# Fear and Trembling, Problema II

Frygt og Bæven · Søren Kierkegaard · Problemata

Source: https://1732studios.com/books/kierkegaard/problema-ii. Data: https://1732studios.com/books/kierkegaard/problema-ii.json.


Gives der en absolut Pligt mod Gud?  
Is there an absolute duty toward God?
> «absolut Pligt mod Gud» — absolute duty toward God: The title-question of Problema II. «Pligt» = duty; «absolut» here means unconditioned — a duty owed directly to God, not mediated through «det Almene» (the universal). The whole section tests whether such a duty can exist alongside an ethics that claims to be valid for everyone.

Det Ethiske er det Almene, og som saadant igjen det Guddommelige.  
The ethical is the universal, and as such, again, the divine.
> «det Ethiske», «det Almene» — the ethical, the universal: Kierkegaard's two key Hegelian terms: «det Ethiske» (the ethical) is identified with «det Almene» (the universal, what holds for everyone), and so in turn with «det Guddommelige» (the divine). Period orthography: «Ethiske» (modern «etiske»), «saadant» (modern «sådant»), «igjen» with «gj».

Man har derfor Ret i at sige, at enhver Pligt i Grunden er Pligt mod Gud; men kan man ikke sige mere, da siger man tillige, at jeg egentlig ingen Pligt har mod Gud.  
One is therefore right in saying that every duty is at bottom a duty toward God; but if one can say no more than this, then one is saying at the same time that I really have no duty toward God at all.

Pligten bliver Pligt ved at henføres til Gud, men i Pligten selv træder jeg ikke i Forhold til Gud.  
Duty becomes duty by being referred to God, but in the duty itself I do not enter into relation with God.

Det er saaledes Pligt at elske sin Næste.  
Thus it is a duty to love one's neighbor.

Det er Pligt derved, at det henføres til Gud, men i Pligten træder jeg ikke i Forhold til Gud, men til den Næste, jeg elsker.  
It is a duty by being referred to God, but in the duty I do not enter into relation with God, but with the neighbor whom I love.

Siger jeg da i denne Forbindelse, at det er min Pligt at elske Gud, da siger jeg egentlig kun en Tautologi, forsaavidt ,Gud" her tages i en aldeles abstrakt Forstand som det Guddommelige 9: det Almene 3: Pligten.  
If I then say, in this connection, that it is my duty to love God, I am really only uttering a tautology, insofar as "God" is here taken in a wholly abstract sense as the divine, i.e. the universal, i.e. duty.
> «9:» and «3:» — the old Danish abbreviation for 'that is': In the old printed edition these strange marks «9:» and «3:» are the typographer's sign for 'scilicet / det vil sige' (that is, namely) — a colon-like glyph the OCR has read as the digits 9 and 3. Read them as 'i.e.' Note also «,Gud"» — the opening quotation mark sits low on the line (a comma-shaped «,»), the period convention for an opening quote.

Menneskeslægtens hele Tilværelse afrunder sig da fuldkommen kugleformet i sig selv, og det Ethiske er paa eengang det Begrændsende og det Udfyldende.  
The whole existence of the human race then rounds itself off perfectly, sphere-like, in itself, and the ethical is at once that which sets the limit and that which fills it out.
> Period orthography: «paa», «eengang», «Begrændsende»: 1843 spellings: «paa» (modern «på»), «eengang» (modern «engang», with the doubled vowel marking the old form), «Begrændsende» (modern «begrænsende»). The image is Hegelian closure — humanity's existence is a self-enclosed sphere, with nothing outside it, so the ethical is both boundary and content.

Gud bliver et usynligt, forsvindende Punkt, en afmægtig Tanke, hans Magt er kun i det Ethiske, der udfylder Tilværelsen.  
God becomes an invisible, vanishing point, a powerless thought; His power lies only in the ethical, which fills out existence.

.Forsaavidt da Een skulde vilde falde paa at ville elske Gud i nogen anden end den her angivne Betydning, da er han overspændt, han elsker et Phantom, der, hvis det blot havde saa megen Kraft, at det kunde tale, vilde sige til ham: jeg forlanger ikke din Kjærlighed, bliv kun hvor Du hører hjemme.  
So far, then, as anyone should take it into his head to want to love God in any other than the sense here indicated, he is overwrought; he loves a phantom which, if only it had power enough to speak, would say to him: I do not demand your love; just stay where you belong.
> «overspændt» — overwrought; «Phantom» — phantom: «overspændt» = overstrained, overwrought, fanatical. The leading «.» before «Forsaavidt» is a stray opening quotation-mark artifact from the old edition. «Kjærlighed» keeps the period «Kj» (modern «kærlighed»), and «Du» is capitalized as the intimate singular 'thou' — the formal second-person pronoun in Danish is «De/Dem/Deres», not «Du».

Forsaavidt Een skulde falde paa at ville elske Gud anderledes, da bliver denne Kjærlighed mistænkelig ligesom den Kjærlighed, hvilken Rousseau omtaler, hvormed et Menneske elsker Kafferne istedenfor at elske sin Næste.  
So far as anyone should take it into his head to want to love God otherwise, this love becomes suspect, like the love Rousseau speaks of, by which a man loves the Kaffirs instead of loving his neighbor.

Dersom nu det her Udviklede forholder sig rigtigt, dersom der intet Incommensurabelt er i et Menneskeliv, men det Incommensurable der er, kun er det ved et Tilfælde, af hvilket Intet følger, forsaavidt Tilværelsen betragtes under Ideen, saa har Hegel Ret; men hvad han ikke har Ret i er, at tale om Troen eller at tillade, at Abraham ansees for dens Fader; thi ved det Andet har han afsagt Dommen baade over Abraham og over Troen.  
If now what has here been developed is correct, if there is nothing incommensurable in a human life, and what incommensurability there is exists only by accident, from which nothing follows so far as existence is regarded under the Idea, then Hegel is right; but what he is not right in is to speak of faith, or to allow Abraham to be regarded as its father; for by the latter he has passed judgment both upon Abraham and upon faith.
> «Incommensurabelt» — incommensurable; «Troen» — faith: «Incommensurabel» = incommensurable, that which has no common measure with the universal — Kierkegaard's term for the dimension faith adds to a life. The sentence concedes the Hegelian system 'if' there is no such incommensurable, then turns it against Hegel: he cannot both run that system and honor «Troen» (faith) and Abraham as its father. «thi» = for, because; «Dersom … dersom» again stacks the conditions.

I den hegelske Philosophi er das Åussere (die Entåusserung) højere end das Innere.  
In Hegelian philosophy the outer (the externalization) is higher than the inner.
> German: «das Äussere», «die Entäusserung», «das Innere»: Kierkegaard quotes Hegel in German. «das Äussere» = the outer/external; «die Entäusserung» = externalization (Hegel's term for spirit going out into the world); «das Innere» = the inner. The «Å» is an OCR misreading of the German «Ä» (Äussere, Entäusserung). His claim: Hegel ranks the outer above the inner — which faith will reverse.

Dette oplyses oftere ved et Exempel.  
This is often illustrated by an example.

Barnet er das Innere, Manden das Åussere; deraf kommer det, at Barnet netop er bestemmet ved det Ydre, og omvendt Manden som das Åussere netop er bestemt ved das Innere.  
The child is the inner, the man the outer; from this it comes that the child is determined precisely by the outer, and conversely the man, as the outer, is determined precisely by the inner.
> «det Ydre» — the outer; «das Innere» — the inner: Kierkegaard slides between the Danish «det Ydre» (the outer, outwardness) and the quoted German «das Innere / das Åussere». The child shows itself in its outward behavior; the mature man is governed by an inwardness, «Inderlighed», not yet visible. This sets up faith's reversal: a hidden inwardness higher than any outward expression.

Troen derimod er dette Paradox, at Inderligheden er højere end Yderligheden, eller for atter at erindre om et Udtryk i det Foregaaende, at det ulige Tal er højere end det lige.  
Faith, by contrast, is this paradox: that inwardness is higher than outwardness — or, to recall once more an expression used earlier, that the odd number is higher than the even.
> «Paradox» — the paradox; «Inderlighed» — inwardness: «Paradoxet» is faith's signature in this book: a structure that cannot be resolved into the universal. Here the paradox is that «Inderlighed» (inwardness) outranks «Yderlighed» (outwardness) — the exact inversion of the Hegelian ranking of s13. The 'odd number higher than the even' echoes an image from earlier in the book. Period spelling «Foregaaende» (modern «foregående»).

"For den ethiske Betragtning af Livet er det da den Enkeltes Opgave, at afføre sig selv Inderlighedens Bestemmelse og udtrykke denne i et Ydre.  
"For the ethical view of life, then, it is the single individual's task to strip himself of the determinations of inwardness and to express these in an outwardness.
> «den Enkelte» — the single individual: «den Enkelte» = the single individual, the lone particular person — Kierkegaard's signature category, set against «det Almene» (the universal). Ethically, the individual's task is to give up his private inwardness and express it outwardly, in deeds valid for all. The opening «"» begins a long quoted passage that runs through the next sentences.

Hver Gang den Enkelte krymper sig derved, hver Gang han vil holde sig tilbage i eller smutte ned igjen i Inderlighedens Béstemmelse af Følelse, Stemning o.s.v., da forsynder han sig,-da ligger han i en Anfægtelse.  
Every time the single individual shrinks from this, every time he would hold himself back in, or slip down again into, the inwardness of feeling, mood, and so on, he sins — then he lies in a spiritual trial.
> «Anfægtelse» — spiritual trial / temptation: «Anfægtelse» (German Anfechtung) is a key Kierkegaardian term: a spiritual assault or trial, the temptation in which the higher and the lower can be confused. «o.s.v.» = «og saa videre» (and so on, etc.). Note «forsynder han sig» (he sins), and the period spelling «igjen» / «Béstemmelse» (the accent on «Béstemmelse» is a printer's slip for «Bestemmelse»).

Troens Paradox er dette, at der er en Inderlighed, der er incommensurabel fra det Ydre, en Inderlighed, der vel at mærke ikke er identisk med hiin første, men en ny Inderlighed.  
The paradox of faith is this: that there is an inwardness which is incommensurable with the outer — an inwardness which, mark well, is not identical with that first one, but a new inwardness.
> «Troens Paradox» — the paradox of faith: «Troens Paradox» = the paradox of faith — the phrase that anchors this whole section. Faith's inwardness is «incommensurabel» with any outer expression, yet it is not the immediate, pre-ethical inwardness of feeling («hiin første», that first one) but a 'new' inwardness reached only after the ethical. «hiin» = that (yonder), an old demonstrative.

Dette maa ikke oversees.  
This must not be overlooked.

Den nyere Philosophi har tilladt sig uden videre istedenfor ,Trof at substituere det Umiddelbare.  
Recent philosophy has allowed itself, without further ado, to substitute the immediate for "faith."
> «det Umiddelbare» — the immediate: «det Umiddelbare» = the immediate (Hegel's Unmittelbarkeit) — raw, unreflected immediacy. Kierkegaard's complaint: modern (Hegelian) philosophy quietly swaps «Tro» (faith) for mere immediacy, as though faith were the starting point one moves beyond. «,Trof» is an OCR garble for «,Tro»» — the word 'faith' in low opening quotation marks; read it as «Tro».

Naar man gjør det. da er det en Latterlighed at negte, at Troen har været til til alle Tider.  
When one does that, it becomes ridiculous to deny that faith has existed in all ages.
> Period orthography: «gjør», «negte»: 1843 spellings: «gjør» (modern «gør», with «gj»), «negte» (modern «nægte»). The period after «gjør det.» mid-clause is a printer's slip for a comma — read 'Naar man gjør det, da er det...' If faith is just immediacy, then of course it has 'always existed,' which trivializes it.

