Ecclesiastes 7

1 A good name is better than oil of great price, and the day of death than the day of birth.

‌ʻOku lelei lahi ʻae hingoa ʻoku ongoongolelei ʻi he meʻa namu kakala ʻoku mahuʻinga lahi; pea ʻoku lelei ʻae ʻaho ʻoe mate ʻi he ʻaho ʻoe fanauʻi.

2 It is better to go to the house of weeping, than to go to the house of feasting; because that is the end of every man, and the living will take it to their hearts.

‌ʻOku ʻaonga lahi hake ʻae ʻalu ki he fale ʻoku ʻi ai ʻae tangilāulau, ʻi he ʻalu ki he fale ʻoku fai kātoanga: he ko e ikuʻanga ia ʻoe kakai kotoa pē; pea ʻe mamafa ia ki he loto ʻoʻona ʻoku kei moʻui.

3 Sorrow is better than joy; when the face is sad the mind gets better.

‌ʻOku lelei lahi ʻae mamahi ʻi he kata, he ʻoku fakaʻāsili ʻae lelei ʻoe loto ʻi he mamahi ʻoe mata.

4 The hearts of the wise are in the house of weeping; but the hearts of the foolish are in the house of joy.

‌ʻOku ʻi he fale ʻoe mamahi ʻae loto ʻoe poto; ka ʻoku ʻi he fale ʻoe fiefia ʻae loto ʻoe vale.

5 It is better to take note of the protest of the wise, than for a man to give ear to the song of the foolish.

‌ʻOku lelei hake ʻae fanongo ki he valoki mei he poto, ʻi he fanongo ʻae tangata ki he hivehiva ʻae kau vale.

6 Like the cracking of thorns under a pot, so is the laugh of a foolish man; and this again is to no purpose.

He ʻoku hangē ko e makalakala ʻae ʻakau talatala ʻi he lalo kulo, ʻoku pehē ʻae kata ʻae vale: he ko e vaʻinga foki ia.

7 The wise are troubled by the ways of the cruel, and the giving of money is the destruction of the heart.

Ko e moʻoni ʻoka fakamālohi ʻae tangata poto ʻoku vale ai ia; pea ʻoku maumauʻi ʻae loto ʻi he maʻu ʻae foaki.

8 The end of a thing is better than its start, and a gentle spirit is better than pride.

‌ʻOku lelei hake ʻae ikuʻanga ʻo ha meʻa ʻi hono kamataʻanga: pea ʻoku lelei lahi ʻaia ʻoku loto faʻa kātaki ʻiate ia ʻoku loto fielahi.

9 Be not quick to let your spirit be angry; because wrath is in the heart of the foolish.

‌ʻOua naʻa ke ʻita vave ʻi ho laumālie: he ʻoku nofo ʻae ʻita ʻi he fatafata ʻoe kau vale.

10 Say not, Why were the days which have gone by better than these? Such a question comes not from wisdom.

‌ʻOua naʻa ke pehē, “Ko e hā naʻe lelei lahi ai ʻae ngaahi ʻaho ʻi muʻa ʻi he ngaahi ʻaho ko eni?” He ʻoku ʻikai te ke fai fakapotopoto ʻi hoʻo fehuʻi ki he meʻa ni.

11 Wisdom together with a heritage is good, and a profit to those who see the sun.

ʻOku lelei ke maʻu ʻae tofiʻa pea maʻu mo e poto, pea ʻoku ʻaonga ia kiate kinautolu ʻoku mamata ki he laʻā.

12 Wisdom keeps a man from danger even as money does; but the value of knowledge is that wisdom gives life to its owner.

He ko e poto ko e ungaʻanga ia, pea ko e koloa ko e ungaʻanga mo ia: ka ko hono lelei lahi ʻoe ʻilo, ʻoku foaki ʻe he poto ʻae moʻui kiate kinautolu ʻoku maʻu ia.

13 Give thought to the work of God. Who will make straight what he has made bent?

Tokanga ki he ngāue ʻae ʻOtua: he ko hai ʻoku faʻa fakatotonu ʻaia kuo ne ngaohi ke pikopiko?

14 In the day of wealth have joy, but in the day of evil take thought: God has put the one against the other, so that man may not be certain what will be after him.

Ke ke fiefia ʻi he ʻaho ʻoe lelei, ka ke fakalaulauloto ʻi he ʻaho ʻoe kovi: he kuo fokotuʻu foki ʻe he ʻOtua ʻae taha ki he taha koeʻuhi ke ʻoua naʻa ʻilo ʻe he tangata ha meʻa ʻe fai ʻamui.

15 These two have I seen in my life which is to no purpose: a good man coming to his end in his righteousness, and an evil man whose days are long in his evil-doing.

