Ecclesiastes 9
1 For all this I laid to my heart, even to explore all this: that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God; whether it is love or hatred, man does not know it; all is before them.
He naʻaku tokanga ʻi hoku loto ki he meʻa ni kotoa pē ke u fakahā kotoa pē ia, ʻoku ʻi he nima ʻoe ʻOtua ʻae māʻoniʻoni, mo e poto, pea mo ʻenau ngāue: ʻoku ʻikai ʻilo ʻe he tangata pe ko e ʻofeina ia pe ko e fehiʻanekina ʻi he meʻa ʻoku hoko mai kiate ia.
2 All things come alike to all. There is one event to the righteous and to the wicked; to the good, to the clean, to the unclean, to him who sacrifices, and to him who does not sacrifice. As is the good, so is the sinner; he who takes an oath, as he who fears an oath.
He ʻoku hoko tatau ʻae meʻa fulipē ki he kakai kotoa pē: ko e meʻa ʻe taha ʻoku hoko ki he māʻoniʻoni mo e angahala; ki he angalelei mo ia kuo fakamaʻa, pea ki he taʻemaʻa; kiate ia ʻoku feilaulau, mo ia ʻoku ʻikai fai ha feilaulau: ʻoku hangē ko ia ʻoku angalelei, ʻoku pehē ʻaia ʻoku angahala, pea ko ia ʻoku fuakava, ʻo hangē ko ia ʻoku manavahē ki he fuakava.
3 This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that there is one event to all. Yes also, the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead.
Ko e kovi eni ʻe taha ʻi he meʻa kotoa pē ʻoku fai ʻi he lalo laʻā, ʻae hoko tatau ʻae meʻa ki he kakai kotoa pē: ʻio, ʻoku fonu ʻi he kovi ʻae loto ʻoe fānau ʻae tangata, ʻoku ʻi honau loto ʻae vale ʻi heʻenau kei moʻui, pea hili ia ʻoku nau ʻalu ki he mate.
4 For to him who is joined with all the living there is hope; for a living dog is better than a dead lion.
He ʻoku ai ʻae ʻamanaki lelei kiate ia ʻoku kei kau ki he moʻui: he ʻoku lelei hake ʻae kulī ʻoku moʻui ʻi ha laione kuo mate.
5 For the living know that they will die, but the dead do not know anything, neither do they have any more a reward; for their memory is forgotten.
He ʻoku ʻilo ʻe he kakai moʻui te nau mate: ka ʻoku ʻikai siʻi ʻilo ha meʻa ʻe he mate, pea ʻoku ʻikai te nau kei maʻu ha totongi: he kuo ngalo ʻa honau fakamanatu.
6 Also their love, their hatred, and their envy has perished long ago; neither do they any longer have a portion forever in anything that is done under the sun.
Pea ko ʻenau ʻofa, mo ʻenau fehiʻa, mo ʻenau meheka, kuo ʻosi ia; pea ʻoku ʻikai te nau kei maʻu honau tufakanga ʻi ha meʻa ʻoku fai ʻi he lalo laʻā ʻo taʻengata.
7 Go your way—eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart; for God has already accepted your works.
ʻAlu koe ʻi ho hala, pea kai hoʻo mā ʻi he fiefia, pea inu hoʻo uaine ʻi he loto fiemālie; he kuo maʻu ʻe he ʻOtua hoʻo ngaahi ngāue.
8 Let your garments be always white, and do not let your head lack oil.
Ke hinehina maʻuaipē ho ngaahi kofu; pea ʻoua naʻa masiva ho ʻulu ʻi he pani.
9 Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your life of vanity, which he has given you under the sun, all your days of vanity, for that is your portion in life, and in your labor in which you labor under the sun.
Ke ke moʻui fiefia mo ho uaifi, ʻaia ʻoku ke ʻofa ai ʻi he ʻaho kotoa pē ʻo hoʻo moʻui vaʻinga, ʻaia kuo ne foaki kiate koe ʻi he lalo laʻā, ʻae ngaahi ʻaho kotoa pē ʻo hoʻo vaʻinga: he ko ho ʻinasi ia ʻi he moʻui ni, mo e ngāue kuo ke fai ʻi he lalo laʻā.
10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work, nor plan, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in Sheol (Sheol h7585), where you are going.
Ko ia kotoa pē ʻoku ʻilo ʻe ho nima ke fai, fai ia ʻaki ho mālohi kotoa pē; he ʻoku ʻikai ha ngāue, pe ha filioʻi, pe ha ʻilo, pe ha poto ʻi he faʻitoka, ʻaia ʻoku ke ʻalu ki ai. (Sheol h7585)
11 I returned and saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happen to them all.
Naʻaku tafoki mai, pea u mamata ʻi he lalo laʻā, ko e pue ʻoku ʻikai kiate ia ʻoku veʻe vave, pe ko e tau kiate ia ʻoku mālohi, pe ko e meʻakai kiate ia ʻoku poto, pe ko e koloa ki he kakai ʻoku faʻa fakakaukau, pe ko e ongoongolelei ki he kakai poto; he ʻoku maʻu taki taha kotoa pē hono ʻaho mo hono tuʻutuʻuni.
12 For man also does not know his time. As the fish that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare, even so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falls suddenly on them.
He ʻoku ʻikai ʻilo foki ʻe he tangata ʻa hono ʻaho: ʻoku hangē ko e maʻu fakafokifā ʻoe ika ʻi he kupenga, pea hangē ko e maʻu ʻae manupuna ʻi he tauhele; ʻoku pehē ʻae tauheleʻi ʻae fānau ʻae tangata ʻi he ʻaho ʻoe kovi, ʻoka hoko fakafokifā ia kiate kinautolu.
13 I have also seen wisdom under the sun in this way, and it seemed great to me.
Ko e poto ni foki kuo u mamata ki ai ʻi he lalo laʻā, pea naʻe matamata lahi ia kiate au.
14 There was a little city, and few men within it; and a great king came against it, besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it.
Naʻe ai ʻae kihiʻi kolo, pea tokosiʻi ʻae kau tangata naʻe ʻi ai; pea naʻe haʻu ʻae tuʻi lahi ke ne tauʻi ia, pea naʻa ne kāpui ia, pea lahi ʻaupito ʻa ʻene tanu puke ki ai.
15 Now a poor wise man was found in it, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man.
Ka ko eni, naʻe ʻilo ʻi ai ʻae tangata masiva mo poto, pea ko e meʻa ʻi heʻene poto naʻe hao ai ʻae kolo; ka naʻe ʻikai manatuʻi ʻe ha tokotaha ʻae tangata masiva ko ia.
16 Then I said, “Wisdom is better than strength.” Nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard.
Pea naʻaku toki pehē ai, ʻOku lelei hake ʻae poto ʻi he mālohi; ka ʻoku manukiʻi ʻae poto ʻoe tangata masiva, pea ʻoku ʻikai ongoʻi ʻene ngaahi lea.
17 The words of the wise heard in quiet are better than the cry of him who rules among fools.
ʻOku ongo lahi mai ʻae fanafana ʻae poto ʻi he kalanga ʻo ia ʻoku pule ʻi he lotolotonga ʻoe vale.
18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war; but one sinner destroys much good.
ʻOku lelei hake ʻae poto ʻi he mahafutau: ka ʻoku maumauʻi ʻe he angahala ʻe tokotaha ʻae lelei lahi.
