Palungha Lok 26
1 Nipui tue ih dantui baktih, cang aah tue ah angzo khotui baktiah, kamthu to pakoeh han hoih ai.
Just [like] [SIM] [it is not appropriate for] snow [to fall] in summer time, or rain [to fall] at harvest time, it is not appropriate to praise/honor foolish people.
2 Takung om ai ah kasae thuihaih loe ahmuen kruekah kamhet parit caa hoi anghak ai ah azawk pungpae baktiah ni oh.
Like [SIM] birds that fly by [and do not alight/land on anything], if someone curses you, it cannot hurt you if you (do not deserve them/have not done to him what is wrong).
3 Quiboeng hoiah hrang to boh moe, sum hoiah laa hrang ih tahmawh moem pae baktih toengah, kamthu to cung hoiah bop ah.
It is necessary to whip a horse and to put a bridle on a donkey [to force them to go where we want them to go], and similarly [SIM] [it is often necessary to strike] foolish people with a stick [to cause them to do what is right].
4 Kamthu to amthuhaih baktiah pathok hmah; na pathok nahaeloe nang doeh kamthu baktiah ni na om tih.
If a foolish person asks a foolish question, [do not answer him], because [if you answer his question], you are just as foolish as he is.
5 Kamthu ih lok to na pathim nahaeloe, a mik hnukah palungha kami ah poek moeng tih.
If you give a foolish answer to someone who asks a foolish question, he will realize that he is (not very wise/foolish).
6 Kamthu khaeah pat ih lok loe a khok to takroek pat moe, amrohaih tui naek baktiah ni oh.
Anyone who asks a foolish person to take a message to someone [is himself doing something as foolish as] cutting off his own feet or drinking poison.
7 Kamthu pakha pong ih palunghahaih lok loe, adue ai khokkhaem kami ih khok baktiah oh.
A lame man cannot use his legs, and similarly [SIM] [it is useless for] a foolish person to speak [MTY] (proverbs/wise sayings).
8 Kamthu pakoeh kami loe, ngazai pongah lawkthluem moep sut baktiah ni oh.
Tying a stone in a sling [so that it cannot be thrown at a target] is [as foolish as] [SIM] honoring a foolish person.
9 Kamthu pakha pong ih palunghahaih lok loe soekhring mah thun ih mu paqui ban baktiah ni oh.
If a drunk person waves some thorns/brambles with his hand, [he is not able to accomplish anything useful by doing that] (OR, [he does not feel it when a thorn sticks in his hand]); similarly, if foolish people speak [MTY] proverbs, [they do not help anyone who hears them].
10 Kalen Sithaw mah hmuen boih to sak; kamthu hoi zaehaih sah kami hanah doeh toksakhaih atho to paek boih.
A man who shoots arrows [to try] to wound everybody who is near [is foolish]; similarly, anyone who hires a foolish person [who passes by is very foolish].
11 Ui mah angmah ih tamlok to caak let baktiah, kamthu loe angmah amthuhaih thungah amlaem let.
A foolish person will foolishly do something stupid a second time; it is [like] [SIM] a dog returning to [eat] what it has vomited.
12 Angmah hoi angmah palungha kami ah poek kami to na hnuk maw? To kami pongah loe kamthu to oepthoh kue.
[God] can help/bless foolish people more easily than he can help/bless people who are not wise [RHQ], but think that they are wise.
13 Thasae kami mah loe loklam ah kaipui oh; loklam ah hmawsaeng kaipui oh, tiah thuih.
Lazy people [just stay inside their houses and do nothing]; [they keep] saying “[I think] there is a lion in the street!”
14 Thok loe takhing ih sum nuiah angbang baktih toengah, thasae kami doeh angmah ih iihkhun nuiah angbet caeng.
A door [continually] swings back and forth on its hinges [and does not go anywhere]; similarly [SIM], lazy people [just continually turn over] in their beds [and never do anything].
15 Thasae kami loe laom thungah ban to tapawh boeh, toe pakha ah buh abah hanah paqak.
Some people are extremely lazy; they put their hand in a dish [to get some food] but do not [even] lift the food up to their mouths.
16 Thasae kami loe khopoek thaih kami sarihto pongah, angmah hoi angmah to palungha kue ah poek.
Lazy people think that they are wiser than seven/several people who can answer [others’ questions] with good sense.
17 Lamcaeh naah angmah hoi asaenghaih om ai angzoehhaih pongah kathum kami loe, ui naa patawn caeng kami hoiah anghmong.
Anyone who (meddles/involves himself) in a quarrel that does not concern him is [as foolish as] [SIM] someone who tries to grab a passing dog by its ears.
18 Tamhnuilok ni ka thuih, tiah thuih moe, a imtaeng kami aling kami loe kangqong hmai vah ih baktih, duekhaih phasak kalii kaat kamthu hoiah anghmong.
Crazy people who shoot burning arrows to kill people
are as foolish as those who deceive someone else and [then] say, “I was only joking.”
20 Thing om ai pongah hmai to duek; pronghaih lok kaom ai ahmuen ah loe, angzoehhaih to om ai.
If there is no [more] firewood [to put on the fire], the fire will go out; similarly [SIM], if there are no people who (gossip/tell people things that are not true), quarreling will end.
21 Hmaisaae to amngaeh moe, thing angqong baktih toengah, angzoeh koeh kami mah lok pungsak thaih.
[Putting] charcoal on burning coals or [putting] wood on a fire [causes the fire to keep burning]; similarly, people who like to quarrel cause people to keep arguing.
22 Pronghaih lok loe kahoih caaknaek baktiah, kami ih takpum thungah akun.
People [enjoy listening to what gossips say about others just like] [SIM] they enjoy tasty food; they [enjoy listening to what gossips tell them like] they enjoy swallowing tasty food.
23 Lok loe hoih, toe poeksae palungthin loe anui ah rong nok dui ih long laom baktiah oh.
People who say nice things when they are thinking about doing evil things are like a nice glaze/covering on a [cheap] clay pot.
24 Minawk hnuma kami loe pahni hoiah kahoih hmuen to thuih, toe a palung thungah loe alinghaih hoiah koi.
Those who hate someone and are saying [MTY] something very different from what they are thinking are hypocrites; they are only planning [to harm that person].
25 Anih mah thuih ih lok loe hoih, toe tang hmah; anih ih palung thungah panuet thok hmuen sarihto oh.
When they say nice things, do not believe them, because in their inner beings are many things that [Yahweh] hates.
26 Anih mah hnukmahaih to alinghaih hoiah kraeng khoep, toe anih sethaih to minawk hmaa ah angphong let tih.
They try to deceive people to cause them to think that they do not hate [that person], but in a public meeting, the people will find out the evil things [that they have done].
27 Qumqai kami loe angmah qumqaih ih tangqom thungah krah tih; thlung palet kami doeh a palet ih thlung to angmah nuiah amlet let tih.
Those who dig a deep pit [for other people to fall into] will fall into it themselves; rocks will roll down on those who start to cause rocks to roll down [to crush someone].
28 Amsawnlok thui palai loe angmah pacaekthlaek ih kami to hnukma; lokcaep thaih pakha mah kami to amrosak.
Those [MTY] who tell lies to others [really] hate them, and those who deceive [others] ruin them.
