Patukkung 12
1 Kai loe to baktih hmuennawk nuiah anghoehaih ka tawn ai, tiah na thuihaih saning mah pha thuih ai vop moe, sethaih aninawk mah na pha thuih ai nathuem, na qoeng li naah, nang Sahkung Sithaw to panoek ah;
Remember your Creator while you are young, before days of trouble come and you grow old, saying, “I'm not enjoying life anymore.”
2 to baktih atue loe ni hoi ni aengh om mak ai, khrah hoi cakaeh doeh aang mak ai, kho angzoh moe, tamai anghmat phaenghaih atue ah om tih;
Before the light fades—sun, moon, and stars—and rain clouds return to darken the skies.
3 im toep kaminawk loe tasoeh o tih, thacak kaminawk loe kaengkuu o tih, kami tamsi pongah cang kae kaminawk loe anghak o tih, thokbuem hoiah khen kaminawk loe hnu o thai mak ai boeh;
Before the guards of the house tremble and the strong men are bent over, the grinders stop working because there are only a few left, and the ones looking through the windows only see dimly,
4 cang kaehhaih atuenh thazok boeh, to naah lampui taeng ih thoknawk to khaa o tih; tavaa ih lok thaih naah anih to angthawk tih, laasah nongpatanawk mah laa lok kahnaem ah laa to sah o tih;
and the doors to the street are shut. Before the sound of the grinding mill grows low, and you wake up early when the birds are singing, but you can hardly hear them.
5 nihcae mah kasang ahmuen to zii o tih, loklam ah zithaih to om tih, almond thing loe tadok tacawt ueloe, pakhuh loe nang han hmuen kazit ah om tih, koehhaih palungthin to thazok tih boeh; kami loe angmah ih dungzan im ah caeh boeh pongah, palungsae kaminawk loe loklam ah caeh o tih:
Before you develop a fear of heights and worry about going out on the streets; when the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper crawls along, and desire fails, for everyone has to go to their eternal home as the mourners go up and down the street.
6 to tih ai boeh loe sumkanglung aqui khramhaih maw, sui boengloeng koihhaih maw, tuibap tui sohhaih laom koihhaih maw, to tih ai boeh loe tuikung ah khok angkhaehhaih to om tih.
Before the silver cord is snapped and the golden bowl is broken; before the water jug is smashed at the spring, or the pulley is broken at the well.
7 Maiphu loe a ohhaih long ah amlaem let ueloe, muithla loe paekkung Sithaw khaeah amlaem let tih.
Then the dust returns to the earth from which it came, and the breath of life returns to God who gave it.
8 Azom pui ni! azom pui ni! Hmuen boih loe azom pui ah ni oh, tiah patukkung mah thuih.
“Everything passes! It's all so hard to understand!” says the Teacher.
9 Patukkung loe palungha pongah, kaminawk hanah palunghahaih to patuk; ue, tha pathokhaih hoiah pakrong pacoengah, pop parai palunghahaih loknawk to a sak.
Not only was the Teacher a wise man, he also taught what he knew to others. He thought about many proverbs, studying them and arranging them.
10 Patukung loe tapom thaih koiah kaom loknawk to hnuk thai hanah pakrong, anih mah tarik ih loknawk loe toeng moe, loktang lok ah oh.
The Teacher looked for the best way to explain things, writing truthfully and honestly.
11 Palungha kami ih loknawk loe, kamsum cung baktih, tuu toepkung mah tuu huih haih hanah patoh ih thingboeng, kaminawk mah thing nawnto takhing haih, sumdiknawk baktiah oh.
The words of the wise are like cattle prods. Their collected sayings are like nails driven home, given by one shepherd.
12 To pacoengah ka capa, to baktih loknawk hoi thuitaek ih kami ah om ah; cabu sakhaih loe boeng thai ai; kapop ah amtukhaih mah takpum angphosak.
In addition, my student, take care, for there's no end to book writing, and too much study wears you out.
13 Sangqum boih ah lok pakhaphaih loe hae tiah oh; Sithaw to zii ah loe, a paek ih loknawk to pakuem ah; hae loe kami mah hing thung sak han ih tok ah oh.
To sum up now that everything has been discussed: Respect God by keeping his commandments, for that's what everyone should do.
14 Kasae maw, kahoih maw, tamquta hoiah sak ih hmuen baktih, sak ih hmuennawk baktih toengah Sithaw mah lokcaek tih.
God is going to judge us for everything we do, including what we do secretly, whether good or bad.
