Ecclesiastes 9
1 I thought about all those things, and I concluded that God controls [what happens to] everyone, even those who are wise and those who are righteous. No one knows whether [others] will love them or whether they will hate them.
NO keia mau mea a pau, ua haawi au i ko'u naau e noonoo i keia. Aia no iloko o ka lima o ke Akua ka poe pono, a me ka poe naauao, a me ka lakou hana ana; aole ike kekahi kanaka i ke aloha, aole i ka inaina; aia na mea a pau imua o lakou.
2 [But we know that some time in the future] we will all die; it does not matter whether we act righteously or wickedly, whether we are good or whether we are bad, whether we are acceptable for [worshiping God] or whether [we have done things to cause us to be] unacceptable; it does not matter if we offer sacrifices [to God] or if we do not; it does not matter if we do what we have promised God that we will do or if we do not; [we all die]. The same thing will happen to good people and to sinful people, to those who solemnly promise [to do things for God] and to those who are afraid to make such promises.
Ua loaa i na kanaka a pau na mea like. Hookahi no hope i ka mea pono, a me ka mea hewa; i ka mea maikai, i ka mea maemae, a me ka mea maemae ole; i ka mea i mohai aku, a me ka mea i mohai ole aku. E like me ka mea maikai, pela no ka mea hewa; me ka mea hoohiki, pela no ka mea makau i ka hoohiki ana.
3 It seems wrong that the same thing happens to everyone on this earth: Everyone dies [EUP]. Furthermore, people’s inner beings are full of evil. People do foolish things while they are alive, and then they die and join those who are already dead.
He mea pono ole keia ma na mea i hanaia malalo iho o ka la; aia hookahi hope i loaa mai i na kanaka a pau. Oiaio, o ka naau o na keiki a kanaka, ua piha i ka ino, aia no ka ulala iloko o ko lakou naau i ko lakou ola ana, alaila, [hele lakou] i ka make.
4 While we are alive, we confidently expect [that good things will happen to us]. [We despise] dogs, but it is better to be a dog that is alive than to be a [majestic] lion that is dead.
No ka mea, ua laua ka manao, no ka mea i huipuia me na mea ola a pau; no ka mea, ua oi aku ka ilio ola mamua o ka liona make.
5 We who are alive know that [some day] we will die, but dead people do not know anything. Dead people do not receive any more rewards, and people soon forget them.
No ka mea, ua ike ka poe ola e make auanei lakou; aka, o ka poe make, aole lakou i ike i kekahi mea, aole he uku i koe ia lakou; no ka mea, ua nalowale ko lakou mea i hoomanaoia'i.
6 [While they were alive], they loved [some people], they hated [some people], they envied [some people], but that all ends when they die. They will never again be a part of anything that happens here on the earth.
O ko lakou aloha, a me ko lakou inaina, a me ko lakou huahua, ua pau ia mau mea; ua nele mau loa lakou i ka haawina ole, ma na mea a pau i hanaia malalo iho o ka la.
7 [So I say], be joyful [DOU] while you eat your food and drink your wine, because that is what God wants you to do.
E hele oe, e ai i kau berena, me ka oluolu, a e inu hoi i kou waina me ka naau olioli; no ka mea, ano, ua maliu mai ke Akua i kau hana ana.
8 Wear nice [MTY] clothes and make your face look nice.
I na manawa a pau e keokeo wale no kou kapa komo, aole hoi e hoonele i kou poo i ka aila ala.
9 Enjoy living with your wife whom you love, all during the time that God has given to you to be alive here on this earth. And even though it is difficult to understand why many things happen, enjoy doing the work that you do here on this earth.
E noho oluolu pu oe me ka wahine au i aloha'i i na la a pau o kou ola lapuwale ana, i haawiia mai ai ia oe malalo iho o ka la, i kou mau la lapuwale a pau loa; no ka mea, oia kou haawina i kou ola ana, a me ka hana ana hoi au i hana'i malalo iho o ka la.
10 Whatever you are able to do, do it with all your energy, because [some time you will die], and in the place of the dead where you are going, no one works or plans to do anything or knows anything or is wise. (Sheol h7585)
O na mea a pau i loaa mai i kou lima e hana'i, e hana oe me kou ikaika; no ka mea, ma ka lua kupapau kahi au e hele aku nei, aole hana, aole noonoo, aole ike, aole naauao. (Sheol h7585)
11 I have seen something else here on the earth: The person who runs fastest does not [always] win the race, the strongest soldiers do not [always] win the battle, the wisest people do not [always] have food, the smartest people do not [always] become rich, and people who have studied a lot are not [always] (honored/treated very specially) by others; we cannot [always] control what things will happen to us and where they will happen.
Alaila, haliu ae la au a ike malalo iho o ka la, aole no ka poe mama ke kukini ana, aole hoi no ka poe ikaika ke kaua, aole no ka poe naauao ka berena, aole no ka poe akamai ka waiwai, aole hoi no ka poe maiau ke aloha; aka, o ka manawa, a me na mea hiki wale ke loaa i na kanaka a pau.
12 No one knows when he will die [EUP]; fish are cruelly caught in a net, and birds are caught in snares/traps; similarly [SIM], people experience disasters at times when they do not expect them to happen.
No ka mea, aole ike ke kanaka i kona manawa; e like me na ia i hooheiia i ka upena ino, a e like me na manu i paheleia iloko o ke kipuka, pela no i paheleia'i na keiki a kanaka i ka wa ino, i haule koke ia maluna o lakou.
13 Once I saw something that a wise man did that impressed me.
Eia ka mea naauao a'u i ike ai malalo iho o ka la, a he mea nui ia ia'u;
14 There was a small town, where only a few people lived. The army of a great king came to that town and surrounded it. They built dirt ramps up against the walls in order to climb up and attack the town.
Aia ke kulanakauhale uuku, aole nui na kanaka maloko; a hiki mai kekahi alii nui, a hoopopilikia ia wahi, a kukulu iho i pa kaua nui e ku e aku i ua kulanakauhale la.
15 In that town there was a man who was poor but very wise. Because of doing what that man [suggested], the town was saved; but people [soon] forgot about him.
A ua loaa malaila he kanaka ilihune naauao, a ua hoopakele ia i ke kulanakauhale ma kona naauao, aka hoi, aole kekahi kanaka i hoomanao i ua kanaka ilihune la.
16 So I realized that although being wise is better than being strong, if you are poor, no one will appreciate what you do, and people will soon forget what you said.
Alaila, i iho la au, Ua oi aku ka naauao mamua o ka ikaika; aka hoi, ua hoowahawahaia ka naauao o ka mea ilihune, aole hoi i hooloheia kana olelo.
17 Speaking quietly what is [very] wise is [much] more sensible than a king shouting to foolish people.
Ua loheia no na olelo a ka poe naauao ma kahi noho malu ai, mamua o ke kala ana o ka luna o ka poe naaupo.
18 Being wise is more useful than [a lot of] weapons; but if you do one foolish thing, [it is possible that] because of doing that, you will ruin all the good things that you have done.
Ua oi aku ka naauao mamua o na mea kaua; aka hoi, ua hoohiolo ke kanaka hewa hookahi i ka maikai he nui wale.
