Ecclesiastes 5

1 When you enter God’s temple, you should be sure to listen carefully. Doing that is better than offering sacrifices to God [and then not obeying him], which is foolish.

Tauhi ho vaʻe ʻoka ke ka ʻalu ki he fale ʻoe ʻOtua, pea lahi hake hoʻo fiefanongo ʻi hoʻo fai ʻae feilaulau ʻae vale: he ʻoku ʻikai te nau tokanga ki he kovi ʻoku nau fai.

2 Think carefully before you speak [MTY] or before you promise God that you will do something [IDM]. [Do not forget that] God is in heaven [and he is all-powerful] and you are here on the earth, so think carefully before you [make any promises to God].

‌ʻOua naʻa ke ʻohonoa ʻaki ho ngutu, pea ʻoua naʻa vave ho loto ke fakahā ha meʻa ʻi he ʻao ʻoe ʻOtua: he ʻoku ʻi he langi ʻae ʻOtua, ka ʻoku ke ʻi māmani ko ē: ko ia ke siʻi ai hoʻo lea.

3 If you are continually thinking [and worrying] about things, you will have bad dreams about them and not rest [well]. And the more you talk, the more likely it will be that you will say things that are foolish.

He ʻoku tupu ʻae misi mei he femouʻekina ki he ngāue; pea ʻoku ʻilo ʻae leʻo ʻoe vale ʻi he lahi ʻo ʻene lea.

4 When you solemnly promise God that you will do something, do not be foolish by delaying in doing it, because God is not pleased with foolish people. Do [all] the things that you promise God that you will do.

‌ʻOka ke ka fuakava ki he ʻOtua, ʻoua naʻa ke fakatuai hoʻo fai ki ai; he ʻoku ʻikai te ne leleiʻia ʻi he vale; fai koe ki he meʻa kuo ke fuakava ki ai.

5 It is better to not promise [anything] than to promise to do something, and [then] not doing it.

‌ʻOku lelei hake ke ʻoua ʻaupito naʻa ke fuakava, ʻi hoʻo fuakava kae ʻikai fai ki ai.

6 Do not sin by promising to do something and then not doing it. And [when you promise God to do something and do not do it], do not say to God’s priest that it was a mistake for you to promise to do that. If you do that, God will certainly [RHQ] become very angry with you, and he will take from you everything that you [SYN] have worked to acquire.

‌ʻOua naʻa tuku ke fakahalaʻi koe ʻe ho ngutu; pea ʻoua naʻa ke pehē ʻi he ʻao ʻoe ʻāngelo, ko hoʻo fai hala: ko e hā ʻoku ke fakahouhauʻi ʻae ʻOtua ʻaki ho leʻo, pea te ne fakaʻauha ʻae ngāue ʻa ho nima?

7 Promising to do something and not doing it is like [SIM] a dream that has no value; instead, revere God [by doing what you promised him that you would do].

He ʻoku lahi ʻae vaʻinga foki ʻi he lahi ʻoe misi mo e lea ʻoku lahi: ka ke manavahē koe ki he ʻOtua.

8 Do not be surprised if you see poor [people] being (oppressed/treated cruelly) [by powerful/influential people], or if you see judges making unjust decisions throughout the land. [That happens] because the people who do that are supervised [and cheated by] more important officials [DOU],

Kapau ʻoku ke mamata ki he fakamālohiʻi ʻoe masiva, pea mo e mioʻi fakamālohi ʻae fakamaau mo e fai totonu ʻi ha vahefonua, ʻoua naʻa ke ofo ai: he ko ia ʻoku māʻolunga taha ʻi he māʻolunga kotoa pē ʻoku ne ʻafioʻi ia; koeʻuhi ʻoku ai ʻaia ʻoku māʻolunga hake ʻiate kinautolu.

9 and even the king forces the people to give him some of the crops that they harvest.

Kaeʻumaʻā foki ko e tupu ʻoe kelekele, ko e meʻa maʻa e kakai kotoa pē: naʻa mo e tuʻi ʻoku tauhi ia mei he ngoue.

10 Everyone who tries to [get as much] money as they can will never think that they have enough. They will never be satisfied with the money that they have. That also is senseless.

Ko ia ʻoku manako ki he siliva ʻe ʻikai ke ne fiemālie ʻi he siliva; pe ko ia ʻoku manako ki he koloa ʻi he tupulaki ʻo ʻene meʻa: ko e vaʻinga foki eni.

