Siope 24
1 “Ko e meʻa ʻi he ʻikai lilo ʻae ngaahi kuonga mei he Māfimafi, ko e hā ʻoku ʻikai mamata ai ki hono ngaahi ʻaho ʻekinautolu ʻoku nau ʻiloʻi ia?
“Why aren’t times laid up by the Almighty? Why don’t those who know him see his days?
2 ʻOku hiki ʻe he niʻihi ʻae ngaahi fakangatangata ʻoe fonua; ʻoku nau ʻave fakamālohi ʻae ngaahi fanga manu, ʻonau fafanga ʻaki ʻakinautolu.
There are people who remove the landmarks. They violently take away flocks, and feed them.
3 ʻOku nau fakahēʻi ʻae ʻasi ʻae tamai mate, ʻoku nau maʻu ko e totongi ʻae pulu tangata ʻae fefine kuo mate hono husepāniti.
They drive away the donkey of the fatherless, and they take the widow’s ox for a pledge.
4 ʻOku nau fakaafeʻi ʻae masiva mei he hala: ʻoku toitoi fakataha ʻae kakai masiva ʻoe fonua.
They turn the needy out of the way. The poor of the earth all hide themselves.
5 Vakai, ʻoku nau ʻalu atu ki heʻenau ngāue ʻo hangē ko e fanga ʻasi kaivao ʻoe toafa; ʻo tuʻu hengihengi ki he kaihaʻa: ʻoku maʻu ʻae meʻakai maʻanautolu mo ʻenau fānau mei he toafa.
Behold, as wild donkeys in the desert, they go out to their work, seeking diligently for food. The wilderness yields them bread for their children.
6 ʻOku nau taki taha tuʻusi ʻene koane ʻi he ngoue: pea utu ʻe he angahala ʻae fua ʻoe vaine.
They cut their food in the field. They glean the vineyard of the wicked.
7 ʻOku nau fai ke mohe taʻekafu ʻae telefua, pea ʻikai ha kafu ʻi he momoko.
They lie all night naked without clothing, and have no covering in the cold.
8 ʻOku nau viviku ʻi he ngaahi ʻuha mei he moʻunga, mo nau fāufuaʻi ʻae maka ko e taʻehamaluʻanga.
They are wet with the showers of the mountains, and embrace the rock for lack of a shelter.
9 ʻOku hamusi ʻe he niʻihi ʻae tamai mate mei he huhu, pea maʻu ʻae kofu ʻoe masiva ko e totongi.
There are those who pluck the fatherless from the breast, and take a pledge of the poor,
10 ʻOku nau fai ke ʻalu telefua ia ʻo taʻehakofu, ʻonau ʻave ʻae ū uite mei he fiekaia;
so that they go around naked without clothing. Being hungry, they carry the sheaves.
11 ʻOku nau fai lolo ʻi honau ngaahi loto ʻā, ʻo molomoloki ʻae ngaahi tataʻoʻanga uaine, mo nau fieinu.
They make oil within the walls of these men. They tread wine presses, and suffer thirst.
12 ʻOku toʻe ʻae kakai mei he loto kolo, pea tangi kalanga ʻae laumālie ʻoe mamahiʻia: kae ʻikai ke tokangaʻi ʻe he ʻOtua.
From out of the populous city, men groan. The soul of the wounded cries out, yet God doesn’t regard the folly.
13 “Ko kinautolu ni ʻoku nau angatuʻu ki he maama; ʻoku ʻikai ke nau ʻilo hono ngaahi hala ʻoʻona, pe nofomaʻu ʻi hono ngaahi ʻaluʻanga.
“These are of those who rebel against the light. They don’t know its ways, nor stay in its paths.
14 ʻOku tuʻu fakataha ʻae fakapō mo e maama ʻo ne tāmateʻi ʻae masiva mo e vaivai, pea tatau ia ʻi he poʻuli mo ha kaihaʻa.
The murderer rises with the light. He kills the poor and needy. In the night he is like a thief.
15 ʻOku tatali ʻae mata ʻoe tono fefine ki he efiafi poʻuli, ʻo ne pehē, ‘ʻE ʻikai sio ha mata kiate au,’ pea ne fakapuli hono mata.
The eye also of the adulterer waits for the twilight, saying, ‘No eye will see me.’ He disguises his face.
16 ʻOka poʻuli ʻoku nau keli ki he ngaahi fale, ʻaia naʻa nau fakaʻilongaʻi moʻonautolu ʻi he kei ʻaho, ʻoku ʻikai ke nau ʻilo ʻae maama.
In the dark they dig through houses. They shut themselves up in the daytime. They don’t know the light.
17 He ʻoku tatau kiate kinautolu ʻae pongipongi mo e malumalu ʻoe mate: pea ka ʻiloa, ʻoku nau ʻi he lilika ʻoe malumalu ʻoe mate.
For the morning is to all of them like thick darkness, for they know the terrors of the thick darkness.
18 “ʻOku ʻalu vave ia ʻo hangē ko e vaitafe; kuo fakamalaʻia honau tofiʻa ʻi he fonua: ʻoku ʻikai mamata ia ki he hala ʻoe ngaahi ngoue vaine.
“They are foam on the surface of the waters. Their portion is cursed in the earth. They don’t turn into the way of the vineyards.
19 Ko e laʻā mo e pupuha ʻoku faʻao ai ʻae ngaahi vai ʻuha hinehina: ʻoku pehē ʻae faʻitoka kiate kinautolu kuo fai angahala. (Sheol h7585)
Drought and heat consume the snow waters, so does Sheol those who have sinned. (Sheol h7585)
20 ʻE fakangaloʻi ia ʻe he manāva; ʻe kai melie ia ʻe he kelemutu; ʻe ʻikai toe manatuʻi ia; pea ʻe fesiʻi ʻae angahala ʻo hangē ko e ʻakau.
The womb will forget him. The worm will feed sweetly on him. He will be no more remembered. Unrighteousness will be broken as a tree.
21 ʻOku ne fai kovi ki he paʻa naʻe ʻikai fānau: pea ʻoku ʻikai fai lelei ki he fefine kuo mate hono husepāniti.
He devours the barren who don’t bear. He shows no kindness to the widow.
22 ʻOku ne toho ʻaki ʻe hono mālohi ʻae kakai mālohi: ʻoku ne tuʻuhake, pea ʻikai ʻilo ʻe ha taha pe te ne moʻui.
Yet God preserves the mighty by his power. He rises up who has no assurance of life.
23 Neongo ʻene foaki kiate ia ʻae nofo fiemālie, ʻaia ʻoku ne falala ki ai; ka ʻoku ne ʻafioʻi honau ngaahi hala.
God gives them security, and they rest in it. His eyes are on their ways.
24 ʻOku hakeakiʻi ʻakinautolu ʻo fuoloa siʻi pe, ka ʻe mole leva, pea fakahifo ki lalo; ʻoku toʻo atu ʻakinautolu ʻo hangē ko e kakai fulipē, pea tutuʻu ʻo hangē ko e ngaahi fua ʻoe uite.
They are exalted; yet a little while, and they are gone. Yes, they are brought low, they are taken out of the way as all others, and are cut off as the tops of the ears of grain.
25 Pea kapau ʻoku ʻikai pehē, ko hai te ne fakaʻilo ʻeku loi, mo fakataʻeʻaonga ʻeku lea?”
If it isn’t so now, who will prove me a liar, and make my speech worth nothing?”
