< 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 try thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure. But behold, this also is vanity.
2 O smehu sem rekel: » To je zmešano.« O veselju: »Kaj to počne?«
I said of laughter, Madness! and of mirth, What availeth 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 cherish my flesh with wine, while practising my heart with wisdom; and how to lay hold on folly, till I should see what was that good for the children of men which they should do under the heavens 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 every kind of fruit;
6 Naredil sem si vodne tolmune, da z njimi namakam gozd, ki rojeva drevesa.
I made me ponds of water, to water therewith the wood, where the trees are 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 acquired servants and maidens, and had servants born in my house; also I had great possessions of herds and flocks, above all that had been in Jerusalem before me.
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 peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces; I got me men-singers and women-singers, and the delights of the children of men, a wife and concubines.
9 Tako sem bil velik in narasel bolj kakor vsi, ki so bili pred menoj v Jeruzalemu. Tudi moja modrost je ostala z menoj.
And I became great, and increased more than all that had been 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 in all my labour, and this was my portion from all my labour.
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 labour that it had cost me to do [them]; and behold, all was vanity and pursuit of the 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 shall the man [do] that cometh after the king? — that which hath already been done.
13 Potem sem videl, da modrost prekaša neumnost, kolikor svetloba prekaša temo.
And I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, 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; but I myself also 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.
And I said in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool so will it happen even to me; and why was I then so wise? Then I said 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 there shall be no remembrance of the wise more than of the fool for ever; because everything is already forgotten in the days which come. And how dieth the wise 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.
And I hated life; for the work that is wrought under the sun was grievous unto me; for all is vanity and pursuit of the 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 labour wherewith I had been toiling under the sun, because I should 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 shall he have rule over all my labour at which I have laboured, and wherein I have been 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.
Then I went about to cause my heart to despair of all the labour wherewith I had laboured 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 labour hath been with wisdom, and with knowledge, and with skill, and who leaveth it to a man that hath not laboured therein, to be 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 will man have of all his labour and of the striving of his heart, wherewith he hath wearied himself 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 sorrows, and his travail vexation: 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 good for man, but that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it was 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 be eager, 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 he giveth to a man that is good in his sight 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 is good in God's sight. This also is vanity and pursuit of the wind.