Ecclesiastes 7
Berean Standard BibleTranslation
Berean Standard Bible
Tongan Bible, Revised West Version
1A good name is better than fine perfume, and one’s day of death is better than his day of birth.
1ʻOku 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.
2It 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.
2ʻOku 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.
3Sorrow is better than laughter, for a sad countenance is good for the heart.
3ʻOku lelei lahi ʻae mamahi ʻi he kata, he ʻoku fakaʻāsili ʻae lelei ʻoe loto ʻi he mamahi ʻoe mata.
4The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.
4ʻOku ʻi he fale ʻoe mamahi ʻae loto ʻoe poto; ka ʻoku ʻi he fale ʻoe fiefia ʻae loto ʻoe vale.
5It is better to heed a wise man’s rebuke than to listen to the song of fools.
5ʻOku lelei hake ʻae fanongo ki he valoki mei he poto, ʻi he fanongo ʻae tangata ki he hivehiva ʻae kau vale.
6For like the crackling of thorns under the pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This too is futile.
6He ʻoku hangē ko e makalakala ʻae ʻakau talatala ʻi he lalo kulo, ʻoku pehē ʻae kata ʻae vale: he ko e vaʻinga foki ia.
7Surely extortion turns a wise man into a fool, and a bribe corrupts the heart.
7¶ Ko e moʻoni ʻoka fakamālohi ʻae tangata poto ʻoku vale ai ia; pea ʻoku maumauʻi ʻae loto ʻi he maʻu ʻae foaki.
8The end of a matter is better than the beginning, and a patient spirit is better than a proud one.
8ʻOku lelei hake ʻae ikuʻanga ʻo ha meʻa ʻi hono kamataʻanga: pea ʻoku lelei lahi ʻaia ʻoku loto faʻa kātaki ʻiate ia ʻoku loto fielahi.
9Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger settles in the lap of a fool.
9ʻOua naʻa ke ʻita vave ʻi ho laumālie: he ʻoku nofo ʻae ʻita ʻi he fatafata ʻoe kau vale.
10Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?” For it is unwise of you to ask about this.
10ʻOua 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.
11Wisdom, like an inheritance, is good, and it benefits those who see the sun.
11¶ ʻOku lelei ke maʻu ʻae tofiʻa pea maʻu mo e poto, pea ʻoku ʻaonga ia kiate kinautolu ʻoku mamata ki he laʻā.
12For wisdom, like money, is a shelter, and the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of its owner.
12He 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.
13Consider the work of God: Who can straighten what He has bent?
13Tokanga ki he ngāue ʻae ʻOtua: he ko hai ʻoku faʻa fakatotonu ʻaia kuo ne ngaohi ke pikopiko?
14In 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.
14Ke 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.
15In 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.
15Kuo 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.
16Do not be overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself?
16ʻOua 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?
17Do not be excessively wicked, and do not be a fool. Why should you die before your time?
17ʻOua naʻa lahi fau hoʻo fai kovi, pe te ke vale: he ko e hā te ke mate ai ʻi he teʻeki hoko ho ʻaho?
18It is good to grasp the one and not let the other slip from your hand. For he who fears God will follow both warnings.
18ʻOku 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.
19Wisdom makes the wise man stronger than ten rulers in a city.
19ʻOku lahi ʻae tokoni ʻe he poto kiate ia ʻoku poto, ʻi ha kau tangata mālohi ʻe toko hongofulu ʻoku nofo ʻi ha kolo.
20Surely there is no righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.
20He ʻoku ʻikai ʻi māmani ha tangata angatonu ʻoku fai lelei, pea taʻehalaia.
21Do not pay attention to every word that is spoken, or you may hear your servant cursing you.
21Pea ʻoua foki naʻa ke tui ki he lea kotoa pē ʻoku leaʻaki; telia naʻa ke fanongo ʻoku lauʻikoviʻi koe ʻe hoʻo tamaioʻeiki.
22For you know in your heart that many times you yourself have cursed others.
22He ʻoku ke ʻilo foki ʻi ho loto kuo liunga lahi ʻa hoʻo lauʻikovi ʻe koe ʻae kakai kehe.
23All this I tested by wisdom, saying, “I resolve to be wise.” But it was beyond me.
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.
24What exists is out of reach and very deep. Who can fathom it?
24Ko e meʻa ʻoku mamaʻo atu, pea loloto lahi, ko hai ʻe faʻa ʻilo ki ai?
25I 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.
25Naʻaku 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.
26And 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.
26Pea 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.
27“Behold,” says the Teacher, “I have discovered this by adding one thing to another to find an explanation.
27Vakai, kuo u ʻilo eni, ʻoku pehē ʻe he Tangata Malanga, ʻi heʻeku ʻahiʻahi taki taha ʻae meʻa kotoa pē, ke ʻilo hono ʻuhinga:
28While 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.
28ʻAia 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.
29Only this have I found: I have discovered that God made men upright, but they have sought out many schemes.”
29Vakai, 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.
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