< Ecclesiastes 2 >

1 I said in my heart, “Pray, come, I try you with mirth, and look on gladness”; and behold, even it [is] vanity.
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 Of laughter I said, “Foolish!” And of mirth, “What [is] this it is doing?”
Naʻaku pehē ki he kata, “Ko e faha ia”: pea ki he fiengutuhua, “ʻOku ʻaonga ia ki he hā?”
3 I have sought in my heart to draw out with wine my appetite (and my heart leading in wisdom), and to take hold on folly until I see where this [is]—the good to the sons of man of that which they do under the heavens, the number of the days of their lives.
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 made great my works, I built for myself houses, I planted for myself vineyards.
Naʻaku fai ʻae ngaahi ngāue lahi; naʻaku langa hoku ngaahi fale; pea naʻaku tō ʻeku ngaahi ngoue vaine:
5 I made for myself gardens and paradises, and I planted in them trees of every fruit.
Naʻaku tō ʻeku ngaahi ngoue mo e ngaahi ʻakau ʻoku fua, pea naʻaku tō ʻi ai ʻae faʻahinga ʻakau fua kehekehe kotoa pē.
6 I made for myself pools of water, to water from them a forest shooting forth trees.
Naʻaku ngaohi ʻae ngaahi anovai, ke fakatafe ki he potu ʻoku tupu ʻi ai ʻae ngaahi ʻakau:
7 I acquired menservants, and maidservants, and sons of the house were to me; also, I had much substance—herd and flock—above all who had been 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 also gathered for myself silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces. I prepared for myself men-singers and women-singers, and the luxuries of the sons of man—a wife and wives.
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 became great, and increased above everyone who had been before me in Jerusalem; also, my wisdom stood 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 asked I did not keep back from them; I did not withhold my heart from any joy, for my heart rejoiced because of all my labor, and this has been my portion, from all my labor,
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 and I have looked on all my works that my hands have done, and on the labor that I have labored to do, and behold, the whole [is] vanity and distress of spirit, and there is no advantage 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 And I turned to see wisdom, and madness, and folly, but what [is] the man who comes after the king? That which [is] already—they have done it!
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 there is an advantage to wisdom above folly, like the advantage of the light above the 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 wise—his eyes [are] in his head, and the fool is walking in darkness, and I also knew that one event happens with them all;
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, “As it happens with the fool, it happens also with me, and why am I then more wise?” And I spoke in my heart, that also this [is] vanity:
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 That there is no remembrance to the wise—with the fool—for all time, for that which [is] already, [in] the days that are coming is all forgotten, and how dies the wise? With the fool!
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 I have hated life, for sad to me [is] the work that has been done under the sun, for the whole [is] vanity and distress of 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 And I have hated all my labor that I labor at under the sun, because I leave it to a man who is 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 And who knows whether he is wise or foolish? Yet he rules over all my labor that I have labored at, and that I have done wisely under the sun! This [is] also vanity.
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 And I turned around to cause my heart to despair concerning all the labor that I labored at 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 there is a man whose labor [is] in wisdom, and in knowledge, and in equity, and to a man who has not labored therein he gives it—his portion! Even this [is] vanity and a great evil.
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 what has been to a man by all his labor, and by the thought of his heart that he labored at 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 For all his days are sorrows, and his travail sadness; even at night his heart has not lain down; this [is] also vanity.
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 There is nothing good in a man who eats, and has drunk, and has shown his soul good in his labor. This also I have seen that it [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 For who eats and who hurries out more than I?
He ko hai ʻoku faʻa kai, pea ko hai ʻoku fakatoʻotoʻo lahi hake ki ai ʻiate au?
26 For to a man who [is] good before Him, He has given wisdom, and knowledge, and joy; and to a sinner He has given travail, to gather and to heap up, to give to the good before God. Even this [is] vanity and distress of spirit.
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.

< Ecclesiastes 2 >