Tangata Malanga 7
1 ʻOku lelei lahi ʻae hingoa ʻoku ongoongolelei ʻi he meʻa namu kakala ʻoku mahuʻinga lahi; pea ʻoku lelei ʻae ʻaho ʻoe mate ʻi he ʻaho ʻoe fanauʻi.
A good name is better than fine perfume, and one’s day of death is better than his day of birth.
2 ʻOku ʻaonga lahi hake ʻae ʻalu ki he fale ʻoku ʻi ai ʻae tangilāulau, ʻi he ʻalu ki he fale ʻoku fai kātoanga: he ko e ikuʻanga ia ʻoe kakai kotoa pē; pea ʻe mamafa ia ki he loto ʻoʻona ʻoku kei moʻui.
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 ʻOku lelei lahi ʻae mamahi ʻi he kata, he ʻoku fakaʻāsili ʻae lelei ʻoe loto ʻi he mamahi ʻoe mata.
Sorrow is better than laughter, for a sad countenance is good for the heart.
4 ʻOku ʻi he fale ʻoe mamahi ʻae loto ʻoe poto; ka ʻoku ʻi he fale ʻoe fiefia ʻae loto ʻoe vale.
The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.
5 ʻOku lelei hake ʻae fanongo ki he valoki mei he poto, ʻi he fanongo ʻae tangata ki he hivehiva ʻae kau vale.
It is better to heed a wise man’s rebuke than to listen to the song of fools.
6 He ʻoku hangē ko e makalakala ʻae ʻakau talatala ʻi he lalo kulo, ʻoku pehē ʻae kata ʻae vale: he ko e vaʻinga foki ia.
For like the crackling of thorns under the pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This too is futile.
7 Ko e moʻoni ʻoka fakamālohi ʻae tangata poto ʻoku vale ai ia; pea ʻoku maumauʻi ʻae loto ʻi he maʻu ʻae foaki.
Surely extortion turns a wise man into a fool, and a bribe corrupts the heart.
8 ʻOku lelei hake ʻae ikuʻanga ʻo ha meʻa ʻi hono kamataʻanga: pea ʻoku lelei lahi ʻaia ʻoku loto faʻa kātaki ʻiate ia ʻoku loto fielahi.
The end of a matter is better than the beginning, and a patient spirit is better than a proud one.
9 ʻOua naʻa ke ʻita vave ʻi ho laumālie: he ʻoku nofo ʻae ʻita ʻi he fatafata ʻoe kau vale.
Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger settles in the lap of a fool.
10 ʻOua naʻa ke pehē, “Ko e hā naʻe lelei lahi ai ʻae ngaahi ʻaho ʻi muʻa ʻi he ngaahi ʻaho ko eni?” He ʻoku ʻikai te ke fai fakapotopoto ʻi hoʻo fehuʻi ki he meʻa ni.
Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?” For it is unwise of you to ask about this.
11 ʻOku lelei ke maʻu ʻae tofiʻa pea maʻu mo e poto, pea ʻoku ʻaonga ia kiate kinautolu ʻoku mamata ki he laʻā.
Wisdom, like an inheritance, is good, and it benefits those who see the sun.
12 He ko e poto ko e ungaʻanga ia, pea ko e koloa ko e ungaʻanga mo ia: ka ko hono lelei lahi ʻoe ʻilo, ʻoku foaki ʻe he poto ʻae moʻui kiate kinautolu ʻoku maʻu ia.
For wisdom, like money, is a shelter, and the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of its owner.
13 Tokanga ki he ngāue ʻae ʻOtua: he ko hai ʻoku faʻa fakatotonu ʻaia kuo ne ngaohi ke pikopiko?
Consider the work of God: Who can straighten what He has bent?
14 Ke ke fiefia ʻi he ʻaho ʻoe lelei, ka ke fakalaulauloto ʻi he ʻaho ʻoe kovi: he kuo fokotuʻu foki ʻe he ʻOtua ʻae taha ki he taha koeʻuhi ke ʻoua naʻa ʻilo ʻe he tangata ha meʻa ʻe fai ʻamui.
