Ecclesiastes 5
1 Keep thy foot, when thou goest into the house of God, and draw nigh to hear. For much better is obedience, than the victims of fools, who know not what evil they do.
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 Speak not any thing rashly, and let not thy heart be hasty to utter a word before God. For God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.
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 Dreams follow many cares: and in many words shall be found folly.
Ka puta mai hoki te rekanga kanohi ina nui te raruraru; me te reo o te wairangi ki te maha o nga kupu.
4 If thou hast vowed any thing to God, defer not to pay it: for an unfaithful and foolish promise displeaseth him: but whatsoever thou hast vowed, pay it.
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 And it is much better not to vow, than after a vow not to perform the things promised.
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 Give not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin: and say not before the angel: There is no providence: lest God be angry at thy words, and destroy all the works of thy 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 Where there are many dreams, there are many vanities, and words without number: but do thou fear God.
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 thou shalt see the oppressions of the poor, and violent judgments, and justice perverted in the province, wonder not at this matter: for he that is high hath another higher, and there are others still higher than these:
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 Moreover there is the king that reigneth over all the land subject to him.
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 A covetous man shall not be satisfied with money: and he that loveth riches shall reap no fruit from them: so this also is vanity.
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 Where there are great riches, there are also many to eat them. And what doth it profit the owner, but that he seeth the riches with his eyes?
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 Sleep is sweet to a labouring man, whether he eat little or much: but the fulness of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.
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 also another grievous evil, which I have seen under the sun: riches kept to the hurt of the owner.
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 For they are lost with very great affliction: he hath begotten a son, who shall be in extremity of want.
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 forth naked from his mother’s womb, so shall he return, and shall take nothing away with him of his labour.
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 A most deplorable evil: as he came, so shall he return. What then doth it profit him that he hath laboured 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 the days of his life he eateth in darkness, and in many cares, and in misery, and sorrow.
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 therefore hath seemed good to me, that a man should eat and drink, and enjoy the fruit of his labour, wherewith he hath laboured under the sun, all the days of his life, which God hath given him: and this is his portion.
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 And every man to whom God hath given riches, and substance, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to enjoy his portion, and to rejoice of his labour: this is the gift of 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 For he shall not much remember the days of his life, because God entertaineth his heart with delight,
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.
