Thuituen 9
1 A cungkuem he ka lungbuei ah ka dueh tih a cungkuem he ka boelh. Aka dueng neh aka cueih khaw, a bibi khaw Pathen kut dongah ni a om. Lungnah khaw, hmuhuetnah khaw hlang loh amih hmai kah he boeih a ming moenih.
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 A cungkuem he a cungkuem taengah a om vanbangla, aka dueng ham neh halang ham khaw, aka then ham neh aka caih ham khaw, rhalawt ham khaw, aka nawn ham neh aka nawn pawt ham khaw, aka then bangla aka tholh ham khaw, olhlo bangla toemngam aka rhih ham khaw hmatoeng pakhat ni a om.
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 Khomik hmuikah aka thoeng he cungkuem dongah thae coeng. A cungkuem ham he hmatoeng pakhat la om. Hlang koca rhoek kah lungbuei khaw boethae hah tih amamih a hing vaengah amih thinko ah anglatnah om. Te phoeiah a hnuk la duek uh.
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 Tedae u khaw hingnah cungkuem taengah kaibaeng tih aka sun uh te tah pangtungnah om. Ui pataeng khaw amah a hing vaengah tah sathueng aka duek lakah then.
But the living still have hope—a live dog is better than a dead lion!
5 Aka hing rhoek long tah a duek uh ham te a ming dae a duek long tah pakhat khaw a ming uh moenih. Amih ham thapang khaw ming voel pawt tih amih poekkoepnah khaw a hnilh uh coeng.
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 Amih kah lungnah neh amih kah hmuhuetnah khaw, amih kah thatlainah khaw paltham oepsoeh coeng. Khomik hmuiah a thoeng vanbangla a cungkuem dongah amih kah hamsum tah kumhal duela om voel pawh.
Their love, hate, and envy—it's all gone. They have no further part in anything that happens here on earth.
7 Cet laeh, na buh te kohoenah neh ca lamtah na misurtui khaw lungbuei then neh o laeh. Pathen loh na bibi te a doe oepsoeh coeng.
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 A tue takuem ah na himbai te a bok la om saeh lamtah na lu dongkah situi te khaw vawt boel saeh.
Always wear smart clothes and look good.
9 Khohnin yungah na lungnah yuu neh hingnah hmuh lah. Khomik hmuiah nang taengah m'paek na hingnah te a honghi ni. Hingnah dongkah na hamsum he khaw khohnin yungah nang ham tah a honghi ni. Te dongah na thakthaenah nen ni nang te khomik hmui ah thakthaekung la na om.
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 kut loh saii hamla a hmuh boeih te tah na thadueng neh saii. Na pha ham koi saelkhui ah tah bibi neh poeknah khaw, mingnah neh cueihnah khaw a om moenih. (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 Ka mael tih khomik hmuiah he loehlangnah khaw kapyang ham pawt tih caemtloek khaw hlangrhalh rhoek ham moenih, buh khaw aka cueih rhoek bueng ham pawt tih khuehtawn khaw aka yakming rhoek bueng ham moenih, mikdaithen khaw aka ming rhoek bueng ham bal moenih, te boeih te amah tue neh a yoekam bangla thoeng tila ka hmuh.
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 Te dongah hlang loh amah tue te a ming van moenih. Boethae kah ngoi dongah aka man nga neh pael loh a tuuk vaa banglam ni a om. Amih hlang koca rhoek tah boethae tue loh a hlaeh tih amih te buengrhuet a tlak thil.
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 Khomik hmuikah cueihnah he ka hmuh vaengah kai ham tah te te len coeng.
Here's another aspect of wisdom that impressed me about what happens here on earth.
14 Khopuei he yit tih a khuikah hlang te a yol vaengah tah manghai puei a paan tih a vael phoeiah tluum len a sak thil.
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 Te vaengah a khuikah khodaeng te hlang cueih la phoe tih a cueihnah neh khopuei te a loeih sak. Tedae hlang loh khodaeng te tah hlang la poek pawh.
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 Te dongah, “Cueihnah he thayung thamal lakah then,” ka ti dae khodaeng kah cueihnah tah a hnaep pah tih a ol te khaw hnatun uh pawh.
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 Hlangcueih ol tah aka ang rhoek aka taemrhai kah a pang lakah mongnah neh a hnatun uh.
It's better to listen to the calm words of a wise person than the shouts of a ruler of fools.
18 Cueihnah he caemrhal kah hnopai lakah then dae pakhat kah tholh loh a then muep a phae.
It's better to have wisdom than weapons of war; but a sinner can destroy a lot of good.