Troen kommer nu paa den Maade i temmelig simpelt Compagni med Følelse, Stemning, Idiosynkrasi, vapeurs 0. s. v.  
Faith thus comes, in this way, into rather plain company with feeling, mood, idiosyncrasy, vapors, and so on.
> «vapeurs» — vapors; «Compagni» — company: «vapeurs» is French for 'vapors' — the period's term for nervous moods or the 'vapors.' «Compagni» = company, partnership. Kierkegaard's sarcasm: reduce faith to immediacy and it keeps company with mere feeling and the 'vapors.' «0. s. v.» = «og saa videre» (and so on), the digit 0 an OCR slip for the letter o.

Forsaavidt kan Philosophien have Ret i, at man ikke bør blive staaende derved.  
So far, philosophy may be right that one ought not to remain standing there.

Men der er Intet, der berettiger Philosophien til denne Sprogbrug.  
But there is nothing that entitles philosophy to this use of language.

Foran for Troen gaaer en Uendelighedens Bevægelse, først da indtræder, nec opinate, i Kraft af det Absurde Troen.  
Before faith there goes a movement of infinity; only then, unexpectedly, by virtue of the absurd, does faith enter in.
> «i Kraft af det Absurde» — by virtue of the absurd: «i Kraft af det Absurde» (by virtue of the absurd) is one of the book's central phrases: faith does not follow rationally but breaks in beyond reason. «Uendelighedens Bevægelse» = the movement of infinity (infinite resignation), which must precede faith. «nec opinate» is Latin for 'unexpectedly, without being anticipated.' Period spelling «gaaer» (modern «går»).

Dette kan jeg vel forstaae, uden derfor at paastaae, at jeg har Troen.  
This I can indeed understand, without on that account claiming that I have faith.

Naar Troen ikke er Andet end hvad Philosophien udgiver den for, saa er allerede Socrates gaaet videre, langt videre, istedenfor at det er omvendt, at han ikke er kommen til den.  
If faith is nothing more than what philosophy makes it out to be, then Socrates already went further, far further — whereas the truth is the reverse: that he never reached it.

Han har i intellectuel Henseende gjort Uendelighedens Bevægelse.  
In an intellectual respect he made the movement of infinity.

Hans Uvidenhed er den uendelige Resignation.  
His ignorance is the infinite resignation.
> «den uendelige Resignation» — infinite resignation: «Resignation» = the giving-up of finitude that precedes faith; «den uendelige Resignation» (infinite resignation) is the last stage before the leap. Socrates's «Uvidenhed» (ignorance, his famous 'I know that I know nothing') is read as exactly this resignation — a renouncing of all finite certainty.

Denne Opgave er allerede en passende for menneskelige Kræfter, om man end i vor Tid forsmaaer den; men først naar den er gjort, først naar den Enkelte har udtømt sig selv i det Uendelige, først da er det Punkt kommet, da Troen kan bryde frem.  
This task is already one that befits human powers, even though our age disdains it; but only when it has been done, only when the single individual has exhausted himself in the infinite, only then has the point come at which faith can break forth.
> «først naar … først naar … først da» — only when: An anaphora of «først» (only / first): only when resignation is complete does faith become possible. The rhetorical climb mirrors the argument — faith is not a shortcut but comes after the individual has 'exhausted himself in the infinite.' Period spelling «forsmaaer» (modern «forsmår»), «udtømt» = exhausted.

Troens Paradox er da dette, at den Enkelte er højere end det Almene, at den Enkelte, for at erindre om en nu sjeldnere dogmatisk Distinction, bestemmer sit Forhold til det Almene ved sit Forhold til det Absolute, ikke sit Forhold til det Absolute ved sit Forhold til det Almene.  
The paradox of faith, then, is this: that the single individual is higher than the universal — that the single individual, to recall a now rarer dogmatic distinction, determines his relation to the universal by his relation to the absolute, not his relation to the absolute by his relation to the universal.
> «det Absolute» — the absolute (God): The core formula of Problema II: «den Enkelte» (the single individual) stands higher than «det Almene» (the universal) because he is related to «det Absolute» (the absolute — God). The order of priority is reversed: the relation to God grounds the relation to the universal, not the other way round. «sjeldnere» (modern «sjældnere») = rarer; period «-Distinction».

Paradoxet kan ogsaa udtrykkes saaledes, at der er en absolut Pligt mod Gud; thi i dette Pligtforhold forholder den Enkelte som den Enkelte sig absolut til det Absolute.  
The paradox can also be expressed thus: that there is an absolute duty toward God; for in this duty-relation the single individual, as the single individual, relates himself absolutely to the absolute.
> «Paradoxet» — the paradox restated as duty: Here the paradox is restated as the section's title-thesis: there IS an absolute duty toward God. The chiming phrase «forholder … sig absolut til det Absolute» (relates himself absolutely to the absolute) is the formula of faith — the individual, precisely as individual, in unmediated relation to God. «thi» = for, because.

Naar det da i denne Forbindelse hedder, at det er Pligt at elske Gud, saa siges dermed noget Andet end i det Foregaaende; thi er denne Pligt absolut, saa er det Ethiske nedsat til det Relative.  
When, then, it is said in this connection that it is a duty to love God, something other is meant than before; for if this duty is absolute, the ethical is reduced to the relative.
> «det Ethiske nedsat til det Relative» — the ethical reduced to the relative: The decisive consequence: if the duty to God is «absolut», then «det Ethiske» (the ethical), which claimed to be the highest and universal, is demoted to «det Relative» (the relative). This is the teleological suspension of the ethical seen from Problema II's angle. «hedder» = it is called/said; «nedsat» = lowered, reduced.

Heraf følger dog ikke, at dette skal tilintetgjøres, men det faaer et ganske andet Udtryk, det paradoxe Udtryk, saaledes at f. Ex. Kjærlighed til Gud kan bringe Troens Ridder til at give sin Kjærlighed til Næsten det modsatte Udtryk af hvad der ethisk talt er Pligt.  
From this it does not follow, however, that the ethical is to be annihilated; rather, it receives a wholly different expression, the paradoxical expression — so that, for example, love of God may bring the knight of faith to give his love of the neighbor the opposite expression to what, ethically speaking, is a duty.
> «Troens Ridder» — the knight of faith: «Troens Ridder» (the knight of faith) is the book's hero-figure, who holds both infinite resignation and faith at once. The ethical is not «tilintetgjort» (annihilated) but takes a «paradoxe Udtryk» (paradoxical expression): love of God can require the very opposite of ethical duty (as Abraham's love of God requires sacrificing Isaac). «f. Ex.» = «for Exempel» (for example).

Forholder det sig ikke saaledes, da har Troen ikke sin Plads i Tilværelsen, saa er Troen en Anfægtelse, og Abraham er tabt, da han gav efter for den.  
If this is not so, then faith has no place in existence; then faith is a spiritual trial, and Abraham is lost, since he gave in to it.

Dette Paradox lader sig ikke mediere; thi det beroer netop paa, at den Enkelte kun er den Enkelte.  
This paradox does not allow of mediation; for it rests precisely on the fact that the single individual is only the single individual.
> «mediere» — to mediate (Hegel's Vermittlung): «at mediere» = to mediate — Hegel's Vermittlung, the dialectical resolution of an opposition into a higher unity. Kierkegaard's claim is that the paradox of faith cannot be mediated: there is no higher term that reconciles the individual with the universal, because the whole point is that «den Enkelte» (the single individual) remains stubbornly individual. «beroer paa» = rests upon.

Saasnart denne Enkelte vil udtrykke sin absolute Pligt i det Almene, blive. sig denne bevidst i dette, saa erkjender han sig selv at være i Anfægtelse, og kommer da, hvis han ellers gjør den Modstand, ikke til at opfylde den saakaldte absolute Pligt, og hvis han ikke gjør det, da synder han, om hans Gjerning end realister bliver det, der var hans absolute Pligt.  
As soon as this individual wants to express his absolute duty in the universal, to become conscious of it within the universal, he recognizes himself to be in a spiritual trial; and then, if he otherwise puts up resistance, he does not come to fulfill the so-called absolute duty, while if he does not resist, he sins, even though in reality his deed turns out to be what was his absolute duty.
> «blive sig … bevidst» — to become conscious of; period «erkjender»: The reflexive idiom «blive sig (noget) bevidst» = to become conscious of (something). «erkjender» (modern «erkender») keeps the period «kj»; so do «gjør» and «Gjerning» (deed). The thought is a trap: the moment the individual tries to translate his absolute duty into the universal's terms, he sees he is in «Anfægtelse» — either way he is caught. «realister» is almost certainly a single-character OCR insertion for the Latin adverb «realiter» (in reality), which Kierkegaard uses as a standard philosophical Latinism; «realiter» fits the clause as a straightforward adverb modifying «bliver».

Hvad skulde saaledes Abraham gjøre?  
What, then, was Abraham to do?

Hvis han vilde sige til et andet Menneske: Isaak elsker jeg højere end Alt 1 Verden, og derfor er det mig saa tungt at offre ham, saa skulde vel den Anden have rystet paa Hovedet og sagt: hvorfor vil Du saa offre ham; eller hvis den Anden havde været et fiffigt Hoved, da skulde han vel endog have gjennemskuet Abraham, at han bar Følelser til Skue, som stode i en himmelskrigende Modsigelse til hans Gjerning.  
If he wanted to say to another person: Isaac I love higher than everything in the world, and that is why it is so hard for me to sacrifice him — then the other would surely have shaken his head and said: why, then, do you want to sacrifice him? Or, if the other had been a shrewd head, he might even have seen through Abraham, that he was parading feelings which stood in a crying contradiction to his deed.
> «himmelskrigende Modsigelse» — a crying contradiction: «himmelskrigende» = crying to heaven, screaming (German himmelschreiend); «Modsigelse» = contradiction. Abraham cannot make himself understood: any words of love would look like a 'heaven-crying contradiction' to the deed of sacrifice. «1 Verden» is an OCR slip for «i Verden» (in the world); «Du» is the capitalized intimate 'thou' (the formal pronoun is «De/Dem/Deres»); «til Skue» = on display, parading; «stode» = stood (old plural).

I Fortællingen om Abraham finde vi et saadant Paradox.  
In the story of Abraham we find such a paradox.

Hans Forhold til Isaak er ethisk udtrykt dette, at Faderen skal elske Sønnen.  
His relation to Isaac, ethically expressed, is this: that the father shall love the son.

Dette ethiske Forhold nedsættes til det Relative i Modsætning til det absolute Forhold til Gud.  
This ethical relation is reduced to the relative, in contrast to the absolute relation to God.

Paa Spørgsmaalet hvorfor, har Abraham intet andet Svar, end at det er en Prøvelse, en Fristelse, hvilket, som ovenfor bemærket, er Eenheden af, at det er for Guds Skyld og for hans egen Skyld.  
To the question why, Abraham has no other answer than that it is a trial, a temptation — which, as noted above, is the unity of its being for God's sake and for his own sake.
> «Prøvelse» — ordeal/trial; «Fristelse» — temptation: «Prøvelse» = an ordeal, a testing; «Fristelse» = temptation. The two words name the same event from God's side (a test) and the human side (a temptation). «Eenheden» (modern «enheden») = the unity — Abraham's act is at once 'for God's sake' and 'for his own sake.' Period spelling «Spørgsmaalet» (modern «spørgsmålet»), «for Guds Skyld» = for God's sake.

Disse to Bestemmelser svare ogsaa til hinanden i Sprogbrug.  
These two determinations also correspond to one another in ordinary usage.

Naar man saaledes seer et Menneske gjøre Noget, der ikke gaaer op i det Almene, saa siger man, det gjorde han nok neppe for Guds Skyld, og betegner derved, at han gjorde det for sin egen Skyld.  
When one sees a person do something that does not go up into the universal, one says that he hardly did it for God's sake, and thereby indicates that he did it for his own sake.

Troens Paradox har tabt det Mellemliggende 2: det Almene.  
The paradox of faith has lost the intermediate term, namely the universal.
> «det Mellemliggende» — the intermediate; «2:» = 'that is': «det Mellemliggende» = the in-between, the mediating middle term. Faith has lost this middle — «det Almene» (the universal) — that would let the individual be understood by others. The «2:» is again the old 'scilicet / det vil sige' (that is, namely) sign, OCR-read here as the digit 2 (compare «9:» and «3:» earlier).

