Ecclesiastes 5
1 Put your feet down with care when you go to the house of God, for it is better to give ear than to make the burned offerings of the foolish, whose knowledge is only of doing evil.
Va'r din fod, når du går til Guds Hus! At komme for at høre er bedre, end at Dårer bringer Slagtoffer, thi de har ikke Forstand til andet end at gøre ondt.
2 Be not unwise with your mouth, and let not your heart be quick to say anything before God, because God is in heaven and you are on the earth — so let not the number of your words be great.
Lad ikke din Mund løbe eller dit Hjerte haste med at udtale et Ord for Guds Åsyn; thi Gud er i Himmelen og du på Jorden, derfor skal dine Ord være få.
3 As a dream comes from much business, so the voice of a foolish man comes with words in great number.
Thi meget Slid giver Drømme, og mange Ord giver Dåretale.
4 When you take an oath before God, put it quickly into effect, because he has no pleasure in the foolish; keep the oath you have taken.
Når du giver Gud et Løfte, så tøv ikke med at holde det! Thi der er ingen Glæde ved Dårer. Hvad du lover, skal du holde.
5 It is better not to take an oath than to take an oath and not keep it.
Det er bedre, at du ikke lover, end at du lover uden at holde.
6 Let not your mouth make your flesh do evil. And say not before the angel, It was an error. So that God may not be angry with your words and put an end to the work of your hands.
Lad ikke din Mund bringe Skyld over dit Legeme og sig ikke til Guds Sendebud, at det var af Vanvare! Hvorfor skal Gud vredes over din Tale og nedbryde dine Hænders Værk?
7 Because much talk comes from dreams and things of no purpose. But let the fear of God be in you.
Thi af mange Drømme og Ord kommer mange Skuffelser; nej, frygt Gud!
8 If you see the poor under a cruel yoke, and law and right being violently overturned in a country, be not surprised, because one authority is keeping watch on another and there are higher than they.
Når du ser den fattige undertrykt og Lov og Ret krænket på din Egn, så undre dig ikke over den Ting; thi på den høje vogter en højere, og andre endnu højere vogter på dem begge.
9 It is good generally for a country where the land is worked to have a king.
Dog, en Fordel for et Land er det i alt Fald, at der er en Konge over dyrket Jord.
10 He who has a love for silver never has enough silver, or he who has love for wealth, enough profit. This again is to no purpose.
Den, der elsker Sølv, mættes aldrig af Sølv, og den, der elsker Rigdom, mættes aldrig af Vinding. Også det er Tomhed.
11 When goods are increased, the number of those who take of them is increased; and what profit has the owner but to see them?
Jo mere Gods, des flere til at fortære det, og hvad Gavn har Ejeren da deraf, ud over at hans Øjne ser det?
12 The sleep of a working man is sweet, if he has little food or much; but to him who is full, sleep will not come.
Sød er Arbejderens Søvn, hvad enten han har lidt eller meget at spise; men den riges Overflod giver ikke ham Lov til at sove.
13 There is a great evil which I have seen under the sun — wealth kept by the owner to be his downfall.
Der er et slemt Onde, som jeg så under Solen: Rigdom gemt hen af sin Ejermand til hans Ulykke;
14 And I saw the destruction of his wealth by an evil chance; and when he became the father of a son he had nothing in his hand.
går Rigdommen tabt ved et Uheld, og han har avlet en Søn, så bliver der intet til ham.
15 As he came from his mother at birth, so does he go again; he gets from his work no reward which he may take away in his hand.
Som han udgik af sin Moders Liv, skal han atter gå bort, lige så nøgen som han kom, og ved sin Flid vinder han intet, han kan tage med sig.
16 And this again is a great evil, that in all points as he came so will he go; and what profit has he in working for the wind?
Også det er et slemt Onde: ganske som han kom, går han bort, og hvad Vinding har han så af, at han gør sig Flid hen i Vejret?
17 All his days are in the dark, and he has much sorrow, pain, disease, and trouble.
Og dertil kommer et helt Liv i Mørke, Sorg og stor Kvide, Sygdom og Kummer.
18 This is what I have seen: it is good and fair for a man to take meat and drink and to have joy in all his work under the sun, all the days of his life which God has given him; that is his reward.
Se, hvad der efter mit Skøn er godt og smukt, det er at spise og drikke og nyde det gode under al den Flid, man gør sig under Solen, alle de Levedage Gud giver en; thi det er den Del, man har;
19 Every man to whom God has given money and wealth and the power to have pleasure in it and to do his part and have joy in his work: this is given by God.
og hver Gang Gud giver et Menneske Rigdom og Gods og sætter ham i Stand til at nyde det, og tage sin Del og glæde sig under sin Flid, da er det en Guds Gave;
20 He will not give much thought to the days of his life; because God lets him be taken up with the joy of his heart.
thi da tænker han ikke stort på sine Levedage, idet Gud lader ham være optaget af sit Hjertes Glæde.
