Ecclesiastes 8
Berean Standard BibleTranslation
Berean Standard Bible
Tongan Bible, Revised West Version
1Who is like the wise man? Who knows the interpretation of a matter? A man’s wisdom brightens his face, and the sternness of his face is changed.
1Ko hai ʻoku hangē ko e tangata poto? Pea ko hai ʻoku ne ʻilo ʻae fakamatala ʻo ha meʻa? Ko e meʻa ʻi he poto ʻoku malama mai ʻae mata ʻoe tangata, pea ʻe liliu ai ʻae mālohi ʻa hono mata.
2Keep the king’s command, I say, because of your oath before God.
2ʻOku ou enginakiʻi koe ke ke fai ki he fekau ʻae tuʻi, pea ke fai ia koeʻuhi ko e fuakava ʻae ʻOtua.
3Do not hasten to leave his presence, and do not persist in a bad cause, for he will do whatever he pleases.
3ʻOua naʻa ʻalu atu fakavave ʻi hono ʻao: ʻoua naʻa ke kau ʻi ha meʻa kovi; he ʻoku fai ʻe ia ʻa ʻene faʻiteliha.
4For the king’s word is supreme, and who can say to him, “What are you doing?”
4Ko e meʻa ʻoku lea ki ai ʻae tuʻi ʻoku ʻi ai ʻae mālohi: pea ko hai ʻe faʻa pehē kiate ia, “Ko e hā ʻoku ke fai?”
5Whoever keeps his command will come to no harm, and a wise heart knows the right time and procedure.
5Ko ia ʻoku fai ki he fekau ʻe ʻikai ʻilo ʻe ia ha kovi: pea ʻoku ʻiloʻi ʻe he loto ʻoe poto ʻae ʻaho tuʻutuʻumālie pea mo e fakamaau.
6For there is a right time and procedure to every purpose, though a man’s misery weighs heavily upon him.
6¶ Koeʻuhi ʻoku ai ʻae ʻaho mo e fakamaau ʻoe ngāue kotoa pē, ko ia ʻoku mamafa ai ʻae kovi ʻae tangata kiate ia.
7Since no one knows what will happen, who can tell him what is to come?
7He ʻoku ʻikai te ne ʻilo ʻae meʻa ʻe hoko: pea ko hai ʻoku faʻa tala kiate ia pe ʻe hoko afe?
8As no man has power over the wind to contain it, so no one has authority over his day of death. As no one can be discharged in wartime, so wickedness will not release those who practice it.
8ʻOku ʻikai ha tangata ʻoku maʻu ʻae mālohi ki he laumālie ke ne taʻofi maʻu ki he laumālie; pea ʻoku ʻikai ʻiate ia ha mālohi ʻi he ʻaho ʻoe mate: pea ʻoku ʻikai ha tukuange mei he tau ko ia; pea ʻe ʻikai fakahaofi ʻe he kovi ʻakinautolu kuo nau maheni ai.
9All this I have seen, applying my mind to every deed that is done under the sun; there is a time when one man lords it over another to his own detriment.
9Ko e meʻa ni kotoa pē kuo u mamata ki ai, pea u tuku hoku loto ki he ngāue kotoa pē ʻoku fai ʻi he lalo laʻā: ʻoku ai ʻae ʻaho ʻoku pule ʻae tangata ʻe tokotaha ki he tokotaha ka ʻe kovi ai ia.
10Then too, I saw the burial of the wicked who used to go in and out of the holy place, and they were praised in the city where they had done so. This too is futile.
10¶ Pea naʻaku mamata foki ki he tanu ʻoe angahala, ʻaia naʻe faʻa ʻalu mo haʻu mei he potu ʻoe māʻoniʻoni, pea naʻe ngalo ʻakinautolu ʻi he kolo naʻa nau fai pehē ai: ko e vaʻinga foki eni.
11When the sentence for a crime is not speedily executed, the hearts of men become fully set on doing evil.
11Koeʻuhi ʻoku ʻikai fakatoʻotoʻo ʻae fai ʻoe tautea ki he ngāue kovi, ko ia ʻoku tukupau ai ʻae loto ʻoe fānau ʻae tangata ke fai kovi.
12Although a sinner does evil a hundred times and still lives long, yet I also know that it will go well with those who fear God, who are reverent in His presence.
12Ka neongo ʻae fai ke liunga teau ʻae kovi ʻae angahala, pea fakatolonga hono ʻaho, ka ʻoku ou ʻilo moʻoni ʻe hoko ʻae lelei kiate kinautolu ʻoku manavahē ki he ʻOtua, ʻakinautolu ʻoku manavahē ʻi hono ʻao.
13Yet because the wicked do not fear God, it will not go well with them, and their days will not lengthen like a shadow.
13Ka ʻe ʻikai ha lelei ki he angahala, pea ʻe ʻikai tolonga maʻuaipē hono ngaahi ʻaho, he ko e ʻata ia: koeʻuhi ʻoku ʻikai te ne manavahē ʻi he ʻao ʻoe ʻOtua.
14There is a futility that is done on the earth: There are righteous men who get what the actions of the wicked deserve, and there are wicked men who get what the actions of the righteous deserve. I say that this too is futile.
14ʻOku ai ʻae vaʻinga ʻoku fai ʻi he māmani: ʻa eni, ʻoku ai ʻae kakai angatonu, ʻoku hoko ʻae meʻa kiate kinautolu ʻo fakatatau ki he ngāue ʻae angahala; pea pehē, ʻoku ai ʻae kakai angahala, ʻoku hoko kiate kinautolu ʻo fakatatau ki he ngāue ʻae māʻoniʻoni: pea naʻaku pehē, ko e vaʻinga foki eni.
15So I commended the enjoyment of life, because there is nothing better for a man under the sun than to eat and drink and be merry. For this joy will accompany him in his labor during the days of his life that God gives him under the sun.
15Pea naʻaku toki fakamālō ki he fakafiemālie, koeʻuhi ʻoku ʻikai ha meʻa ʻoku lelei hake ki he tangata ʻi he lalo laʻā, ka ko ʻene kai, mo inu, mo fakafiefia: he ko ia ʻe nofomaʻu mo ia ʻi heʻene ngāue ʻi he ʻaho kotoa pē ʻo ʻene moʻui, ʻaia ʻoku foaki ʻe he ʻOtua kiate ia ʻi he lalo laʻā.
16When I applied my mind to know wisdom and to observe the task that one performs on the earth—though his eyes do not see sleep in the day or even in the night—
16¶ ʻI heʻeku tuku hoku loto ke ʻilo ʻae poto, pea mamata ki he ngāue kotoa pē ʻoku fai ʻi he māmani: (he ʻoku ai ʻaia ʻoku ʻikai sio hono mata ki he mohe ʻi he ʻaho pe ʻi he pō:)
17I saw every work of God, and that a man is unable to comprehend the work that is done under the sun. Despite his efforts to search it out, he cannot find its meaning; even if the wise man claims to know, he is unable to comprehend.
17Pea naʻaku mamata ki he ngāue kotoa pē ʻae ʻOtua, ʻoku ʻikai faʻa ʻiloʻi ʻe he tangata ʻae ngāue ʻoku fai ʻi he lalo laʻā: he neongo ʻae fai feinga hono kumi ʻe he tangata, ʻe ʻikai te ne ʻilo ia; ko eni foki; naʻa mo e tangata poto ʻoku mahalo te ne ʻiloʻi, ʻe ʻikai faʻa maʻu ia ʻe ia.
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