Den har påa den ene Side Udtrykket for den høieste Egoisme (at gjøre det Forfærdelige, den gjør, for sin egen Skyld); paa den anden Side Udtrykket for den absoluteste Hengivenhed, at gjøre det for Guds Skyld.  
On the one side it has the expression of the highest egoism (to do the dreadful thing it does for one's own sake); on the other side, the expression of the most absolute devotion, to do it for God's sake.
> «Egoisme» and «Hengivenhed» — the two faces of the paradox: The paradox unites two opposite descriptions of one act: «den høieste Egoisme» (the highest egoism — done 'for his own sake') and «den absoluteste Hengivenhed» (the most absolute devotion / self-surrender — done 'for God's sake'). «påa» is an OCR slip for «paa» (modern «på»); «høieste» = highest; «det Forfærdelige» = the dreadful thing.

Troen selv kan ikke medieres ind i det Almene; thi derved hæves den.  
Faith itself cannot be mediated into the universal; for thereby it is annulled.
> «hæves» — is annulled (Hegel's aufheben): «hæves» is the -s passive of «hæve» (to raise, lift, cancel) — not of «ophæve», whose passive would be «ophæves». Kierkegaard uses «hæves» here with the same philosophical sense of annulment/sublation that Hegel's aufheben carries, but the verb is «hæve», not «ophæve». The point: if faith could be mediated into «det Almene» (the universal), it would be cancelled and so cease to be faith. Faith survives only as the unmediable paradox. «medieres» = be mediated; «thi» = for.

Troen er dette Paradox, og den Enkelte kan aldeles ikke gjøre sig forstaaelig for Nogen.  
Faith is this paradox, and the single individual simply cannot make himself understood to anyone.

Man indbilder sig vel, at den Enkelte kan gjøre sig forstaaelig for en anden Enkelt, der er i samme Casus.  
One may imagine, no doubt, that the single individual can make himself understood to another individual who is in the same case.
> «Casus» — case (Latin): «Casus» is the Latin word for 'case, situation.' The supposed objection: surely two people 'in the same case' could understand each other. Kierkegaard will deny it — the next sentences argue that even one knight of faith cannot help another, since each must take the paradox upon himself alone.

En saadan Betragtning var utænkelig, hvis man ikke påa saa mange Maader i vor Tid søgte at snige sig lumskelig ind i det Store.  
Such a view would be unthinkable, were it not that in our age one seeks in so many ways to sneak slyly into greatness.
> «lumskelig» — slyly; «det Store» — greatness: «lumskelig» = slyly, insidiously; «det Store» = the great, greatness. Kierkegaard's barb at the age: people want the prestige of faith's greatness on the cheap, by 'sneaking in' through company and shared understanding rather than taking the paradox upon themselves. «påa» is again an OCR slip for «paa»; «Maader» = ways.

Den ene Troens Ridder kan slet ikke hjælpe den anden.  
The one knight of faith can in no way help the other.

Enten bliver den Enkelte selv en Troens Ridder derved, at han tager Paradoxet paa sig, eller han bliver det aldrig.  
Either the single individual becomes a knight of faith himself by taking the paradox upon himself, or he never becomes one at all.

Compagniskab i disse Regioner er aldeles utænkeligt.  
Partnership in these regions is utterly unthinkable.
> «Compagniskab» — partnership, fellowship: «Compagniskab» = partnership, going into business together (compare «Compagni» at s23). In matters of faith there can be no such joint venture: the relation to the absolute is irreducibly single. «Regioner» = regions, realms; «aldeles» = utterly, completely.

Enhver nærmere Explication af hvad der skal forstaaes ved Isaak kan den Enkelte bestandig kun give sig selv.  
Every closer explication of what is to be understood by Isaac, the single individual can constantly give only to himself.

Og hvis man endog nok saa nøie kunde bestemme, almindeligt talt, hvad der skulde forstaaes ved Isaak (hvilket da forøvrigt vilde være den latterligste Selvmodsigelse, at bringe den Eukelte, der netop staaer udenfor det Almene, ind under almindelige Bestemmelser, idet han skal handle netop som den Enkelte, der er udenfor det Almene), saa vil den Enkelte dog aldrig kunne forvisse sig derom ved Andre, end ved sig selv som den Enkelte.  
And even if one could determine ever so precisely, in general terms, what was to be understood by Isaac (which would, moreover, be the most ridiculous self-contradiction — to bring the single individual, who stands precisely outside the universal, under general determinations, when he is to act precisely as the single individual who is outside the universal), the single individual will still never be able to assure himself of it through others, but only through himself as the single individual.

Om derfor end et Menneske var feigt og usselt nok til al ville blive en Troens Ridder påa fremmed An- og Tilsvar, han bliver det dog ikke; thi kun den Enkelte bliver det som den Enkelte, og dette er det Store, som jeg vel kan forstaae uden at komme ind deri, da jeg mangler Mod; men dette er ogsaa det Forfærdelige, hvilket jeg endnu bedre kan fatte.  
So, even if a person were cowardly and wretched enough to want to become a knight of faith on someone else's responsibility, he still does not become one; for only the single individual becomes that as the single individual — and this is the great thing, which I can indeed understand without entering into it, since I lack the courage; but this is also the dreadful thing, which I can grasp even better.
> «på fremmed An- og Tilsvar» — on another's responsibility: «An- og Tilsvar» is a legal-flavored idiom meaning answerability/responsibility; «på fremmed An- og Tilsvar» = on someone else's account, with another standing surety. No one can underwrite your faith. «Mod» = courage, the quality Johannes de silentio repeatedly says he lacks. «feigt» (modern «fejt») = cowardly; «al» here is an OCR slip for «at»; «påa» for «paa».

Frygt og Bæven. 3. Udg. 6 Der foredrages som bekjendt i Luc. XIV, 26 en mærkelig Lære om den absolute Pligt mod Gud: ,dersom Nogen kommer til mig og ikke hader sin egen Fader, og " sin Moder, og sin Hustru, og sine Børn, og sine Brødre og sine Søstre, ja endog sin egen Sjæl, han kan ikke være min Discipel.”  
As is well known, there is set forth in Luke XIV, 26 a remarkable teaching about the absolute duty toward God: "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father, and his mother, and his wife, and his children, and his brothers and his sisters, yes, and even his own soul, he cannot be my disciple."

Dette er en haard Tale, hvo kan taale at høre paa den?  
This is a hard saying — who can bear to listen to it?
> «hvo» — who (archaic); «haard Tale» — a hard saying: «hvo» is the archaic nominative 'who' (modern «hvem»), giving the line a scriptural ring; «en haard Tale» (a hard saying) echoes John 6:60. Period spelling «haard» (modern «hård»), «paa» (modern «på»).

Den høres desaarsag ogsaa meget sjeldent.  
For that reason it is also very seldom heard.

Dog denne Taushed er kun en Udflugt, som Intet hjælper.  
Yet this silence is only an evasion that helps nothing.

Den theologiske Studerende han faaer imidlertid at vide, at disse Ord forekomme i det nye Testamente, og i et eller andet exegetisk Hjælpemiddel finder han den Oplysning, at 440&v paa dette og et Par andre Steder per uwwor betyder: minus diligo, posthabeo, non colo, nihili facto.  
The theological student, however, gets to know that these words occur in the New Testament, and in some exegetical aid or other he finds the information that the word, in this and a couple of other places, signifies, by way of euphemism: I love less, I set after, I do not cultivate, I make of no account.
> Greek garble «440&v», «per uwwor»; Latin gloss: OCR has mangled the Greek: «440&v» is μισεῖν (misein, 'to hate'), and «per uwwor» is a garble of «per μείωσιν» (per meiōsin, 'by way of understatement / euphemism'). The Latin gloss «minus diligo, posthabeo, non colo, nihili facto» = 'I love less, I prize less, I do not cultivate, I make nothing of' — the exegete's softening of 'hate.' «forekomme» = occur (old plural).

Forbindelsen, hvori dissé Ord forekomme, synes dog ikke at bestyrke denne smagfulde Forklaring.  
The context in which these words occur does not, however, seem to support this tasteful explanation.
> «smagfulde Forklaring» — 'tasteful' explanation (ironic): «smagfuld» = tasteful, in good taste — here heavily ironic: the exegete's polite softening of 'hate' into 'love less' is too convenient. «Forbindelsen» = the connection, the context. The accent on «dissé» is a printer's slip for «disse» (these); «bestyrke» = to corroborate, support.

I det næstfølgende Vers nemlig findes en Fortælling om, hvorledes Een, der vil opføre et Taarn, først gjør Overslag, om han er istand dertil, at man ikke bag efter skal lee ad ham.  
For in the very next verse there is found a story of how someone who would build a tower first makes an estimate of whether he is able to do it, so that people will not afterward laugh at him.

Denne Fortællings nøie Forbindelse med det citerede Vers synes netop at tyde paa, at Ordene skulle tages saa forfærdelige som muligt, for at Enhver maa prøve sig selv, om han kan opføre Bygningen.  
This story's close connection with the quoted verse seems precisely to indicate that the words are to be taken as dreadfully as possible, so that everyone must test himself as to whether he can build the structure.

Dersom hiin fromme og kjelne Exeget, der ved saaledes at prutte mener at smugle Christendommen ind i Verden, havde Lykke til at overbevise et Menneske om, at dette baade grammaticalsk, linguistisk og zar avadoyrar var Meningen af hiint Sted, saa vil han, forhaabentlig, ogsaa have Lykke til i samme Øjeblik at overbevise det samme Menneske om, at Christendommen er noget af det Erbarmeligste i Verden.  
If that pious and squeamish exegete, who by thus haggling thinks to smuggle Christianity into the world, should succeed in convincing a person that this was the meaning of that passage — grammatically, linguistically, and 'in keeping with the analogy of faith' — then, presumably, he will also succeed at that very moment in convincing the same person that Christianity is one of the most pitiable things in the world.
> «zar avadoyrar» — garble of κατ' ἀναλογίαν; «kjelne», «prutte»: «zar avadoyrar» is OCR garble for the Greek «κατ' ἀναλογίαν (τῆς πίστεως)» (kat' analogian, 'according to the analogy of faith') — a stock theological phrase for orthodox interpretation. «kjelne» = squeamish, over-delicate; «prutte» = to haggle, bargain down (the exegete 'haggles' the meaning of 'hate' down to 'love less'). «Erbarmeligste» (German-flavored) = most pitiable.

Thi den Lære, der i et af sine mest lyriske Udbrud, hvor Bevidstheden om dens evige Gyldighed svulmer stærkest i den, ikke har andet at sige end et larmende Ord, der Intet betyder, men kun betegner, at man skal være mindre velvillig, mindre opmærksom, mere ligegyldig; den Lære, der i det Øieblik, da den gjør Mine til at ville sige det Forfærdelige, ender med at svale istedenfor at forfærde — den Lære er det vist ikke Umagen værd at reise sig for.  
For the teaching which, in one of its most lyrical outbursts — where the consciousness of its eternal validity swells most strongly within it — has nothing more to say than a noisy word that means nothing, but signifies only that one should be less benevolent, less attentive, more indifferent; the teaching which, at the moment when it makes as if to say the dreadful thing, ends by cooling instead of appalling — that teaching is surely not worth rising to one's feet for.
> «gjør Mine til» — makes as if to; «svale» — to cool: «gjøre Mine til at» = to make a show of, look as though about to. «svale» = to cool, soothe — set against «forfærde» (to appall, terrify): a doctrine that promises the dreadful and then merely cools the listener is contemptible. Long periodic sentence with the subject «den Lære» (the teaching) resumed twice before the verdict lands. Period «Øieblik» (modern «øjeblik»), «reise» (modern «rejse»).

