Eclesiastes 8

1 Who is like the wise man? And who knows the interpretation of a thing? A man’s wisdom makes his face shine, and the hardness of his face is changed.

2 I say, "Keep the king’s command!" because of the oath to God. 3 Don’t be hasty to go out of his presence. Don’t persist in an evil thing, for he does whatever pleases him, 4 for the king’s word is supreme. Who can say to him, "What are you doing?" 5 Whoever keeps the commandment shall not come to harm, and his wise heart will know the time and procedure. 6 For there is a time and procedure for every purpose, although the misery of man is heavy on him. 7 For he doesn’t know that which will be; for who can tell him how it will be? 8 There is no man who has power over the spirit to contain the spirit; neither does he have power over the day of death. There is no discharge in war; neither shall wickedness deliver those who practice it.

9 All this I have seen, and applied my mind to every work that is done under the sun. There is a time in which one man has power over another to his hurt. 10 So I saw the wicked buried. Indeed they came also from holiness. They went and were forgotten in the city where they did this. This also is vanity. 11 Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. 12 Though a sinner commits crimes a hundred times, and lives long, yet surely I know that it will be better with those who fear God, who are reverent before him. 13 But it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he lengthen days like a shadow, because he doesn’t fear God.

14 There is a vanity which is done on the earth, that there are righteous men to whom it happens according to the work of the wicked. Again, there are wicked men to whom it happens according to the work of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity. 15 Then I commended mirth, because a man has no better thing under the sun than to eat, to drink, and to be joyful: for that will accompany him in his labor all the days of his life which God has given him under the sun.

16 When I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done on the earth (even though eyes see no sleep day or night), 17 then I saw all the work of God, that man can’t find out the work that is done under the sun, because however much a man labors to seek it out, yet he won’t find it. Yes even though a wise man thinks he can comprehend it, he won’t be able to find it.

1 Ko wai hei rite mō te tangata whakaaro nui?

Ko wai hoki e mōhio ana ki te tikanga o tētahi mea?

Ka ai te whakaaro nui o te tangata hei mea kia tīaho tōna mata,

ka puta kē anō hoki te taikaha o tōna mata.

Whakarongo ki te Kīngi

2 Ko tāku tēnei ki a koe, Puritia te kupu a te kīngi, me whakaaro anō hoki ki tā te Atua oati. 3 Kei mea wawe koe ki te haere atu i tōna aroaro. Kaua anō hoki e tohe tonu ki te mea kino; ka oti hoki i a ia ngā mea katoa e pai ai ia. 4 Nō te mea he mana tō te kupu a te kīngi, ā, ko wai hei mea atu ki a ia, "E aha ana koe?"

5 Ko te kaipupuri o te whakahau,

e kore rawa e mōhio ki te mea hē.

E mōhio ana te ngākau o te whakaaro nui ki te wā,

ki te tikanga.

6 He wā hoki tō ngā meatanga katoa, he tikanga anō;

he nui hoki nō te hē o te tangata i runga i a ia.

7 Kāhore hoki ia e mōhio, ko te aha e puta ā mua,

mā wai hoki e whakaatu ki a ia te pēheatanga o te putanga?

8 Kāhore he tangata e whai mana ana ki te wairua, ki te pupuri i te wairua;

kāhore hoki he mana ki te rā o te mate.

I taua pakanga hoki e kore tētahi e tukua atu;

e kore anō te kino e whakaora i te mea e tukua atu ki a ia.

9 I kite ahau i tēnei katoa, i anga anō tōku ngākau ki ngā meatanga katoa e meatia ana i raro i te rā; he wā anō ka whai mana tētahi tangata ki tētahi tangata hei hē mōna.

Te Hunga Kino me te Hunga Tika

10 I kite anō ahau i reira i te hunga kino e tanumia ana, ā, i haere mai rātou ki te wāhi o te tanumanga; ā, ko te hunga i mahi i te tika i haere atu i te wāhi o te tapu, ā, warewaretia ana rātou e te pā; he horihori anō hoki tēnei. 11 He kore i hohoro te whakaoti i te kupu whiu mō te mahi hē, koia i kī tonu ai ngā ngākau o ngā tama a te tangata i roto i a rātou ki te tohe ki te mahi i te kino. 12 Ahakoa he rau ngā mahi hē a te tangata hara, ā, ka roa ōna rā; heoi e mōhio ana anō ahau, ka pai te tukunga iho ki te hunga e wehi ana i te Atua, e wehi nei i tōna aroaro. 13 E kore ia e pai te tukunga iho ki te tangata kino, e kore anō e whakaroaina e ia ōna rā, he ātārangi nei te rite; mōna kīhai i wehi i te aroaro o te Atua.

14 He horihori tēnei e mahia nei i runga i te whenua; arā he hunga tika ēnei, ā, ko te mea e pā ana ki a rātou pērā tonu i te mea e pā ana ki te mahi a te hunga kino; ā, he hunga kino ēnei, ā, ko te mea e pā ana ki a rātou pērā tonu i te mea e pā ana ki te mahi a te hunga tika; i kī ahau he horihori anō hoki tēnei. 15 Kātahi ahau ka whakamoemiti ki te koa; nō te mea kāhore he mea pai ake mā te tangata i raro i te rā, ko te kai anake, ko te inu, ko te harakoa. Ko tērā hoki e mau ki a ia i roto i tōna māuiui i ngā rā o tōna oranga, i hōmai nei e te Atua ki a ia i raro i te rā.

16 I tāku tukunga i tōku ngākau kia mōhio ki te whakaaro nui, kia kite i te raruraru e mahia nei i runga i te whenua; i te ao nei hoki, i te pō kāhore ōna kanohi e kite i te moe. 17 Kātahi ahau ka kite i te mahi a te Atua, arā, e kore e kitea e te tangata te mahi e mahia ana i raro i te rā; ahakoa māuiui noa te tangata i te rapunga, e kore e kitea e ia. Āe rā, ahakoa mea noa te tangata whakaaro nui kia mōhiotia e ia, e kore e taea kia kitea e ia.