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

The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.

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

“ Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher, “ Vanity of vanities! All is vanity.”

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

What advantage does man have in all his work Which he does under the sun?

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

A generation goes and a generation comes, But the earth remains forever.

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

Also, the sun rises and the sun sets; And hastening to its place it rises there again.

6 E 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.

Blowing toward the south, Then turning toward the north, The wind continues swirling along; And on its circular courses the wind returns.

7 E 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.

All the rivers flow into the sea, Yet the sea is not full. To the place where the rivers flow, There they flow again.

8 M auiui 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.

All things are wearisome; Man is not able to tell it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, Nor is the ear filled with hearing.

9 K o 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.

That which has been is that which will be, And that which has been done is that which will be done. So there is nothing new under the sun.

10 T era 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.

Is there anything of which one might say, “See this, it is new”? Already it has existed for ages Which were before us.

11 K ahore 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.

There is no remembrance of earlier things; And also of the later things which will occur, There will be for them no remembrance Among those who will come later still. The Futility of Wisdom

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

I, the Preacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.

13 N a 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.

And I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom concerning all that has been done under heaven. It is a grievous task which God has given to the sons of men to be afflicted with.

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

I have seen all the works which have been done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and striving after wind.

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

What is crooked cannot be straightened and what is lacking cannot be counted.

16 I 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.

I said to myself, “Behold, I have magnified and increased wisdom more than all who were over Jerusalem before me; and my mind has observed a wealth of wisdom and knowledge.”

17 N a 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.

And I set my mind to know wisdom and to know madness and folly; I realized that this also is striving after wind.

18 M a 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.

Because in much wisdom there is much grief, and increasing knowledge results in increasing pain.