Ordene ere forfærdelige, dog troer jeg nok, man kan forstaae dem, uden at dog deraf følger, at den, der har forstaaet dem, derfor har Mod til at gjøre det.  
The words are dreadful, yet I do think one can understand them, without it following from that, however, that whoever has understood them therefore has the courage to do it.
> «ere» — are (old plural): «ere» is the archaic plural 'are' (modern «er» serves both numbers). The recurring contrast: understanding the dreadful demand is one thing, having «Mod» (courage) to act on it is another — Johannes de silentio's constant refrain about himself. «troer» (modern «tror») = believe/think, «forstaae» (modern «forstå»).

Saa redelig skal man dog være, at. man vedgaaer hvad der staar, at man tilstaaer, at det er det Store, om man end ikke selv har Mod dertil.  
One ought at least to be honest enough to acknowledge what stands there, to admit that it is the great thing, even though one does not oneself have the courage for it.
> «redelig» — honest, upright; «vedgaaer» — acknowledges: «redelig» = honest, upright, fair-dealing — a virtue Johannes prizes above the false humility of explaining the demand away. «vedgaae» = to acknowledge, own up to; «tilstaae» = to admit, confess. The period after «at.» mid-sentence is a printer's slip for a comma — read 'redelig skal man dog være, at man vedgaaer…'.

Den, der bærer sig saaledes ad, han skal ikke udelukke sig selv fra Deelagtighed i den skjønne Fortælling, thi den indeholder jo dog paa en Maade Trøst for den, der ikke havde Mod til at begynde paa Taarnets Opførelse.  
Whoever conducts himself thus shall not exclude himself from a share in the beautiful story, for it does, after all, in a way contain comfort for the one who had not the courage to begin building the tower.
> Period orthography: «Deelagtighed», «skjønne»: 1843 spellings: «Deelagtighed» (modern «delagtighed», with the doubled «ee») = participation, a share in; «skjønne» (modern «skønne», with «skj») = beautiful. «den skjønne Fortælling» (the beautiful story) is Kierkegaard's recurring phrase for the Abraham narrative. «bærer sig … ad» = conducts oneself.

Men ærlig maa han være, og ikke forklare denne Mangel paa Mod som Ydmyghed, da den tværtimod er Stolthed, medens Troens Mod er det eneste ydmyge Mod.  
But honest he must be, and not explain this lack of courage as humility, since on the contrary it is pride — whereas the courage of faith is the only humble courage.
> «Ydmyghed» — humility; «Stolthed» — pride: A sharp inversion: dressing up one's «Mangel paa Mod» (lack of courage) as «Ydmyghed» (humility) is really «Stolthed» (pride). Only «Troens Mod» (the courage of faith) is genuinely humble, because it submits to the absolute. «ærlig» = honest; «tværtimod» = on the contrary.

Man indseer nu let, at hvis der skal være Mening i Stedet, maa det forstaaes lige efter Ordene.  
One now easily sees that, if the passage is to have any meaning, it must be understood quite according to the words.

Gud er den, der fordrer absolut Kjærlighed.  
God is the one who demands absolute love.

Den, der nu, idet han fordrer et Menneskes Kjærlighed, vil mene, at denne tillige skal bevise sig derved, at han bliver lunken ved Alt, hvad ham ellers var kjært, han er ikke blot en Egoist, men han er tillige dum, og den, der vilde fordre en saadan Kjærlighed, han underskriver i samme Øieblik sin egen Dødsdom, forsaavidt han havde sit Liv i den . attraaede Kjærlighed.  
Now the one who, in demanding a person's love, would hold that this love must also prove itself by his becoming lukewarm toward everything else that was dear to him, he is not merely an egoist, but is also stupid; and whoever would demand such a love signs, at that very moment, his own death warrant, insofar as he had his life in the love he craved.
> «lunken» — lukewarm; «attraaede» — craved: «lunken» = lukewarm, tepid (compare Revelation's 'neither hot nor cold'). The argument by analogy: a human who demanded that being loved made you cold to everyone else would be a fool — so we must not read God's demand that way either. «attraae» (modern «attrå») = to crave, desire; the stray «.» before «attraaede» is a print/OCR slip. «Dødsdom» = death sentence.

En Mand fordrer saaledes, at hans Hustru skal forlade Fader og Moder, men hvis han vilde ansee det for et Beviis paa hendes overordentlige Kjærlighed til ham, at hun for hans Skyld blev en lunken dvask Dailter o. s. v., saa er han dummere end den Dummeste.  
A man thus demands that his wife shall leave father and mother; but if he were to take it as a proof of her extraordinary love for him that for his sake she became a lukewarm, sluggish daughter, and so on, then he is more stupid than the most stupid.
> «Dailter» — OCR slip for «Datter» (daughter); «dvask» — sluggish: «Dailter» is a garble for «Datter» (daughter) — the analogy continues: a husband would be a fool to want his wife's love for him to make her a «lunken dvask Datter» (a lukewarm, sluggish daughter). «dvask» = listless, sluggish. «o. s. v.» = «og saa videre» (and so on). «Beviis» (modern «bevis», doubled «ii») = proof; «overordentlige» = extraordinary.

Hvis han havde nogen Forestilling om, hvad Kjærlighed er, da vilde han ønske at opdage og "deri see en Sikkerhed for, at hans Hustru vilde elske ham som ingen Anden i Riget, hvis han opdagede, at hun som Datter og Søster var fuldkommen i Kjærlighed.  
If he had any conception of what love is, he would wish to discover, and to see therein a guarantee, that his wife would love him as no other in the kingdom, if he discovered that as daughter and sister she was perfect in love.
> «Forestilling» — conception; «Sikkerhed» — guarantee: The positive turn of the analogy: a man who truly understood love would take his wife's perfect love as daughter and sister as a «Sikkerhed» (security, guarantee) that she would love him best of all. So too God's demand for absolute love does not require coldness to others. The stray «"» before «deri» is an OCR slip; «Forestilling» = idea, conception; «Riget» = the kingdom.

Hvad man da hos et Menneske vilde ansee for et Tegn paa Egoisme og Dumhed, det skal man ved en Exegets Hjælp ansee for en værdig Forestilling om Guddommen.  
What one would regard in a human being as a sign of egoism and stupidity, one is, with an exegete's help, to regard as a worthy conception of the Godhead.
> «Guddommen» — the Godhead: «Guddommen» = the Deity, the Godhead. The sarcasm caps the analogy: the exegete's softened reading would make God's demand for love into exactly the egoism and stupidity we would condemn in a person — and then dress it up as a 'worthy conception of the Godhead.' «Tegn paa» = a sign of; «værdig» = worthy.

Men hvorledes da hade dem?  
But how, then, is one to hate them?

Jeg skal her ikke erindre om den menneskelige Distinction enten elske eller hade, ikke fordi jeg har saa meget imod den, thi den er dog lidenskabelig, men fordi den er egoistisk og passer ikke her.  
I shall not here recall the human distinction of either loving or hating — not because I have so much against it, for it is at least passionate, but because it is egoistic and does not fit here.
> «lidenskabelig» — passionate: «lidenskabelig» = passionate, impassioned — a quality Kierkegaard generally prizes, which is why he half-defends the blunt 'either love or hate' before setting it aside as «egoistisk» (egoistic) and ill-fitting here. The point is that faith's 'hate' is not passionate animosity at all. «erindre om» = to recall, call to mind; «Distinction» = distinction.

Betragter jeg derimod Opgaven som et Paradox, saa forstaaer jeg den 9: jeg forstaaer den saaledes, som man kan forstaae et Paradox.  
If, on the other hand, I regard the task as a paradox, then I understand it — that is, I understand it in the way one can understand a paradox.
> «9:» — the old 'that is' sign again: Once more «9:» is the typographer's 'scilicet / det vil sige' (that is, namely) mark, OCR-read as the digit 9 (compare s7, s47). To understand faith's demand 'as a paradox' is the only way to understand it at all — not by resolving it, but by grasping that it cannot be resolved into the universal. «Betragter jeg … saa forstaaer jeg» uses verb-first word order after the fronted clause.

Den absolute Pligt kan da bringe til at gjøre, hvad Ethiken vilde forbyde, men den kan ingenlunde bringe Troens Ridder til at lade være at elske.  
The absolute duty can then bring one to do what ethics would forbid, but it can in no way bring the knight of faith to leave off loving.
> «den absolute Pligt» vs. «Ethiken» — the closing thesis: The section's resolving claim: the «absolute Pligt» (absolute duty) toward God can require an act that «Ethiken» (ethics) would forbid — Abraham's sacrifice — yet it never demands that the knight of faith stop loving. Abraham does not hate Isaac; he loves him absolutely even as he obeys. «ingenlunde» = by no means; «lade være at» = to refrain from, leave off.

Dette viser Abraham.  
This is what Abraham shows.

I det Øieblik, han vil offre Isaak, da er det ethiske Udtryk for hvad han gjør dette: han hader Isaak.  
In the moment when he means to sacrifice Isaac, the ethical expression for what he is doing is this: he hates Isaac.
> «det ethiske Udtryk» — the ethical expression: «det Ethiske» (the ethical) is, in this book, the universal — what holds for everyone. Judged by it alone, Abraham's deed can only be described as hatred and murder; faith is what gives it another name. Period orthography: «Øieblik» (modern «øjeblik»), «gjør» (with «gj», modern «gør»), capitalized nouns «Udtryk».

Men dersom han virkelig hader Isaak, saa kan han være rolig for, at Gud ikke forlanger det af ham; thi Kain og Abraham ere ikke identiske.  
But if he really hates Isaac, then he can rest assured that God is not demanding this of him; for Cain and Abraham are not identical.
> «dersom» — if; «thi» — for: «dersom» is the formal conditional 'if' (alternative to «hvis»); «thi» is an archaic, weighty 'for / because' that Kierkegaard uses constantly to chain his reasoning. «ere» is the old plural form of 'are' (modern «er»). Period spelling: «saa» (modern «så»).

Isaak maa han elske af hele sin Sjæl; idet Gud fordrer ham, maa han elske ham, om mulig endnu højere, og kun da kan han offre ham; thi denne Kjærlighed til Isaak er det jo, der ved sin paradoxe Modsætning til hans Kjærlighed til Gud gjør hans Gjerning til et Offer.  
Isaac he must love with his whole soul; when God demands him, he must love him, if possible, even higher, and only then can he sacrifice him; for it is precisely this love for Isaac that, by its paradoxical opposition to his love for God, makes his deed a sacrifice.
> «Kjærlighed» — love: «Kjærlighed» = love (modern «kærlighed»), spelled with «Kj» in the period orthography. The paradox is sharp here: only because Abraham loves Isaac to the utmost does giving him up count as a sacrifice rather than mere obedience. Note «Gjerning» (deed, modern «gerning») and «højere» (higher).

Men dette er Nøden og Angesten i Paradoxet, at han, menneskeligt talt, aldeles ikke kan gjøre sig forstaaelig.  
But this is the distress and the anguish in the paradox: that he, humanly speaking, simply cannot make himself understood.
> «Angest» — anguish, dread: «Angest» (here «Angesten», the definite form) is dread/anxiety — the word that gives Kierkegaard's later «Begrebet Angest» (The Concept of Anxiety) its title. Paired with «Nøden» (distress, need), it names the inner state of the paradox. Period spelling «Angest» (modern «angst») and «forstaaelig» (with doubled «aa», modern «forståelig»).

Kun i det Øieblik, da hans Gjerning er i absolut Modsigelse med hans Følelse, kun da offrer han lsaak, men hans Gjernings Realitet er det, hvorved han tilhører det Almene, og der er og bliver han en Morder.  
Only in the moment when his deed is in absolute contradiction with his feeling, only then does he sacrifice Isaac; but the reality of his deed is what makes him belong to the universal, and there he is and remains a murderer.
> «det Almene» — the universal: «det Almene» = the universal, the general — what holds for everyone, the realm of the ethical. Measured by it, the outward reality of Abraham's act is murder, however the inwardness of faith renames it. («lsaak» here is an OCR slip for «Isaak».)

