Ecclesiastes 8
1 Who is really a wise man, and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? The wisdom of a man, lighteth up his countenance, but, by defiance of countenance, one is disfigured.
Ko hai ʻoku hangē ko e tangata poto? Pea ko hai ʻoku ne ʻilo ʻae fakamatala ʻo ha meʻa? Ko e meʻa ʻi he poto ʻoku malama mai ʻae mata ʻoe tangata, pea ʻe liliu ai ʻae mālohi ʻa hono mata.
2 I [said], The bidding of the king, observe thou, even out of regard to the oath of God.
ʻOku ou enginakiʻi koe ke ke fai ki he fekau ʻae tuʻi, pea ke fai ia koeʻuhi ko e fuakava ʻae ʻOtua.
3 Not rashly from his presence, shouldst thou go: do not take thy stand in a vexatious thing, —for, whatsoever he pleaseth, he will do.
ʻOua naʻa ʻalu atu fakavave ʻi hono ʻao: ʻoua naʻa ke kau ʻi ha meʻa kovi; he ʻoku fai ʻe ia ʻa ʻene faʻiteliha.
4 Where the word of a king is, there is power, —who then may say to him, What wouldst thou do?
Ko e meʻa ʻoku lea ki ai ʻae tuʻi ʻoku ʻi ai ʻae mālohi: pea ko hai ʻe faʻa pehē kiate ia, “Ko e hā ʻoku ke fai?”
5 He that observeth the commandment, will not notice a vexatious thing, —and, of time and manner, will the heart of the wise take note.
Ko ia ʻoku fai ki he fekau ʻe ʻikai ʻilo ʻe ia ha kovi: pea ʻoku ʻiloʻi ʻe he loto ʻoe poto ʻae ʻaho tuʻutuʻumālie pea mo e fakamaau.
6 For, to every pursuit, there is a time and a manner, —when, the vexation of man, is great concerning it.
Koeʻuhi ʻoku ai ʻae ʻaho mo e fakamaau ʻoe ngāue kotoa pē, ko ia ʻoku mamafa ai ʻae kovi ʻae tangata kiate ia.
7 For there is no one who knoweth what shall be, for, when it shall be, who will tell him?
He ʻoku ʻikai te ne ʻilo ʻae meʻa ʻe hoko: pea ko hai ʻoku faʻa tala kiate ia pe ʻe hoko afe?
8 No man, hath power over the spirit, to retain the spirit, and, none, hath power over the day of death, and there is no furlough in war, —neither shall lawlessness deliver them who are given thereto.
ʻOku ʻikai ha tangata ʻoku maʻu ʻae mālohi ki he laumālie ke ne taʻofi maʻu ki he laumālie; pea ʻoku ʻikai ʻiate ia ha mālohi ʻi he ʻaho ʻoe mate: pea ʻoku ʻikai ha tukuange mei he tau ko ia; pea ʻe ʻikai fakahaofi ʻe he kovi ʻakinautolu kuo nau maheni ai.
9 All this, had I seen, and tried to apply my heart to every work which was done under the sun, —at such time as one man had power over another man, to his hurt.
Ko e meʻa ni kotoa pē kuo u mamata ki ai, pea u tuku hoku loto ki he ngāue kotoa pē ʻoku fai ʻi he lalo laʻā: ʻoku ai ʻae ʻaho ʻoku pule ʻae tangata ʻe tokotaha ki he tokotaha ka ʻe kovi ai ia.
10 And, thereupon, I considered the lawless when buried, when they had entered, [their graves], that, from the place of the Holy One, they used to go and boast in the city that they had so done, —even this, was vanity.
Pea naʻaku mamata foki ki he tanu ʻoe angahala, ʻaia naʻe faʻa ʻalu mo haʻu mei he potu ʻoe māʻoniʻoni, pea naʻe ngalo ʻakinautolu ʻi he kolo naʻa nau fai pehē ai: ko e vaʻinga foki eni.
