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;
Yet remember thy Creator, in the days of thy vigour, —or ever come in, the days of discomfort, and the years arrive, in which thou shalt say—I have, in them, no pleasure;
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;
Or ever be darkened—the sun, and the light, and the moon, and the stars, —and the clouds return after a downpour of rain;
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;
In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the men of might bow themselves, —and the grinders cease because they are few, and they who look through the windows are darkened;
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 in the street be closed, when the sound of the mill become low, —and one rise at the chirp of a small bird, and low-voiced be all the daughters of song;
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:
Yea, at what is high, they be in fear, and there be, terrors, in the way, and the almond be rejected, and the grasshopper drag itself along, and desire perish, —for man is going to his age-abiding home, when the wailers shall go round in the streets;
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.
Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, —or the bucket by the fountain be shivered, or the wheel at the well be broken;
7 Maiphu loe a ohhaih long ah amlaem let ueloe, muithla loe paekkung Sithaw khaeah amlaem let tih.
And the dust return to the earth, as it was, —and, the spirit, return unto God, who gave it.
8 Azom pui ni! azom pui ni! Hmuen boih loe azom pui ah ni oh, tiah patukkung mah thuih.
Vanity of vanities, saith the Proclaimer, all, is vanity.
9 Patukkung loe palungha pongah, kaminawk hanah palunghahaih to patuk; ue, tha pathokhaih hoiah pakrong pacoengah, pop parai palunghahaih loknawk to a sak.
Besides that, the Proclaimer being wise, —still further taught knowledge unto the people, and weighed and searched, arranged proverbs in abundance.
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 Proclaimer sought to find out words giving delight, and to note down rightly, the words of truth.
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 as goads, yea, as driven nails, their well-ordered sayings, —given from 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.
And besides, from them, my son, be admonished, —Of making many books, there is no end, and, much study, is a weariness of the flesh.
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.
The conclusion of the matter—the whole, let us hear, —Towards God, be reverent, and, his commandments, observe, for, this, [concerneth] all mankind.
14 Kasae maw, kahoih maw, tamquta hoiah sak ih hmuen baktih, sak ih hmuennawk baktih toengah Sithaw mah lokcaek tih.
For, every work, will God bring into judgment, with every hidden thing, —whether good, or evil.
