Ecclesiastes, 2

1. I said in my heart: “I will go forth and overflow with delights, and I will enjoy good things.” And I saw that this, too, is emptiness.

1. Tad rekoh u srcu svom: "Daj da okušam užitak i vidim što naslada pruža" - ali gle: i to je ispraznost!

2. Laughter, I considered an error. And to rejoicing, I said: “Why are you being deceived, to no purpose?”

2. O smijehu rekoh: "Ludost je"; o užitku: "Èemu valja?"

3. I decided in my heart to withdraw my flesh from wine, so that I might bring my mind to wisdom, and turn away from foolishness, until I see what is useful for the sons of men, and what they ought to do under the sun, during the number of the days of their life.

3. Odluèih tijelo krijepiti vinom, a srce posvetiti mudrosti; poželjeh prigrliti i ludost, kako bih spoznao usreæava li ljude ono što pod nebesima èine za izbrojenih dana svojega života.

4. I magnified my works. I built houses for myself, and I planted vineyards.

4. Uèinih velika djela: sazidah sebi palaèe, zasadih vinograde;

5. I made gardens and orchards. And I planted them with trees of every kind.

5. uredih perivoje i voænjake, nasadih u njima voæke svakojake.

6. And I dug out fishponds of water, so that I might irrigate the forest of growing trees.

6. Naèinih jezera da plodna sadišta natapam.

7. I obtained men and women servants, and I had a great family, as well as herds of cattle and great flocks of sheep, beyond all who were before me in Jerusalem.

7. Nakupovah robova i robinja, imadoh i sluge domaæe, a tako i stada krupne i sitne stoke više no itko prije mene u Jeruzalemu.

8. I amassed for myself silver and gold, and the wealth of kings and governors. I chose men and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, bowls and pitchers for the purpose of pouring wine.

8. Nagomilah srebro i zlato i blago kraljeva i pokrajina, nabavih pjevaèe i pjevaèice i svakoga raskošja ljudskog, sve škrinju na škrinji.

9. And I surpassed in opulence all who were before me in Jerusalem. My wisdom also persevered with me.

9. I postadoh tako velik, veæi no bilo tko prije mene u Jeruzalemu; a nije me ni mudrost moja ostavila.

10. And all that my eyes desired, I did not refuse them. Neither did I prohibit my heart from enjoying every pleasure, and from amusing itself in the things that I had prepared. And I regarded this as my share, as if I were making use of my own labors.

10. I što god su mi oèi poželjele, nisam im uskratio, niti branih srcu svojemu kakva veselja, veæ se srce moje veselilo svakom trudu mojem, i takva bi nagrada svakom mojem naporu.

11. But when I turned myself toward all the works that my hands had made, and to the labors in which I had perspired to no purpose, I saw emptiness and affliction of the soul in all things, and that nothing is permanent under the sun.

11. A onda razmotrih sva svoja djela, sve napore što uložih da do njih doðem - i gle, sve je to opet ispraznost i pusta tlapnja! I ništa nema valjano pod suncem.

12. I continued on, so as to contemplate wisdom, as well as error and foolishness. “What is man,” I said, “that he would be able to follow his Maker, the King?”

12. Okrenuh zatim misao svoju mudrosti, gluposti i ludosti. Što, na priliku, èini kraljev nasljednik? Ono što je veæ uèinjeno.

13. And I saw that wisdom surpasses foolishness, so much so that they differ as much as light from darkness.

13. I spoznadoh da je bolja mudrost od ludosti, kao što je svjetlost bolja od tame.

14. The eyes of a wise man are in his head. A foolish man walks in darkness. Yet I learned that one would pass away like the other.

14. Mudracu su oèi u glavi, a bezumnik luta u tami. Ali takoðer znam da obojicu stiže ista kob.

15. And I said in my heart: “If the death of both the foolish and myself will be one, how does it benefit me, if I have given myself more thoroughly to the work of wisdom?” And as I was speaking within my own mind, I perceived that this, too, is emptiness.

15. Zato rekoh u sebi: "Kakva je sudbina luðaku, takva je i meni. Èemu onda žudjeti za mudrošæu?" I rekoh u srcu: "I to je ispraznost!"

16. For there will not be a remembrance in perpetuity of the wise, nor of the foolish. And the future times will cover everything together, with oblivion. The learned die in a manner similar to the unlearned.

16. Jer trajna spomena nema ni mudru ni bezumniku: obojicu æe poslije nekog vremena prekriti zaborav! I, jao, mudrac mora umrijeti kao i bezumnik.

17. And, because of this, my life wearied me, since I saw that everything under the sun is evil, and everything is empty and an affliction of the spirit.

17. Omrznuh život, jer mi se uèini muènim sve što se zbiva pod suncem: sve je ispraznost i pusta tlapnja.

18. Again, I detested all my efforts, by which I had earnestly labored under the sun, to be taken up by an heir after me,

18. Zamrzih sve za što sam se pod suncem trudio i što sad ostavljam svome nasljedniku.

19. though I know not whether he will be wise or foolish. And yet he will have power over my labors, in which I have toiled and been anxious. And is there anything else so empty?

19. Tko zna hoæe li on biti mudar ili lud? Pa ipak on æe biti gospodar sve moje muke u koju uložih sav svoj napor i mudrost pod suncem. I to je ispraznost.

20. Therefore, I ceased, and my heart renounced further laboring under the sun.

20. I stao sam srcem oèajavati zbog velikog napora kojim sam se trudio pod suncem.

21. For when someone labors in wisdom, and doctrine, and prudence, he leaves behind what he has obtained to one who is idle. So this, too, is emptiness and a great burden.

21. Jer èovjek se trudi mudro i umješno i uspješno, pa sve to mora ostaviti u baštinu drugomu koji se oko toga nije uopæe trudio. I to je ispraznost i velika nevolja.

22. For how can a man benefit from all his labor and affliction of spirit, by which he has been tormented under the sun?

22. Jer što on dobiva za sav svoj napor i trud koji je pod suncem podnio?

23. All his days have been filled with sorrows and hardships; neither does he rest his mind, even in the night. And is this not emptiness?

23. Jer svi su njegovi dani doista mukotrpni, poslovi mu puni brige; èak ni noæu ne miruje srce njegovo. I to je ispraznost.

24. Is it not better to eat and drink, and to show his soul the good things of his labors? And this is from the hand of God.

24. Nema èovjeku druge sreæe veæ jesti i piti i biti zadovoljan svojim poslom. I to je, vidim, dar Božje ruke.

25. So who will feast and overflow with delights as much as I have?

25. Jer tko bi mogao jesti, tko li nezadovoljan biti, osim po njemu.

26. God has given, to the man who is good in his sight, wisdom, and knowledge, and rejoicing. But to the sinner, he has given affliction and needless worrying, so as to add, and to gather, and to deliver, to him who has pleased God. But this, too, is emptiness and a hollow worrying of the mind.

26. Mudrost, spoznaju, radost on daruje onom tko mu je po volji, a grešniku nameæe zadaæu da sabira i skuplja za onoga tko je po volji Bogu. I to je ispraznost i pusta tlapnja.