Ecclesiastes 7
1 A good name is better than fine perfume; and the day of death better than the day of one’s birth.
Bolji je dobar glas nego skupocjeno ulje, i smrtni dan nego dan rođenja.
2 It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting; for that is the end of all men, and the living should take this to heart.
Bolje je ići u kuću gdje je žalost nego u kuću gdje je gozba, jer ondje je kraj svakoga čovjeka, i tko je živ, nek' primi k srcu!
3 Sorrow is better than laughter; for by the sadness of the face the heart is made good.
Bolji je jad nego smijeh, jer pod žalosnim licem srce je radosno.
4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.
Srce je mudrih ljudi u kući žalosti, a srce bezumnih u kući veselja.
5 It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise than for a man to hear the song of fools.
Bolje je poslušati ukor mudra čovjeka negoli slušati hvalospjev luđaka.
6 For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This also is vanity.
Jer kao prasak trnja ispod kotla, takav je smijeh luđaka, i to je ispraznost.
7 Surely extortion makes the wise man foolish; and a bribe destroys the understanding.
Jer smijeh od mudraca čini luđaka i veselje kvari srce.
8 Better is the end of a thing than its beginning. The patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.
Bolji je svršetak stvari nego njezin početak i bolja je strpljivost od oholosti.
9 Don’t be hasty in your spirit to be angry, for anger rests in the bosom of fools.
Ne nagli u srdžbu, jer srdžba počiva u srcu luđaka.
10 Don’t say, “Why were the former days better than these?” For you do not ask wisely about this.
Ne pitaj zašto su negdašnja vremena bila bolja od ovih, jer to nije mudro pitanje.
11 Wisdom is as good as an inheritance. Yes, it is more excellent for those who see the sun.
Mudrost je dragocjena baština i probitak onima na koje sunce sja.
12 For wisdom is a defense, even as money is a defense; but the excellency of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of him who has it.
Jer kao što je novac zaštita, tako je i mudrost; a prednost je mudrosti u tome što izbavlja onoga tko je ima.
13 Consider the work of God, for who can make that straight which he has made crooked?
Pogledaj djela Božja; tko može ispraviti što je on iskrivio?
14 In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider; yes, God has made the one side by side with the other, to the end that man should not find out anything after him.
U sretan dan uživaj sreću, a u zao dan razmišljaj: Bog je stvorio jedno kao i drugo - da čovjek ne otkrije ništa od svoje budućnosti.
15 All this I have seen in my days of vanity: there is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who lives long in his evildoing.
Svašta vidjeh u svojemu ništavnom životu: pravednik propada unatoč svojoj pravednosti, a bezbožnik i dalje živi unatoč svojoj bezbožnosti.
16 Don’t be overly righteous, neither make yourself overly wise. Why should you destroy yourself?
Ne budi prepravedan i ne budi premudar; zašto da se uništavaš?
17 Don’t be too wicked, neither be foolish. Why should you die before your time?
Ne budi preopak i ne budi lud; zašto bi umro prije vremena?
18 It is good that you should take hold of this. Yes, also don’t withdraw your hand from that; for he who fears God will come out of them all.
Dobro je da držiš jedno, ali ni drugo ne puštaj iz ruke, jer tko se boji Boga, izbavlja se od svega.
19 Wisdom is a strength to the wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city.
Mudrost mudraca veću moć daje gradu nego deset mogućnika.
20 Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and doesn’t sin.
Na zemlji nema pravednika koji, čineći dobro, ne bi nikad sagriješio.
21 Also don’t take heed to all words that are spoken, lest you hear your servant curse you;
I još jedno: nemoj se obazirati na govorkanje; čut ćeš možda da te sluga tvoj proklinjao;
22 for often your own heart knows that you yourself have likewise cursed others.
a zna tvoje srce kako si i ti često druge proklinjao.
23 All this I have proved in wisdom. I said, “I will be wise;” but it was far from me.
Sve sam to mudrošću iskušao. Mislio sam da sam mudar, ali mi je mudrost bila nedokučiva.
24 That which is, is far off and exceedingly deep. Who can find it out?
Ono što jest, daleko je i duboko, tako duboko - tko da i pronađe?
25 I turned around, and my heart sought to know and to search out, and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things, and to know that wickedness is stupidity, and that foolishness is madness.
I još jednom pokušah istražiti i shvatiti mudrost i smisao, da spoznam opačinu kao ludost, a ludost kao bezumlje.
26 I find more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and traps, whose hands are chains. Whoever pleases God shall escape from her; but the sinner will be ensnared by her.
Otkrih da ima nešto gorče od smrti - žena, ona je zamka, srce joj je mreža, a ruke okovi; tko je Bogu drag, izmiče joj, a grešnik je njezin sužanj.
27 “Behold, I have found this,” says the Preacher, “to one another, to find an explanation
Eto, to sam sve u svemu otkrio, veli Propovjednik.
28 which my soul still seeks, but I have not found. I have found one man among a thousand, but I have not found a woman among all those.
I još sam tražio, ali bez uspjeha. Nađoh čovjeka - jednog od tisuću, a žene ne nađoh među svima nijedne.
29 Behold, I have only found this: that God made mankind upright; but they search for many inventions.”
Otkrih ovo: Bog stvori čovjeka jednostavnim, a on snuje nebrojene spletke.
