Kaikauwhau 9
1 Na ko tenei katoa he mea whakaaro na toku ngakau, ara kia ata tirotirohia tenei katoa; ko te hunga tika, ko te hunga whakaaro nui, me a ratou mahi, kei roto i te ringa o te Atua: e kore te tangata e mohio he aroha ranei, he kino ranei; kei to rat ou aroaro nga mea katoa.
I had my mind consider all this. Wise and good people and everything they do are in God's hands. Love or hate—who knows what will happen to them?
2 He rite tonu te panga mai o nga mea katoa ki nga tangata katoa; kotahi tonu te mea e pa ana ki te tangata tika, ki te tangata kino; ki te pai, ki te ma, ki te poke; ki te tangata i te patunga tapu, ki te tangata kahore nei ana patunga tapu: ko te tangata pai rite tonu ki te tangata hara, ko te tangata e oati ana, ki te tangata e wehi ana i te oati.
Yet we all share the same destiny—those who do right, those who do evil, the good, the religiously-observant and those that are not, those who sacrifice and those who don't. Those who do good are as those who sin, those who make vows to God are as those who don't.
3 He he tenei i roto i nga mea katoa e meatia ana i raro i te ra, kotahi tonu te mea e pa ana ki te katoa; ko te ngakau ano hoki o nga tama a te tangata ki tonu i te kino; kei roto hoki te haurangi i o ratou ngakau i a ratou e ora ana; a muri iho k a riro ratou ki nga tupapaku.
This is just so wrong—that everyone here on earth should suffer the same fate! On top of that, people's minds are filled with evil. They spend their lives thinking about stupid things, and then they die.
4 Ko te tangata hoki e tuhono ana ki te hunga ora katoa ka whai tumanakohanga: pai atu hoki te kuri ora i te raiona mate.
But the living still have hope—a live dog is better than a dead lion!
5 E mohio ana hoki te hunga ora tera ratou e mate: ko nga tupapaku ia, kahore o ratou mohio ki tetahi mea, kahore ake hoki he utu i a ratou; ka warewaretia hoki te mahara ki a ratou.
The living are conscious of the fact that they're going to die, but the dead have no consciousness of anything. They don't receive any further benefit; they're forgotten.
6 Ko to ratou aroha hoki, ko to ratou riri, ko to ratou hae, kua kore noa ake; kahore hoki he wahi i a ratou a ake ake, o nga mea katoa e meatia ana i raro i te ra.
Their love, hate, and envy—it's all gone. They have no further part in anything that happens here on earth.
7 Haere, kainga tau kai i runga i te hari, inumia hoki tau waina i runga i te ngakau hari; no te mea kua manako noa ke te Atua ki au mahi.
So go ahead and eat your food, and enjoy it. Drink your wine with a happy heart. That's what God intends that you should do.
8 I nga wa katoa kia ma ou kakahu: kaua hoki e whakakahoretia te hinu mo tou mahunga.
Always wear smart clothes and look good.
9 Kia ora tou ngakau i tou hoa wahine e aroha na koe i nga ra katoa o tou oranga horihori, i homai nei ki a koe i raro i te ra, i nga ra katoa o tou horihori: ko te wahi hoki tena mou i tenei ao, i tou mauiui ano hoki e mauiui na koe i raro i te ra.
Enjoy life with the wife that you love—the one God gave you—during all the days of this brief life, all these passing days whose meaning is so hard to understand as you work here on earth.
10 Ko nga mea katoa e kitea e tou ringa kia mahia, kia puta tou uaua ki te mahi; kahore hoki he mahi, kahore he tikanga, kahore he matauranga, kahore he whakaaro nui i te reinga, i te wahi ka haere atu na koe ki reira. (Sheol h7585)
Whatever you do, do it with all your strength, for when you go to the grave there's no more working or thinking, no more knowing or being wise. (Sheol h7585)
11 I hoki ahau, a i kite ahau i raro i te ra, ehara i te mea ko te hunga tere e puta i te oma, ko te hunga marohirohi ranei e toa i te pakanga, ko te hunga whakaaro nui ranei e whiwhi i te taro, ko te hunga mohio ranei e whiwhi i te taonga, ko te h unga tohunga ranei e manakohia, engari na te wa, na te tupono noa, i homai ki a ratou katoa.
I thought about other things that happen here on earth. Races are not always won by the fastest runner. Battles are not always decided by the strongest warrior. Also, the wise do not always have food, intelligent people do not always make money, and those who are clever do not always win favor. Time and chance affect all of them.
12 Kahore hoki te tangata e mohio ki te wa mona: he rite ki nga ika e haoa ana ki te kupenga nanakia, ki nga manu hoki e mau ana i te mahanga, he pera ano hoki nga tama a te tangata, e mahangatia ana i te wa whakarihariha, ina puta whakarere mai ki a ratou.
You can't predict when your end will come. Just like fish caught in a net, or birds caught in a trap, so people are suddenly caught by death when they least expect it.
13 I kitea ano e ahau te whakaaro nui penei i raro i te ra, a he mea nui ki ahau:
Here's another aspect of wisdom that impressed me about what happens here on earth.
14 Tera tetahi pa iti, me ona tangata torutoru i roto; na ka haere mai tetahi kingi nui ki te tu i reira, whakapaea ana e ia, hanga ana e ia etahi pourewa nunui hei tatau atu ki reira.
Once there was a small town with only a few inhabitants. A powerful king came and besieged the town, building great earth ramps against its walls.
15 Na i kitea tetahi tangata rawakore, whakaaro nui, i roto, a nana, na tona whakaaro nui, ka ora te pa; otiia kihai tetahi tangata i mahara ki taua tangata rawakore.
In that town lived a man who was wise, but poor. He saved the town by his wisdom. But no one remembered to thank that poor man.
16 Na ko taku kianga ake, Engari rawa te whakaaro nui i te kaha: heoi whakahaweatia iho nga whakaaro nui o te rawakore, kihai hoki ana kupu i whakarangona.
As I've always said, “Wisdom is better than strength.” Yet the wisdom of that poor man was dismissed—people didn't pay attention to what he said.
17 Ko nga kupu a te hunga whakaaro nui, he mea ata korero, e rangona nuitia ake ana i te hamama a te rangatira o nga wairangi.
It's better to listen to the calm words of a wise person than the shouts of a ruler of fools.
18 Pai ake te whakaaro nui i nga rakau o te riri: otiia kotahi noa te tangata hara, he nui tana pai e takakino ai.
It's better to have wisdom than weapons of war; but a sinner can destroy a lot of good.
