Eclesiastes 9

1 For all this I laid to my heart, even to explore all this: that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God; whether it is love or hatred, man doesn’t know it; all is before them. 2 All things come alike to all. There is one event to the righteous and to the wicked; to the good, to the clean, to the unclean, to him who sacrifices, and to him who doesn’t sacrifice. As is the good, so is the sinner; he who takes an oath, as he who fears an oath. 3 This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that there is one event to all. Yes also, the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead. 4 For to him who is joined with all the living there is hope; for a living dog is better than a dead lion. 5 For the living know that they will die, but the dead don’t know anything, neither do they have any more a reward; for their memory is forgotten. 6 Also their love, their hatred, and their envy has perished long ago; neither do they any longer have a portion forever in anything that is done under the sun.

7 Go your way—eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart; for God has already accepted your works. 8 Let your garments be always white, and don’t let your head lack oil. 9 Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your life of vanity, which he has given you under the sun, all your days of vanity, for that is your portion in life, and in your labor in which you labor under the sun. 10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work, nor plan, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in Sheol,*9:10 Sheol is the place of the dead. where you are going.

11 I returned and saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happen to them all. 12 For man also doesn’t know his time. As the fish that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare, even so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falls suddenly on them.

13 I have also seen wisdom under the sun in this way, and it seemed great to me. 14 There was a little city, and few men within it; and a great king came against it, besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it. 15 Now a poor wise man was found in it, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man. 16 Then I said, "Wisdom is better than strength." Nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard. 17 The words of the wise heard in quiet are better than the cry of him who rules among fools. 18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war; but one sinner destroys much good.

Ka Pā mai te Mate ki te Katoa

1 Nā, ko tēnei katoa he mea whakaaro nā tōku ngākau, arā kia āta tirotirohia tēnei katoa; ko te hunga tika, ko te hunga whakaaro nui, me ā rātou mahi, kei roto i te ringa o te Atua. E kore te tangata e mōhio he aroha rānei, he kino rānei; kei tō rātou aroaro ngā mea katoa. 2 He rite tonu te pānga mai o ngā mea katoa ki ngā tāngata katoa; kotahi tonu te mea e pā ana ki te tangata tika, ki te tangata kino; ki te pai, ki te mā, ki te poke; ki te tangata i te patunga tapu, ki te tangata kāhore nei āna patunga tapu.

Ko te tangata pai rite tonu

ki te tangata hara,

ko te tangata e oati ana,

ki te tangata e wehi ana i te oati.

3 He hē tēnei i roto i ngā mea katoa e meatia ana i raro i te rā, kotahi tonu te mea e pā ana ki te katoa. Ko te ngākau anō hoki o ngā tama a te tangata kī tonu i te kino; kei roto hoki te haurangi i ō rātou ngākau i a rātou e ora ana; ā muri iho ka riro rātou ki ngā tūpāpaku. 4 Ko te tangata hoki e tūhono ana ki te hunga ora katoa ka whai tūmanakohanga; pai atu hoki te kurī ora i te raiona mate.

5 E mōhio ana hoki te hunga ora tērā rātou e mate;

ko ngā tūpāpaku ia, kāhore ō rātou mōhio ki tētahi mea,

kāhore ake hoki he utu i a rātou;

ka warewaretia hoki te mahara ki a rātou.

6 Ko tō rātou aroha hoki, ko tō rātou riri,

ko tō rātou hae, kua kore noa ake;

kāhore hoki he wāhi i a rātou ā ake ake,

o ngā mea katoa e meatia ana i raro i te rā.

7 Haere, kainga tāu kai i runga i te hari, inumia hoki tāu wāina i runga i te ngākau hari; nō te mea kua manako noa kē te Atua ki āu mahi. 8 I ngā wā katoa kia mā ōu kākahu; kaua hoki e whakakāhoretia te hinu mō tōu māhunga. 9 Kia ora tōu ngākau i tōu hoa wahine e aroha nā koe i ngā rā katoa o tōu oranga horihori, i hōmai nei ki a koe i raro i te rā, i ngā rā katoa o tōu horihori. Ko te wāhi hoki tēnā mōu i tēnei ao, i tōu māuiui anō hoki e māuiui nā koe i raro i te rā. 10 Ko ngā mea katoa e kitea e tōu ringa kia mahia, kia puta tōu uaua ki te mahi; kāhore hoki he mahi, kāhore he tikanga, kāhore he mātauranga, kāhore he whakaaro nui i te rēinga, i te wāhi ka haere atu nā koe ki reira.

11 I hoki ahau, ā, i kite ahau i raro i te rā,

ehara i te mea ko te hunga tere e puta i te oma,

ko te hunga mārohirohi rānei e toa i te pakanga,

ko te hunga whakaaro nui rānei e whiwhi i te taro,

ko te hunga mōhio rānei e whiwhi i te taonga,

ko te hunga tohunga rānei e manakohia,

engari nā te wā, nā te tūpono noa,

i hōmai ki a rātou katoa.

12 Kāhore hoki te tangata e mōhio ki te wā mōna;

he rite ki ngā ika e haoa ana ki te kupenga nanakia,

ki ngā manu hoki e mau ana i te māhanga,

he pērā anō hoki ngā tama a te tangata,

e māhangatia ana i te wā whakarihariha,

ina puta whakarere mai ki a rātou.

He Pai ake te Whakaaronui i te Mahi Wairangi

13 I kitea anō e ahau te whakaaro nui pēnei i raro i te rā, ā, he mea nui ki ahau. 14 Tērā tētahi pā iti, me ōna tāngata torutoru i roto. Nā, ka haere mai tētahi kīngi nui ki te tū i reira, whakapaea ana e ia, hangā ana e ia ētahi pourewa nunui hei tatau atu ki reira. 15 Nā, i kitea tētahi tangata rawakore, whakaaro nui, i roto, ā, nāna, nā tōna whakaaro nui, ka ora te pā. Otiia, kīhai tētahi tangata i mahara ki taua tangata rawakore. 16 Nā, ko tāku kīanga ake, "Engari rawa te whakaaro nui i te kaha; heoi whakahāweatia iho ngā whakaaro nui o te rawakore, kīhai hoki āna kupu i whakarangona."

17 Ko ngā kupu a te hunga whakaaro nui, he mea āta kōrero,

e rangona nuitia ake ana i te hāmama a te rangatira o ngā wairangi.

18 Pai ake te whakaaro nui i ngā rākau o te riri;

otiia kotahi noa te tangata hara, he nui tāna pai e takakino ai.