1 Who is like the wise man? and to whom is the sense of anything clear? A man's wisdom makes his face shining, and his hard face will be changed.
2 I say to you, Keep the king's law, from respect for the oath of God.
3 Be not quick to go from before him. Be not fixed in an evil design, because he does whatever is pleasing to him.
4 The word of a king has authority; and who may say to him, What is this you are doing?
5 Whoever keeps the law will come to no evil: and a wise man's heart has knowledge of time and of decision.
6 For every purpose there is a time and a decision, because the sorrow of man is great in him.
7 No one is certain what is to be, and who is able to say to him when it will be?
8 No man has authority over the wind, to keep the wind; or is ruler over the day of his death. In war no man's time is free, and evil will not keep the sinner safe.
9 All this have I seen, and have given my heart to all the work which is done under the sun: there is a time when man has power over man for his destruction.
10 And then I saw evil men put to rest, taken even from the holy place; and they went about and were praised in the town because of what they had done. This again is to no purpose.
11 Because punishment for an evil work comes not quickly, the minds of the sons of men are fully given to doing evil.
12 Though a sinner does evil a hundred times and his life is long, I am certain that it will be well for those who go in fear of God and are in fear before him.
13 But it will not be well for the evil-doer; he will not make his days long like a shade, because he has no fear before God.
14 There is a thing which is to no purpose done on the earth: that there are good men to whom is given the same punishment as those who are evil, and there are evil men who get the reward of the good. I say that this again is to no purpose.
15 So I gave praise to joy, because there is nothing better for a man to do under the sun than to take meat and drink and be happy; for that will be with him in his work all the days of his life which God gives him under the sun.
16 When I gave my mind to the knowledge of wisdom and to seeing the business which is done on the earth (and there are those whose eyes see not sleep by day or by night),
17 Then I saw all the work of God, and that man may not get knowledge of the work which is done under the sun; because, if a man gives hard work to the search he will not get knowledge, and even if the wise man seems to be coming to the end of his search, still he will be without knowledge.
1 Ko wai hei rite mo te tangata whakaaro nui? Ko wai hoki e mohio ana ki te tikanga o tetahi mea? Ka ai te whakaaro nui o te tangata hei mea kia tiaho tona mata, ka puta ke ano hoki te taikaha o tona mata.
2 Ko taku tenei ki a koe, Puritia te kupu a te kingi, me whakaaro ano hoki ki ta te Atua oati.
3 Kei mea wawe koe ki te haere atu i tona aroaro; kaua ano hoki e tohe tonu ki te mea kino; ka oti hoki i a ia nga mea katoa e pai ai ia.
4 No te mea he mana to te kupu a te kingi; a ko wai hei mea atu ki a ia, E aha ana koe?
5 Ko te kaipupuri o te whakahau, e kore rawa e mohio ki te mea he. E mohio ana te ngakau o te whakaaro nui ki te wa, ki te tikanga.
6 He wa hoki to nga meatanga katoa, he tikanga ano; he nui hoki no te he o te tangata i runga i a ia.
7 Kahore hoki ia e mohio, ko te aha e puta a mua: ma wai hoki e whakaatu ki a ia te peheatanga o te putanga?
8 Kahore he tangata e whai mana ana ki te wairua, ki te pupuri i te wairua; kahore hoki he mana ki te ra o te mate: i taua pakanga hoki e kore tetahi e tukua atu; e kore ano te kino e whakaora i te mea e tukua atu ki a ia.
9 I kite ahau i tenei katoa, i anga ano toku ngakau ki nga meatanga katoa e meatia ana i raro i te ra; he wa ano ka whai mana tetahi tangata ki tetahi tangata hei he mona.
10 I kite ano ahau i reira i te hunga kino e tanumia ana, a i haere mai ratou ki te wahi o te tanumanga; a ko te hunga i mahi i te tika i haere atu i te wahi o te tapu, a warewaretia ana ratou e te pa: he horihori ano hoki tenei.
11 He kore i hohoro te whakaoti i te kupu whiu mo te mahi he, koia i ki tonu ai nga ngakau o nga tama a te tangata i roto i a ratou ki te tohe ki te mahi i te kino.
12 Ahakoa he rau nga mahi he a te tangata hara, a ka roa ona ra; heoi e mohio ana ano ahau, ka pai te tukunga iho ki te hunga e wehi ana i te Atua, e wehi nei i tona aroaro.
13 E kore ia e pai te tukunga iho ki te tangata kino, e kore ano e whakaroaina e ia ona ra, he atarangi nei te rite; mona kihai i wehi i te aroaro o te Atua.
14 He horihori tenei e mahia nei i runga i te whenua; ara he hunga tika enei, a ko te mea e pa ana ki a ratou pera tonu i te mea e pa ana ki te mahi a te hunga kino: a, he hunga kino enei, a ko te mea e pa ana ki a ratou pera tonu i te mea e pa ana ki te mahi a te hunga tika: i ki ahau he horihori ano hoki tenei.
15 Katahi ahau ka whakamoemiti ki te koa; no te mea kahore he mea pai ake ma te tangata i raro i te ra, ko te kai anake, ko te inu, ko te harakoa: ko tera hoki e mau ki a ia i roto i tona mauiui i nga ra o tona oranga, i homai nei e te Atua ki a ia i raro i te ra.
16 I taku tukunga i toku ngakau kia mohio ki te whakaaro nui, kia kite i te raruraru e mahia nei i runga i te whenua: i te ao nei hoki, i te po kahore ona kanohi e kite i te moe:
17 Katahi ahau ka kite i te mahi a te Atua, ara e kore e kitea e te tangata te mahi e mahia ana i raro i te ra: ahakoa mauiui noa te tangata i te rapunga, e kore e kitea e ia: ae ra, ahakoa mea noa te tangata whakaaro nui kia mohiotia e ia, e kore e taea kia kitea e ia.