1¶ Ko te ingoa pai, pai atu i te hinu utu nui; ko te ra o te matenga, pai atu i te ra o to te tangata whanautanga.
1Better [is] a name than good perfume, And the day of death than the day of birth.
2Ko te haere ki te whare tangihanga, pai atu i te haere ki te whare hakari; ko te mutunga hoki ia o nga tangata katoa; a ka rongoatia e te tangata ora ki roto ki tona ngakau.
2Better to go unto a house of mourning, Than to go unto a house of banqueting, For that is the end of all men, And the living layeth [it] unto his heart.
3Ko te ngakau mamae, pai atu i te kata; ma te pouri hoki o te mata ka pai ai te ngakau.
3Better [is] sorrow than laughter, For by the sadness of the face the heart becometh better.
4Kei te whare tangihanga te ngakau o te hunga whakaaro nui; kei te whare ia o te kata te ngakau o nga wairangi.
4The heart of the wise [is] in a house of mourning, And the heart of fools in a house of mirth.
5Ko te whakarongo, ina riria te he e te tangata whakaaro nui, pai atu i ta te tangata whakarongo ki te waiata a nga wairangi.
5Better to hear a rebuke of a wise man, Than [for] a man to hear a song of fools,
6Rite tonu hoki ki te papatanga o nga tataramoa i raro i te kohua te kata a te wairangi. He horihori ano tenei.
6For as the noise of thorns under the pot, So [is] the laughter of a fool, even this [is] vanity.
7¶ He pono ma te pahua ka wairangi ai te tangata whakaaro nui, ma te mea homai noa hoki ka kore ai te ngakau mahara.
7Surely oppression maketh the wise mad, And a gift destroyeth the heart.
8Ko te mutunga o te mea, pai atu i tona timatanga: pai atu te wairua manawanui i te wairua whakakake.
8Better [is] the latter end of a thing than its beginning, Better [is] the patient of spirit, than the haughty of spirit.
9Kei hohoro tou wairua ki te riri: kei te uma hoki o nga wairangi te riri e noho ana.
9Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry, For anger in the bosom of fools resteth.
10Kaua e mea, He aha nga rangi o mua i pai ake ai i enei? Kahore hoki he whakaaro nui ou i ui ai koe ki tena.
10Say not thou, `What was it, That the former days were better than these?` For thou hast not asked wisely of this.
11¶ He pai tonu te whakaaro nui, ano he taonga tuku iho: ae ra, he pai rawa ake ki te hunga e kite ana i te ra.
11Wisdom [is] good with an inheritance, And an advantage [it is] to those beholding the sun.
12Hei whakamarumaru iho te whakaaro nui, hei pera hoki i te moni te whakamarumaru: ko te pai ia o te matauranga koia tenei, ka ora i te whakaaro nui nga tangata nana.
12For wisdom [is] a defense, money [is] a defence, And the advantage of the knowledge of wisdom [is], She reviveth her possessors.
13Whakaaroa ta te Atua mahi: ko wai hoki hei mea kia tika tana i mea ai kia hape?
13See the work of God, For who is able to make straight that which He made crooked?
14I te ra pai kia koa, a i te ra kino whakaaro: kua mahia nei hoki e te Atua tetahi kia takoto tahi me tetahi, he mea kia kaua ai e kitea e te tangata tetahi mea i muri i a ia.
14In a day of prosperity be in gladness, And in a day of evil consider. Also this over-against that hath God made, To the intent that man doth not find anything after him.
15Kua kite ahau i tenei katoa i nga ra oku i te horihori; he tangata tika tetahi, ngaro iho ia i runga i tona tika; he tangata kino tetahi, roa noa iho ia i te ao i runga i tona kino.
15The whole I have considered in the days of my vanity. There is a righteous one perishing in his righteousness, and there is a wrong-doer prolonging [himself] in his wrong.
16Kaua e whakanuia rawatia tou tika; kaua hoki e whakanuia rawatia ou whakaaro: he aha koe i whakangaro ai i a koe?
16Be not over-righteous, nor show thyself too wise, why art thou desolate?
17Kaua e whakanuia rawatia tou kino, kaua ano hoki e wairangi: kia mate koe hei aha, i te mea kahore ano tou wa kia rite noa?
17Do not much wrong, neither be thou a fool, why dost thou die within thy time?
18He pai ki te puritia tenei kupu e koe; kaua hoki tou ringa e unuhia mai i tera; ko te tangata hoki e wehi ana i te Atua ka puta mai i roto i era katoa.
18[It is] good that thou dost lay hold on this, and also, from that withdrawest not thy hand, for whoso is fearing God goeth out with them all.
19Ko te whakaaro nui rahi ake tona kaha mo te tangata whakaaro i to nga rangatira kotahi tekau i roto i te pa.
19The wisdom giveth strength to a wise man, more than wealth the rulers who have been in a city.
20Kahore hoki he tangata tika i te whenua e mahi ana i te pai, a kahore ona hara.
20Because there is not a righteous man on earth that doth good and sinneth not.
21Kaua ano e whakarongo ki nga mea katoa e korerotia ana; kei rongo koe ki tau pononga e kanga ana i a koe;
21Also to all the words that they speak give not thy heart, that thou hear not thy servant reviling thee.
22He maha hoki nga wa, e mohio ana tou ngakau, i kanga ai koe ano i etahi.
22For many times also hath thy heart known that thou thyself also hast reviled others.
23¶ I whakamatauria e ahau tenei katoa, he mea whakaaro marie; i mea ahau, ka whakaaro nui ahau; otiia i matara noa atu tenei i ahau.
23All this I have tried by wisdom; I have said, `I am wise,` and it [is] far from me.
24Ko te mea onaianei he tawhiti rawa, he hohonu rawa hoki; ko wai hei kite?
24Far off [is] that which hath been, and deep, deep, who doth find it?
25I anga toku ngakau, i mea kia mohio, kia kimihia, kia rapua nga whakaaro nui me nga tikanga, kia mohio ano hoki he wairangi te kino, he porangi te wairangi:
25I have turned round, also my heart, to know and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and reason, and to know the wrong of folly, and of foolishness the madness.
26A ka kite ahau i te mea kawa atu i te mate, ara i te wahine, he rore nei, he kupenga tona ngakau, he rahiri hoki ona 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.
26And I am finding more bitter than death, the woman whose heart [is] nets and snares, her hands [are] bands; the good before God escapeth from her, but the sinner is captured by her.
27Nana, kua kitea tenei e ahau, e ai ta te Kaikauwhau, he mea whakarite tetahi mea ki tetahi, kia kitea ai te tikanga:
27See, this I have found, said the Preacher, one to one, to find out the reason
28He mea e rapua nei ano e toku wairua, a kahore ano i kitea: kotahi te tangata i kitea e ahau i roto i te mano; na i roto i enei katoa kahore ahau i kite i tetahi wahine.
28(that still my soul had sought, and I had not found), One man, a teacher, I have found, and a woman among all these I have not found.
29Nana, ko tenei anake i kitea e ahau, ara i tika te tangata i ta te Atua hanganga; engari he maha nga tikanga i rapua e ratou.
29See, this alone I have found, that God made man upright, and they — they have sought out many devices.