< Ecclesiastes 1 >

1 These are the words of the Teacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem:
Ko e ngaahi lea eni ʻae Tangata Malanga, ko e foha ʻo Tevita, naʻe tuʻi ʻi Selūsalema.
2 “Futility of futilities,” says the Teacher, “futility of futilities! Everything is futile!”
“Vaʻinga ʻoe vaʻinga,” ʻoku pehē ʻe he Malanga, “Vaʻinga ʻoe vaʻinga, ʻoku vaʻinga ʻae meʻa kotoa pē.”
3 What does a man gain from all his labor, at which he toils under the sun?
Ko e hā hono ʻaonga ki he tangata ʻo ʻene ngāue kotoa pē ʻoku ne fai ʻi he lalo laʻā?
4 Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever.
‌ʻOku mole atu ʻae toʻutangata ʻe taha, kae haʻu ʻae toʻutangata kehe: ka ʻoku tuʻumaʻu aipē ʻa māmani.
5 The sun rises and the sun sets; it hurries back to where it rises.
‌ʻOku hopo hake foki ʻae laʻā, pea ʻalu hifo, ʻoku ʻalu fakavave ia ki he potu naʻe hopo mei ai.
6 The wind blows southward, then turns northward; round and round it swirls, ever returning on its course.
‌ʻOku ʻalu ʻae matangi ki he feituʻu tonga, pea toe liliu ki he tokelau: ʻoku fakatakamilo maʻuaipē ia, pea toe ʻalu foki ʻi hono ngaahi ʻaluʻanga.
7 All the rivers flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full; to the place from which the streams come, there again they flow.
‌ʻOku tō atu ki tahi ʻae ngaahi vaitafe kotoa pē; ka ʻoku ʻikai ke pito ai ʻae tahi; pea ko e potu ʻoku tupu mei ai ʻae vaitafe ʻoku toe foki atu ia ki ai.
8 All things are wearisome, more than one can describe; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear content with hearing.
‌ʻOku fonu ʻae meʻa kotoa pē ʻi he ngāue; ʻoku ʻikai faʻa fakamatala ia ʻe he tangata: pea ʻoku ʻikai fiu ʻae mata ʻi he sio, pe ko e telinga ʻi he fanongo.
9 What has been will be again, and what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.
Ko e meʻa ʻaia ʻoku talu mei muʻa, ko ia ia ʻe kei ʻi ai; pea ko e meʻa ʻoku fai ni ko ia pe ʻe fai; pea ʻoku ʻikai ha meʻa foʻou ʻi he lalo laʻā.
10 Is there a case where one can say, “Look, this is new”? It has already existed in the ages before us.
He ʻoku ai ha meʻa ʻe totonu ke pehē ki ai, “Vakai, ko eni ʻae meʻa foʻou?” Naʻe ʻi ai pe ia ʻi he kuonga ʻi muʻa, ʻaia naʻe muʻa ʻiate kitautolu.
11 There is no remembrance of those who came before, and those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow after.
‌ʻOku ʻikai ha fakamanatu ki he ngaahi meʻa ʻi muʻa, pea ʻe ʻikai ha manatu ki he ngaahi meʻa ʻoku hoko mai ni, pe ko ia ʻe hoko ʻamui.
12 I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
Ko au ko e Malanga, naʻaku tuʻi au ki ʻIsileli ʻi Selūsalema.
13 And I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. What a heavy burden God has laid upon the sons of men to occupy them!
Pea naʻaku fai ʻi hoku loto ke kumi pea hakule ke u poto ʻi he meʻa kotoa pē ʻoku fai ʻi he lalo langi: he kuo tuku ʻae feinga ni ʻe he ʻOtua ke fakamamahi ʻaki ʻae fānau ʻae tangata.
14 I have seen all the things that are done under the sun, and have found them all to be futile, a pursuit of the wind.
Kuo u mamata ki he ngāue kotoa pē ʻoku fai ʻi he lalo laʻā; pea vakai, ko e vaʻinga ʻae meʻa kotoa pē mo e fakamamahi ki he laumālie.
15 What is crooked cannot be straightened, and what is lacking cannot be counted.
Ko e meʻa pikopiko ʻoku ʻikai faʻa fakatotonu, pea ko ia ʻoku ʻikai kātoa ʻe ʻikai faʻa lau ia.
16 I said to myself, “Behold, I have grown and increased in wisdom beyond all those before me who were over Jerusalem, and my mind has observed a wealth of wisdom and knowledge.”
Naʻaku fakakaukau ʻi hoku loto ʻoʻoku, ʻo pehē, “Vakai, kuo u hoko ʻo maʻumeʻa lahi, pea ʻoku ou maʻu lahi hake ʻae poto ʻiate kinautolu kotoa pē naʻa nau ʻi muʻa ʻiate au ʻi Selūsalema; ʻio, naʻe fakapotoʻi lahi hoku loto ʻi he poto mo e ʻilo.”
17 So I set my mind to know wisdom and madness and folly; I learned that this, too, is a pursuit of the wind.
Pea naʻaku tuku hoku loto ke ʻilo ʻae poto, pea ke ʻilo mo e hē mo e vale: pea u ʻiloʻi foki ia ko e fakamamahi ki he laumālie.
18 For with much wisdom comes much sorrow, and as knowledge grows, grief increases.
He ʻoku lahi ʻae mamahi ʻi he poto ʻoku lahi: pea ko ia ʻoku fakatupu ʻa ʻene ʻilo ʻoku ne fakatupu mo e mamahi.

< Ecclesiastes 1 >