Livets uretfærdighed
1Dernæst iagttog jeg, hvordan folk ud over jorden blev undertrykt. Jeg så deres tårer, men ingen hjalp dem, for det var undertrykkerne, der havde magten. 2Da tænkte jeg: „De døde er heldige, for de har det bedre end de levende. 3Og allerheldigst er de, som ikke er født endnu og derfor ikke har oplevet ondskaben på jorden!”
Menneskets motivation for at arbejde
4Jeg indså også, at når folk arbejder hårdt for at opnå succes, er det fordi de er motiveret af ønsket om at overgå hinanden. Men også det er meningsløst. 5Tåber derimod sidder med foldede hænder uden at arbejde, og derfor lider de sult. 6De vil hellere tage det roligt og sulte end slide sig ihjel uden at kunne se meningen med det.
7En anden meningsløshed så jeg på jorden: 8Mange bor alene uden børn eller søskende, men alligevel slider de i det fra morgen til aften. De kan aldrig få rigdom nok. Mon de tænker: „Hvorfor slider jeg mig selv op i stedet for at nyde livet?” Hvor er det tomt og meningsløst!
Ensomhed og fællesskab
9Det er godt, når to deles om arbejdet, for så går det lettere. 10Hvis den ene falder, kan den anden hjælpe ham op. Men den, der er alene og falder, har ingen til at hjælpe sig op.
11Og hvis man ligger to i samme seng, kan man lettere holde varmen, end hvis man ligger alene. 12Den, der kæmper alene, er lettere at overvinde end to, der kæmper og forsvarer hinanden. Men tre er endnu bedre, for en trestrenget snor brister ikke så let.
Berømmelse giver ikke livet mening
13En, der er ung og fattig, men klog, er bedre stillet end en gammel konge, som nægter at tage imod råd. 14Sådan en ung person kan være født ind i fattigdommens fængsel og alligevel drive det til noget, måske endda blive konge. 15Alle er ivrige efter at hjælpe ham og følger ham begejstret. 16Han kan blive konge over et stort folk, men alligevel blive forkastet af den næste generation. Også det er meningsløst.
Ærefrygt for Gud
17Når du går til Guds hus, så tænk over dine handlinger. Det er bedre at lytte og tage ved lære end at bringe ofre som en tåbe, der ikke kender sine egne fejl.
Oppression, Toil, Friendlessness
1Again I looked and saw all the oppression that was taking place under the sun:
I saw the tears of the oppressed—
and they have no comforter;
power was on the side of their oppressors—
and they have no comforter.
2And I declared that the dead,
who had already died,
are happier than the living,
who are still alive.
3But better than both
is the one who has never been born,
who has not seen the evil
that is done under the sun.
4And I saw that all toil and all achievement spring from one person’s envy of another. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
5Fools fold their hands
and ruin themselves.
6Better one handful with tranquillity
than two handfuls with toil
and chasing after the wind.
7Again I saw something meaningless under the sun:
8There was a man all alone;
he had neither son nor brother.
There was no end to his toil,
yet his eyes were not content with his wealth.
“For whom am I toiling,” he asked,
“and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?”
This too is meaningless—
a miserable business!
9Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their labor:
10If either of them falls down,
one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
and has no one to help them up.
11Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?
12Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
Advancement Is Meaningless
13Better a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer knows how to heed a warning. 14The youth may have come from prison to the kingship, or he may have been born in poverty within his kingdom. 15I saw that all who lived and walked under the sun followed the youth, the king’s successor. 16There was no end to all the people who were before them. But those who came later were not pleased with the successor. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
