Ecclesiastes 7
1 A good name is better than costly perfume, and the day of death is better than the day of birth.
Bolje je ime nego dobro ulje, i dan smrtni nego dan u koji se ko rodi.
2 It is better to go to a house of mourning than to a house of feasting, for mourning comes to all people at the end of life, so living people must take this to heart.
Bolje je iæi u kuæu gdje je žalost nego iæi u kuæu gdje je gozba, jer je ondje kraj svakoga èovjeka, i ko je živ, slaže u srce svoje.
3 Grief is better than laughter, for after sadness of face comes gladness of heart.
Bolja je žalost nego smijeh, jer kad je lice neveselo, srce postaje bolje.
4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of feasting.
Srce je mudrijeh ljudi u kuæi gdje je žalost, a srce bezumnijeh u kuæi gdje je veselje.
5 It is better to listen to the rebuke of the wise than to listen to the song of fools.
Bolje je slušati karanje mudroga nego da ko sluša pjesmu bezumnijeh.
6 For like the crackling of thorns burning under a pot, so also is the laughter of fools. This, too, is vapor.
Jer kao što prašti trnje pod loncem, taki je smijeh bezumnikov; i to je taština.
7 Extortion certainly makes a wise man foolish, and a bribe corrupts the heart.
Nasilje obezumljuje mudroga, i poklon izopaèuje srce.
8 Better is the end of a matter than the beginning; and the people patient in spirit are better than the proud in spirit.
Bolji je kraj stvari nego poèetak joj; bolji je ko je strpljiva duha negoli ko je ponosita duha.
9 Do not be quick to anger in your spirit, for anger resides in the hearts of fools.
Ne budi nagao u duhu svom na gnjev, jer gnjev poèiva u njedrima bezumnijeh.
10 Do not say, “Why were the days of old better than these?” For it is not because of wisdom that you ask this question.
Ne govori: šta je to, te su preðašnji dani bili bolji od ovijeh? jer ne bi bilo mudro da za to pitaš.
11 Wisdom, like an inheritance, is good. It benefits those who see the sun.
Dobra je mudrost s imanjem, i korisna je onima koji vide sunce.
12 For wisdom provides protection as money can provide protection, but the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom gives life to whoever has it.
Jer je mudrost zaklon, i novci su zaklon; ali je pretežnije znanje mudrosti tijem što daje život onome ko je ima.
13 Consider the deeds of God: Who can straighten out anything he has made crooked?
Pogledaj djelo Božije; jer ko može ispraviti što on iskrivi?
14 When times are good, live happily in that good, but when times are bad, consider this: God has allowed both to exist side by side. For this reason, no one will find out anything that is coming after him.
U dobro vrijeme uživaj dobro, a u zlo vrijeme gledaj, jer je Bog stvorio jedno prema drugom zato da èovjek ne zna šta æe biti.
15 I have seen many things in my meaningless days. There are righteous people who perish in spite of their righteousness, and there are wicked people who live a long life in spite of their evil.
Svašta vidjeh za vremena taštine svoje: pravednika koji propada u pravdi svojoj, i bezbožnika koji dugo živi u svojoj zloæi.
16 Do not be self-righteous, wise in your own eyes. Why should you destroy yourself?
Ne budi suviše pravedan ni suviše mudar; zašto bi sebe upropastio?
17 Do not be too wicked or foolish. Why should you die before your time?
Ne budi suviše bezbožan ni lud; zašto bi umro prije vremena?
18 It is good that you should take hold of this wisdom, and that you should not let go of righteousness. For the person who fears God will meet all his obligations.
Dobro je da držiš jedno a drugo da ne puštaš iz ruke; jer ko se boji Boga izbaviæe se od svega.
19 Wisdom is powerful in the wise man, more than ten rulers in a city.
Mudrost krijepi èovjeka više nego deset knezova koji su u gradu.
20 There is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.
Doista nema èovjeka pravedna na zemlji koji tvori dobro i ne griješi.
21 Do not listen to every word that is spoken, because you might hear your servant curse you.
Ne uzimaj na um svašta što se govori, ako bi i slugu svojega èuo gdje te psuje;
22 Similarly, you know yourself that in your own heart you have often cursed others.
Jer srce tvoje zna da si i ti više puta psovao druge.
23 All this have I proven by wisdom. I said, “I will be wise,” but it was more than I could be.
Sve to ogledah mudrošæu i rekoh: biæu mudar; ali mudrost bješe daleko od mene.
24 Wisdom is far off and very deep. Who can find it?
Što je tako daleko i vrlo duboko, ko æe naæi?
25 I turned my heart to learn and examine and seek wisdom and the explanations of reality, and to understand that evil is stupid and that folly is madness.
Okretoh se srcem svojim da poznam i izvidim i iznaðem mudrost i razum, i da poznam bezbožnost ludosti i ludost bezumlja.
26 I found that more bitter than death is any woman whose heart is full of snares and nets, and whose hands are chains. Whoever pleases God will escape from her, but the sinner will be taken by her.
I naðoh da je grèa od smrti žena kojoj je srce mreža i pruglo, kojoj su ruke okovi; ko je mio Bogu, saèuvaæe se od nje, a grješnika æe uhvatiti ona.
27 “Consider what I have discovered,” says the Teacher. “I have been adding one discovery to another in order to find an explanation of reality.
Gle, to naðoh, veli propovjednik, jedno prema drugom, tražeæi da razumijem.
28 This is what I am still looking for, but I have not found it. I did find one righteous man among a thousand, but a woman among all those I did not find.
Još traži duša moja, ali ne naðoh. Èovjeka jednoga u tisuæi naðoh, ali žene meðu svjema ne naðoh.
29 I have discovered only this: That God created humanity upright, but they have gone away looking for many difficulties.”
Samo, gle, ovo naðoh: da je Bog stvorio èovjeka dobra; a oni traže svakojake pomisli.
