Patukkung 8

1 Mi maw palungha baktiah kaom? Mi maw hmuennawk kawng to thui thaih? Palunghahaih mah palungha kami ih mikhmai to pansak moe, anih ih mikhmai amtuenghaih kasae to amkhraisak.

Who is like the wise man? And who knows the interpretation of a thing? A man’s wisdom makes his face shine, and the hardness of his face is changed.

2 Sithaw hmaa ah sak ih lokkamhaih to poek ah loe, siangpahrang lokpaekhaih to tahngai ah.

I say, “Keep the king’s command!” because of the oath to God.

3 Siangpahrang hmaa hoi karangah tacawt hmah; kasae hmuen sak hanah angdoe haih hmah; anih loe a koeh baktiah sah tih.

Don’t be hasty to go out of his presence. Don’t persist in an evil thing, for he does whatever pleases him,

4 Siangpahrang ih lok loe thacak; mi mah maw anih khaeah, timaw na sak? tiah naa thai tih.

for the king’s word is supreme. Who can say to him, “What are you doing?”

5 Mi kawbaktih doeh anih ih lok tahngai kami loe nganbawh kana hak mak ai; palungha kami ih palungthin mah loe atue hoi lokcaekhaih to panoek hmaek.

Whoever keeps the commandment shall not come to harm, and his wise heart will know the time and procedure.

6 Kami nuiah raihaih hmuenzit pha langlacadoeh, kawbaktih hmuen ah doeh sakhaih atue hoi sakhaih dan to oh boih.

For there is a time and procedure for every purpose, although the misery of man is heavy on him.

7 Hmabang ih akawng loe mi mah doeh panoek ai pongah, angzo han koi hmuen to mi mah maw thui thai tih?

For he doesn’t know that which will be; for who can tell him how it will be?

8 Angmah ih muithla pazawk hanah, patawn thaih mi doeh om ai; duek thaih han ai ah duekhaih nuiah thacakhaih tawn mi doeh om ai; misatuh kami loe anghak ai; hmuen kasae sah kaminawk loe a sak o ih sethaih mah nihcae to loisak thai mak ai.

There is no man who has power over the spirit to contain the spirit; neither does he have power over the day of death. There is no discharge in war; neither shall wickedness deliver those who practice it.

9 Ni tlim ah sak ih hmuennawk boih ka poek naah, hae hmuennawk hae ka hnuk; angmah nganbawh kana hak hanah kami maeto mah kalah kami ukhaih atue to oh.

All this I have seen, and applied my mind to every work that is done under the sun. There is a time in which one man has power over another to his hurt.

10 To pacoengah kasae kaminawk loe aphum o, toe hmuenciim ah angzo moe, kacaeh kaminawk duek o naah loe, a sak o ih vangpui kaminawk mah nihcae to pahnet o boih, tiah ka hnuk; hae doeh azom pui ni.

So I saw the wicked buried. Indeed they came also from holiness. They went and were forgotten in the city where they did this. This also is vanity.

11 Zaehaih sah kaminawk to karangah danpaek ai pongah, kaminawk ih palungthin loe zae sak koehhaih hoiah koi.

Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.

12 Kami zae loe zaehaih cumvaito sah moe, hinglung sawk cadoeh; Sithaw zii kaminawk loe angmah hmaa ah khingyahaih hoiah akuep o pongah, khosak hoihaih to hnu o tih, tiah ka panoek khuek boeh.

Though a sinner commits crimes a hundred times, and lives long, yet surely I know that it will be better with those who fear God, who are reverent before him.

13 Kasae kami loe Sithaw to zii ai pongah, khosak hoihaih hnu mak ai; hinghaih doeh sawk mak ai, anih hinghaih loe tahlip baktiah oh.

But it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he lengthen days like a shadow, because he doesn’t fear God.

14 Azom pui ah kaom hmuen to longah ka hnuk let bae vop; kasae kaminawk mah hnuk han koi sethaih to katoeng kaminawk mah hnuk o moe, katoeng kaminawk mah hnuk han koi tangqum to kasae kaminawk mah hnuk o lat; hae doeh azom pui ni, tiah ka poek.

There is a vanity which is done on the earth, that there are righteous men to whom it happens according to the work of the wicked. Again, there are wicked men to whom it happens according to the work of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity.

15 To pongah kanawm ah khosakhaih to tha ka paek, caaknaek moe, kanawm ah ohhaih khue ai ah loe, ni tlim ah kami han amekhaih tidoeh om ai; Sithaw mah hinghaih paek nathung ni tlim ah tok to sak moe, hnuk ih amekhaih loe to baktih nawmhaih khue to boeh ni.

Then I commended mirth, because a man has no better thing under the sun than to eat, to drink, and to be joyful: for that will accompany him in his labor all the days of his life which God has given him under the sun.

16 Long nuiah toksakhaih hnuk hanah, palunghahaih hoiah panoek thaih han ka poek naah, mik loe khoving khodai iip ai;

When I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done on the earth (even though eyes see no sleep day or night),

17 Sithaw mah sak ih hmuennawk boih ka khet naah, ni tlim ah sak ih toknawk to mi mah doeh panoek thai ai; tha pathok moe, hnuk han pakrong cadoeh panoek thai mak ai; ue, palungha kami mah ka panoek, tiah a poek, toe hnu thai mak ai.

then I saw all the work of God, that man can’t find out the work that is done under the sun, because however much a man labors to seek it out, yet he won’t find it. Yes even though a wise man thinks he can comprehend it, he won’t be able to find it.