Kuo u mamata ki he meʻa kotoa pē ʻi he ngaahi ʻaho ʻo ʻeku vale: ʻoku ai ʻae tangata ʻoku angatonu, ka ʻoku mate pe mo ʻene māʻoniʻoni, pea ʻoku ai ʻaia ʻoku angahala, ka ʻoku tolonga ʻa ʻene moʻui ʻi heʻene fai hala.

16 Be not given overmuch to righteousness and be not over-wise. Why let destruction come on you?

‌ʻOua naʻa lahi fau hoʻo māʻoniʻoni; pea ʻoua naʻa ke kumi ki he poto lahi fau: he ko e hā te ke fakaʻauha ai koe ʻe koe pe?

17 Be not evil overmuch, and be not foolish. Why come to your end before your time?

‌ʻOua naʻa lahi fau hoʻo fai kovi, pe te ke vale: he ko e hā te ke mate ai ʻi he teʻeki hoko ho ʻaho?

18 It is good to take this in your hand and not to keep your hand from that; he who has the fear of God will be free of the two.

‌ʻOku lelei ke ke puke ki he meʻa ni: ʻio, ʻoua naʻa toʻo ho nima mei he meʻa ni he ko ia ʻoku manavahē ki he ʻOtua ʻe hao ia mei he ngaahi meʻa ni kotoa pē.

19 Wisdom makes a wise man stronger than ten rulers in a town.

‌ʻOku lahi ʻae tokoni ʻe he poto kiate ia ʻoku poto, ʻi ha kau tangata mālohi ʻe toko hongofulu ʻoku nofo ʻi ha kolo.

20 There is no man on earth of such righteousness that he does good and is free from sin all his days.

He ʻoku ʻikai ʻi māmani ha tangata angatonu ʻoku fai lelei, pea taʻehalaia.

21 Do not give ear to all the words which men say, for fear of hearing the curses of your servant.

Pea ʻoua foki naʻa ke tui ki he lea kotoa pē ʻoku leaʻaki; telia naʻa ke fanongo ʻoku lauʻikoviʻi koe ʻe hoʻo tamaioʻeiki.

22 Your heart has knowledge how frequently others have been cursed by you.

He ʻoku ke ʻilo foki ʻi ho loto kuo liunga lahi ʻa hoʻo lauʻikovi ʻe koe ʻae kakai kehe.

23 All this I have put to the test by wisdom; I said, I will be wise, but it was far from me.

Ko e ngaahi meʻa ni kotoa pē kuo u ʻilo ʻi he poto: naʻaku pehē, te u poto au, ka naʻe mamaʻo ia ʻiate au.

24 Far off is true existence, and very deep; who may have knowledge of it?

Ko e meʻa ʻoku mamaʻo atu, pea loloto lahi, ko hai ʻe faʻa ʻilo ki ai?

25 I gave my mind to knowledge and to searching for wisdom and the reason of things, and to the discovery that sin is foolish, and that to be foolish is to be without one's senses.

Naʻaku tuku hoku loto ke ʻilo mo hakule, pea ke kumi atu ki he poto, mo hono ʻuhinga ʻoe ngaahi meʻa, pea ke ʻilo ʻae kovi ʻoe vale, ʻio, ʻae vale mo e hē.

26 And I saw a thing more bitter than death, even the woman whose heart is full of tricks and nets, and whose hands are as bands. He with whom God is pleased will get free from her, but the sinner will be taken by her.

Pea ʻoku ou ʻilo ʻoku kona lahi hake ʻi he mate ʻae fefine ko ia ʻoku tatau hono loto mo e tauhele mo e kupenga, pea ko hono nima ʻoku hangē ko e ngaahi haʻi: ka ko ia ia ʻoku lelei ʻi he ʻao ʻoe ʻOtua, ʻe hao ia mei ai; ka ʻe moʻua ʻae angahala kiate ia.

27 Look! this I have seen, said the Preacher, taking one thing after another to get the true account,

Vakai, kuo u ʻilo eni, ʻoku pehē ʻe he Tangata Malanga, ʻi heʻeku ʻahiʻahi taki taha ʻae meʻa kotoa pē, ke ʻilo hono ʻuhinga:

28 For which my soul is still searching, but I have it not; one man among a thousand have I seen; but a woman among all these I have not seen.

‌ʻAia ʻoku kei kumi ki ai ʻe hoku laumālie, ka ʻoku teʻeki ai te u maʻu: ko e tangata ʻe tokotaha kuo u ʻilo ʻi ha toko afe; ka ʻoku ʻikai te u ʻilo ʻiate kinautolu kotoa pē ha fefine ʻe tokotaha.

29 This only have I seen, that God made men upright, but they have been searching out all sorts of inventions.

Vakai, ko eni pe ʻae meʻa kuo u ʻiloʻi, naʻe ngaohi ʻae tangata ʻe he ʻOtua ʻi he angatonu; ka kuo nau kumi ki he ngaahi filioʻi lahi.