Ecclesiastes 8

1 Who is as the wise man? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? a man’s wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness of his face shall be changed.

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 counsel thee to keep the king’s commandment, and that in regard of 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 Be not hasty to go out of his sight: stand not in an evil thing; for he doeth whatever pleaseth him.

‌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: and who may say to him, What doest thou?

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 who keepeth the commandment shall feel no evil thing: and a wise man’s heart discerneth both time and judgment.

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 Because to every purpose there is time and judgment, therefore the misery of man is great upon him.

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 he knoweth not that which shall be: for who can tell him when it shall be?

He ʻoku ʻikai te ne ʻilo ʻae meʻa ʻe hoko: pea ko hai ʻoku faʻa tala kiate ia pe ʻe hoko afe?

8 There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death: and there is no discharge in that war; neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it.

‌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 have I seen, and applied my heart to every work that is done under the sun: there is a time in which one man ruleth over another to his own 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 so I saw the wicked buried, who had come and gone from the place of the holy, and they were forgotten in the city where they had so done: this is also 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 an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.

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 doeth evil an hundred times, and his days are prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, who fear 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 it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days, which are as a shadow; because he feareth not 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 There is a vanity which is done upon the earth; that there are just men, to whom it happeneth according to the work of the wicked; again, there are wicked men, to whom it happeneth according to the work of the righteous: I said that this also is 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 I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry: for that shall abide with him of his labour the days of his life, which God giveth 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 applied my heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done upon the earth: (for also there is that neither day nor night seeth sleep with his eyes: )

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 beheld all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun: because though a man may labour to seek it out, yet he shall not find it; yea further; though a wise man thinketh to know it, yet shall he not be able to find it.

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.