Ecclesiastes 2
1 I said in my heart: “I will go forth and overflow with delights, and I will enjoy good things.” And I saw that this, too, is emptiness.
Naʻa ku pehē ki hoku loto, “Vakai eni, teu ʻahiʻahiʻi koe ki he fiengutuhua, ko ia ke ke fiefia koe ʻi he fakavā;” pea vakai, ko e vaʻinga foki eni.
2 Laughter, I considered an error. And to rejoicing, I said: “Why are you being deceived, to no purpose?”
Naʻaku pehē ki he kata, “Ko e faha ia”: pea ki he fiengutuhua, “ʻOku ʻaonga ia ki he hā?”
3 I decided in my heart to withdraw my flesh from wine, so that I might bring my mind to wisdom, and turn away from foolishness, until I see what is useful for the sons of men, and what they ought to do under the sun, during the number of the days of their life.
Naʻaku fai ʻi hoku loto ke u faʻa inu uaine, kae kumi foki hoku loto ki he poto; pea ke puke atu ki he vale, koeʻuhi ke u ʻilo pe ko e hā ʻoku lelei ke fai ʻe he fānau ʻae tangata ʻi he ʻaho kotoa pē ʻo ʻenau moʻui ʻi he lalo langi.
4 I magnified my works. I built houses for myself, and I planted vineyards.
Naʻaku fai ʻae ngaahi ngāue lahi; naʻaku langa hoku ngaahi fale; pea naʻaku tō ʻeku ngaahi ngoue vaine:
5 I made gardens and orchards. And I planted them with trees of every kind.
Naʻaku tō ʻeku ngaahi ngoue mo e ngaahi ʻakau ʻoku fua, pea naʻaku tō ʻi ai ʻae faʻahinga ʻakau fua kehekehe kotoa pē.
6 And I dug out fishponds of water, so that I might irrigate the forest of growing trees.
Naʻaku ngaohi ʻae ngaahi anovai, ke fakatafe ki he potu ʻoku tupu ʻi ai ʻae ngaahi ʻakau:
7 I obtained men and women servants, and I had a great family, as well as herds of cattle and great flocks of sheep, beyond all who were before me in Jerusalem.
Naʻaku maʻu ʻae kau tamaioʻeiki mo e kau kaunanga, pea naʻe fanauʻi ʻae kau tamaioʻeiki ʻi hoku fale; pea naʻaku maʻu foki ʻo lahi ʻae fanga manu iiki, mo ia ʻoku lalahi, pea naʻe lahi hake ʻa ʻeku maʻumeʻa ʻiate kinautolu kotoa pē naʻe ʻi muʻa ʻiate au ʻi Selūsalema.
8 I amassed for myself silver and gold, and the wealth of kings and governors. I chose men and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, bowls and pitchers for the purpose of pouring wine.
Pea naʻaku tānaki foki kiate au ʻae siliva mo e koula, pea mo e koloa mahuʻinga lahi ʻoe ngaahi tuʻi mo e potu fonua kehekehe: pea u maʻu ʻae kau tangata faiva mo e kau fefine faiva, mo e meʻa fakafiefia kotoa pē ʻoe fānau ʻae tangata, mo e ngaahi meʻa faiva ʻi honau faʻahinga kehekehe.
9 And I surpassed in opulence all who were before me in Jerusalem. My wisdom also persevered with me.
Ko ia naʻaku hoko ko e lahi au, pea u tupu ʻo lahi hake ʻiate kinautolu kotoa pē naʻe ʻi muʻa ʻiate au ʻi Selūsalema: pea naʻe maʻu pe foki ʻa ʻeku poto ʻiate au.
10 And all that my eyes desired, I did not refuse them. Neither did I prohibit my heart from enjoying every pleasure, and from amusing itself in the things that I had prepared. And I regarded this as my share, as if I were making use of my own labors.
Pea ko e meʻa kotoa pē naʻe manako ki ai hoku mata naʻe ʻikai te u taʻofi ia mei ai, naʻe ʻikai te u taʻofi hoku loto mei ha fiefia; he naʻe fiefia hoku loto ʻi heʻeku ngāue kotoa pē: pea ko hoku ʻinasi ia ʻi heʻeku ngāue kotoa pē.
11 But when I turned myself toward all the works that my hands had made, and to the labors in which I had perspired to no purpose, I saw emptiness and affliction of the soul in all things, and that nothing is permanent under the sun.
Pea naʻaku toki mamata ki he ngāue kotoa pē kuo fai ʻe hoku nima, mo e ngāue naʻaku ongosia ʻi hono fai: pea vakai, ko e vaʻinga ia kotoa pē mo e fakamamahi ki he laumālie, pea ʻoku ʻikai hano ʻaonga ʻi he lalo laʻā.
12 I continued on, so as to contemplate wisdom, as well as error and foolishness. “What is man,” I said, “that he would be able to follow his Maker, the King?”
Pea naʻaku tafoki au ke mamata ki he poto, mo e hē, mo e vale: he ko e hā ha meʻa ʻe faʻa fai ʻe he tangata ʻoku muimui ki he tuʻi? ʻAia pe kuo ʻosi hono fai.
13 And I saw that wisdom surpasses foolishness, so much so that they differ as much as light from darkness.
“Pea naʻaku toki mamata ʻoku lelei lahi hake ʻae poto ʻi he vale, ʻo hangē ko e lelei hake ʻoe maama ki he poʻuli.
