Olcueih 26
1 Khohal kah vuelsong neh cangah vaengkah khotlan banghui la, thangpomnah khaw hlang ang neh rhoeprhui tangloeng pawh.
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 Vaa a rhaehba bangla, pumpil a ding bangla, rhunkhuennah he lunglilungla la a thoeng moenih.
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 Marhang ham rhuihet, laak ham kamrhui, aka ang rhoek kah a nam ham cungcik om.
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 Hlang ang kah a anglat te doo boeh, namah khaw anih bangla na om ve.
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 Hlang ang te a anglat bangla a doo dae, a mikhmuh ah hlang cueih la om hae mahpawh.
If you give a foolish answer to someone who asks a foolish question, he will realize that he is (not very wise/foolish).
6 Hlang ang kut ah ol aka pat tah a kho a kuet tih kuthlahnah aka mam la om.
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 Aka khaem kah a kho sut a bat banghui la, hlang ang rhoek ka kah thuidoeknah he khaw om.
A lame man cannot use his legs, and similarly [SIM] [it is useless for] a foolish person to speak [MTY] (proverbs/wise sayings).
8 Hlang ang taengah thangpomnah paek he, payai dongah lungto mop banghui la om tangloeng.
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 Hlang ang ka kah thuidoeknah he khaw yurhui kut dongah aka pha mutlo hling bangla om.
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 Hlang ang aka paang boeih khaw aka cet paitai a paang tih lithen a poeih banghui la om.
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 loh a lok a paan banghui la hlang ang loh a anglat te a khoep.
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 Hlang he amah mikhmuh ah tah aka cueih la na hmuh. Anih lakah hlang ang ham ngaiuepnah om ta.
[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 Kolhnaw loh, “Longpuei ah sathueng ca, toltung ah sathueng om,” a ti.
Lazy people [just stay inside their houses and do nothing]; [they keep] saying “[I think] there is a lion in the street!”
14 thohkhaih loh thohrhui dongah a tinghil bangla, kolhnaw khaw amah thingkong dongah suvaih.
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 Kolhnaw loh bael dongah a kut a puei te, a ka dongla koep a khuen ham pataeng a ngak.
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 Kolhnaw he amah mikhmuh ah tah, omih neh aka thuung hlang parhih lakah aka cueih la ngai uh.
Lazy people think that they are wiser than seven/several people who can answer [others’ questions] with good sense.
17 Amah hut pawt ah tuituknah khuiah aka kun khaw, aka cet paitai loh ui hna a doek banghui la om.
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 Thaltang neh dueknah hmaipom aka dong loh hlang a khah bangla,
Crazy people who shoot burning arrows to kill people
19 A hui aka phok hlang van loh, “Ka luem mailai moenih a?” a ti.
are as foolish as those who deceive someone else and [then] say, “I was only joking.”
20 Thing a tlum atah hmai a thi bangla a thet pawt daengah ni olpungkacan a paa.
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 Hmai-alh dongah hmaisa-aek, hmai dongah thing a pup vanbangla, hohmuhnah neh olpungkacan aka saii hlang loh tuituknah a puek sak.
[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 Thet ol he didii tih bungko khui la suntla.
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 Lungbuei thae neh a lai hmai la aka alh tah, paikaek dongkah cakhli a ben banghui ni.
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 A hmuilai dongkah a hmuhuet te a ka dongah loha coeng dae, a khui kah hlangthai palat te a thuh bal pueng.
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 A ol tah rhen koemboei la om dae, anih te tangnah boeh. A lungbuei ah tueilaehkoi parhih om.
When they say nice things, do not believe them, because in their inner beings are many things that [Yahweh] hates.
26 hmuhuetnah te thailainah neh dah cakhaw, hlangping taengah a boethae ni a yan eh.
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 Vaam aka vuet khaw amah loh a cungku thil vetih, lungto aka palet khaw amah soah koep mael ni.
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 Laithae ol loh amah aka hnaep aka hnap te a hmuhuet tih, a ka aka hnal khaw a ponah ni a saii.
Those [MTY] who tell lies to others [really] hate them, and those who deceive [others] ruin them.
