Ecclesiastes 6
1 I have seen something [else here] on this earth that troubles people.
ʻOku ai ʻae kovi kuo u mamata ki ai ʻi he lalo laʻā, pea ʻoku lahi ia ʻi he tangata.
2 God enables some people to get a lot of money and possessions and to be honored; they have everything [LIT] that they want. But God [sometimes] does not allow them to continue to enjoy those things. Someone else gets them and enjoys them. That seems senseless and unfair.
Ko e tangata ʻaia ʻoku foaki ki ai ʻe he ʻOtua ʻae paʻanga lahi, mo e koloa lahi, mo e ongoongolelei, ko ia ʻoku ʻikai te ne masiva ai ʻi ha meʻa ki hono laumālie ʻi he meʻa kotoa pē ʻoku ne holi ki ai, ka ʻoku ʻikai foaki ʻae mālohi kiate ia ʻe he ʻOtua ke ne kamata ia, ka ʻoku kai ia ʻe he kakai kehe; ko e vaʻinga eni, pea ko e mahaki kovi moʻoni.
3 Someone might have 100 children and live for many years. But if he is not able to enjoy the things that he has acquired, and if he is not buried [properly after he dies], [I say that] a child that is dead when it is born is more fortunate.
Kapau ʻe tupu ʻi ha tangata ʻae fānau ʻe toko teau, pea moʻui ia ki he ngaahi taʻu lahi, pea lahi ʻaupito ʻae ngaahi ʻaho ʻo hono taʻu, ka ʻoku ʻikai fakapito hono laumālie ʻi he lelei, pea ka mate ia ʻoku ʻikai fai hano putu; ʻoku ou pehē ʻeau, ʻoku lelei hake ʻiate ia ha fanauʻi taʻehoko.
4 That dead baby’s birth is meaningless; it does not even have a name. It goes directly to the place where there is only darkness.
He koeʻuhi ʻoku hoko mai ia mo e vaʻinga, pea ʻoku ʻalu ʻi he fakapoʻuli, pea ʻe ʻufiʻufi ʻaki ʻae fakapoʻuli ʻa hono hingoa.
5 It does not [live to] see the sun or know anything. But it finds more rest than rich people do [who are alive].
Kaeʻumaʻā eni, naʻe ʻikai te ne mamata ki he laʻā, pe ʻilo ha meʻa ʻe taha: ʻoku lahi hake ʻa ʻene fiemālie ʻaʻana ʻi he tokotaha ko ia.
6 Even if people could live for 2,000 years, if they do not enjoy the things that God gives to them, [it would have been better for them never to have been born]. [All people who live a long time] certainly [RHQ] all go to the same place— [to the grave].
ʻIo, neongo ʻene moʻui ʻi ha taʻu ʻe ua afe, ka naʻe ʻikai te ne mamata ki he lelei: ʻikai ʻoku ʻalu kotoa pē ki he potu pe taha?
7 People work hard to [earn enough money to buy] food to eat [MTY], but [often] they never get enough to eat.
ʻOku fai ʻae ngāue kotoa pē ʻae tangata, koeʻuhi ko hono ngutu, ka ʻoku ʻikai fiu ai ʻene holi.
8 So it seems that [RHQ] wise people do not receive more lasting benefits than foolish people do. And it seems that [RHQ] poor people do not benefit from knowing how to conduct their lives.
He ko e hā ʻoku maʻu lahi hake ʻe he poto ʻiate ia ʻoku vale? Ko e hā ʻoku maʻu ʻe he masiva, ʻaia ʻoku ʻilo ke ʻalu totonu ʻi he ʻao ʻoe kakai moʻui?
9 It is better to enjoy the things that we already have [MTY] than to constantly want more things; continually wanting more things is [senseless], [like] the wind.
ʻOku lelei hake ʻae sio ʻae mata ʻi he holi fano ʻae laumālie: he ko e vaʻinga foki eni mo e fakamamahi ki he laumālie.
10 All the things that exist [on the earth] have been given names. And everyone knows what people are like, [so] it is useless to argue with someone (OR, with God) who is stronger than we are.
Ko e meʻa ʻaia naʻe ʻi ai kuo ʻosi hono fakahingoa, pea kuo ʻilo ia ko e tangata: ka ʻoku ʻikai faʻa fekuki ia mo ia ʻoku mālohi lahi kiate ia.
11 The more [that we] talk, the more [often we say things that are] senseless, so it certainly does not [RHQ] benefit us to talk a lot.
Pea ʻi he ʻi ai ʻae ngaahi meʻa lahi ʻoku tupulekina ai ʻae vaʻinga, ko e hā hono ʻaonga ki he tangata?
12 We live for only a short time; we disappear like [SIM] a shadow disappears [in the sunlight]. No one [RHQ] knows what is best for us while we are alive, and no one [RHQ] knows what will happen to us after we die [EUP].
He ko hai ʻoku ne ʻilo ʻae meʻa ʻoku lelei ki he tangata ʻi he moʻui ni, ʻi he ʻaho kotoa pē ʻo ʻene moʻui vaʻinga, ʻaia ʻoku mole atu ʻo hangē ko e ʻata? He ko hai ʻoku faʻa tala ki he tangata ʻae meʻa ʻe hoko kimui ʻiate ia ʻi he lalo laʻā?
