Ecclésiaste 7

Mieux vaut la maison de deuil

Ko te ingoa pai, pai atu i te hinu utu nui; ko te rā o te matenga, pai atu i te rā o tō te tangata whānautanga. ²Ko te haere ki te whare tangihanga, pai atu i te haere ki te whare hākari; ko te mutunga hoki ia o ngā tāngata katoa; ā, ka rongoātia e te tangata ora ki roto ki tōna ngākau. ³Ko te ngākau mamae, pai atu i te kata; mā te pōuri hoki o te mata ka pai ai te ngākau.

⁴Kei te whare tangihanga te ngākau o te hunga whakaaro nui; kei te whare ia o te kata te ngākau o ngā wairangi. ⁵Ko te whakarongo, ina rīria te hē e te tangata whakaaro nui, pai atu i tā te tangata whakarongo ki te waiata a ngā wairangi. ⁶Rite tonu hoki ki te papātanga o ngā tātarāmoa i raro i te kōhua te kata a te wairangi. He horihori anō tēnei.

⁷He pono mā te pāhua ka wairangi ai te tangata whakaaro nui, mā te mea hōmai noa hoki ka kore ai te ngākau mahara. ⁸Ko te mutunga o te mea, pai atu i tōna tīmatanga; pai atu te wairua manawanui i te wairua whakakake. ⁹Kei hohoro tōu wairua ki te riri; kei te uma hoki o ngā wairangi te riri e noho ana.

¹⁰Kaua e mea, “He aha ngā rangi ō mua i pai ake ai i ēnei?” Kāhore hoki he whakaaro nui ōu i ui ai koe ki tēnā. ¹¹He pai tonu te whakaaro nui, ānō he taonga tuku iho; āe rā, he pai rawa ake ki te hunga e kite ana i te rā. ¹²Hei whakamarumaru iho te whakaaro nui, hei pērā hoki i te moni te whakamarumaru; ko te pai ia o te mātauranga koia tēnei, ka ora i te whakaaro nui ngā tāngata nāna.

¹³Whakaaroa tā te Atua mahi; ko wai hoki hei mea kia tika tāna i mea ai kia hape? ¹⁴I te rā pai kia koa, ā, i te rā kino whakaaro; kua mahia nei hoki e te Atua tētahi kia takoto tahi me tētahi, he mea kia kaua ai e kitea e te tangata tētahi mea i muri i a ia.

Ne sois pas juste à l'excès

¹⁵Kua kite ahau i tēnei katoa i ngā rā ōku i te horihori; he tangata tika tētahi, ngaro iho ia i runga i tōna tika; he tangata kino tētahi, roa noa iho ia i te ao i runga i tōna kino. ¹⁶Kaua e whakanuia rawatia tōu tika; kaua hoki e whakanuia rawatia ōu whakaaro; he aha koe i whakangaro ai i a koe? ¹⁷Kaua e whakanuia rawatia tōu kino, kaua anō hoki e wairangi; kia mate koe hei aha, i te mea kāhore anō tōu wā kia rite noa?

¹⁸He pai ki te puritia tēnei kupu e koe; kaua hoki tōu ringa e unuhia mai i tērā; ko te tangata hoki e wehi ana i te Atua ka puta mai i roto i ērā katoa. ¹⁹Ko te whakaaro nui rahi ake tōna kaha mō te tangata whakaaro i tō ngā rangatira kotahi tekau i roto i te pā. ²⁰Kāhore hoki he tangata tika i te whenua e mahi ana i te pai, ā, kāhore ōna hara.

²¹Kaua anō e whakarongo ki ngā mea katoa e kōrerotia ana; kei rongo koe ki tāu pononga e kanga ana i a koe; ²²he maha hoki ngā wā, e mōhio ana tōu ngākau, i kanga ai koe anō i ētahi. ²³I whakamātauria e ahau tēnei katoa, he mea whakaaro mārie; i mea ahau, “Ka whakaaro nui ahau,” otiia i matara noa atu tēnei i ahau.

²⁴Ko te mea onāianei he tawhiti rawa, he hōhonu rawa hoki; ko wai hei kite? ²⁵I anga tōku ngākau, i mea kia mōhio, kia kimihia, kia rapua ngā whakaaro nui me ngā tikanga, kia mōhio anō hoki he wairangi te kino, he pōrangi te wairangi. ²⁶Ā, ka kite ahau i te mea kawa atu i te mate, arā i te wahine, he rore nei, he kupenga tōna ngākau, he rāhiri hoki ōna 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.

²⁷“Nanā, kua kitea tēnei e ahau,” e ai tā te Kaikauwhau, “he mea whakarite tētahi mea ki tētahi, kia kitea ai te tikanga. ²⁸He mea e rapua nei anō e tōku wairua, ā, kāhore anō i kitea; kotahi te tangata i kitea e ahau i roto i te mano. Nā, i roto i ēnei katoa kāhore ahau i kite i tētahi wahine. ²⁹Nanā, ko tēnei anake i kitea e ahau, arā i tika te tangata i tā te Atua hanganga; engari he maha ngā tikanga i rapua e rātou.”