Ecclesiastes 5

1 Put your feet down with care when you go to the house of God, for it is better to give ear than to make the burned offerings of the foolish, whose knowledge is only of doing evil.

Tiakina tou waewae ina haere koe ki te whare o te Atua; he pai ke te whakatata ki te whakarongo i te hoatu i te patunga tapu a nga wairangi: kahore hoki ratou e mohio he mahi kino ta ratou.

2 Be not unwise with your mouth, and let not your heart be quick to say anything before God, because God is in heaven and you are on the earth — so let not the number of your words be great.

Kei porahurahu tou mangai, kei hohoro hoki te puaki o tetahi kupu a tou ngakau i te aroaro o te Atua; no te mea kei te rangi te Atua, a ko koe kei runga i te whenua: mo reira kia torutoru au kupu.

3 As a dream comes from much business, so the voice of a foolish man comes with words in great number.

Ka puta mai hoki te rekanga kanohi ina nui te raruraru; me te reo o te wairangi ki te maha o nga kupu.

4 When you take an oath before God, put it quickly into effect, because he has no pleasure in the foolish; keep the oath you have taken.

Ki te kiia taurangitia e koe tetahi mea ma te Atua, kei whakaroa koe ki te whakamana; e kore hoki ia e pai ki nga wairangi: whakamana e koe tau i ki taurangi ai.

5 It is better not to take an oath than to take an oath and not keep it.

He pai ke ki te kore au ki taurangi, i te puta i a koe o te kupu taurangi a kahore i whakamana e koe.

6 Let not your mouth make your flesh do evil. And say not before the angel, It was an error. So that God may not be angry with your words and put an end to the work of your hands.

Kei tukua e koe tou mangai kia mea hara mo ou kikokiko; kaua hoki e ki ki te aroaro o te anahera, he pohehe; kia riri te Atua ki tou reo hei aha, a he iho i a ia te mahi a ou ringa?

7 Because much talk comes from dreams and things of no purpose. But let the fear of God be in you.

Na konei tenei mea, na te maha o nga rekanga kanohi, o nga horihori, o nga korero maha; ko koe ia kia wehi i te Atua.

8 If you see the poor under a cruel yoke, and law and right being violently overturned in a country, be not surprised, because one authority is keeping watch on another and there are higher than they.

Ki te kite koe i te rawakore e tukinotia ana, a e kahakina ketia ana te whakawa raua ko te tika i te kawanatanga, kaua e miharo ki taua mea: no te mea e maharatia ana e tetahi, he tiketike ake nei i te mea tiketike; tenei ano hoki tetahi e tiketi ke ake ana i a ratou.

9 It is good generally for a country where the land is worked to have a king.

Ma te katoa ano hoki nga hua o te whenua; a ko te kingi hoki na, e mahia ana e te mara he mea mana.

10 He who has a love for silver never has enough silver, or he who has love for wealth, enough profit. This again is to no purpose.

Ko te tangata e aroha ana ki te hiriwa e kore e makona i te hiriwa; a e kore hoki te tangata e whai ana ki nga mea maha, ki nga hua. He horihori ano tenei.

11 When goods are increased, the number of those who take of them is increased; and what profit has the owner but to see them?

Ki te maha nga rawa, ka tokomaha ano nga tangata hei kai: he aha hoki te pai ki te tangata nana aua mea? Ko te matakitaki kau atu a ona kanohi.

12 The sleep of a working man is sweet, if he has little food or much; but to him who is full, sleep will not come.

Ka reka tonu te moe a te tangata mahi, ahakoa iti tana kai, nui ranei; ko te tangata taonga ia, e kore e tukua e ana mea maha kia moe.

13 There is a great evil which I have seen under the sun — wealth kept by the owner to be his downfall.

Tera tetahi he ngau kino i kitea e ahau i raro i te ra, ara, he taonga e puritia ana e te tangata nana, hei whakamamae ano i a ia:

14 And I saw the destruction of his wealth by an evil chance; and when he became the father of a son he had nothing in his hand.

A ka pau aua taonga i te raruraru kino: na, ka whanau he tama mana, kahore he mea i tona ringa.

15 As he came from his mother at birth, so does he go again; he gets from his work no reward which he may take away in his hand.

Ka rite ki tona haerenga mai i te kopu o tona whaea, ka hoki tahanga atu ano ia, ka pera i tona haerenga mai, e kore ano e riro i a ia tetahi wahi mo tana mahi hei maunga atu ma tona ringa.

16 And this again is a great evil, that in all points as he came so will he go; and what profit has he in working for the wind?

A he he ngau kino ano hoki tenei, ara ko tona haerenga atu ka rite i nga mea katoa ki tona haerenga mai: he aha oti te pai ki a ia? ko tana i mahi ai ma te hau.

17 All his days are in the dark, and he has much sorrow, pain, disease, and trouble.

A i ona ra katoa ka kai ia i roto i te pouri, ka pororaru tona ngakau, ka pangia e te mate, ka pukuriri.

18 This is what I have seen: it is good and fair for a man to take meat and drink and to have joy in all his work under the sun, all the days of his life which God has given him; that is his reward.

Nana, ko taku i kite ai, he mea pai, he mea ataahua, kia kai te tangata, kia inu, kia kite hoki i te pai o tona mauiui katoa i mauiui ai ia i raro i te ra i nga ra katoa e ora ai ia, e homai nei e te Atua ki a ia; nana hoki tena wahi.

19 Every man to whom God has given money and wealth and the power to have pleasure in it and to do his part and have joy in his work: this is given by God.

Ko nga tangata katoa hoki i homai ai e te Atua he taonga, he rawa, i tukua mai ai ki a ratou te tikanga mo te kai i tetahi wahi o aua mea, mo te tango i te wahi ma ratou, a kia koa ratou i to ratou mauiui; he mea homai tenei na te Atua.

20 He will not give much thought to the days of his life; because God lets him be taken up with the joy of his heart.

E kore hoki e nui tona mahara ki nga ra i ora ai ia; no te mea he koa mo tona ngakau ta te Atua i whakahoki ai ki a ia.