Stedet hos Lucas maa fremdeles forstaaes saaledes, at man indseer, at Troens Ridder ikke faaer nogetsomhelst højere Udtryk af det Almene (som det Ethiske), hvori han kan frelse sig.  
The passage in Luke must further be understood so that one sees that the knight of faith receives no higher expression whatsoever from the universal (as the ethical) in which he might save himself.
> «Troens Ridder» — the knight of faith: «Troens Ridder» = the knight of faith, Kierkegaard's figure for the one who, like Abraham, holds to the absolute relation to God beyond the universal. «Stedet hos Lucas» refers to Luke 14:26 ('if anyone... hate not his father and mother...'). Period spelling: «forstaaes» (modern «forstås»), «faaer» (modern «får»), «indseer» (modern «indser»).

Naar man saaledes lod Kirken kræve dette Offer af et Medlem i den, saa have vi kun en tragisk Helt.  
If one were thus to let the Church demand this sacrifice of one of its members, then we would have only a tragic hero.
> «tragisk Helt» — tragic hero: The «tragisk Helt» (tragic hero, like Agamemnon) sacrifices within the ethical, for a higher expression of the universal — and so remains intelligible to all. He is Kierkegaard's foil to the knight of faith, who has no such shelter in the universal. «have» is the old plural 'we have' (modern «har»).

Kirkens Idee er nemlig ikke qvalitativ forskjellig fra Statens, saasnart den Enkelte ved en simpel Mediation kan komme ind i den, og saa snart den Enkelte er kommen ind i Paradoxet, kommer han ikke til Kirkens Idee; han kommer ikke ud af Paradoxet, men maa enten finde sin Salighed deri, eller sin Fortabelse.  
For the idea of the Church is not qualitatively different from that of the State, as soon as the single individual can enter it by a simple mediation; and as soon as the single individual has entered the paradox, he does not arrive at the idea of the Church — he does not come out of the paradox, but must find in it either his salvation or his perdition.
> «Mediation» — mediation: «Mediation» is the Hegelian term for reconciling the individual with the universal through a higher synthesis. Kierkegaard's whole point is that the paradox of faith cannot be mediated: the individual stays in it. Period spelling «qvalitativ» (with «qv», modern «kvalitativt») and «forskjellig» (with «kj», modern «forskellig»).

En saadan kirkelig Helt udtrykker i sin Gjerning det Almene, og der skal Ingen være i Kirken, end ikke hans Fader og Moder o. s. v. uden at de forstaae ham.  
Such an ecclesiastical hero expresses the universal in his deed, and there shall be no one in the Church, not even his father and mother and so on, without their understanding him.

Troens Ridder er han derimod ikke, og har ogsaa et andet Svar end Abrahams; han siger ikke, at det er en Prøvelse eller en Fristelse, hvori han forsøges.  
A knight of faith, by contrast, he is not, and he also has a different answer from Abraham's; he does not say that it is a trial or a temptation in which he is being tested.
> «Prøvelse» — trial; «Fristelse» — temptation: «Prøvelse» = ordeal/trial (a testing one is put through), «Fristelse» = temptation. Abraham's distinctive answer is that his ordeal is precisely a «Prøvelse» — God's testing — which the merely ecclesiastical hero would never claim. Note the word order: «Troens Ridder er han derimod ikke» fronts the predicate for emphasis ('a knight of faith he is not').

Man afholder sig i Almindelighed fra at anføre saadanne Steder som det i Lucas.  
People generally refrain from citing such passages as the one in Luke.

Man frygter for at slaae Menneskene løs, man frygter, at det Værste skal skee, naar først den Enkelte behager al gerere sig som den Enkelte.  
People are afraid of setting men loose; they fear that the worst will happen once the single individual takes it into his head to conduct himself as the single individual.
> «gerere sig» — to conduct oneself: «gerere sig» is from Latin se gerere, 'to bear/conduct oneself' — Kierkegaard slips a Latinism into the Danish. («al» here is an OCR slip for «at», the infinitive marker; «skee» is the old spelling of «ske», to happen.)

Fremdeles mener man, at det at existere som den Enkelte er det Letteste af Alt, og derfor skal man netop tvinge Folk til at blive det Almene.  
Furthermore, people think that to exist as the single individual is the easiest thing of all, and therefore one must precisely compel people to become the universal.

Jeg kan hverken dele hiin Frygt eller denne Mening, og det af samme Grund.  
I can share neither that fear nor this opinion, and for the same reason.
> «hiin» — that (yonder): «hiin» (modern «hin») is an archaic demonstrative meaning 'that one yonder / the former,' here paired with «denne» ('this one / the latter') to point back to the two attitudes just described — the fear and the opinion.

Den, som har lært, at det at existere som den Enkelte er det Forfærdeligste af Alt, han skal ikke være bange for at sige, at det er det Største, men han skal ogsaa sige det saaledes, at hans Ord neppe bliver en Snare for en Forvildet, men snarere hjælper ham ind i det Almene, om hans Ord end skaffe lidt Plads for det Store.  
He who has learned that to exist as the single individual is the most terrible thing of all should not be afraid to say that it is the greatest; but he should also say it in such a way that his words barely become a snare for someone gone astray, but rather help him into the universal, even though his words make a little room for the great.
> «det Forfærdeligste» — the most terrible: Kierkegaard sets «det Forfærdeligste af Alt» (the most terrible of all) against «det Største» (the greatest): to exist as the single individual is both at once. «en Forvildet» = one who has gone astray. Period spelling «neppe» (modern «næppe»), «hjælper», and the subjunctive «skaffe» ('should make').

Den, der ikke tør nævne slige Steder, han tør heller ikke nævne Abraham, og det at mene, at det at existere som den Enkelte er nemt nok, indeholder em meget betænkelig indirekte Concession med Hensyn til sig selv; thi den, der virkelig har Agtelse for sig selv og Bekymring for sin Sjæl, han er forvisset om, at den, der lever under sit eget Opsyn ene i den ganske Verden, han lever mere strengt og indgetogent end en Pige i sit Jomfrubuur.  
He who dares not name such passages dares not name Abraham either; and to think that to exist as the single individual is easy enough contains a very questionable indirect concession with respect to oneself — for he who really has respect for himself and concern for his soul is convinced that one who lives under his own supervision, alone in the whole world, lives more strictly and withdrawn than a maiden in her bower.
> «Jomfrubuur» — maiden's bower: «Jomfrubuur» is the sealed-off women's chamber of an old manor — a vivid image for inwardness lived under one's own watch. («em» is an OCR slip for «en»; «indgetogent» for «indgetogen / indtoget», withdrawn/modest.) Note «slige» = 'such' (archaic, modern «slige/sådanne») and «Concession», a Latinate loan.

At der kan være dem, der behøve Tvang, dem, der, hvis de bleve satie paa fri Fod, vilde som ubændige Dyr tumle sig i selvisk Lyst, er vel sandt, men man skal netop vise, at man ikke hører til dem, derved, at man veed at tale med Angst og Bævelse, og tale skal man af Ærbødighed for det Store, at det ikke glemmes af Frygt for Skaden, der vel vil udeblive, naar der tales saaledes, at man veed, det er det Store, veed dets Rædsler, og uden dette veed man heller ei dets Storhed.  
That there may be those who need compulsion — those who, if set free, would like unbridled beasts wallow in selfish lust — is true enough; but one must precisely show that one does not belong to them, by knowing how to speak with fear and trembling, and speak one must, out of reverence for the great, so that it not be forgotten out of fear of the harm — which will surely fail to come when one speaks in such a way that one knows it is the great, knows its terrors, and without this one does not know its grandeur either.
> «Angst og Bævelse» — fear and trembling: «med Angst og Bævelse» = 'with fear and trembling' — the book's own title (Frygt og Bæven), echoing Philippians 2:12. Here it names how one must speak of faith's terrors. («satie» is an OCR slip for «sattes/sattes»; «ei» = 'not,' archaic, modern «ej».)

Lad os saa lidt nærmere overveie Nøden og ÅAngesten i Troens Paradox.  
Let us then consider a little more closely the distress and the anguish in the paradox of faith.
> «Troens Paradox» — the paradox of faith: «Paradoxet» is the master term of this section: faith as the single individual standing higher than the universal, which thought cannot mediate. («ÅAngesten» is an OCR doubling — read «Angesten», the anguish. «Nøden» = distress/need.)

Den tragiske Helt resignerer paa sig selv for at udtrykke det Almene, Troens Ridder resignerer paa det Almene for at blive den Enkelte.  
The tragic hero resigns himself in order to express the universal; the knight of faith resigns the universal in order to become the single individual.
> «resignere paa» — to resign, give up: «resignere paa» = to renounce/give up (something). This is the pivotal antithesis: the tragic hero gives up himself FOR the universal; the knight of faith gives up the universal ITSELF to become the single individual. «Resignation» is the movement of infinite renunciation that precedes faith in Kierkegaard's scheme.

Som sagt Alt beroer paa, hvorledes man er stillet.  
As said, everything depends on how one is situated.

Den, som troer, at det er nemt nok at være den Enkelte, han kan altid være sikker paa, at han ikke er Troens Ridder; thi løse Fugle og landstrygende Genier de ere ikke Troens Mænd.  
He who believes that it is easy enough to be the single individual can always be sure that he is not the knight of faith; for loose birds and vagabond geniuses are not men of faith.
> «løse Fugle» — loose birds: «løse Fugle» (loose/footloose birds) and «landstrygende Genier» (vagabond geniuses) are dismissive images for the rootless rebel who mistakes himself for the knight of faith. The genuine individual is bound, not free-floating. «troer» = believes (modern «tror»); «ere» is the old plural 'are.'

Dennes Ridder derimod veed, at det er herligt at tilhøre det Almene.  
The knight of this faith, by contrast, knows that it is glorious to belong to the universal.
> «veed» — knows: «veed» is the period spelling of «ved» ('knows'); it recurs as an anaphora through the next several sentences ('he knows…, he knows…'). «herligt» = glorious/splendid. («Dennes Ridder» — literally 'this one's knight,' i.e. the knight of faith just contrasted.)

Han veed, at det er skjønt og velgjørende, at være den Enkelte, der oversætter sig selv i det Almene, den, der saa at sige selv besørger en reen og ziirlig og saavidt mulig feilfri Udgave af sig selv, læselig for Alle; han veed, at det er vederqvægende, at blive sig selv forstaaelig i det Almene, saaledes, at han forstaaer dette, og at enhver Enkelt, der forstaaer ham, igjen i ham forstaaer det Almene, og begge glæde sig ved det Almenes Tryghed.  
He knows that it is beautiful and beneficial to be the single individual who translates himself into the universal — the one who, so to speak, himself produces a clean and elegant and, as far as possible, flawless edition of himself, legible to all; he knows that it is refreshing to become intelligible to oneself in the universal, in such a way that he understands it, and that every individual who understands him understands the universal again in him, and both rejoice in the security of the universal.
> «ziirlig» — elegant; «vederqvægende» — refreshing: Period vocabulary: «ziirlig» (modern «ziirlig/sirlig», dainty/elegant), «reen» (modern «ren», clean), «vederqvægende» (modern «vederkvægende», refreshing/restorative). The metaphor casts the well-formed individual as a clean printed «Udgave» (edition) of himself, «læselig for Alle» — legible to all. Note «skjønt» (with «kj», modern «skønt»).

Han veed, det er skjønt at fødes som den Enkelte, der i det Almene har sit Hjem, sit venlige Blivested, der strax modtager ham med aabne Arme, naar han vil blive i det.  
He knows that it is beautiful to be born as the single individual who has his home in the universal, his friendly dwelling-place, which at once receives him with open arms whenever he is willing to remain in it.

