Siope 14
1 “Ko e tangata kuo fanauʻi ʻe he fefine, ʻoku siʻi pe hono ngaahi ʻaho, pea fonu ʻi he mamahi.
“We humans are very frail. We live only a short time, and we experience a lot of trouble.
2 ʻOku tupu hake ia ʻo hangē ko e fisiʻi ʻakau, pea tuʻusi hifo: ʻoku puna foki ia ʻo hangē ko e ʻatā, ʻo ʻikai nofomaʻu.
We disappear quickly, like flowers that grow from the ground quickly and then wither and die [SIM]. We are like shadows that disappear [when the sun stops shining].
3 Pea ʻoku ke fofonga ʻa ki ha taha pehē, mo ke ʻomi au ke fakamaau mo koe?
[Yahweh, ] why do you keep watching me [to see if I am doing something that is wrong] [RHQ]? Are you wanting to take me to court to judge me?
4 Ko hai te ne faʻa ʻomi ʻae maʻa mei he taʻemaʻa? ʻIkai ha taha.
People are sinners from the time when they are born; who can cause them to be sinless? No one [RHQ]!
5 He kuo tukupau hono ngaahi ʻaho, ko e lau ʻo hono ngaahi māhina ʻoku ʻiate koe, kuo ke tuʻutuʻu ni hono fakangatangata ʻe ʻikai te ne toloiʻi;
You have decided how long our lives will be. You have decided how many months we will live, and we cannot live more months than the (limit/number of months) that you have decided.
6 “Afe atu meiate ia, ka ne mālōlō, kaeʻoua ke ne fakakakato hono ʻaho ʻo hangē ha ngāue unga.
So please stop examining us, and allow us to be alone, until/while we finish our time [here on earth], like a man finishes his work [at the end of the day].
7 He ʻoku ʻamanaki ki he ʻakau, ʻo kapau ʻe tā hifo ia, ki heʻene toe tupu hake, pea ʻe ʻikai ʻosi hono huli ʻo ia.
If someone cuts a tree down, we hope that it will sprout again and grow new branches.
8 Neongo ʻae fakaʻaʻau ke motuʻa hono aka ʻi he kelekele, pea mate hono sino ʻi he efu;
Its roots in the ground may be very old, and its stump may decay,
9 Ka ʻi he nanamu ʻoe vai ʻe toe tupu ia, ʻo tupu ai ʻae ngaahi vaʻa ʻo hangē ha ʻakau.
but if some water falls on it, it may bud/sprout and send up shoots like a young plant.
10 Ka ʻoku mate pē ʻae tangata, ʻo fakaʻaʻau ke ʻosi: ʻio, ʻoku fononga ʻae tangata, pea kofaʻā ia?
But when we people lose all our strength and die, we stop breathing and then we are gone [forever].
11 ʻO hangē ʻoku mole ʻae ngaahi vai mei he tahi, pea matuʻu ʻo mōmoa ʻae ngaahi vaitafe:
Just like water evaporates from the ocean, or like a riverbed dries up,
12 ʻOku pehē ʻoku tokoto hifo ʻae tangata, pea ʻikai toetuʻu: ʻe ʻikai te nau ʻa pē tuʻu mei heʻenau mohe, kaeʻoua ke mole ʻae ngaahi langi.
people [lie down and die and] do not get up again. Until the heavens disappear, people who die [EUP] do not wake up, and no one can wake them up.
13 “Taumaiā te ke fufū au ʻi he faʻitoka, ʻo ke fakafufū au, kaeʻoua ke mole atu ho houhau, mo ke kotofa hoku ʻaho, ʻo manatuʻi au. (Sheol h7585)
[“Yahweh, ] I wish that you would put me safely in the place of the dead and forget about me until you are no longer angry with me. I wish that you would decide how much time I would spend there, and then remember [that] I [am there]. (Sheol h7585)
14 Kapau ʻe mate ʻae tangata, ʻe toe moʻui ia? Ko e ngaahi ʻaho kotoa pē kuo kotofa kiate au te u tatali ai, kaeʻoua ke hoko hoku liliu.
When we humans die, we will certainly not live again [RHQ]. If [I knew that] we would live again, I would wait patiently, and I would wait for you to release me [from my sufferings].
15 Te ke ui, pea te u talia koe: he te ke holi ki he ngāue ʻa ho nima.
You would call me, and I would answer. You would be eager to see me, one of the creatures that you had made.
16 Ka ko eni, kuo ke lau ʻeku ngaahi laka: ʻikai ʻoku ke vakai ki heʻeku angahala?
You would take care of [MET] me, instead of watching me to see if I would sin.
17 Kuo fakamaʻu ʻeku kovi ʻi ha tangai, pea ʻoku ke tuitui ai ʻeku hia.
[It is as though the record of] my sins would be sealed in a small bag, and you would cover them up.
18 “ʻO hangē ʻoku fakaʻaʻau ʻo ngata ʻae moʻunga kuo tō, pea ʻoku hiki ʻae fuʻu maka mei hono potu.
“But, just like mountains crumble and rocks fall down from a cliff,
19 ʻO hangē ʻoku holo ʻe he vai ʻae ngaahi maka: pea tāfea ʻo mole ʻae ngaahi meʻa ʻoku tupu ʻi he kelekele ʻoe fonua; ʻoku pehē hoʻo fakaʻauha ʻae ʻamanaki ʻae tangata.
and just like water slowly wears away the stones, and just like floods wash away soil, [you eventually destroy us]; you do not allow us to continue to (hope/confidently expect) [that we will keep on living].
20 ʻOku ke mālohi maʻuaipē kiate ia, pea ʻoku mole ia: ʻoku ke liliu hono mata mo ke fekau ia ke ʻalu.
You always defeat us, and then we die [EUP]. You cause our faces to look ugly after we die, and you send us away.
21 ʻOku hoko ʻo ongoongo hono ngaahi foha, ka ʻoku ʻikai te ne ʻilo; pea ʻoku fakavaivai hifo ʻakinautolu, ka ʻoku ʻikai te ne mamata ai.
[When we die] we do not know if our sons will grow up and [do things that will cause them to] be honored. And if they become disgraced, we do not see that, [either].
22 Ka ko hono kakano ʻoku ʻiate ia ʻe langa, pea ʻe mamahi mo hono laumālie ʻi loto ʻiate ia.”
We will feel our own pains; we will not feel anything else; we will be sorry for ourselves, not for anyone else.”