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 Kuo u mamata ki he meʻa kotoa pē ʻi he ngaahi ʻaho ʻo ʻeku vale: ʻoku ai ʻae tangata ʻoku angatonu, ka ʻoku mate pe mo ʻene māʻoniʻoni, pea ʻoku ai ʻaia ʻoku angahala, ka ʻoku tolonga ʻa ʻene moʻui ʻi heʻene fai hala.
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 ʻOua naʻa lahi fau hoʻo māʻoniʻoni; pea ʻoua naʻa ke kumi ki he poto lahi fau: he ko e hā te ke fakaʻauha ai koe ʻe koe pe?
Do not be overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself?
17 ʻOua naʻa lahi fau hoʻo fai kovi, pe te ke vale: he ko e hā te ke mate ai ʻi he teʻeki hoko ho ʻaho?
Do not be excessively wicked, and do not be a fool. Why should you die before your time?
18 ʻOku lelei ke ke puke ki he meʻa ni: ʻio, ʻoua naʻa toʻo ho nima mei he meʻa ni he ko ia ʻoku manavahē ki he ʻOtua ʻe hao ia mei he ngaahi meʻa ni kotoa pē.
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 ʻOku lahi ʻae tokoni ʻe he poto kiate ia ʻoku poto, ʻi ha kau tangata mālohi ʻe toko hongofulu ʻoku nofo ʻi ha kolo.
Wisdom makes the wise man stronger than ten rulers in a city.
20 He ʻoku ʻikai ʻi māmani ha tangata angatonu ʻoku fai lelei, pea taʻehalaia.
Surely there is no righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.
21 Pea ʻoua foki naʻa ke tui ki he lea kotoa pē ʻoku leaʻaki; telia naʻa ke fanongo ʻoku lauʻikoviʻi koe ʻe hoʻo tamaioʻeiki.
Do not pay attention to every word that is spoken, or you may hear your servant cursing you.
22 He ʻoku ke ʻilo foki ʻi ho loto kuo liunga lahi ʻa hoʻo lauʻikovi ʻe koe ʻae kakai kehe.
For you know in your heart that many times you yourself have cursed others.
23 Ko e ngaahi meʻa ni kotoa pē kuo u ʻilo ʻi he poto: naʻaku pehē, te u poto au, ka naʻe mamaʻo ia ʻiate au.
All this I tested by wisdom, saying, “I resolve to be wise.” But it was beyond me.
24 Ko e meʻa ʻoku mamaʻo atu, pea loloto lahi, ko hai ʻe faʻa ʻilo ki ai?
What exists is out of reach and very deep. Who can fathom it?
25 Naʻaku tuku hoku loto ke ʻilo mo hakule, pea ke kumi atu ki he poto, mo hono ʻuhinga ʻoe ngaahi meʻa, pea ke ʻilo ʻae kovi ʻoe vale, ʻio, ʻae vale mo e hē.
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 Pea ʻoku ou ʻilo ʻoku kona lahi hake ʻi he mate ʻae fefine ko ia ʻoku tatau hono loto mo e tauhele mo e kupenga, pea ko hono nima ʻoku hangē ko e ngaahi haʻi: ka ko ia ia ʻoku lelei ʻi he ʻao ʻoe ʻOtua, ʻe hao ia mei ai; ka ʻe moʻua ʻae angahala kiate 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 Vakai, kuo u ʻilo eni, ʻoku pehē ʻe he Tangata Malanga, ʻi heʻeku ʻahiʻahi taki taha ʻae meʻa kotoa pē, ke ʻilo hono ʻuhinga:
“Behold,” says the Teacher, “I have discovered this by adding one thing to another to find an explanation.
28 ʻAia ʻoku kei kumi ki ai ʻe hoku laumālie, ka ʻoku teʻeki ai te u maʻu: ko e tangata ʻe tokotaha kuo u ʻilo ʻi ha toko afe; ka ʻoku ʻikai te u ʻilo ʻiate kinautolu kotoa pē ha fefine ʻe tokotaha.
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 Vakai, ko eni pe ʻae meʻa kuo u ʻiloʻi, naʻe ngaohi ʻae tangata ʻe he ʻOtua ʻi he angatonu; ka kuo nau kumi ki he ngaahi filioʻi lahi.
Only this have I found: I have discovered that God made men upright, but they have sought out many schemes.”
