Olcueih 17
1 Tuituknah hmueih im dongkah a bae lakah a ommongnah buhkak kamat te then.
It is better [to eat] a dry piece [of bread] and not have strife/quarrels than to have a big feast in a house where [everyone] is quarreling.
2 Hlang aka cangbam sal loh hlang yah aka bai capa te a taemrhai vetih, pacaboeina taengah rho a tael ni.
A slave who acts wisely will [some day] be the boss of his master’s disgraceful son and when his master dies, the slave will receive part of his master’s possessions.
3 Cak hamla cak am, sui hamla hmai-ulh om, tedae BOEIPA long tah lungbuei ni a noem.
[Workers put] silver and gold in a very hot furnace [to burn out what is impure], and Yahweh [similarly] examines people’s inner beings [to see if they are pure].
4 Thae aka huet loh boethae hmuilai kah a honghi te a hnatung tih, talnah ol te hna a kaeng thil.
Those who do what is evil pay attention to people who say [MTY] what is evil, and liars pay attention to [other people’s] lies.
5 Khodaeng aka tamdaeng tah amah aka saii kung ni a veet, rhainah soah ko aka hoe khaw hmil mahpawh.
Those who make fun of poor [people] insult God, the one who made the poor [people], [and] those who are happy when [someone else has] troubles will certainly be punished [LIT] [by God].
6 Ca rhoek kah a ca rhoek tah patong rhoek kah rhuisam la om tih a napa rhoek te khaw ca rhoek kah a boei a mang la om.
Old [people] are [usually] proud of [MET] their grandchildren, [just like] children are [usually] proud of their parents.
7 Hlangrhuel hmuilai he a ang ham a rhoeprhui moenih. A honghi kah hmuilai khaw hlangcong hamla koih loeng loeng van pawh.
Fine/Eloquent speech is not suitable for foolish people to say, just like lies are not suitable for rulers [to say].
8 Kapbaih he a kungmah kah mik ah lungto mikdaithen bangla boeih a hoilae tih a cangbam.
People think that a bribe is like a magic stone [to persuade someone to do what they want him to do]; they think that because of the bribe, that person will do whatever they want him to do.
9 Hlang kah dumlai aka dah loh lungnah a toem dae, olka dongah aka thovael loh a boeihlum khaw a paekboe sak.
If you want people to like/love you, forgive them for the wrong things that they do to you. If you continue to remind them about those wrong things, they will no longer be your friends.
10 Aka ang voei yakhat n'ngawn lakah aka yakming ham tah tluungnah mah a tlaeh pah coeng.
Rebuking people who have good sense will accomplish more for them than hitting them 100 times [with a stick].
11 Boekoek loh boethae bueng a tlap dae, anih taengah puencawn muenying muenyang ni a tueih pa eh.
[Because] wicked people are always trying to cause trouble, someone will be sent to severely punish them.
12 Hlang kah a dueidah a laemhong sak vom neh ka hum uh palueng eh, aka ang kah a anglat nen tah ka hum uh boel eh.
A mother bear whose cubs have been taken away from her is dangerous, but it is more dangerous to confront a foolish person who is doing something foolish.
13 A then te thae la aka thuung tah a im lamkah a thae te nong rhoe nong mahpawh.
If someone does something evil in return for something good being done to him, evil/trouble will never leave that person’s family.
14 Olpungkacan a tongnah tah tui a cae sak. Te dongah tuituknah a puek hlanah huu laeh.
Starting a quarrel is like allowing water to start to leak out of a dam; they both need to be stopped before they get worse.
15 Halang aka tang sak neh hlang dueng aka boe sak, amih rhoi bang te BOEIPA kah a tueilaehkoi ni.
There are two things that Yahweh hates: (Condemning innocent [people]/Saying that people who have done nothing wrong must be punished), and declaring that people who have done wicked things should not be punished.
16 Cueihnah lai ham hlang ang kut dongkah a phu te ba ham lae, a lungbuei neh a om hae moenih.
It is useless to allow foolish people [RHQ] to try to become wise by paying for it, because they do not have enough good sense to become wise.
17 A tue boeih dongah a hui aka lungnah loh, citcai vaengkah ham manuca a cun.
Friends love [others] all the time, and relatives are able to help us when we have troubles.
18 Lungbuei aka talh hlang loh kut a yuh tih, a hui mikhmuh ah mingphanah rhi a khang.
[If someone borrows money from another person], it is foolish for you to promise [IDM] that you will pay the money back if that other person is unable to pay back the money that he borrowed.
19 Boekoek aka lungnah loh olpungnah te a lungnah, a thohka te a sang sak tih pocinah a tlap.
Those who like to sin [also] like to cause strife/trouble; [and] those who build fancy doors in their houses [to show that they are very wealthy] (OR, speak proudly) are inviting disaster.
20 Lungbuei aka voeldak loh hnothen hmu pawt tih, a ol neh hlang aka maelh khaw yoethae ah cungku.
Those who (have perverse minds/are always thinking about doing evil things) will not prosper, and disasters will happen to those who always tell lies.
21 Amah kah a pha-ueknah ham hlang ang te a cun, te dongah hlang ang kah a napa tah a ko a hoe moenih.
Children who are foolish [soon] cause their parents to be very sad; their parents will not be joyful at all.
22 Lungbuei kohoe he si la a hoeih sak tih, mueihla a rhawp vaengah songrhuh khaw a koh sak.
Being cheerful is [like swallowing] good medicine; being discouraged/gloomy [all the time will] (drain away your energy/cause you to become weak) [MTY].
23 Laitloeknah a caehlong te phaelh sak ham, halang loh a huep ah kapbaih a loh.
Wicked people/judges accept bribes that are given to them secretly, and as a result they do not decide matters justly/fairly.
24 Cueihnah he aka yakming ham tah amah mikhmuh ah a om pah tih, aka ang kah a mik ah tah diklai khobawt la a om pah.
Those who have good sense determine to do what is wise, but foolish people are always thinking about many different things [and never decide what they should do].
25 Capa aka ang tah a napa ham konoinah la om tih, anih aka cun khaw hmuetphawtnah ni.
Children who are foolish cause their father to be sad and [also] cause their mother to be very sorrowful.
26 Hlang dueng te lai a sah sak khaw, a dueng dongah hlangcong taam ham then pawh.
It is not right to force someone who has done nothing wrong to pay a fine; it is wrong to punish good/respected people.
27 A ol aka tuem tah mingnah te aka ming la om tih, mueihla phu tlo aka dingsuek tah hlang lungcuei ni.
Those who have good sense do not talk a lot, and those who (control their tempers/keep themselves from becoming very angry) are [truly] wise.
28 Hlang ang pataeng a hil a phah atah aka cueih la, a ka a buem atah aka yakming la a ngai coeng.
People [may] think that foolish people who do not say anything are wise; if foolish people (do not say anything/keep their mouths shut), others will think that they are [very] intelligent.
