< Kekahuna 7 >

1 U A oi aku ka inoa maikai mamua o ka mea poni maikai, a o ka la make mamua o ka la i hanau ai.
A good name is better than fine perfume, and one’s day of death is better than his day of birth.
2 Ua oi aku ka maikai o ka hele ana i ka hale kanikau mamua o ka hele ana i ka hale ahaaina; no ka mea, malaila ka hopena o na kanaka a pau, a e hoopili ke kanaka ola ia mea i kona naau iho.
It is better to enter a house of mourning than a house of feasting, since death is the end of every man, and the living should take this to heart.
3 Ua oi aku ka maikai o ka uwe ana mamua o ka akaaka; no ka mea, ma ka inoino o ka maka, e maikai ai ka naau.
Sorrow is better than laughter, for a sad countenance is good for the heart.
4 O ka naau o ka mea naauao, aia no ia ma ka hale kanikau; aka hoi, o ka naau o ka mea naaupo, aia no ia ma ka hale paani.
The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.
5 Ua oi aku ka maikai o ka lohe ana i ka oleloao a ka poe naauao, mamua o ko ke kanaka lohe ana i ka mele lea a ka poe naaupo.
It is better to heed a wise man’s rebuke than to listen to the song of fools.
6 No ka mea, e like me ka paapaaina o na kakalaioa malalo iho o ka ipu hao, pela no ka akaaka ana o ka mea naaupo. He mea lapuwale hoi keia.
For like the crackling of thorns under the pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This too is futile.
7 No ka mea, o ka hooluhi, oia ka mea e pupule ai ka mea naauao; a o ke kipe he mea ia e lolelua ai ka naau.
Surely extortion turns a wise man into a fool, and a bribe corrupts the heart.
8 Ua oi aku ka maikai o ka hope o kekahi mea mamua o ka hoomaka ana; a o ka mea naau hoomanawanui mamua o ka mea hookiekie.
The end of a matter is better than the beginning, and a patient spirit is better than a proud one.
9 Mai wikiwiki kou naau, e huhu aku; no ka mea, o ka huhu, aia no ia ma ka naau o ka poe naaupo.
Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger settles in the lap of a fool.
10 Mai olelo ae oe, No ke aha la i oi aku ai ka maikai o na la kahiko mamua o keia mau la? No ka mea, aole i naauao kau ninau ana mai pela.
Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?” For it is unwise of you to ask about this.
11 Ua maikai ka naauao me ka waiwai hooili, oia hoi ka mea e pono ai na mea i ike i ka la.
Wisdom, like an inheritance, is good, and it benefits those who see the sun.
12 No ka mea, o ka naauao, oia ka mea e malu ai, a o ke kala oia hoi kekahi mea e malu ai; aka, eia ka maikai o ka ike, o ka naauao, oia ka mea e ola'i ka poe nona ia.
For wisdom, like money, is a shelter, and the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of its owner.
13 E noonoo oe i ka hana a ke Akua i hana'i; no ka mea, owai ka mea e hiki ai ke hoopololei i ka mea ana i hana ai a kekee?
Consider the work of God: Who can straighten what He has bent?
14 I ka la pomaikai e olioli ai oe, a i ka la popilikia e noonoo ai. Ua hoonoho ke Akua i kekahi e kupono i kekahi, i loaa ole ai i ke kanaka kekahi mea e hiki mai ana mahope ona.
In the day of prosperity, be joyful, but in the day of adversity, consider this: God has made one of these along with the other, so that a man cannot discover anything that will come after him.
15 Ua ike au i keia mau mea a pau i na la o kou noho lapuwale ana; aia no ke kanaka hoopono e make ana i kona pono iho; a eia no ka mea hewa e hooloihi ana i kona mau la iloko o kona hewa.
In my futile life I have seen both of these: A righteous man perishing in his righteousness, and a wicked man living long in his wickedness.
16 Mai hoonui i koa pono, aole hoi oe e hoomahuahua i kou naauao; no ke aha la oe e hoomake ia oe iho?
Do not be overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself?
17 Mai hoonui oe i kou hewa, aole hoi e noho naaupo; no ke aha la oe e make ai mamua o kou manawa?
Do not be excessively wicked, and do not be a fool. Why should you die before your time?
18 He mea maikai nou e lalau i kela, aole hoi e hookuu i keia mai kou lima aku; no ka mea o ka mea i makau i ke Akua, oia ka mea e puka, mai ia mau mea a pau.
It is good to grasp the one and not let the other slip from your hand. For he who fears God will follow both warnings.
19 O ka naauao ka mea e ikaika ai ka mea naauao mamua o na kanaka koikoi he umi iloko o ke kulanakauhale.
Wisdom makes the wise man stronger than ten rulers in a city.
20 No ka mea, aohe kanaka pono ma ka honua, nana e hana maikai, me ka hana hewa ole.
Surely there is no righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.
21 Mai manao hoi oe i na olelo a pau loa i oleloia, o lohe auanei oe i kau kauwa e hoino ana ia oe.
Do not pay attention to every word that is spoken, or you may hear your servant cursing you.
22 No ka mea, ua ike pinepine kou naau iho, ua hoino oe ia hai.
For you know in your heart that many times you yourself have cursed others.
23 Ua hoao iho la au i keia mau mea a pau me ka naauao. I iho la au, e lilo auanei au i kanaka naauao, aka hoi, na mamao loa ia mea mai o'u aku.
All this I tested by wisdom, saying, “I resolve to be wise.” But it was beyond me.
24 O ka mea ma kahi loihi aku, a hohonu loa hoi, owai ka mea e loaa'i?
What exists is out of reach and very deep. Who can fathom it?
25 Ua haawi au i ko'u naau e ike, a e huli, a e imi hoi i ka naauao, a me ke ano [o na mea, ] a e ike hoi i ka hewa o ka naaupo, a o ka noho lapuwale, a me ka uhauha.
I directed my mind to understand, to explore, to search out wisdom and explanations, and to understand the stupidity of wickedness and the folly of madness.
26 A na loaa mai ia'u keia, o ka wahine nona ka naau e hoohihia ai, a e hoohei ai, nona hoi na lima e paa ai me he kaula la, ua oi aku kona awaawa mamua o ka make; o ka mea maikai imua o ke Akua e pakele no ia mai ona aku la, aka, o ka mea hewa, e hihia auanei oia ia ia.
And I find more bitter than death the woman who is a snare, whose heart is a net, and whose hands are chains. The man who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is ensnared.
27 Aia hoi! ua loaa ia'u keia, wahi a ke kahuna, ma ka helu pakahi ana no e loaa mai ai ka huina.
“Behold,” says the Teacher, “I have discovered this by adding one thing to another to find an explanation.
28 Ka mea a ko'u uhane i imi ai, aole nae i loaa; hookahi kanaka mawaena o kekahi tausani ua loaa mai ia'u; aka, o ka wahine mawaena o keia poe a pau loa, aole i loaa.
While my soul was still searching but not finding, among a thousand I have found one upright man, but among all these I have not found one such woman.
29 Aia hoi, eia ka mea i loaa mai ia'u: Hana iho la ke Akua i ke kanaka i mea pololei, aka hoi, ua imi oia i na mea kekee he nui wale.
Only this have I found: I have discovered that God made men upright, but they have sought out many schemes.”

< Kekahuna 7 >