Men han veed tillige, at der højere end dette snoer sig en eensom Vei, trang og steil; han veed, det er forfærdeligt, at fødes eensomt ud af det Almene, at gaae uden at møde en eneste Vandrer.  
But he also knows that higher than this winds a lonely road, narrow and steep; he knows that it is terrible to be born solitary out of the universal, to walk without meeting a single wayfarer.
> «eensom Vei» — lonely road: «eensom» (modern «ensom», lonely) with the doubled «ee» is period orthography; so are «trang» (narrow), «steil» (modern «stejl», steep), «gaae» (modern «gå»). The lonely, narrow, steep road is the path of the single individual above the universal — the way of faith no fellow traveller shares.

Han veed meget godt, hvor han er, og hvorledes han forholder sig til Menneskene.  
He knows very well where he is and how he stands in relation to other people.

Menneskeligt talt er han afsindig og kan ikke gjøre sig forstaaelig for Nogen.  
Humanly speaking, he is mad and cannot make himself intelligible to anyone.
> «afsindig» — mad, out of one's senses: «afsindig» = insane, out of one's mind. To the human standpoint the knight of faith looks mad, since he cannot make his act intelligible. «Menneskeligt talt» ('humanly speaking') is a recurring qualifier marking the limited, worldly point of view.

Og dog er det at være afsindig det mildeste Udtryk.  
And yet to be called mad is the mildest expression for it.

Betragtes han ikke saaledes, da er han en Hykler, og jo højere han stiger ad Veien, desto rædsommere en Hykler.  
If he is not regarded so, then he is a hypocrite, and the higher he climbs along the road, the more dreadful a hypocrite.
> «Betragtes han ikke …» — if he is not regarded: A conditional formed by inversion: the passive verb «Betragtes» ('is regarded') stands first with no 'if,' yielding 'if he is not regarded thus.' The correlative «jo … desto» ('the more … the more') then scales the consequence. «Hykler» = hypocrite; «rædsommere» = more dreadful.

Troens Ridder veed, at det er begeistrende at opgive sig selv for det Almene, at der hører Mod dertil, men at der ogsaa er en Tryghed deri, netop fordi det er for det Almene; han veed, at det er herligt at blive forstaaet af enhver Ædel, og saaledes, at Betragteren selv forædles derved.  
The knight of faith knows that it is inspiring to give oneself up for the universal, that courage is required for it, but that there is also a security in it, precisely because it is for the universal; he knows that it is glorious to be understood by every noble soul, and in such a way that the beholder is himself ennobled by it.

Dette veed han, og han føler sig ligesom bunden, han kunde ønske, at det var denne Opgave, der var sat ham.  
This he knows, and he feels himself, as it were, bound; he could wish that this were the task set for him.
> «Opgave» — task: «Opgave» = task, assignment — a key word in this section: the knight of faith wishes his «Opgave» had been the intelligible, universal one (to give up Isaac FOR the universal), but it is not. «bunden» = bound (past participle of «binde»). The subjunctives «kunde», «var», «var sat» mark the contrary-to-fact wish.

Saaledes kunde Abraham vel af og til have ønsket, at Opgaven var at elske Isaak som det sig en Fader hør og bør, forstaaelig for Alle, uforglemmelig i Tiderne; han kunde ønske, at det var Opgaven at offre Isaak for det Almene, at han kunde begeistre Fædre til berømmelig Daad — og han forfærdedes næsten ved Tanken om, at saadanne Ønsker for ham kun ere Anfægtelser, og maae behandles som saadanne; thi han veed, det er en eensom Vei, han betræder, og at han Intet udretter for det Almene, men selv kun forsøges og prøves.  
Thus Abraham might now and then have wished that the task were to love Isaac as it befits and behooves a father, intelligible to all, unforgettable through the ages; he could wish that the task were to sacrifice Isaac for the universal, that he might inspire fathers to renowned deeds — and he was almost horrified at the thought that such wishes are for him only temptations, and must be treated as such; for he knows that it is a lonely road he treads, and that he accomplishes nothing for the universal, but is himself only tested and tried.
> «Anfægtelse» — spiritual temptation, assailment: «Anfægtelse» is a theological term (German Anfechtung) for the assault that tempts one away from faith — distinct from ordinary «Fristelse». Here the wish for an intelligible, honored task is itself an «Anfægtelse». Idiom «som det sig … hør og bør» = 'as is fitting and proper'; «maae» is the old plural of 'must.'

Eller hvad udrettede Abraham for det Almene?  
Or what did Abraham accomplish for the universal?

Lad mig tale menneskeligt derom, ret menneskeligt!  
Let me speak of it humanly, quite humanly!

Han bruger 70 Aar for at faae en Alderdoms Søn.  
He spends seventy years to get a son of his old age.

Hvad Andre faae hurtigt nok og længe have Glæde af, det bruger han 70 Aar til; og hvorfor? fordi han prøves og fristes.  
What others get quickly enough and enjoy for a long time, on that he spends seventy years; and why? because he is tested and tempted.
> «have» — have (old plural): «have» is the old plural form of the verb 'to have' (modern «har»), agreeing with «Andre» (others). The sentence packs two questions: a clause boundary at «hvorfor?» and the answer in the same breath. «faae» = get (modern «får»).

Er det ikke Afsindighed!  
Is this not madness!

Men Abraham troede, og kun Sara vaklede og fik ham til at tage Hagar til Medhustru; men derfor maatte han ogsaa jage hende bort.  
But Abraham believed, and only Sarah wavered and got him to take Hagar as a concubine; but for that reason he also had to drive her away.
> «troede» — believed: «troede» = believed (past of «troe/tro») — Abraham's faith set against Sarah's wavering. The reference is to Genesis 16 and 21 (Hagar and the maidservant). «Medhustru» = concubine/secondary wife; «maatte» = had to (past of «maa/må»).

Han faaer Isaak — da skal han atter prøves.  
He gets Isaac — and then he is to be tested again.

Han vidste, det er herligt at udtrykke det Almene, herligt at leve med Isaak.  
He knew that it is glorious to express the universal, glorious to live with Isaac.

Men det er ikke Opgaven.  
But that is not the task.

Han vidste, det er kongeligt at offre en saadan Søn for det Almene, han selv skulde have fundet Hvile deri, og Alle skulde have hvilet berømmende i hans Daad, som Vokalen hviler i sit Hvilebogstav; men det er ikke Opgaven — han prøves.  
He knew that it is kingly to sacrifice such a son for the universal; he himself would have found rest in it, and all would have rested in praise upon his deed, as the vowel rests in its quiescent letter; but that is not the task — he is being tested.
> «Hvilebogstav» — quiescent letter: A grammatical image: a «Hvilebogstav» (quiescent/resting letter, like the silent matres lectionis in Hebrew) is one upon which a vowel 'rests.' Abraham's deed could have been the firm letter all could rest their praise on — but his task gives no such rest. «kongeligt» = kingly; «Daad» = deed.

Hiin romerske Feltherre, der er berømt ved sit Tilnavn Cunetator, han standsede Fjenden ved sin Nølen — men hvad er dog Abraham ikke for en Nøler i Sammenligning med ham — men han frelser ikke Ståten.  
That Roman general, famous for his cognomen Cunctator, halted the enemy by his delaying — but what a delayer Abraham is in comparison with him! — yet he does not save the State.

Dette er - Indholdet af 130 Aar.  
This is — the content of a hundred and thirty years.

Hvo kan holde det ud, skulde ikke hans Samtid, hvis der kunde være Tale om en saadan, sige: ,det er en evig Nølen med Abraham; endelig fik han en Søn, det varede længe nok, saa vil han offre ham — er han ikke sindssvag?  
Who can endure it? would not his contemporaries, if such could be spoken of, say: 'it is an eternal delaying with Abraham; at last he got a son, it took long enough, and now he wants to sacrifice him — is he not insane?
> «Hvo» — who (archaic): «Hvo» is the archaic nominative 'who' (modern «hvem»), surviving mainly in proverbs. The low comma «,det er…» is the period convention for an opening quotation mark; the imagined speech of Abraham's «Samtid» (contemporaries) runs to the close-quote «.”» two sentences on. «sindssvag» = insane.

Og kunde han endda forklare, hvorfor han vil det, men altid er det en Prøvelse.”  
And if he could at least explain why he wants it — but always it is a trial.'

Mere kunde Abraham heller ikke forklare; thi hans Liv er som en Bog, der er lagt under guddommeligt Beslag, og som ikke bliver publici juris.  
Abraham could explain no more either; for his life is like a book placed under divine seal, and which does not become publici juris.
> «publici juris» — public property: Latin legal phrase: publici juris = 'of public right,' i.e. public property, open to all. Abraham's life stays sealed, never published into the common domain of the universal. «Beslag» = seizure/seal (as in legal sequestration); «guddommeligt» = divine.

Dette er det Forfærdelige.  
This is the terrible thing.

Den, som ikke seer dette, han kan altid være sikker paa, at han ikke er nogen Troens Ridder, men den, som seer det, han skal ikke ville negte, at selv den mest forsøgte tragiske Helt han gaaer som i en Dands i Sammenligning med Troens Ridder, der kun kommer langsomt og krybende frem.  
He who does not see this can always be sure that he is no knight of faith; but he who does see it will not want to deny that even the most sorely tried tragic hero goes as if in a dance compared with the knight of faith, who comes forward only slowly and creeping.
> «Dands» — dance: «Dands» is the period spelling of «dans» (dance). The contrast is striking: even the tragic hero's ordeal is light, a 'dance,' beside the knight of faith's slow, creeping advance. «seer» = sees (modern «ser»), «negte» = deny (modern «nægte»), «gaaer» = goes (modern «går»).

Og naar han har indseet dette og forvisset sig om, at han ikke har Mod til at forstaae det, da skal han vel ane den vidunderlige Herlighed, som hiin Ridder opnaaer, at han bliver Guds Fortrolige, Herrens Ven, at jeg skal tale ret menneskeligt, at han siger Du til Gud i Himlene, medens selv den tragiske Helt kun tiltaler ham i 3die Person.  
And when he has grasped this and convinced himself that he has not the courage to understand it, then he will surely sense the wondrous glory that knight attains: that he becomes God's confidant, the Lord's friend — to speak quite humanly — that he says 'thou' to God in heaven, whereas even the tragic hero addresses Him only in the third person.

Den tragiske Helt er snart færdig, og har snart udstridt, han gjør den uendelige Bevægelse og er nu betrygget i det Almene.  
The tragic hero is soon finished, and has soon fought his fight through; he makes the infinite movement and is now secured in the universal.
> «den uendelige Bevægelse» — the infinite movement: «den uendelige Bevægelse» (the infinite movement, i.e. of resignation) is, in Kierkegaard's scheme, a single decisive renunciation that, once made, comes to rest in the universal. The knight of faith, by contrast, can never finish it. «udstridt» = having fought to the end (past participle of «udstride»).

Troens Ridder derimod holdes søvnløs; thi han prøves bestandig, og i ethvert Øieblik er der en Mulighed af at kunne vende angrende tilbage til det Almene, og denne Mulighed kan ligesaa godt være en Anfægtelse som Sandhed.  
The knight of faith, by contrast, is kept sleepless; for he is constantly being tested, and in every moment there is a possibility of being able to turn back, repentant, to the universal, and this possibility may just as well be a temptation as truth.

Oplysning derom kan han ikke hente hos noget Menneske; thi saa er han udenfor Paradoxet.  
Enlightenment about this he cannot get from any human being; for then he would be outside the paradox.

Troens Ridder har da først og fremmest Lidenskab til i et eneste Moment at concentrere hele det Ethiske, han bryder, at han kan give sig selv den Forvisning, at han virkelig elsker Isaak af sin ganske Sjæl”).  
The knight of faith therefore has, first and foremost, the passion to concentrate in a single moment the whole of the ethical, that he may give himself the assurance that he really loves Isaac with his whole soul.
> «Lidenskab» — passion: «Lidenskab» = passion — for Kierkegaard the medium of faith and the energy that lets the knight «concentrere» (concentrate) the whole ethical into one instant of assurance. (The text is corrupt here: «han bryder» appears to garble an original «behøver» or similar, and the trailing «”)» is a misplaced footnote anchor pointing to the long note attached to this passage.)

