< Pridigar 12 >
1 Spomni se torej svojega Stvarnika v dneh svoje mladosti, ko niso prišli zli dnevi niti se niso približala leta, ko boš rekel: »V njih nimam veselja, «
Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come, and the years draw near, when you will say, "I have no pleasure in them;"
2 dokler sonce ali svetloba ali luna ali zvezde ne bodo otemnele niti se oblaki vrnili za dežjem,
Before the sun, the light, the moon, and the stars are darkened, and the clouds return after the rain;
3 na dan, ko bodo čuvaji hiše trepetali in se bodo močni možje sklonili in mlinarji odnehajo, ker jih je malo in tisti, ki gledajo skozi okna, postanejo zatemnjeni
in the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those who look out of the windows are darkened,
4 in bodo vrata po ulicah zaprta, ko je glas mletja nizek in bo vstal ob ptičjem glasu in bodo ponižane vse hčere petja;
and the doors shall be shut in the street; when the sound of the grinding is low, and one shall rise up at the voice of a bird, and all the daughters of music shall be brought low;
5 tudi ko jih bo strah tega, kar je visoko in bodo strahovi na poti in bo mandljevec cvetel in bo kobilica breme in bo hrepenenje izneverilo; ker človek odhaja k svojemu dolgemu domu in žalovalci gredo po ulicah,
Also, they are afraid of heights, and of terrors in the way; and the almond tree blossoms, and the grasshopper is burdened, and the caper bush fails; because man goes to his everlasting home, and the mourners go about the streets:
6 ali preden se srebrna vrvica odveže ali zlomi zlata skledica ali lončen vrč razbije ob studencu ali zlomi kolo pri vodnem zbiralniku.
before the silver cord is severed, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is broken at the spring, or the wheel broken at the cistern,
7 Potem se bo prah vrnil k zemlji, kakor je bil; in duh se bo vrnil k Bogu, ki ga je dal.
and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.
8 »Ničevost ničevosti, « pravi pridigar, »vse je ničevost.«
Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher. All is vanity.
9 In poleg tega, ker je bil pridigar moder, še vedno uči ljudstvo spoznanja. Da, pazil je, poiskal in uredil mnogo pregovorov.
Further, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge. Yes, he pondered, sought out, and set in order many proverbs.
10 Pridigar je iskal, da odkrije sprejemljive besede in to, kar je bilo napisano, je bilo iskreno, celó besede resnice.
The Preacher sought to find out acceptable words, and that which was written blamelessly, words of truth.
11 Besede modrih so kakor palice z bodicami in kakor žeblji, pritrjeni s pomočjo gospodarjev zborov, ki so izročeni od enega pastirja.
The words of the wise are like goads; and like nails well fastened are words from the masters of collections, which are given from one shepherd.
12 Nadalje, moj sin, bodi opomnjen s temi. Pisanju mnogih knjig ni konca in mnogo učenja je utrujenost telesu.
Furthermore, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.
13 Prisluhnimo zaključku celotne zadeve: »Boj se Boga in se drži njegovih zapovedi, kajti to je vsa človekova dolžnost.
This is the end of the matter. All has been heard. Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man.
14 Kajti Bog bo vsako delo privedel na sodbo, z vsako skrivno stvarjo, bodisi je ta dobra, bodisi je ta slaba.«
For God will bring every work into judgment, with every hidden thing, whether it is good, or whether it is evil.