11 The more money that we have, the more people want us to spend our money to buy things for them. So people who have a lot of money do not [RHQ] benefit from it; they see [MTY] it when they get it, but it soon (disappears/is completely spent).

Koeʻuhi ʻi he tupulekina ʻae meʻa, ʻoku tupu foki ʻakinautolu ʻoku nau kai ia: pea ko e hā hono lelei kiate kinautolu ʻoku ʻanautolu ia, ka ko ʻenau mamata pe ki ai ʻaki honau mata?

12 Those who work hard sleep peacefully [at night], even if they do not have much food to eat. But rich [people] do not sleep well, because [they worry] about their money.

‌ʻOku fiemālie ʻae mohe ʻae tangata ngāue, neongo pe ʻoku siʻi pe ʻoku lahi ʻa ʻene kai: ka ko e lahi ʻoe meʻa ʻae koloaʻia, ko ia ʻoku ʻikai ke nau faʻa mohe ai.

13 I have seen [another] terrible thing that happens here on the earth [MTY]: People save [up all] their money and become rich, [but] they are not helped by saving a lot of money,

‌ʻOku ai ʻae kovi lahi kuo u mamata ki ai ʻi he lalo laʻā, ʻa eni, ʻae tauhi koloa ke kovi ai ʻakinautolu ʻoku ʻanautolu pe ia.

14 [because] something happens that causes their money to be gone, and when they die, there is no money for their children to get/inherit.

Ka ʻoku maumau ʻae koloa ko ia ʻi he feinga kovi; pea ʻoku tupu ʻiate ia ʻae foha, ka ʻoku ʻikai ha meʻa ʻi hono nima.

15 When we are born, we do not bring anything with us, and when we die, we take nothing with us from all that we have earned by our working hard.

‌ʻO hangē ko ʻene haʻu mei he manāva ʻo ʻene faʻē, ʻe pehē ʻa ʻene ʻalu telefua atu ʻo hangē ko ʻene haʻu, pea ʻe ʻikai ha tupu ʻo ʻene ngāue te ne maʻu ke ʻave ʻi hono nima.

16 That also seems senseless. People bring nothing [into the world when they are born], and they leave [this world] taking nothing with them. They have worked hard, but they receive no lasting benefit [MET].

Pea ko e kovi foki eni ʻoku lahi, ʻa ʻene ʻalu ʻo tatau ʻi he meʻa kotoa pē mo ʻene haʻu: pea ko e hā ʻae lelei ʻoku maʻu ʻe ia ʻoku ngāue ki he matangi?

17 [Furthermore, rich people] are always miserable [MET] and sad, and depressed/discouraged and often sick and (resentful/thinking that what has happened to them is unfair).

‌ʻOku kai ʻe ia ʻi he fakapoʻuli ʻi he ʻaho kotoa pē, pea ʻoku lahi ʻae mamahi mo e tautea ʻoku hoko kiate ia ʻi hono mahaki.

18 So, the best thing for people to do here on the earth during the few years that God allows them to be alive is to eat and drink and to enjoy their work, because those are the things that God has given to them.

Vakai ki he meʻa kuo u mamata ki ai: ʻoku lelei mo totonu ki he tangata ke kai mo inu, pea ke fiefia ʻi he lelei kotoa pē ʻo ʻene ngāue, ʻaia ʻoku ne fai ʻi he lalo laʻā, ʻi he ʻaho kotoa pē ʻo ʻene moʻui, ʻaia kuo foaki ʻe he ʻOtua kiate ia; he ko hono ʻinasi ia.

19 If people are rich and have a lot of possessions, and are able to (enjoy/be happy with) the things that they have and to enjoy their work, those things are [also] gifts from God.

Pea ko e tangata kotoa pē ʻaia ʻoku foaki ki ai ʻe he ʻOtua ʻae maʻumeʻa mo e koloa lahi, pea mo e mālohi ke ne kai mei ai, pea ke maʻu hono ʻinasi, pea ke fiefia ʻi heʻene ngāue; ko e foaki ia ʻae ʻOtua.

20 Those people do not worry much about [everything that has happened] during the time that they have been alive, because God enables them to be happy doing everything that they do.

Pea ʻe ʻikai te ne tokanga mamahi ia ki he ngaahi ʻaho ʻo ʻene moʻui; koeʻuhi ʻoku tauhi ia ʻe he ʻOtua, pea ko ia ʻoku fiefia ai hono loto.