Eclesiastes 7

1 A good name is better than fine perfume; and the day of death better than the day of one’s birth. 2 It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting; for that is the end of all men, and the living should take this to heart. 3 Sorrow is better than laughter; for by the sadness of the face the heart is made good. 4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. 5 It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise than for a man to hear the song of fools. 6 For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This also is vanity. 7 Surely extortion makes the wise man foolish; and a bribe destroys the understanding. 8 Better is the end of a thing than its beginning.

The patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. 9 Don’t be hasty in your spirit to be angry, for anger rests in the bosom of fools. 10 Don’t say, "Why were the former days better than these?" For you do not ask wisely about this.

11 Wisdom is as good as an inheritance. Yes, it is more excellent for those who see the sun. 12 For wisdom is a defense, even as money is a defense; but the excellency of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of him who has it.

13 Consider the work of God, for who can make that straight which he has made crooked? 14 In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider; yes, God has made the one side by side with the other, to the end that man should not find out anything after him.

15 All this I have seen in my days of vanity: there is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who lives long in his evildoing. 16 Don’t be overly righteous, neither make yourself overly wise. Why should you destroy yourself? 17 Don’t be too wicked, neither be foolish. Why should you die before your time? 18 It is good that you should take hold of this. Yes, also don’t withdraw your hand from that; for he who fears God will come out of them all. 19 Wisdom is a strength to the wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city. 20 Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and doesn’t sin. 21 Also don’t take heed to all words that are spoken, lest you hear your servant curse you; 22 for often your own heart knows that you yourself have likewise cursed others. 23 All this I have proved in wisdom. I said, "I will be wise;" but it was far from me. 24 That which is, is far off and exceedingly deep. Who can find it out? 25 I turned around, and my heart sought to know and to search out, and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things, and to know that wickedness is stupidity, and that foolishness is madness.

26 I find more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and traps, whose hands are chains. Whoever pleases God shall escape from her; but the sinner will be ensnared by her.

27 "Behold, I have found this," says the Preacher, "to one another, to find an explanation 28 which my soul still seeks, but I have not found. I have found one man among a thousand, but I have not found a woman among all those. 29 Behold, I have only found this: that God made mankind upright; but they search for many inventions."

He Matekiri Whakaaro o te Oranga

1 Ko te ingoa pai, pai atu i te hinu utu nui;

ko te rā o te matenga, pai atu i te rā o tō te tangata whānautanga.

2 Ko te haere ki te whare tangihanga,

pai atu i te haere ki te whare hākari;

ko te mutunga hoki ia o ngā tāngata katoa;

ā, ka rongoātia e te tangata ora ki roto ki tōna ngākau.

3 Ko te ngākau mamae, pai atu i te kata;

mā te pōuri hoki o te mata ka pai ai te ngākau.

4 Kei te whare tangihanga te ngākau o te hunga whakaaro nui;

kei te whare ia o te kata te ngākau o ngā wairangi.

5 Ko te whakarongo, ina rīria te hē e te tangata whakaaro nui,

pai atu i tā te tangata whakarongo ki te waiata a ngā wairangi.

6 Rite tonu hoki ki te papātanga o ngā tātarāmoa

i raro i te kōhua te kata a te wairangi.

He horihori anō tēnei.

7 He pono mā te pāhua ka wairangi ai te tangata whakaaro nui,

mā te mea hōmai noa hoki ka kore ai te ngākau mahara.

8 Ko te mutunga o te mea, pai atu i tōna tīmatanga;

pai atu te wairua manawanui i te wairua whakakake.

9 Kei hohoro tōu wairua ki te riri;

kei te uma hoki o ngā wairangi te riri e noho ana.

10 Kaua e mea, "He aha ngā rangi ō mua i pai ake ai i ēnei?"

Kāhore hoki he whakaaro nui ōu i ui ai koe ki tēnā.

11 He pai tonu te whakaaro nui, ānō he taonga tuku iho;

āe rā, he pai rawa ake ki te hunga e kite ana i te rā.

12 Hei whakamarumaru iho te whakaaro nui, hei pērā hoki i te moni te whakamarumaru;

ko te pai ia o te mātauranga koia tēnei, ka ora i te whakaaro nui ngā tāngata nāna.

13 Whakaaroa tā te Atua mahi;

ko wai hoki hei mea kia tika tāna i mea ai kia hape?

14 I te rā pai kia koa,

ā, i te rā kino whakaaro;

kua mahia nei hoki e te Atua tētahi kia takoto tahi me tētahi,

he mea kia kaua ai e kitea e te tangata tētahi mea i muri i a ia.

Ngā Aupiki o te Oranga

15 Kua kite ahau i tēnei katoa i ngā rā ōku i te horihori;

he tangata tika tētahi, ngaro iho ia i runga i tōna tika;

he tangata kino tētahi, roa noa iho ia i te ao i runga i tōna kino.

16 Kaua e whakanuia rawatia tōu tika;

kaua hoki e whakanuia rawatia ōu whakaaro;

he aha koe i whakangaro ai i a koe?

17 Kaua e whakanuia rawatia tōu kino,

kaua anō hoki e wairangi;

kia mate koe hei aha, i te mea kāhore anō tōu wā kia rite noa?

18 He pai ki te puritia tēnei kupu e koe;

kaua hoki tōu ringa e unuhia mai i tērā;

ko te tangata hoki e wehi ana i te Atua ka puta mai i roto i ērā katoa.

19 Ko te whakaaro nui rahi ake tōna kaha mō te tangata whakaaro

i tō ngā rangatira kotahi tekau i roto i te pā.

20 Kāhore hoki he tangata tika i te whenua e mahi ana i te pai,

ā, kāhore ōna hara.

21 Kaua anō e whakarongo ki ngā mea katoa e kōrerotia ana;

kei rongo koe ki tāu pononga e kanga ana i a koe;

22 he maha hoki ngā wā, e mōhio ana tōu ngākau,

i kanga ai koe anō i ētahi.

23 I whakamātauria e ahau tēnei katoa, he mea whakaaro mārie; i mea ahau,

"Ka whakaaro nui ahau,"

otiia i matara noa atu tēnei i ahau.

24 Ko te mea onāianei he tawhiti rawa, he hōhonu rawa hoki;

ko wai hei kite?

25 I anga tōku ngākau, i mea kia mōhio, kia kimihia,

kia rapua ngā whakaaro nui me ngā tikanga,

kia mōhio anō hoki he wairangi te kino,

he pōrangi te wairangi.

26 Ā, ka kite ahau i te mea kawa atu i te mate,

arā i te wahine, he rore nei,

he kupenga tōna ngākau,

he rāhiri hoki ōna ringa.

Ko te tangata e paingia ana e te Atua ka mawhiti i a ia;

ko te tangata hara ia ka mau i a ia.

27 "Nanā, kua kitea tēnei e ahau," e ai tā te Kaikauwhau, "he mea whakarite tētahi mea ki tētahi, kia kitea ai te tikanga. 28 He mea e rapua nei anō e tōku wairua, ā, kāhore anō i kitea; kotahi te tangata i kitea e ahau i roto i te mano. Nā, i roto i ēnei katoa kāhore ahau i kite i tētahi wahine. 29 Nanā, ko tēnei anake i kitea e ahau, arā i tika te tangata i tā te Atua hanganga; engari he maha ngā tikanga i rapua e rātou."