14 The eyes of a wise man are in his head. A foolish man walks in darkness. Yet I learned that one would pass away like the other.
Ko e mata ʻoe poto ʻoku ʻi hono ʻulu ka ʻoku ʻeveʻeva ʻae vale ʻi he poʻuli:” pea naʻaku mamata ʻeau ko e meʻa pe taha ʻoku hoko kiate kinautolu kotoa pē.
15 And I said in my heart: “If the death of both the foolish and myself will be one, how does it benefit me, if I have given myself more thoroughly to the work of wisdom?” And as I was speaking within my own mind, I perceived that this, too, is emptiness.
Pea naʻaku toki pehē ai ʻi hoku loto, “Hangē ko ia ʻoku hoko ki he vale, ko ia foki ʻoku hoko kiate au; pea ko e hā ia kuo u poto lahi hake ai?” Pea naʻaku toki pehē ʻi hoku loto, “Tā ko e vaʻinga foki eni.”
16 For there will not be a remembrance in perpetuity of the wise, nor of the foolish. And the future times will cover everything together, with oblivion. The learned die in a manner similar to the unlearned.
He ʻoku ʻikai lahi hake ʻae fakamanatu ki he poto ʻi he manatu ki he vale ʻo taʻengata: koeʻuhi ko e meʻa ʻoku ai ni ʻe ngalo ia ʻi he ʻaho kimui. Pea ʻoku fēfē ʻae mate ʻae poto? ʻOku hangē pe ia ko e vale.
17 And, because of this, my life wearied me, since I saw that everything under the sun is evil, and everything is empty and an affliction of the spirit.
Ko ia naʻaku fehiʻa ki he moʻui; koeʻuhi ko e ngāue ʻoku fai ʻi he lalo laʻā ʻoku fakamamahi kiate au: he ko e vaʻinga ʻae meʻa kotoa pē mo e fakamamahi ki he laumālie.
18 Again, I detested all my efforts, by which I had earnestly labored under the sun, to be taken up by an heir after me,
ʻIo, naʻaku fehiʻa ki heʻeku ngāue kotoa pē naʻaku ongosia ai ʻi he lalo laʻā: koeʻuhi te u tuku pe ia ki he tangata ʻoku muimui ʻiate au.
19 though I know not whether he will be wise or foolish. And yet he will have power over my labors, in which I have toiled and been anxious. And is there anything else so empty?
Pea ko hai ʻoku ne ʻilo pe ko ha poto ia pe ko ha vale? Ka ʻe pule ʻe ia ki he ngāue kotoa pē kuo u ngāue ai mo fakahā ʻaki ʻa ʻeku poto ʻi he lalo laʻā. Ko e vaʻinga foki eni.
20 Therefore, I ceased, and my heart renounced further laboring under the sun.
Ko ia naʻaku ʻalu fano ai ke fakataʻeʻamanaki hoku loto ki heʻeku ngāue kotoa pē naʻaku fai ʻi he lalo laʻā.
21 For when someone labors in wisdom, and doctrine, and prudence, he leaves behind what he has obtained to one who is idle. So this, too, is emptiness and a great burden.
He ʻoku ai ʻae tangata ʻoku fai ʻene ngāue ʻi he poto, mo e ʻilo, pea mo e totonu; ka te ne tuku pe ia ko e ʻinasi ʻo ha tangata ʻoku ʻikai ngāue ki ai. Ko e vaʻinga foki eni, pea ko e kovi lahi.
22 For how can a man benefit from all his labor and affliction of spirit, by which he has been tormented under the sun?
He ʻoku maʻu ʻae hā ʻe he tangata mei heʻene ngāue, mo e mamahi ʻa hono loto, ʻaia kuo ne ongosia ai ʻi he lalo laʻā?
23 All his days have been filled with sorrows and hardships; neither does he rest his mind, even in the night. And is this not emptiness?
He ko hono ngaahi ʻaho kotoa pē ko e mamahi ia, pea ko ʻene feinga ko e fakamāfasia; ʻio, naʻa mo e pō ʻoku ʻikai fakafiemālie hono loto. Ko e vaʻinga foki eni.
24 Is it not better to eat and drink, and to show his soul the good things of his labors? And this is from the hand of God.
ʻOku ʻikai ha meʻa ʻoku lelei hake ki he tangata ka ko ʻene kai mo inu, pea ke fakafiefiaʻi hono loto ʻi he lelei ʻo ʻene ngāue. Naʻaku mamata foki ki he meʻa ni, kuo foaki mai ia mei he nima ʻoe ʻOtua.
25 So who will feast and overflow with delights as much as I have?
He ko hai ʻoku faʻa kai, pea ko hai ʻoku fakatoʻotoʻo lahi hake ki ai ʻiate au?
26 God has given, to the man who is good in his sight, wisdom, and knowledge, and rejoicing. But to the sinner, he has given affliction and needless worrying, so as to add, and to gather, and to deliver, to him who has pleased God. But this, too, is emptiness and a hollow worrying of the mind.
He ʻoku foaki ʻe he ʻOtua ki he tangata ʻaia ʻoku lelei ʻi hono ʻao, ko e poto, mo e ʻilo, mo e fiefia: ka ʻoku ne foaki ki he angahala ʻae feinga ke tānaki mo fokotuʻu, ka ne foaki ia kiate ia ʻoku lelei ʻi he ʻao ʻoe ʻOtua. Ko e vaʻinga foki eni mo e fakamamahi ki he laumālie.
