Ecclesiastes 7
1 A good name is better than precious ointments, and a day of death is better than a 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 a house of mourning, than to a house of feasting. For in the former, we are admonished about the end of all things, so that the living consider what may be in the future.
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 Anger is better than laughter. For through the sadness of the countenance, the soul of one who offends may be corrected.
ʻOku lelei lahi ʻae mamahi ʻi he kata, he ʻoku fakaʻāsili ʻae lelei ʻoe loto ʻi he mamahi ʻoe mata.
4 The heart of the wise is a place of mourning, and the heart of the foolish is a place of rejoicing.
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 be corrected by a wise man, than to be deceived by the false praise 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 For, like the crackling of thorns burning under a pot, so is the laughter of the foolish. But this, too, is emptiness.
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 A false accusation troubles the wise man and saps the strength of his 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 speech is better than the beginning. Patience is better than arrogance.
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 Do not be quickly moved to anger. For anger resides in the sinews of the foolish.
ʻOua naʻa ke ʻita vave ʻi ho laumālie: he ʻoku nofo ʻae ʻita ʻi he fatafata ʻoe kau vale.
10 You should not say: “What do you think is the reason that the former times were better than they are now?” For this type of question is foolish.
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 with riches is more useful and more advantageous, for 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 For as wisdom protects, so also does money protect. But learning and wisdom have this much more: that they grant life to one who possesses them.
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 Consider the works of God, that no one is able to correct whomever he has despised.
Tokanga ki he ngāue ʻae ʻOtua: he ko hai ʻoku faʻa fakatotonu ʻaia kuo ne ngaohi ke pikopiko?
14 In good times, enjoy good things, but beware of an evil time. For just as God has established the one, so also the other, in order that man may not find any just complaint against 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 I also saw this, in the days of my vanity: a just man perishing in his justice, and an impious man living a long time in his malice.
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 Do not try to be overly just, and do not try to be more wise than is necessary, lest you become stupid.
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 Do not act with great impiety, and do not choose to be foolish, lest you die 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 for you to support a just man. Furthermore, you should not withdraw your hand from him, for whoever fears God, neglects nothing.
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 has strengthened the wise more than ten princes of a city.
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 But there is no just man on earth, who does good and does not sin.
He ʻoku ʻikai ʻi māmani ha tangata angatonu ʻoku fai lelei, pea taʻehalaia.
21 So then, do not attach your heart to every word that is spoken, lest perhaps you may hear your servant speaking ill of you.
Pea ʻoua foki naʻa ke tui ki he lea kotoa pē ʻoku leaʻaki; telia naʻa ke fanongo ʻoku lauʻikoviʻi koe ʻe hoʻo tamaioʻeiki.
22 For your conscience knows that you, too, have repeatedly spoken evil of others.
He ʻoku ke ʻilo foki ʻi ho loto kuo liunga lahi ʻa hoʻo lauʻikovi ʻe koe ʻae kakai kehe.
23 I have tested everything in wisdom. I have said: “I will be wise.” And wisdom withdrew farther 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 so much more than it was before. Wisdom is very profound, so who shall reveal her?
Ko e meʻa ʻoku mamaʻo atu, pea loloto lahi, ko hai ʻe faʻa ʻilo ki ai?
25 I have examined all things in my soul, so that I may know, and consider, and seek out wisdom and reason, and so that I may recognize the impiety of the foolish, and the error of the imprudent.
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 have discovered a woman more bitter than death: she who is like the snare of a hunter, and whose heart is like a net, and whose hands are like chains. Whoever pleases God shall flee from her. But whoever is a sinner shall be seized 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 Behold, Ecclesiastes said, I have discovered these things, one after another, in order that I might discover the explanation
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 which my soul still seeks and has not found. One man among a thousand, I have found; a woman among them all, I have not found.
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 alone have I discovered: that God made man righteous, and yet he has adulterated himself with innumerable questions. Who is so great as the wise? And who has understood the meaning of the word?
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.
