Lea Fakatātā 23
1 ʻOka ke ka nofo ke keinanga mo ha taha ʻoku pule, tokanga lahi ki he meʻa ʻoku ʻi ho ʻao:
When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider well who is before thee;
2 Pea kapau ko e tangata faʻa kai koe, ai ha hele ki ho kia.
and put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite.
3 ʻOua naʻa ke holi ki heʻene ngaahi meʻa lelei: he ko e meʻakai kākā ia.
Be not desirous of his dainties; for they are deceitful food.
4 ʻOua naʻa fai feinga ke ke koloaʻia: pea ʻoua naʻa falala ki ho poto ʻoʻou.
Weary not thyself to become rich; cease from thine own intelligence:
5 He te ke sio fakamamaʻu ki he meʻa ʻoku ʻikai? He ko e moʻoni ʻoku ngaohi ʻe he koloa hono kapakau; ʻoku puna atu ia ʻo hangē ko e ʻikale ki he langi.
wilt thou set thine eyes upon it, it is gone; for indeed it maketh itself wings and it flieth away as an eagle towards the heavens.
6 ʻOua naʻa ke kai ʻi he mā ʻaʻana ʻoku manumanu hono mata, pea ʻoua naʻa ke holi ki heʻene ngaahi meʻakai lelei:
Eat thou not the food of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainties.
7 He ko e ngaahi mahalo ʻo hono loto, ko ia ai pe ia: ʻoku ne pehē kiate koe, “Ke ke kai mo inu;” ka ʻoku ʻikai ʻiate koe hono loto.
For as he thinketh in his soul, so is he. Eat and drink! will he say unto thee; but his heart is not with thee.
8 Ko e momoʻi meʻa kuo ke kai te ke toe lua ʻaki, pea mole mo hoʻo ngaahi lea lelei.
Thy morsel which thou hast eaten must thou vomit up, and thou wilt have wasted thy sweet words.
9 ʻOua naʻa ke lea ʻi he telinga ʻoe vale, he te ne manukiʻi ʻae poto ʻo hoʻo ngaahi lea.
Speak not in the ears of a foolish [man], for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.
10 ʻOua naʻa hiki ʻae kauʻā motuʻa; pea ʻoua naʻa faʻao ʻae potu ngoue ʻae tamai mate:
Remove not the ancient landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless:
11 He ʻoku māfimafi ʻa honau huhuʻi, pea te ne fai mo koe ʻi heʻenau meʻa.
for their redeemer is mighty; he will plead their cause against thee.
12 Fakatokangaʻi ho loto ki he akonaki, pea mo ho telinga ki he ngaahi lea ʻae ʻilo.
Apply thy heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge.
13 ʻOua naʻa taʻofi ʻae tauteʻi mei he tamasiʻi: he kapau te ke taaʻi ia ʻaki ʻae meʻa tā, ʻe ʻikai mate ia.
Withhold not correction from the child; for [if] thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die:
thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from Sheol. (Sheol h7585)
15 ʻE hoku foha, kapau ʻe poto ho loto, ʻe fiefia ai hoku loto, ʻio, te u fiefia au.
My son, if thy heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine;
16 Ko e moʻoni ʻe fiefia hoku loto, ʻoka lea ʻaki ʻe ho loungutu ʻae ngaahi meʻa totonu.
and my reins shall exult, when thy lips speak right things.
17 ʻOua naʻa meheka ho loto ki he angahala: ka ke manavahē koe kia Sihova ʻi he ʻaho kotoa pē.
Let not thy heart envy sinners, but [be thou] in the fear of Jehovah all the day;
18 He ko e moʻoni ʻoku ai ha ngataʻanga; pea ʻe ʻikai motuhi hoʻo ʻamanaki.
for surely there is a result, and thine expectation shall not be cut off.
19 Ke ke fanongo, ʻE hoku foha, pea ke poto, pea fakahinohino ho loto ʻi he hala.
Thou, my son, hear and be wise, and direct thy heart in the way.