11 Because sentence against a wicked work is not executed speedily—on this account, the heart of the sons of men is fully set within them, to commit wickedness.
Koeʻuhi ʻoku ʻikai fakatoʻotoʻo ʻae fai ʻoe tautea ki he ngāue kovi, ko ia ʻoku tukupau ai ʻae loto ʻoe fānau ʻae tangata ke fai kovi.
12 Though a sinner be committing wickedness a hundred times, and continuing long in his own way, yet I surely know that it shall be well to them who revere God, who stand in awe before him;
Ka neongo ʻae fai ke liunga teau ʻae kovi ʻae angahala, pea fakatolonga hono ʻaho, ka ʻoku ou ʻilo moʻoni ʻe hoko ʻae lelei kiate kinautolu ʻoku manavahē ki he ʻOtua, ʻakinautolu ʻoku manavahē ʻi hono ʻao.
13 but, well, shall it not be to the lawless man, neither shall he lengthen out his days like a shadow, —because he standeth not in awe before God.
Ka ʻe ʻikai ha lelei ki he angahala, pea ʻe ʻikai tolonga maʻuaipē hono ngaahi ʻaho, he ko e ʻata ia: koeʻuhi ʻoku ʻikai te ne manavahē ʻi he ʻao ʻoe ʻOtua.
14 Here was a vain thing which was done upon the earth—that there were righteous men unto whom it happened according to the work of the lawless, and there were lawless men, unto whom it happened according to the work of the righteous, —I said, that, even this, was vanity.
ʻOku ai ʻae vaʻinga ʻoku fai ʻi he māmani: ʻa eni, ʻoku ai ʻae kakai angatonu, ʻoku hoko ʻae meʻa kiate kinautolu ʻo fakatatau ki he ngāue ʻae angahala; pea pehē, ʻoku ai ʻae kakai angahala, ʻoku hoko kiate kinautolu ʻo fakatatau ki he ngāue ʻae māʻoniʻoni: pea naʻaku pehē, ko e vaʻinga foki eni.
15 Then extolled I, gladness, in that there was nothing better for a man, under the sun, than to eat and to drink, and to be glad, —since, that, should tarry with him in his toil, for the days of his life which God had given him under the sun.
Pea naʻaku toki fakamālō ki he fakafiemālie, koeʻuhi ʻoku ʻikai ha meʻa ʻoku lelei hake ki he tangata ʻi he lalo laʻā, ka ko ʻene kai, mo inu, mo fakafiefia: he ko ia ʻe nofomaʻu mo ia ʻi heʻene ngāue ʻi he ʻaho kotoa pē ʻo ʻene moʻui, ʻaia ʻoku foaki ʻe he ʻOtua kiate ia ʻi he lalo laʻā.
16 When I gave my heart, to know wisdom, and to consider the business that was done upon the earth, then surely, by day and by night, there was one who suffered not his eyes, to sleep.
ʻI heʻeku tuku hoku loto ke ʻilo ʻae poto, pea mamata ki he ngāue kotoa pē ʻoku fai ʻi he māmani: (he ʻoku ai ʻaia ʻoku ʻikai sio hono mata ki he mohe ʻi he ʻaho pe ʻi he pō: )
17 Then I considered all the work of God, that man could not find out the work that was done under the sun, inasmuch as man toileth in seeking and yet cannot find, —yea, even though the wise man should say he knoweth, yet can he not find it out.
Pea naʻaku mamata ki he ngāue kotoa pē ʻae ʻOtua, ʻoku ʻikai faʻa ʻiloʻi ʻe he tangata ʻae ngāue ʻoku fai ʻi he lalo laʻā: he neongo ʻae fai feinga hono kumi ʻe he tangata, ʻe ʻikai te ne ʻilo ia; ko eni foki; naʻa mo e tangata poto ʻoku mahalo te ne ʻiloʻi, ʻe ʻikai faʻa maʻu ia ʻe ia.