Kan han ikke det, saa ligger han i Anfægtelse.  
If he cannot do this, then he lies in temptation.

Dernæst har han Lidenskab til i et Nu at tage hele denne Forvisuing frem, og det saaledes, at den er ligesaa fuldgyldig som i det første Øjeblik.  
Next he has the passion to bring forth this whole assurance in an instant, and in such a way that it is just as fully valid as in the first moment.
> «et Nu» — an instant: «et Nu» = an instant, a 'now' — the concentrated present moment in which the knight must renew his whole assurance with undiminished force. («Forvisuing» is an OCR slip for «Forvisning», assurance; «fuldgyldig» = fully valid.)

Kan han ikke det, saa kommer han ikke af Stedet; thi saa maa han bestandig begynde forfra.  
If he cannot do this, then he does not get anywhere; for then he must constantly begin again from the start.

Den tragiske Helt concentrerer ogsaa det Ethiske, han teleologisk gik ud over, i eet Moment, men han har i denne Henseende Tilhold i det Almene.  
The tragic hero too concentrates in one moment the ethical that he teleologically went beyond, but in this respect he has support in the universal.
> «Tilhold» — support, refuge: «Tilhold» = a hold/refuge/support — what the tragic hero has in the universal and the knight of faith lacks. «teleologisk gik ud over» ('teleologically went beyond') recalls the teleological suspension of the ethical from Problema I. «eet» (modern «ét») is emphatic 'one.'

Troens Ridder har kun ene og alene sig selv, og deri ligger det Forfærdelige.  
The knight of faith has only and alone himself, and therein lies the terrible thing.

De fleste Mennesker leve i en ethisk Forpligtelse saaledes, at de lade hver Dag have sin Sorg, men de komme da heller aldrig til denne lidenskabelige Concentration, denne energiske Bevidsthed.  
Most people live in an ethical obligation in such a way that they let each day have its own sorrow, but then they never come to this passionate concentration, this energetic consciousness.
> «ethisk Forpligtelse» — ethical obligation: «Forpligtelse» = obligation/duty. Most people remain in a diffuse ethical duty ('each day has its own sorrow,' echoing Matthew 6:34) and never reach the «lidenskabelige Concentration» — the passionate gathering of the whole self into one moment that faith demands. «leve» and «lade» are old plurals (modern «lever», «lader»).

Til at faae denne kan i en vis Forstand det Almene være den tragiske Helt behjælpeligt, men Troens Ridder er ene om ”) Forskjellen mellem Collisionen, saaledes som denne er sat den tragiske Helt og Troens Ridder, vil jeg endnu engang belyse.  
In a certain sense the universal can help the tragic hero attain this, but the knight of faith is alone in it. — The difference between the collision as it is set for the tragic hero and for the knight of faith I will illuminate once more.

Den tragiske Helt forvisser sig om, al den ethiske Forpligtelse er totalt tilstede i ham derved, at han forvandler den til et Ønske.  
The tragic hero assures himself that the whole ethical obligation is totally present in him by transforming it into a wish.
> «Ønske» — wish: «Ønske» = wish/desire. The tragic hero proves the duty is wholly his by making it his own «Ønske», so that wish and duty coincide. («al» here reads for «at», the conjunction 'that.') This sets up the contrast with the knight of faith, for whom wish and duty must both be given up.

Agamemnon kan saaledes sige: dette er mig Beviset for, at jeg ikke krænker min Faderpligt, at det, der er min Pligt, er mit eneste Ønske.  
Agamemnon can thus say: this is the proof to me that I do not violate my fatherly duty, that what is my duty is my only wish.

Vi have altsaa her Ønske og Pligt ligeoverfor hinanden.  
We thus have here wish and duty set over against each other.

Det Lykkelige i Livet er, at det falder sammen, at mit Ønske er min Pligt og omvendt, og de fleste Menneskers Opgave i Livet er netop at blive i deres Pligt, og at forvandle den ved deres Begeistring til deres Ønske.  
The fortunate thing in life is that the two coincide, that my wish is my duty and vice versa; and most people's task in life is precisely to remain in their duty, and by their enthusiasm to transform it into their wish.

Den tragiske Helt opgiver sit Ønske for at fuldkomme sin Pligt.  
The tragic hero gives up his wish in order to fulfill his duty.

For Troens Ridder er Ønske og Pligt ogsaa identiske, men der fordres, at han skal opgive begge Dele.  
For the knight of faith, wish and duty are also identical, but it is demanded of him that he give up both.
> «der fordres, at …» — it is demanded that: An impersonal passive: «der fordres, at han skal opgive» = 'it is required that he give up.' The subjunctive force ('he shall / must give up') marks a demand, not a statement of fact. «begge Dele» = both parts/both of them.

Naar han da vil resignere ved at opgive sit Ønske, da finder han ikke Hvile; thi det er jo hans Pligt.  
When he then wishes to resign by giving up his wish, he finds no rest; for it is, after all, his duty.

Vil han blive i Pligten og i sit Ønske, da bliver han ikke Troens . Ridder; thi den absolute Pligt fordrede netop, at han skulde opgive den.  
If he wants to remain in his duty and in his wish, then he does not become the knight of faith; for the absolute duty demanded precisely that he give it up.
> «den absolute Pligt» — the absolute duty: «den absolute Pligt» (the absolute duty toward God) is the duty that overrides even the ethical 'duty' which is the universal — it requires giving up the very duty/wish the tragic hero rests in. (The stray period in «Troens . Ridder» is a typesetting artifact, not a sentence break.)

Den tragiske Helt fik et højere Udtryk af Pligt, men ikke en absolut Pligt.  
The tragic hero received a higher expression of duty, but not an absolute duty.

Alt.  
Everything.

Den tragiske Helt gjør det og finder Hvile i det Almene, Troens Ridder holdes bestandig i Spænding.  
The tragic hero does it and finds rest in the universal; the knight of faith is kept constantly in tension.

Agamemnon opgiver Iphigenia og har derved fundet Hvile i det Almene, skrider nu til at offre hende.  
Agamemnon gives up Iphigenia and has thereby found rest in the universal; he now proceeds to sacrifice her.

Har Agamemnon ikke gjort Bevægelsen, har hans Sjæl i det afgjørende Øieblik, istedenfor lidenskabelig Concentration, været fortabt i almindeligt Pjat om, at han havde flere Døttre, og at der endnu vielleicht kunde skee das Ausserordentliche — saa er han naturligviis ikke Helt, men Hospitalslem.  
If Agamemnon has not made the movement — if his soul in the decisive moment, instead of passionate concentration, has been lost in ordinary chatter about how he had several daughters and that perhaps the extraordinary might yet happen — then of course he is not a hero, but a hospital inmate.
> «vielleicht … das Ausserordentliche» — German interjection: Kierkegaard drops into German for the chatter: «vielleicht» = 'perhaps,' «das Ausserordentliche» = 'the extraordinary' — the mediocre soul's wishful 'maybe something extraordinary will turn up.' «Hospitalslem» = an inmate of an almshouse/asylum; «Pjat» = idle chatter, twaddle. The conditional is again formed by inversion (no 'if': «Har Agamemnon ikke gjort…»).

Heltens Concentration har Abraham ogsaa, om den end i ham er langt vanskeligere, da han slet intet Tilhold har i det Almene, men han gjør endnu en Bevægelse, hvorved han samler sin Sjæl tilbage paa Vidunderet.  
The hero's concentration Abraham has too, though in him it is far more difficult, since he has no support whatever in the universal; but he makes yet another movement, by which he gathers his soul back upon the wonder.
> «Vidunderet» — the wonder, the miracle: «Vidunderet» = the wonder/miracle — that Abraham will get Isaac back, believing 'by virtue of the absurd.' This is the second, distinctively religious movement (beyond the tragic hero's single resignation) by which faith gathers the soul. «Tilhold» = support (again, what Abraham lacks in the universal).

Har Abraham ikke gjort det, saa er han kun en Ågamemnon, forsaavidt man da ellers kan forklare, hvorledes det lader sig forsvare at ville offre Isaak, naar man dermed ikke gavner det Almene.  
If Abraham has not done this, then he is only an Agamemnon — insofar as one can otherwise explain how it can be defended to want to sacrifice Isaac, when one thereby does no good to the universal.

Om den Enkelte nu virkelig ligger i en Anfægtelse eller han er Troens Ridder, det kan kun den Enkelte selv afgjøre.  
Whether the single individual now really lies in a temptation or is the knight of faith, that only the single individual himself can decide.

Imidlertid lod der sig dog ud af Paradoxet construere nogle Kjendetegn, som ogsaa den kan forstaae, der ikke er deri.  
Nevertheless, some marks could be constructed out of the paradox that even one who is not in it can understand.
> «Kjendetegn» — distinguishing marks: «Kjendetegn» (with «Kj», modern «kendetegn») = distinguishing marks/criteria. Although the paradox cannot be entered from outside, Kierkegaard offers outward signs by which the true knight of faith can be told from the counterfeit. «construere» = construct (Latinate); «forstaae» = understand (old infinitive).

Den sande Troens Ridder er altid den absolute Isolation, den uægte er secterisk.  
The true knight of faith is always absolute isolation; the false one is sectarian.
> «secterisk» — sectarian: «secterisk» (modern «sekterisk») = sectarian. The decisive mark: the genuine knight of faith stands in «absolut Isolation», utterly alone; the counterfeit huddles into a sect to manufacture a substitute 'universal.' «sande» = true; «uægte» = false/inauthentic.

Dette er et Forsøg paa at springe af fra Paradoxets trange Vei og blive en tragisk Helt for godt Kjøb.  
This is an attempt to leap off from the paradox's narrow road and become a tragic hero on the cheap.
> «for godt Kjøb» — cheaply, on the cheap: Idiom: «for godt Kjøb» = 'at a good bargain / cheaply.' The sectarian tries to buy the dignity of the tragic hero at a discount by banding together, dodging the «trange Vei» (narrow road) of the paradox. «Kjøb» (with «Kj», modern «køb») = purchase/bargain.

Den tragiske Helt han udtrykker det Almene og offrer sig for dette.  
The tragic hero expresses the universal and sacrifices himself for it.

Isteden derfor har den secteriske Mester Jackel et Privattheater, nogle gode Venner og Kammerater, der omtrent repræsentere det Almene ligesaa godt som Stokkemændene i Gulddaasen repræsentereRetfærdigheden.  
Instead of that, the sectarian Master Jackel has a private theater, a few good friends and comrades who represent the universal about as well as the wooden jurymen in The Golden Snuffbox represent Justice.

Troens Ridder derimod han er Paradoxet, han er den Enkelte, absolut kun den Enkelte uden alle Connexioner og Vidtløftigheder.  
The knight of faith, by contrast, is the paradox; he is the single individual, absolutely only the single individual, without any connections or ramifications.
> «Paradoxet» — the paradox: The knight of faith does not merely hold the paradox — he IS «Paradoxet»: the single individual who is higher than the universal, with no «Connexioner» (connections) or «Vidtløftigheder» (sprawling involvements) to dilute his isolation. The fronted «han» ('Troens Ridder … han er') is emphatic resumption.

Dette er det Forfærdelige, som den secteriske Skrælling ikke kan udholde.  
This is the terrible thing that the sectarian weakling cannot endure.
> «Skrælling» — weakling: «Skrælling» (modern «skrælling») = a feeble, puny creature, a weakling — Kierkegaard's scornful name for the sectarian who cannot bear the loneliness of the paradox and so seeks company. It chimes with «Stymper» (bungler) in the next sentence.

