Ecclesiastes 10
1 [A few] dead flies in [a bottle of] perfume cause [all] the perfume to stink. Similarly [SIM], a small amount of acting foolishly can have a greater effect than acting wisely.
Ma nga ngaro mate ka piro whakahouhou ai te hinu a te kaiwhakananu: ka pera ano te whakaaro nui me te ingoa nui, he iti noa te wairangi mana e tami.
2 If people think sensibly, it will lead them to do what is right; if they think foolishly, it causes them to do what is wrong.
Kei tona ringa matau te ngakau o te tangata whakaaro nui; kei tona maui ia te ngakau o te wairangi.
3 Even while foolish people walk along the road, they show that they do not have good sense; they show everyone that they are not wise.
Ae ra hoki, ka haere te wairangi i te ara, ka taka ona mahara, a ka korero ia ki nga tangata katoa he wairangi ia.
4 Do not quit working for a ruler when he is angry with you; if you remain calm, he will [probably] stop being angry.
Ki te ara te wairua o te rangatira, he riri ki a koe, kaua tou wahi e whakarerea; ka ai hoki te whakangawari hei whakamarie mo nga hara nui.
5 There is something [else] that I have seen here on this earth, something that rulers sometimes do that is wrong/inappropriate:
Tenei tetahi kino i kitea e ahau i raro i te ra, e rite tonu ana ki te he i puta mai i te rangatira.
6 They appoint foolish people to have important positions, while they appoint rich [people] to have unimportant positions.
Ko te wairangi e whakanohoia ana ki runga ki nga wahi tiketike rawa, a ko nga tangata taonga e noho ana i te wahi i raro.
7 They allow slaves [to ride] on horses [like rich people usually do], [but] they force officials to walk [like slaves usually do].
I kite ahau i nga kaimahi i runga i te hoiho, a ko nga rangatira e haere ana, ano he kaimahi, i runga i te whenua.
8 [It is possible that] those who dig pits will fall into one of those pits. [It is possible that] someone who tears down a wall will be bitten by a snake [that is in that wall].
Ko te tangata e keri ana i te rua, ka taka ano ki roto; ko te tangata e wahi ana i te taiepa, ka ngaua e te nakahi.
9 If you work in a quarry, [it is possible that] a stone [will fall on you and] injure you. [It is possible that] men who split logs will be injured by one of those logs.
Ko te tangata e tarai ana i nga kohatu, ka mamae ano i reira; ko te tangata e tata ana i te rakau, ka ora noa ano i reira.
10 If your axe is not sharp [DOU], you will need to work harder [to cut down a tree], but by being wise, you will succeed.
Ki te puhuki te rino, a kahore e whakakoia te mata, kia nui ake ano tona kaha; he pai ia nga whakaaro nui hei whakatikatika.
11 If a snake bites a man before he charms/tames it, his ability to charm snakes will not benefit him.
Ki te ngau te nakahi i te mea kiano i whakawaia, kahore hoki he painga o te kaiwhakawai.
12 Wise people say [MTY] what is sensible, and because of that, people honor them; but foolish people are destroyed by what they say [MTY].
He ataahua nga kupu a te mangai o te tangata whakaaro nui; tena ko te wairangi ka horomia a ia ano e ona ngutu.
13 When foolish people start to talk, they say things that are foolish, and they end by saying things that are both wicked and foolish.
Ko te timatanga o nga kupu a tona mangai he wairangi; ko te mutunga o tana korero, he haurangi, he he.
14 They talk (too much/without ceasing). None of us knows what will happen in the future, or what will happen after we die.
He maha ano hoki nga kupu a te wairangi: engari e kore te tangata e mohio ko te aha e puta mai. Na, ko nga mea e puta mai i muri i a ia, ma wai ra e whakaatu ki a ia?
15 Foolish people become [so] exhausted by the work that they do that they are unable to find the road to their town/homes.
Hoha iho nga wairangi i tana mahi i tana mahi: e kore nei hoki ia e matau ki te haere ki te pa.
16 Terrible things will happen to the people of a nation whose ruler is a foolish young man, and whose [other] leaders continually eat, all day long, every day.
Aue, te mate mou, e te whenua he tamaiti nei tou kingi, a e kai ana ou rangatira i te ata!
17 [But] a nation will prosper if its ruler is from a (noble/well-educated) family, and if its [other] leaders feast [only] at the proper times, and [if they eat and drink only] to be strong, not to become drunk.
Ka hari koe, e te whenua, he tamaiti nei no nga rangatira tou kingi, a e kai ana ou rangatira i te wa e tika ai, hei mea whakakaha, ehara i te mea hei whakahaurangi.
18 Some men are very lazy [and do not repair the rafters], with the result that the rafters sag [and collapse]; and if they do not repair the roof, water will leak into the house [when it rains].
Ma te mangere ka totohu iho ai te tuanui o te whare; ma te ngoikore ano o nga ringa ka tuturu ai te whare.
19 Eating food and drinking wine causes us to laugh and be happy, [but] we are able to enjoy those things only if we have money [to buy them].
Hei mea mo te kata te hakari i tukua ai, he mea whakahari ano te waina; a ma te hiriwa ka rite ai nga mea katoa.
20 Do not even think about cursing the king, or cursing rich [people, even] when you are [alone] in your bedroom, because [it is possible that] a little bird will hear [what you are saying], [and] tell those people what you said [about them].
Kaua e kanga te kingi, kaua rawa i roto i tou whakaaro; kaua hoki e kanga te tangata taonga i roto i tou whare moenga: no te mea ka kawea te reo e tetahi manu o te rangi, ka korerotia hoki taua mea e tetahi mea whai parirau.
