Patukkung 9
1 Ni tlim ah kaom hmuennawk boih ka poek naah, katoeng kaminawk hoi palungha kaminawk mah sak ih hmuen boih Sithaw ban ah ni oh; toe nihcae mah tongh o ih hmuen loe amlunghaih, to tih ai boeh loe hnukmahaih hoiah maw oh, tiah mi mah doeh panoek o ai.
I had my mind consider all this. Wise and good people and everything they do are in God's hands. Love or hate—who knows what will happen to them?
2 Kasae kami, kahoih kami, ciimcai kami, ciimcai ai kami, angbawnhaih paek kami, angbawnhaih paek ai kami, katoeng kami, kami zae, lokkamhaih sah kami hoi lokkamhaih sak han zii kaminawk nuiah kaom hmuen loe anghmong boih, kami boih nuiah kaom hmuen doeh anghmong boih.
Yet we all share the same destiny—those who do right, those who do evil, the good, the religiously-observant and those that are not, those who sacrifice and those who don't. Those who do good are as those who sin, those who make vows to God are as those who don't.
3 Ni tlim ah kaom hmuennawk boih thungah kasae koek hmuen, kami boih khaeah kaom hmuen loe anghmong boih; ue, kaminawk ih palung loe sethaih hoiah koi; a hing o nathung amthuhaih palung hoiah koi o, to pacoengah duekhaih thungah a caeh o boih.
This is just so wrong—that everyone here on earth should suffer the same fate! On top of that, people's minds are filled with evil. They spend their lives thinking about stupid things, and then they die.
4 Kahing kaminawk salakah kaom kami loe oephaih to tawnh; kadueh kaipui pongah loe kahing ui to hoih kue.
But the living still have hope—a live dog is better than a dead lion!
5 Kami mah kai loe ka dueh tih, tiah panoek; toe dueh kami loe tidoeh panoek ai, tangqum hnuk han tawn o ai; panoekhaih doeh anghmat boih boeh.
The living are conscious of the fact that they're going to die, but the dead have no consciousness of anything. They don't receive any further benefit; they're forgotten.
6 Amlunghaih, hnukmahaih hoi uthaihnawk doeh, anghmat boih boeh; ni tlim ah kaom hnuk han koi taham to natuek naah doeh hnu let mak ai boeh.
Their love, hate, and envy—it's all gone. They have no further part in anything that happens here on earth.
7 Caeh ah loe anghoehaih hoiah buh ann to caa ah, poeknawmhaih hoiah misurtui to nae ah; na toksakhaih to Sithaw mah vaihi tapom boeh.
So go ahead and eat your food, and enjoy it. Drink your wine with a happy heart. That's what God intends that you should do.
8 Khokpanai kanglung to abuen ah loe, na lu ah situi angnok toepsoep ah.
Always wear smart clothes and look good.
9 Ni tlim ah Sithaw mah paek ih azom pui ah kaom na hing thungah na palung ih na zu hoiah kanawm ah khosah ah; hae loe ni tlim ah tha pathokhaih hoiah toksak ih atho ah ni oh.
Enjoy life with the wife that you love—the one God gave you—during all the days of this brief life, all these passing days whose meaning is so hard to understand as you work here on earth.
10 Na ban hoi sak han koi hmuennawk boih to tha pathok ah loe sah ah; na caehhaih ahmuen, taprong ah loe toksakhaih doeh, khopoekhaih doeh, to tih ai boeh loe panoekhaih hoi palunghahaih doeh om ai boeh. (Sheol h7585)
Whatever you do, do it with all your strength, for when you go to the grave there's no more working or thinking, no more knowing or being wise. (Sheol h7585)
11 Ni tlim ah kaom hmuennawk to ka khet naah, cawnh rang kami mah angnoekhaih to pazawk poe ai, thacak kami mah misa angtukhaih pazawk poe ai, palungha kami doeh zok amhah poe ai; thoemthaih tawn kami doeh angraeng poe ai; palungha kami doeh minawk hmaa ah mikhmai hak poe ai; toe taham sae, taham hoih tonghaih atue mah nihcae nuiah kangvan ah phak thuih boih.
I thought about other things that happen here on earth. Races are not always won by the fastest runner. Battles are not always decided by the strongest warrior. Also, the wise do not always have food, intelligent people do not always make money, and those who are clever do not always win favor. Time and chance affect all of them.
12 Kami mah tong han koi atue to panoek ai; palok pongah kaman tanga hoi dongh pongah kaman tavaanawk baktiah, atue kasae mah anih to naeh, anih loe poek ai pui hoiah to baktih raihaih thungah amtimh.
You can't predict when your end will come. Just like fish caught in a net, or birds caught in a trap, so people are suddenly caught by death when they least expect it.
13 Hae baktih palunghahaih to ni tlim ah ka hnuk, to hmuen loe kai hanah len parai.
Here's another aspect of wisdom that impressed me about what happens here on earth.
14 Avang tetta maeto oh moe, to avang thungah kami zetta oh o; thacak siangpahrang loe angzoh moe, to vangpui to takui khoep, anih mah kalen parai misa abuephaih long to takaeh.
Once there was a small town with only a few inhabitants. A powerful king came and besieged the town, building great earth ramps against its walls.
15 To naah to vangpui thungah palungha kamtang maeto oh; to kami ih palunghahaih mah vangpui to pahlong, toe amtang kami to mi mah doeh poek o ai.
In that town lived a man who was wise, but poor. He saved the town by his wisdom. But no one remembered to thank that poor man.
16 To pongah palunghahaih loe thacakhaih pongah hoih kue, tiah ka thuih; toe kamtang palunghahaih loe tidoeh sah pae o ai; a thuih ih lok doeh tahngai pae o ai.
As I've always said, “Wisdom is better than strength.” Yet the wisdom of that poor man was dismissed—people didn't pay attention to what he said.
17 Ukkung kamthu hanghaih lok tahngaih pongah loe palungha ih loknaem to tahngaih hanah hoih kue.
It's better to listen to the calm words of a wise person than the shouts of a ruler of fools.
18 Palunghahaih loe misatukhaih hmuenmae pongah hoih kue, toe kami zae maeto mah loe pop parai kahoih hmuen to amrosak.
It's better to have wisdom than weapons of war; but a sinner can destroy a lot of good.
