1Hvem vil ikke gerne have visdom? Hvem vil ikke gerne kunne finde en løsning på problemerne? Visdom gør et menneske mere forstående og mindre hård.
Adlyd Gud og kongen
2Adlyd kongens befalinger, som du er forpligtet til over for Gud. 3Gør ikke oprør mod kongen, for han straffer dem, der er ulydige imod ham. 4Bag kongens befaling er der myndighed og magt, og ingen vover at sætte spørgsmålstegn ved hans beslutning. 5Den, der adlyder hans befalinger, kan færdes trygt, og den vise ved, at når tiden er inde, vil retfærdigheden ske fyldest. 6Der kommer et tidspunkt, hvor dommen afsiges, for menneskenes ondskab tynger dem ned. 7Ingen kender fremtiden, og hvem kan vide, hvornår dommens time kommer?
8Ingen er herre over vinden, så de kan spærre den inde, og ingen er herre over, hvornår de skal dø. Ingen slipper for militærtjeneste under en krig, og den gudløse slipper heller ikke for sin dom.
De gode og de onde
9Jeg har tænkt dybt over verdens tilstand, hvor det ene menneske har magt til at undertrykke det andet. 10Jeg har set onde mennesker færdes hjemmevant i helligdommen og blive rost ude i byen til trods for al deres ondskab. Ja, selv ved deres begravelse blev de rost til skyerne. Hvor meningsløst! 11Hvis en forbrydelse ikke straffes med det samme, får mennesker mod til at fortsætte med deres ondskab. 12Selv om en ond person begår 100 forbrydelser, og det lykkes ham at undgå straf, så er jeg dog overbevist om, at de gudfrygtige er bedre stillet, netop fordi de frygter Gud. 13Men de onde går det ikke godt. De oplever ikke livets aften, hvor skyggerne bliver lange, for de frygter ikke Gud.
14Endnu en uretfærdighed er udbredt på jorden: Det sker, at ulykker rammer de gode i stedet for de onde, og at de onde får den belønning, som de gode havde fortjent. Er det ikke meningsløst? 15Derfor kan man lige så godt nyde livet, så længe man har det. Spis, drik og vær glad. På den måde får man dog nogen trøst midt i det hårde liv, Gud har givet menneskene på denne jord.
16Da jeg søgte efter visdom, iagttog jeg dag og nat, hvad mennesker foretog sig på jorden. 17Jeg så, at Guds værk var så stort, at ingen kan fatte det, uanset hvor ihærdigt de prøver at forstå det. De, der påstår at være kloge nok til at fatte det, har ikke forstået noget som helst.
1Who is as the wise man? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? a man’s wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness of his face shall be changed.8.1 the boldness: Heb. the strength 2I counsel thee to keep the king’s commandment, and that in regard of the oath of God. 3Be not hasty to go out of his sight: stand not in an evil thing; for he doeth whatsoever pleaseth him. 4Where the word of a king is, there is power: and who may say unto him, What doest thou? 5Whoso keepeth the commandment shall feel no evil thing: and a wise man’s heart discerneth both time and judgment.8.5 shall…: Heb. shall know
6¶ Because to every purpose there is time and judgment, therefore the misery of man is great upon him. 7For he knoweth not that which shall be: for who can tell him when it shall be?8.7 when…: or, how it shall be? 8There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death: and there is no discharge in that war; neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it.8.8 discharge: or, casting off weapons
9All this have I seen, and applied my heart unto every work that is done under the sun: there is a time wherein one man ruleth over another to his own hurt. 10And so I saw the wicked buried, who had come and gone from the place of the holy, and they were forgotten in the city where they had so done: this is also vanity. 11Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.
12¶ Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him: 13But it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days, which are as a shadow; because he feareth not before God.
14There is a vanity which is done upon the earth; that there be just men, unto whom it happeneth according to the work of the wicked; again, there be wicked men, to whom it happeneth according to the work of the righteous: I said that this also is vanity. 15Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry: for that shall abide with him of his labour the days of his life, which God giveth him under the sun.
16¶ When I applied mine heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done upon the earth: (for also there is that neither day nor night seeth sleep with his eyes:) 17Then I beheld all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun: because though a man labour to seek it out, yet he shall not find it; yea further; though a wise man think to know it, yet shall he not be able to find it.
