Palungha Lok 24
1 Kasae kaminawk to awt hmah; nihcae hoi angkom han doeh poek hmah.
Don't be jealous of evil people; don't long to spend time with them,
2 Nihcae loe palung thung hoi amro han khue ni poek o, pahni hoiah raihaih sak han khue to a thuih o.
for they think up cruel plans and discuss how to cause trouble.
3 Im loe palunghahaih hoiah sak moe, panoekhaih hoiah caksak;
A house is built by wisdom; its foundation is made secure through understanding.
4 palunghahaih mah imkhaannawk to atho kana hmuenmae, koeh kaom hmuennawk hoiah koisak.
Its rooms are filled by knowledge with all kinds of valuable and beautiful objects.
5 Palungha kami loe thacak; ue, palunghahaih tawn kami loe thacakhaih pung aep.
If you have wisdom, you are strong; if you have knowledge, your power increases,
6 Palungha kami khae hoi poekhaih lak pacoengah, misa tuh ah; ngancuem hanah kahoih poekhaih paekkung pop tawnh han angaih.
for with wise guidance you can go to war; you will be victorious by having many good advisors.
7 Palunghahaih loe sang pongah kamthu mah pha thai ai; kami pop amkhuenghaih khongkha ah lokthui thai ai.
Wisdom goes over the heads of stupid people; they have nothing to contribute when important matters are discussed.
8 Kahoih ai hmuen sak pacaeng kami loe raihaih sah kami ni, tiah kawk o tih.
Anyone who plans to do evil will be seen as a troublemaker.
9 Kamthu poekhaih loe zaehaih ah oh, minawk pahnui thuih kami loe panuet thoh.
Plans thought up by stupid people are sinful. Everyone hates those who are scornful of others.
10 Raihaih phak naah palung boeng nahaeloe, thazok kami ah ni na oh.
If you give up in times of trouble, it shows how weak you are.
11 Duekhaih loklam ah zaeh ih kami to pahlong ah; humhaih ahmuen ah caehhaih ih kami to hoi let ah.
Rescue those who are being led away to be executed; save those who are stumbling on their way to be slaughtered.
12 Khenah, hae kawng hae ka panoek ai, tiah na thuih nahaeloe, palungthin khenkung mah panoek mak ai maw? Na hinghaih khenkung mah panoek mak ai maw? Kami mah sak ih hmuen baktiah anih mah pathok mak ai maw?
If you say, “Look, we didn't know anything about this,” don't you think the God who judges your motives will see what's happening? He who watches over you knows, and he will pay people back for what they've done.
13 Ka capa, khoitui loe hoih pongah nae ah; khoi lutui loe pataeng naah luep dueng;
My son, eating honey is good for you; the honeycomb tastes sweet.
14 to baktih toengah palunghahaih loe na hing thungah luep tih; na hnuk naah nang han tangqum ah om tih; na oephaih anghma mak ai.
In the same way, you should know that wisdom is good for you; if you find it, there will be a future for you, and your hope will not be crushed.
15 Aw katoeng ai kami, katoeng kami ih im to toep hmah; anih ohhaih ahmuen to amrosak hmah;
Don't be like a criminal waiting to ambush the home of good people; don't attack the place where they live.
16 katoeng kami loe vai sarihto amtim cadoeh, angthawk let tih; toe kasae kami loe raihaih mah amtimsak tih.
Those who do right may fall down seven times, and still get up again; but the wicked are brought down by disaster.
17 Na misa amtim naah anghoe hmah; anih amthaek naah palung anghoe hmah;
Don't celebrate when your enemies fall; don't be glad when they trip up,
18 nang hoe nahaeloe Angraeng mah hnu ueloe, poeknawm mak ai, to kami nuiah Anih palungphuihaih to dip ving tih.
otherwise when the Lord sees it, he'll be unhappy with you and won't punish your enemies as he planned.
19 Kahoih ai kami pongah palungboeng hmah; kahoih ai kami doeh awt hmah;
Don't get all upset over the wicked, or be jealous of those who do wrong,
20 kasae kami loe hmabang kaom oephaih to tawn ai; kasae kami ih hmaithaw loe paduek pae ving tih.
for evil people have no future—the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out.
21 Ka capa, Angraeng hoi siangpahrang to zii ah; misa angthawk koeh kami hoiah angkom hmah;
My son, honor the Lord and the king, and don't join those who are rebellious,
22 akra ai ah nihcae nuiah amrohaih pha tih; kawbaktih raihaih maw nihcae mah omsak tih, tito mi mah maw panoek thai tih?
for disaster will suddenly fall on them. Who knows how the Lord and king will punish them?
23 Hae baktih hmuennawk doeh palungha kami mah thuih ih lok ah ni oh. Lok takroek naah mikhmai khet han hoih ai.
These are more sayings of the wise: Showing favoritism when passing judgment is wrong.
24 Kasae kami khaeah, Nang loe na toeng, tiah thui kami loe minawk mah kasae thui o ueloe, prae kaminawk mah panuet o tih.
Those who tell the guilty, “You're innocent,” will be cursed by the people and hated by the nation,
25 Toe minawk thuitaekkung loe poeknawm ueloe, tahamhoihaih to hnu tih.
while those who convict the guilty will be appreciated, and will receive a rich blessing.
26 Kami boih mah toenghaih lokthui kami ih pahni to mok o tih.
An honest answer is a kiss on the lips.
27 Tasa bang ih tok to sah hmaloe ah, nangmah hanah laikok atok pacoengah, na ohhaih im to sah ah.
Do the work you need to do outside first, then prepare and sow your fields, and only after that start building your house.
28 Takung om ai ah na imtaeng kami to zaehaih net hmah; alinghaih lok thui hmah.
Don't testify against your neighbors without having a good reason, and don't tell lies.
29 Kai khaeah sak ih hmuen baktih toengah, anih nuiah doeh ka sak toeng han; a sak ih hmuen baktih toengah ka pathok let han, tiah thui hmah.
Don't say to yourself, “I'm going to do to him what he did to me! I'll pay him back for what he's done!”
30 Thasae kami ih lawk ah ka caeh moe, poekhaih tawn ai kami ih misur takha thungah ka caeh naah,
I walked past the field of a lazy man, past a vineyard of someone with no sense.
31 khenah, soekhring cing ah oh, long doeh phroh cing ah oh; thlung hoi pakaa ih sipae doeh amtimh boih.
It was all overgrown with thorns, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall had fallen down.
32 Ka hnuk ih hmuen to palung thung hoi ka poek het naah, ka khet ih hmuen nuiah amtuk han koi ka hnuk.
As I looked I thought about it, and what I saw taught me a lesson:
33 Nawnetta iih, nawnetta iih angam, iih hanah nawnetta thungah ban pakhuem moe, nang hak nathuem ah,
You may say, “Please, just a little more sleep, a little longer snooze, a little more folding of the arms to rest”—
34 amtanghaih mah kholong caeh kami baktih, vawthaih mah maiphaw sin kami baktiah na pha thui tih.
and poverty will attack you like a robber, destitution like an armed warrior.
