kasniji se naraštaji ne mogahu zbog njega radovati. I to je zacijelo ispraznost i pusta tlapnja.
