Kaikauwhau 8
1 Ko wai hei rite mo te tangata whakaaro nui? Ko wai hoki e mohio ana ki te tikanga o tetahi mea? Ka ai te whakaaro nui o te tangata hei mea kia tiaho tona mata, ka puta ke ano hoki te taikaha o tona mata.
Who is really a wise man, and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? The wisdom of a man, lighteth up his countenance, but, by defiance of countenance, one is disfigured.
2 Ko taku tenei ki a koe, Puritia te kupu a te kingi, me whakaaro ano hoki ki ta te Atua oati.
I [said], The bidding of the king, observe thou, even out of regard to the oath of God.
3 Kei mea wawe koe ki te haere atu i tona aroaro; kaua ano hoki e tohe tonu ki te mea kino; ka oti hoki i a ia nga mea katoa e pai ai ia.
Not rashly from his presence, shouldst thou go: do not take thy stand in a vexatious thing, —for, whatsoever he pleaseth, he will do.
4 No te mea he mana to te kupu a te kingi; a ko wai hei mea atu ki a ia, E aha ana koe?
Where the word of a king is, there is power, —who then may say to him, What wouldst thou do?
5 Ko te kaipupuri o te whakahau, e kore rawa e mohio ki te mea he. E mohio ana te ngakau o te whakaaro nui ki te wa, ki te tikanga.
He that observeth the commandment, will not notice a vexatious thing, —and, of time and manner, will the heart of the wise take note.
6 He wa hoki to nga meatanga katoa, he tikanga ano; he nui hoki no te he o te tangata i runga i a ia.
For, to every pursuit, there is a time and a manner, —when, the vexation of man, is great concerning it.
7 Kahore hoki ia e mohio, ko te aha e puta a mua: ma wai hoki e whakaatu ki a ia te peheatanga o te putanga?
For there is no one who knoweth what shall be, for, when it shall be, who will tell him?
8 Kahore he tangata e whai mana ana ki te wairua, ki te pupuri i te wairua; kahore hoki he mana ki te ra o te mate: i taua pakanga hoki e kore tetahi e tukua atu; e kore ano te kino e whakaora i te mea e tukua atu ki a ia.
No man, hath power over the spirit, to retain the spirit, and, none, hath power over the day of death, and there is no furlough in war, —neither shall lawlessness deliver them who are given thereto.
9 I kite ahau i tenei katoa, i anga ano toku ngakau ki nga meatanga katoa e meatia ana i raro i te ra; he wa ano ka whai mana tetahi tangata ki tetahi tangata hei he mona.
All this, had I seen, and tried to apply my heart to every work which was done under the sun, —at such time as one man had power over another man, to his hurt.
10 I kite ano ahau i reira i te hunga kino e tanumia ana, a i haere mai ratou ki te wahi o te tanumanga; a ko te hunga i mahi i te tika i haere atu i te wahi o te tapu, a warewaretia ana ratou e te pa: he horihori ano hoki tenei.
And, thereupon, I considered the lawless when buried, when they had entered, [their graves], that, from the place of the Holy One, they used to go and boast in the city that they had so done, —even this, was vanity.
11 He kore i hohoro te whakaoti i te kupu whiu mo te mahi he, koia i ki tonu ai nga ngakau o nga tama a te tangata i roto i a ratou ki te tohe ki te mahi i te kino.
Because sentence against a wicked work is not executed speedily—on this account, the heart of the sons of men is fully set within them, to commit wickedness.
12 Ahakoa he rau nga mahi he a te tangata hara, a ka roa ona ra; heoi e mohio ana ano ahau, ka pai te tukunga iho ki te hunga e wehi ana i te Atua, e wehi nei i tona aroaro.
Though a sinner be committing wickedness a hundred times, and continuing long in his own way, yet I surely know that it shall be well to them who revere God, who stand in awe before him;
13 E kore ia e pai te tukunga iho ki te tangata kino, e kore ano e whakaroaina e ia ona ra, he atarangi nei te rite; mona kihai i wehi i te aroaro o te Atua.
but, well, shall it not be to the lawless man, neither shall he lengthen out his days like a shadow, —because he standeth not in awe before God.
14 He horihori tenei e mahia nei i runga i te whenua; ara he hunga tika enei, a ko te mea e pa ana ki a ratou pera tonu i te mea e pa ana ki te mahi a te hunga kino: a, he hunga kino enei, a ko te mea e pa ana ki a ratou pera tonu i te mea e pa ana ki te mahi a te hunga tika: i ki ahau he horihori ano hoki tenei.
Here was a vain thing which was done upon the earth—that there were righteous men unto whom it happened according to the work of the lawless, and there were lawless men, unto whom it happened according to the work of the righteous, —I said, that, even this, was vanity.
15 Katahi ahau ka whakamoemiti ki te koa; no te mea kahore he mea pai ake ma te tangata i raro i te ra, ko te kai anake, ko te inu, ko te harakoa: ko tera hoki e mau ki a ia i roto i tona mauiui i nga ra o tona oranga, i homai nei e te Atua ki a ia i raro i te ra.
Then extolled I, gladness, in that there was nothing better for a man, under the sun, than to eat and to drink, and to be glad, —since, that, should tarry with him in his toil, for the days of his life which God had given him under the sun.
16 I taku tukunga i toku ngakau kia mohio ki te whakaaro nui, kia kite i te raruraru e mahia nei i runga i te whenua: i te ao nei hoki, i te po kahore ona kanohi e kite i te moe:
When I gave my heart, to know wisdom, and to consider the business that was done upon the earth, then surely, by day and by night, there was one who suffered not his eyes, to sleep.
17 Katahi ahau ka kite i te mahi a te Atua, ara e kore e kitea e te tangata te mahi e mahia ana i raro i te ra: ahakoa mauiui noa te tangata i te rapunga, e kore e kitea e ia: ae ra, ahakoa mea noa te tangata whakaaro nui kia mohiotia e ia, e kore e taea kia kitea e ia.
Then I considered all the work of God, that man could not find out the work that was done under the sun, inasmuch as man toileth in seeking and yet cannot find, —yea, even though the wise man should say he knoweth, yet can he not find it out.
