¹¶ Ko nga kupu a te Kaikauwhau, ara a te tama a Rawiri, i kingi nei ki Hiruharama.

¹Words of a preacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem:

²He tino horihori rawa, e ai ta te Kaikauwhau, he tino horihori rawa; he horihori katoa.

²Vanity of vanities, said the Preacher, Vanity of vanities: the whole [is] vanity.

³He aha te pai ki te tangata o tona mauiui katoa e mauiui ai ia i raro i te ra?

³What advantage [is] to man by all his labour that he laboureth at under the sun?

⁴¶ Ko tenei whakatupuranga e haere atu ana, ko tera whakatupuranga e haere mai ana: ko te whenua ia, mau tonu.

⁴A generation is going, and a generation is coming, and the earth to the age is standing.

⁵E whiti ana hoki te ra, e heke atu ana te ra, hohoro tonu atu ki tona wahi whiti mai ai.

⁵Also, the sun hath risen, and the sun hath gone in, and unto its place panting it is rising there.

⁶E anga ana te hau ki te tonga, na ka taka ki te raki; he hanga takataka tonu tana i tona ara, a ka hoki mai ano te hau ki ona takatakanga.

⁶Going unto the south, and turning round unto the north, turning round, turning round, the wind is going, and by its circuits the wind hath returned.

⁷E rere ana nga awa katoa ki te moana, heoi kahore e ki te moana: ko te wahi i rere mai ai nga awa, ka hoki atu ano ratou ki reira.

⁷All the streams are going unto the sea, and the sea is not full; unto a place whither the streams are going, thither they are turning back to go.

⁸Mauiui rawa nga mea katoa, e kore e taea e te tangata te korero: e kore te kanohi e ngata i te matakaitaki, e kore te taringa e ki i te whakarongo.

⁸All these things are wearying; a man is not able to speak, the eye is not satisfied by seeing, nor filled is the ear from hearing.

⁹¶ Ko to mua mea koia ano hei mea aianei; a ko te mea i mahia i mua ka mahia ano aianei; kahore hoki he mea hou i raro i te ra.

⁹What [is] that which hath been? it [is] that which is, and what [is] that which hath been done? it [is] that which is done, and there is not an entirely new thing under the sun.

¹⁰Tera ano ranei he mea e ki ai tetahi, Titiro, he mea hou tenei? He mea ia no nga wa o mua, no era i mua atu i a tatou.

¹⁰There is a thing of which [one] saith: `See this, it [is] new!` already it hath been in the ages that were before us!

¹¹Kahore he mahara ki nga whakatupuranga o mua; kahore hoki e maharatia nga whakatupuranga e haere mai a muri nei e te hunga o muri atu.

¹¹There is not a remembrance of former [generations]; and also of the latter that are, there is no remembrance of them with those that are at the last.

¹²¶ Ko ahau, ko te Kaikauwhau, te kingi o Iharaira i Hiruharama.

¹²I, a preacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.

¹³Na ka whakaangahia e ahau toku ngakau ki te whakaaro nui hei rapu, hei kimi i nga mea katoa e mahia ana i raro i te rangi: na te Atua tenei whakararuraru kino i homai ki nga tama a te tangata hei whakararu i a ratou.

¹³And I have given my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom concerning all that hath been done under the heavens. It [is] a sad travail God hath given to the sons of man to be humbled by it.

¹⁴Kua kite ahau i nga mea katoa e mahia ana i raro i te ra. Nana, he horihori katoa, he whai hoki i te hau.

¹⁴I have seen all the works that have been done under the sun, and lo, the whole [is] vanity and vexation of spirit!

¹⁵Ko te mea piko e kore e taea te whakahangai: ko te mea koha e kore e taea te tatau.

¹⁵A crooked thing [one] is not able to make straight, and a lacking thing is not able to be numbered.

¹⁶I korerorero ahau ki toku ngakau, i mea, Nana, kua whiwhi rawa ahau i te whakaaro nui ki runga ake i o te hunga katoa i mua atu i ahau i Hiruharama: ae ra, he maha nga mea kua kitea e toku ngakau o te whakaaro nui, o te matauranga.

¹⁶I — I spake with my heart, saying, `I, lo, I have magnified and added wisdom above every one who hath been before me at Jerusalem, and my heart hath seen abundantly wisdom and knowledge.

¹⁷Na ka whakaangahia e ahau toku ngakau kia mohio ki te whakaaro nui, kia mohio ki te haurangi, ki te wairangi: a kua kite ahau he whai ano hoki tenei i te hau.

¹⁷And I give my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I have known that even this [is] vexation of spirit;

¹⁸Ma te nui hoki o te whakaaro ka nui ai te pouri: a ko te tangata e whakaneke ake ana i te matauranga e whakaneke ake ana i te mamae.

¹⁸for, in abundance of wisdom [is] abundance of sadness, and he who addeth knowledge addeth pain.`