Istedenfor nemlig deraf at lære, at han ikke er istand til at gjøre det Store, og da ligefrem at tilstaae dette, Noget jeg naturligviis ikke kan andet end billige, da det er, hvad jeg selv gjør, mener Stymperen, at han ved at forene sig med nogle andre Stympere skal kunne gjøre det.  
For instead of learning from this that he is not capable of doing the great thing, and then frankly admitting it — which of course I cannot but approve, since it is what I myself do — the bungler thinks that by joining himself to some other bunglers he will be able to do it.
> «Stymper» — bungler: «Stymper» (modern «stymper») = a bungler, a hopeless incompetent. The honest course is to admit one cannot do «det Store» (the great thing) — which Kierkegaard says of himself — but the «Stymper» imagines a crowd of fellow bunglers can together achieve what none can alone. «istand til» = capable of; «tilstaae» = confess/admit.

Men det gaaer aldeles ikke an; i Aandens Verden taales intet Snyderi.  
But that will not do at all; in the world of spirit no cheating is tolerated.
> «Aandens Verden» — the world of spirit: «Aandens Verden» = the world of spirit (modern «Åndens Verden»), where «Snyderi» (cheating, swindling) gets no purchase — one cannot fake one's way to faith by numbers. «gaaer … ikke an» = 'will not do'; «taales» = is tolerated (passive of «taale»). A blunt closing line for the section.

Et Dusin Secterikere tage hinanden under Armen, de kjende slet Intet til de eensomme Anfægtelser, der vente Troens Ridder, og som han ikke tør flye, netop fordi det var endnu forfærdeligere, om han formastelig trængte sig frem.  
A dozen sectarians take one another by the arm; they know nothing at all of the lonely trials that await the knight of faith, and which he dares not flee, precisely because it would be still more dreadful were he presumptuously to push himself forward.
> «Anfægtelse» — spiritual trial: «Anfægtelse» is a charged religious word: a spiritual trial or temptation, the assault of doubt and dread on a believer — close to German «Anfechtung». Here «de eensomme Anfægtelser» are the solitary trials reserved for «Troens Ridder», the knight of faith. Note period orthography: «kjende» (modern «kende») keeps the «kj», and «eensomme» doubles the vowel (modern «ensomme»).
> «Troens Ridder» — the knight of faith: «Troens Ridder» = 'the knight of faith', Kierkegaard's figure (genitive «Troens», 'of faith', from «Tro») for the one who, like Abraham, holds fast by virtue of the absurd. He is set throughout against the «Secterikere» (sectarians) who travel in a crowd.

Secterikerne overdøve hinanden ved Støj og Larm, holde Angesten borte ved deres Skrig, og et saadant hujende Dyrehaugsselskab mener at storme Himlen og mener at gaae ad samme Vei som Troens Ridder, der i Universets Eensomhed aldrig hører nogen menneskelig Røst, men gaaer ene med sit forfærdelige Ansvar.  
The sectarians drown one another out with noise and din, keep dread at bay with their shouting, and such a whooping fairground crew imagines it is storming heaven and imagines it goes by the same road as the knight of faith, who in the solitude of the universe never hears any human voice, but walks alone with his dreadful responsibility.
> «Angest» — dread: «Angesten» = 'the dread/anxiety' (modern «angsten»), the great Kierkegaardian mood later given its own book, «Begrebet Angest» (The Concept of Anxiety, 1844). The sectarians 'keep dread at bay' («holde Angesten borte») with noise, whereas the knight of faith bears it alone.
> «Dyrehaugsselskab» — a fairground crowd: «Dyrehaugsselskab» literally a 'Dyrehaven company' — Dyrehaven, the deer park north of Copenhagen, was the site of a rowdy popular fair (Dyrehavsbakken). The word casts the boisterous sectarians as a hooting amusement-park crowd, the opposite of the solitary knight. Note «gaae»/«gaaer» (modern «gå»/«går») and «Vei» (modern «vej») in the period orthography.

Troens Ridder han er alene anviist sig selv, han føler Smerten af, at han ikke kan gjøre sig forstaaelig for Andre, men han føler ingen forfængelig Lyst til at ville veillede Andre.  
The knight of faith is referred to himself alone; he feels the pain of not being able to make himself intelligible to others, yet he feels no vain desire to want to guide others.
> Left-dislocated subject: «Troens Ridder han er…» repeats the subject as a pronoun — 'The knight of faith, he is…' — a left-dislocation Kierkegaard uses for emphasis (compare «Den uægte Ridder… han» and «Den sande Troens Ridder han» further on). Note period spellings: «anviist» (modern «anvist»), «gjøre» (modern «gøre»), «forstaaelig» (modern «forståelig»).

Smerten er ham Forvisningen, den forfængelige Lyst kjender han ikke, dertil er han Sjæl for alvorlig.  
The pain is his assurance; the vain desire he does not know — for that his soul is too earnest.
> «Forvisning» — certainty, assurance: «Forvisning» = 'certainty, assurance, conviction' (not to be confused with «forvisning» = banishment). The pain itself is what assures the knight of faith that he is on the true road — «Smerten er ham Forvisningen», 'the pain is to him the assurance'. «kjender» again keeps the period «kj» (modern «kender»).

Den uægte Ridder forraader sig let ved dette Mesterskab, han i et Øieblik har erhvervet.  
The counterfeit knight easily betrays himself by this mastery, which he has acquired in a single moment.
> «Mesterskab» — mastery: «Mesterskab» = 'mastery, the standing of a master'. The 'counterfeit knight' («den uægte Ridder») gives himself away by the very fact that he has won this air of mastery cheaply, 'in a single moment' («i et Øieblik») — true faith is not acquired so quickly. Note «Øieblik» (modern «øjeblik») with «øi» for «øj».

Han fatter slet ikke, hvorom Talen er, at forsaavidt en anden Enkelt skal gaae den samme Vei, maa han aldeles paa samme Maade blive den Enkelte og trænger da ikke til Nogens Veiledning, mindst til Een, der vil paanøde sig.  
He grasps nothing at all of what is in question: that insofar as another single individual is to walk the same road, he must in exactly the same way become the single individual, and then has no need of anyone's guidance, least of all of one who would force himself upon him.
> «den Enkelte» — the single individual: «den Enkelte» = 'the single individual', Kierkegaard's signature category — the one who stands alone before God, above «det Almene» (the universal). The point here is that this standing cannot be taught: each must 'become the single individual' for himself («blive den Enkelte»), so no guide is needed, least of all a self-appointed one.

Her springer man atter af, man kan ikke udholde Uforstaaelighedens Martyrium, og istedenfor dette vælger man da beqvemt nok Mesterskabets verdslige Beundring.  
Here one leaps off again; one cannot endure the martyrdom of unintelligibility, and instead of it one then conveniently enough chooses the worldly admiration that mastery brings.
> «Uforstaaelighedens Martyrium»: 'The martyrdom of unintelligibility' — «Uforstaaelighed» (modern «uforståelighed») is the condition of not being able to be understood, which the knight of faith must suffer. The false knight cannot bear this and swaps it for «verdslige Beundring», worldly admiration. Note «beqvemt» (modern «bekvemt»), where «qv» writes the «kv» sound.

Den sande Troens Ridder han er Vidne, aldrig Lærer, og deri ligger det dybe Humane, der er noget mere bevendt end denne pjankede Deeltagelse for andre Menneskers Vee og Vel, der hædres under Navn af Sympathi, medens den dog ikke er andet end Forfængelighed.  
The true knight of faith is a witness, never a teacher, and in this lies the deep humanity that is worth something more than that silly fussing over other people's woe and weal which is honored under the name of sympathy, while it is yet nothing but vanity.
> «Vidne, aldrig Lærer» — witness, never teacher: «Vidne» (witness) versus «Lærer» (teacher): the true knight bears witness to faith by his own life but never sets himself up to instruct others, since faith cannot be transmitted as doctrine. This is for Kierkegaard «det dybe Humane», the deep humane regard — he denies the same standing to «Sympathi» (sympathy), which he unmasks as «Forfængelighed» (vanity).
> «Vee og Vel» — woe and weal: «Vee og Vel» is a set phrase, 'woe and weal' — someone's misery and welfare taken together. «Vee» (modern «ve») is woe/pain; «Vel» is well-being. «pjankede» means 'silly, fatuous', and «Deeltagelse» (modern «deltagelse») here is 'taking part in / fellow-feeling', the sentimental sympathy Kierkegaard scorns.

Den der kun vil være Vidne, han bekjender derved, at intet Menneske, end ikke det ringeste, behøver et andet Menneskes Deeltagelse, eller skal nedværdiges derved, for at den Anden kan hæves.  
He who will only be a witness thereby confesses that no human being, not even the lowliest, needs another human being's fellow-feeling, or is to be debased so that the other may be exalted.
> «skal»/«kan» — passive purpose clause: «skal nedværdiges … for at den Anden kan hæves» — 'is to be debased … so that the other may be exalted'. The modal «skal» (shall/is to) with the passive «nedværdiges» frames a moral 'ought not', and «for at … kan» is a purpose clause ('so that … may'). «bekjender» keeps the period «kj» (modern «bekender»).

Men som han selv ikke vandt, hvad han vandt, for godt Kjøb, saa sælger han det heller ikke ud for godt Kjøb, han er ikke ussel nok til at tage Menneskers Beundring og til Vederlag give dem sin tause Foragt, han veed, at hvad der i Sandhed er Stort, det er lige tilgængeligt for Alle.  
But just as he himself did not win what he won at a cheap price, so neither does he sell it off cheap; he is not so base as to take people's admiration and give them in return his silent contempt — he knows that what is in truth great is equally accessible to all.
> «for godt Kjøb» — at a cheap price: «for godt Kjøb» is an idiom, 'cheaply, for a bargain' (literally 'for a good purchase'). Faith is not won «for godt Kjøb» and so is not sold off cheaply either. «Kjøb» keeps the period «kj» (modern «køb»); «tause» = 'silent' (modern «tavse»), «veed» = 'knows' (modern «ved», doubled vowel).

Enten er der da en absolut Pligt mod Gud, og er der en saadan, da er den det beskrevne Paradox, at den Enkelte som den Enkelte er høiere end det Almene og som den Enkelte staaer i et absolut Forhold til det Absolute — eller ogsaa har der aldrig været Tro ti, fordi den altid har været til, eller ogsaa er Abraham tabt, eller ogsaa maa man forklare Stedet i Luc. XIV saaledes som hiin smagfulde Exeget gjorde det, og paa samme Maade forklare de tilsvarende Steder, og de lignende.  
Either, then, there is an absolute duty toward God — and if there is such a thing, it is the paradox already described, that the single individual as the single individual is higher than the universal and as the single individual stands in an absolute relation to the absolute — or else there has never been faith, just because it has always existed, or else Abraham is lost, or else one must explain the passage in Luke XIV as that tasteful exegete did, and explain the corresponding passages in the same way, and the like.
> «absolut Pligt mod Gud» — absolute duty to God: 'An absolute duty toward God' is the thesis of Problema II, brought home in this closing «Enten … eller ogsaa» (either … or else). The «beskrevne Paradox» (the paradox already described) is that «den Enkelte … er høiere end det Almene» — the single individual is higher than the universal — and «staaer i et absolut Forhold til det Absolute», stands in an absolute relation to the absolute.
> «Luc. XIV» — Luke 14 and the 'tasteful exegete': «Luc. XIV» is the Latin abbreviation for the Gospel of Luke, chapter 14 — Christ's hard saying that one must 'hate' father and mother to be his disciple (Luke 14:26). «hiin smagfulde Exeget», 'that tasteful exegete', is heavily ironic: the commentator who softens the text to make it palatable. «hiin» (that, yonder) is an archaic demonstrative; «ogsaa», «saaledes», «paa» show the «aa» orthography (modern «også», «således», «på»).
---

Source text: public domain (Søren Kierkegaard, d. 1855; first published 1843, under the pseudonym Johannes de silentio). English translation: © 2026 1732 Studios, LLC — original draft, pending editorial review. NOTE: minimal seed excerpt; the 1843 Danish should be verified against Søren Kierkegaards Skrifter (SKS) before shipping, and full content is authored through the content pipeline.