Ecclesiastes 4
1 And I have turned, and I see all the oppressions that are done under the sun, and behold, the tear of the oppressed, and they have no comforter; and at the hand of their oppressors [is] power, and they have no comforter.
Ko ia naʻaku tafoki mai, pea u tokanga ki he fakamālohi kotoa pē ʻoku fai ʻi he lalo laʻā: pea vakai ko e loʻimata ʻonautolu kuo fakamālohiʻi, pea ʻikai hanau fakafiemālie; pea naʻe ʻi he nima ʻonautolu naʻe fakamālohi ʻae mālohi, ka naʻe ʻikai hanau fakafiemālie.
2 And I am praising the dead who have already died above the living who are yet alive.
Ko ia naʻaku leleiʻia moʻoni ʻi he mate kuo mate, ʻi he moʻui ʻoku kei moʻui.
3 And better than both of them [is] he who has not yet been, in that he has not seen the evil work that has been done under the sun.
ʻIo, pea ʻoku lelei hake ia ʻiate kinaua fakatouʻosi, ʻaia ʻoku teʻeki ai fakatupu pe mamata ki he ngāue kovi ʻoku fai ʻi he lalo laʻā.
4 And I have seen all the labor, and all the benefit of the work, because for it a man is the envy of his neighbor. Even this [is] vanity and distress of spirit.
Pea ko eni, naʻaku fakalaulauloto ki he feinga mo e ngāue lelei kotoa pē, he ko e meʻa ia ʻoku fakatupu meheka ki ha tangata mei hono kaungāʻapi. Ko e vaʻinga foki eni mo e fakamamahi ki he laumālie.
5 The fool is clasping his hands, and eating his own flesh:
ʻOku fehulunaki ʻae nima ʻoe vale, pea ʻoku ne kai hono kakano ʻoʻona.
6 “Better [is] a handful [with] quietness, than two handfuls [with] labor and distress of spirit.”
ʻOku lelei hake ke fonu ʻae nima ʻe taha mo e fiemālie, ʻi he fonu fakatouʻosi ʻoe nima kae feinga mo mamahi ʻae laumālie.
7 And I have turned, and I see a vain thing under the sun:
Pea naʻaku toki tafoki mai, pea naʻaku mamata ki he vaʻinga ʻi he lalo laʻā.
8 There is one, and there is not a second; even son or brother he has not, and there is no end to all his labor! His eye also is not satisfied with riches, and [he does not say], “For whom am I laboring and bereaving my soul of good?” This also is vanity, it is a sad travail.
ʻOku ai ʻaia ʻoku tokotaha pe, pea ʻoku ʻikai hono toko ua; ʻio, ʻoku ʻikai haʻane fānau pe kāinga: ka ʻoku ʻikai ngata ʻene ngāue; pea ʻoku ʻikai fiu hono mata ki he koloa; pea ʻoku ʻikai pehē ʻe ia, Ko ʻeku ngāue eni maʻa hai, kau fakamasivaʻi ʻa hoku laumālie ʻi he lelei? Ko e vaʻinga foki eni, ʻio, ko e fakamamahi lahi.
9 The two [are] better than the one, in that they have a good reward by their labor.
ʻOku lelei hake ʻae toko ua ʻi he tokotaha; he ʻoku ai ʻae totongi lelei ʻi heʻena ngāue.
10 For if they fall, the one raises up his companion, but woe to the one who falls and there is not a second to raise him up!
He kapau te na tō ki lalo, ʻe hiki ki ʻolunga ʻe he tokotaha ʻa hono kāinga: ka ʻe kovi lahi kiate ia ʻoku tō ki lalo ʻi heʻene tokotaha pe; he ʻoku ʻikai ha tokotaha ke tokoni hake ia ki ʻolunga.
11 Also, if two lie down, then they have heat, but how has one heat?
Ko eni foki, kapau ʻe takoto ʻae toko ua te na mafana; ka ʻe mafana fēfeeʻi ha taha ʻi heʻene tokotaha pe?
12 And if the one strengthens himself, the two stand against him; and the threefold cord is not quickly broken.
Pea kapau ʻe mālohi ha tokotaha ki he tokotaha, ka ʻe faʻa ikuʻi ia ʻe he toko ua; pea ko e afo tuʻo tolu ʻoku motungataʻa ia.
13 Better is a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king, who has not known to be warned anymore.
ʻOku lelei hake ʻae tamasiʻi ʻoku masiva mo poto, ʻi ha tuʻi ʻoku motuʻa kae vale, ʻaia ʻoku ʻikai tui ki he valoki.
14 For from a house of prisoners he has come out to reign, for even in his own kingdom he has been poor.
He ʻoku haʻu ia mei he fale fakapōpula ki he pule; ka ko ia kuo fanauʻi ko e pule ʻoku hoko ia ʻo masiva.
15 I have seen all the living, who are walking under the sun, with the second youth who stands in his place;
Naʻaku mamata ki he kakai moʻui kotoa pē ʻoku ʻaʻeva ʻi he lalo laʻā, mo hono foha ʻe hoko, ʻaia ʻe tuʻu hake ʻi hono potu ko hono fetongi.
16 there is no end to all the people, to all who were before them; also, the latter do not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and distress of spirit.
ʻOku ʻikai hano ngataʻanga ʻoe kakai kotoa pē, ʻakinautolu foki naʻe ʻi muʻa ʻiate kinautolu: pea ʻe ʻikai fiefia ʻiate ia ʻakinautolu ʻe tupu kimui. Ko e moʻoni ko e vaʻinga foki eni mo e fakamamahi ki he laumālie.
