< Pridigar 2 >

1 V svojem srcu sem rekel: »Pojdi sedaj, preizkusil te bom z veseljem, zato uživaj zadovoljstvo.« Glej, tudi to je ničevost.
I said in my heart, Come now, I will prove thee with mirth; therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also was vanity.
2 O smehu sem rekel: » To je zmešano.« O veselju: »Kaj to počne?«
I said of laughter, It is mad; and of mirth, What doeth it?
3 V svojem srcu sem iskal, da se izročim vinu in vendar sem seznanjal svoje srce z modrostjo in se poprijel neumnosti, dokler ne bi videl, kaj je bilo to dobro za človeške sinove, kar naj bi storili pod nebom vse dni svojega življenja.
I searched in my heart how to cheer my flesh with wine, my heart yet guiding [me] with wisdom, and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what it was good for the sons of men that they should do under heaven all the days of their life.
4 Naredil sem si velika dela. Zgradil sem si hiše, si zasadil vinograde,
I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards;
5 naredil sem si vrtove in sadovnjake in vanje sem zasadil vse vrste sadnih dreves.
I made me gardens and parks, and I planted trees in them of all kinds of fruit;
6 Naredil sem si vodne tolmune, da z njimi namakam gozd, ki rojeva drevesa.
I made me pools of water, to water therefrom the forest where trees were reared;
7 Pridobil sem si služabnike in dekle in imel služabnike rojene v moji hiši. Prav tako sem imel veliko posesti z veliko in malo živine, povrh vsega kar je bilo v Jeruzalemu pred menoj.
I bought men-servants and maid-servants, and had servants born in my house; also I had great possessions of herds and flocks, above all that were before me in Jerusalem;
8 Zbral sem si tudi srebro in zlato in izvoljen zaklad od kraljev in od provinc. Dobil sem si pevce in pevke in radosti človeških sinov, kakor glasbene instrumente in to od vseh vrst.
I gathered me also silver and gold, and the treasure of kings and of the provinces; I gat me men-singers and women-singers, and the delights of the sons of men, musical instruments, and that of all sorts.
9 Tako sem bil velik in narasel bolj kakor vsi, ki so bili pred menoj v Jeruzalemu. Tudi moja modrost je ostala z menoj.
So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me.
10 Karkoli so si moje oči želele, jim tega nisem preprečil, svojega srca nisem zadržal pred nobeno radostjo, kajti moje srce se je veselilo v vsem mojem trudu in to je bil moj delež vsega mojega truda.
And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them; I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced because of all my labor; and this was my portion from all my labor.
11 Potem sem pogledal na vsa dela, ki sta jih moji roki izvršili in na trud, ki sem se ga trudil delati. Glej, vse je bilo ničevost in draženje duha in ni bilo koristi pod soncem.
Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labor that I had labored to do; and, behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was no profit under the sun.
12 Obrnil sem se, da bi gledal modrost, norost in neumnost, kajti kaj lahko stori človek, ki prihaja za kraljem? Celó to, kar je bilo že narejeno.
And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness, and folly: for what [can] the man [do] that cometh after the king? [even] that which hath been done long ago.
13 Potem sem videl, da modrost prekaša neumnost, kolikor svetloba prekaša temo.
Then I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, as far as light excelleth darkness.
14 Oči modrega človeka so v njegovi glavi, toda bedak hodi v temi. Zaznal pa sem tudi, da se vsem tem dogaja en dogodek.
The wise man’s eyes are in his head, and the fool walketh in darkness: and yet I perceived that one event happeneth to them all.
15 Potem sem v svojem srcu rekel: »Kakor se dogaja bedaku, tako se dogaja celo meni in zakaj sem bil potem modrejši?« Nato sem rekel v svojem srcu, da je tudi to ničevost.
Then said I in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so will it happen even to me; and why was I then more wise? Then said I in my heart, that this also is vanity.
16 Kajti na veke ni spomina na modrega bolj kakor na bedaka. Glede na to, da kar je sedaj, bo v dneh, ki bodo prišli, vse pozabljeno. In kako umira moder človek? Kakor bedak.
For of the wise man, even as of the fool, there is no remembrance for ever; seeing that in the days to come all will have been long forgotten. And how doth the wise man die even as the fool!
17 Zato sem zasovražil življenje, ker mi je delo, ki je opravljeno pod soncem, mučno, kajti vse je ničevost in draženje duha.
So I hated life, because the work that is wrought under the sun was grievous unto me; for all is vanity and a striving after wind.
18 Da, zasovražil sem ves svoj trud, ki sem se ga lotil pod soncem, ker naj bi ga zapustil človeku, ki bo za menoj.
And I hated all my labor wherein I labored under the sun, seeing that I must leave it unto the man that shall be after me.
19 Kdo ve, ali bo moder človek ali bedak? Vendar bo imel oblast nad vsem mojim trudom, v čemer sem se trudil in v čemer sem se pokazal modrega pod soncem. Tudi to je ničevost.
And who knoweth whether he will be a wise man or a fool? yet will he have rule over all my labor wherein I have labored, and wherein I have showed myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity.
20 Zato sem odšel naokrog, da svojemu srcu povzročim, da obupuje od vsega truda, ki sem ga prijel pod soncem.
Therefore I turned about to cause my heart to despair concerning all the labor wherein I had labored under the sun.
21 Kajti je človek, čigar trud je v modrosti, v spoznanju in v nepristranskosti, vendar bo človeku, ki se ni trudil s tem, to zapustil za njegov delež. Tudi to je ničevost in veliko zlo.
For there is a man whose labor is with wisdom, and with knowledge, and with skilfulness; yet to a man that hath not labored therein shall he leave it for his portion. This also is vanity and a great evil.
22 Kajti kaj ima človek od vsega svojega truda in od draženja svojega srca, v čemer se je trudil pod soncem?
For what hath a man of all his labor, and of the striving of his heart, wherein he laboreth under the sun?
23 Kajti vsi njegovi dnevi so bridkosti in njegova muka žalost, da, njegovo srce si ponoči ne vzame počitka. Tudi to je ničevost.
For all his days are [but] sorrows, and his travail is grief; yea, even in the night his heart taketh no rest. This also is vanity.
24 Nič ni boljšega za človeka, kakor da naj bi jedel in pil ter da naj bi svojo dušo pripravil uživati dobro v svojem trudu. Tudi to sem videl, da je bilo to iz Božje roke.
There is nothing better for a man [than] that he should eat and drink, and make his soul enjoy good in his labor. This also I saw, that it is from the hand of God.
25 Kajti kdo lahko jé ali kdo lahko hiti k temu bolj kakor jaz?
For who can eat, or who can have enjoyment, more than I?
26 Kajti Bog daje človeku, ki je dober v njegovem pogledu, modrost, spoznanje in radost, toda grešniku daje muko, da zbira in kopiči, da bi lahko dal tistemu, ki je dober pred Bogom. Tudi to je ničevost in draženje duha.
For to the man that pleaseth him [God] giveth wisdom, and knowledge, and joy; but to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that pleaseth God. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.

< Pridigar 2 >