Prædikeren 11
1 Kast dit Brød på Vandet, Thi du får det igen, går end lang Tid hen.
Send forth your bread on the face of the waters, For in the multitude of the days you find it.
2 Del dit Gods i syv otte Dele, thi du ved ej, hvad ondt der kanske på Jorden.
Give a portion to seven, and even to eight, For you do not know what evil is on the earth.
3 Er Skyerne fulde af Regn, så gyder de den ud over Jorden; og falder et Træ mod Syd eller Nord; så bliver det liggende der, hvor det falder.
If the thick clouds are full of rain, On the earth they empty [themselves]; And if a tree falls in the south or to the north, The place where the tree falls, there it is.
4 Man får aldrig sået, når man kigger efter Vinden, og aldrig høstet, når man ser efter Skyerne.
Whoever is observing the wind does not sow, And whoever is looking on the thick clouds does not reap.
5 Som du ikke kender Vindens Vej eller Fostret i Moders Liv, så kender du ej heller Guds Virke, han, som virker alt.
As you do not know what [is] the way of the spirit, How—bones in the womb of the full one, So you do not know the work of God who makes the whole.
6 Så din Sæd ved Gry og lad Hånden ej hvile ved Kvæld; thi du ved ej, om dette eller hint vil lykkes, eller begge Dele er lige gode.
In the morning sow your seed, And at evening do not withdraw your hand, For you do not know which is right, this or that, Or whether both of them alike [are] good.
7 Lyset er lifligt, at skue Solen er godt for Øjnene;
Sweet also [is] the light, And good for the eyes to see the sun.
8 ja, lever et Menneske mange År, skal han glæde sig over dem alle og komme Mørkets Dage i Hu, thi af dem er der mange i Vente; alt, hvad der kommer, er Tomhed.
But if man lives many years, In all of them let him rejoice, And remember the days of darkness, For they are many! All that is coming [is] vanity.
9 Glæd dig, Yngling, i din Ungdom, vær vel til Mode i Livets Vår; gå, hvor dit Hjerte lyster, og nyd, hvad dit Øje skuer; men vid, at for alle disse Ting skal du kræves til Regnskab af Gud.
Rejoice, O young man, in your childhood, And let your heart gladden you in days of your youth, And walk in the ways of your heart, And in the sight of your eyes, And know that for all these, God brings you into judgment.
10 Slå Mismod ud af dit Sind, hold Sygdom fjernt fra din Krop; thi Ungdom og Livsgry er Tomhed!
And turn aside anger from your heart, And cause evil to pass from your flesh, For the childhood and the age [are] vanity!