20 ʻOua naʻa ke kau mo e kakai faʻa inu ke konā, mo kinautolu ʻoku ʻuakai ki heʻenau meʻakai:
Be not among winebibbers, among riotous eaters of flesh.
21 Koeʻuhi ʻe iku ki he masiva ʻaia ʻoku faʻa konā mo faʻa ʻuakai: pea ko ia ʻoku faʻa mohe ʻe kofu mahaehae pe ia.
For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty; and drowsiness clotheth with rags.
22 Fakaongo ki hoʻo tamai naʻa ke tupu ai, pea ʻoua naʻa ke taʻeʻofa ki hoʻo faʻē ʻoka motuʻa ia.
Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old.
23 Fakatau mai ʻae moʻoni, pea ʻoua naʻa toe fakatau atu; ʻae poto, mo e akonaki, pea mo e faʻa fakakaukau.
Buy the truth, and sell it not; wisdom, and instruction, and intelligence.
24 ʻE fiefia lahi ʻae tamai ʻaʻana ʻoku māʻoniʻoni: pea ko ia ʻoku ne maʻu ʻae tamasiʻi ʻoku poto ʻe fiefia ia ʻiate ia.
The father of a righteous [man] shall greatly rejoice, and he that begetteth a wise [son] shall have joy of him:
25 ʻE fiefia ʻa hoʻo tamai mo hoʻo faʻē, pea ʻe fiefia ia naʻa ne fanauʻi koe.
let thy father and thy mother have joy, and let her that bore thee rejoice.
26 ʻE hoku foha, foaki mai ho loto, pea ke tokangaʻi ʻe ho mata ʻa hoku ngaahi hala.
My son, give me thy heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.
27 He ʻoku tatau mo e luo taumamaʻo ʻae fefine faʻa feʻauaki; pea ko e fefine anga kehe ʻoku tatau mo e luo ʻapiʻapi.
For a whore is a deep ditch; and a strange woman is a narrow pit.
28 ʻOku ne toi foki ʻo hangē ha kaihaʻa, pea ʻoku ne fakatokolahi ʻae kau angahala ʻi he kakai.
She also lieth in wait as a robber, and increaseth the treacherous among men.
29 Ko hai ia ʻoku malaʻia? Ko hai ia ʻoku mamahi? Ko hai ia ʻoku ʻi he feʻiteʻitani? Ko hai ʻoku papūnoa? Ko hai ʻoku lavea noa pe? Ko hai ʻoku kulokula hono mata?
Who hath woe? Who hath sorrow? Who contentions? Who complaining? Who wounds without cause? Who redness of eyes?
30 Ko kinautolu ʻoku nofo fuoloa ke inu ke konā; ʻakinautolu ʻoku ʻalu ke kumi ʻae uaine kuo felingiʻaki.
— They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to try mixed wine.
31 ʻOua naʻa ke sio ki he uaine ʻi heʻene kulokula, ʻi heʻene tuku hono lanu ʻi he ipu, pea ʻoku mālie hono inu.
Look not upon the wine when it is red, when it sparkleth in the cup, and goeth down smoothly:
32 Koeʻuhi ʻe uʻu ia ʻamui ʻo hangē ha ngata, pea huhu foki ʻo hangē ko e ngata kona.
at the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.
33 ʻE sio ho mata ki he kau fefine anga kehe, pea ʻe fakahā mei ho loto ʻae ngaahi meʻa fakafufū.
Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thy heart shall speak froward things;
34 ʻIo, te ke hangē ha taha ʻoku tokoto hifo ʻi loto tahi, pe ha taha ʻoku mohe ʻi ha funga fanā.
and thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, and as he that lieth down upon the top of a mast:
35 Te ke pehē ʻe koe, “Kuo nau taaʻi au, ka ʻoku ʻikai te u mamahi; pea kuo nau haha au, ka ʻoku ʻikai te u ongoʻi ia: te u ʻā ʻafē? Te u toe kumi pe ki ai.”
— “They have smitten me, [and] I am not sore; they have beaten me, [and] I knew it not. When shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.”
