Phungdeikung 7
1 Minhawinae teh hmuitui satui hlak ahawi. Duenae hnin hai khenae hnin hlak bet ahawi.
A good name is better than fine perfume; and the day of death better than the day of one’s birth.
2 Ro im cei e heh pawi koe cei e hlak ahawi. Bangkongtetpawiteh, tami pueng ni ro im vah lam a pâpout awh. Kahring lahun e naw ni hai a lungthin thungvah a pâkuem awh han.
It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting; for that is the end of all men, and the living should take this to heart.
3 Panui e hlakvah lungmathoe e bet ahawi. Bangkongtetpawiteh, lungmathoenae ni lungthin bet ahawi sak.
Sorrow is better than laughter; for by the sadness of the face the heart is made good.
4 Lungkaangnaw e lungthin teh ro im vah ao. Tamipathunaw e lungthin teh pawi im vah ao.
The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.
5 Tamipathunaw e la sak lawk thai hlakvah, lungkaangnaw e tounnae lawk tarawi e bet ahawi.
It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise than for a man to hear the song of fools.
6 Bangkongtetpawiteh, tamipathunaw e panuinae teh hlaam rahim vah pâkhing ka kang e lawk hoi a kâvan. Hot naw hai ahrawnghrang doeh.
For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This also is vanity.
7 Atangcalah, rektapnae ni a lungkaangnaw a pathu sak. Tadawngnae ni lungthin a rawk sak.
Surely extortion makes the wise man foolish; and a bribe destroys the understanding.
8 Apoutnae teh kamtawngnae hlak ahawi, a lungkasaw e tami teh a lungkalen e tami hlakvah ahawi.
Better is the end of a thing than its beginning. The patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.
9 Lungkhuek han totouh na lungduem sak hanh. Lungkhueknae teh kapathunaw e lungthung vah hmuen ouk a la.
Don’t be hasty in your spirit to be angry, for anger rests in the bosom of fools.
10 Bangkongmaw yampa e atueng teh atu e atueng hlak ahawi telah na pacei awh hanh. Hottelah na pacei pawiteh lungangnae lahoi pacei e na hoeh.
Don’t say, “Why were the former days better than these?” For you do not ask wisely about this.
11 Lungangnae teh râw patetlah ahawi. Kanî ka hmawt e naw koe hnokahawi a sak.
Wisdom is as good as an inheritance. Yes, it is more excellent for those who see the sun.
12 Bangkongtetpawiteh, lungangnae ni na rawngkhan, tangka ni hai na rawngkhan thai. Thoumthainae teh banghloimaw aphu ao. Thoumthainae ka coe e tami teh hringnae hai a coe.
For wisdom is a defense, even as money is a defense; but the excellency of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of him who has it.
13 Cathut ni hno a sak e hah pouk haw, a longkawi sak e teh apinimaw a palan thai han.
Consider the work of God, for who can make that straight which he has made crooked?
14 Yawhawinae na coe nah lunghawi awh. Rucatnae na kâhmo nah kâpouk awh. Tami ni ka tho hane kawi a panue nahanlah Cathut ni hawinae hoi roedengnae kâletta lah a poe.
In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider; yes, God has made the one side by side with the other, to the end that man should not find out anything after him.
15 Ayawmlah ka onae atueng nah hno pueng ka hmu thai toe. Tami kalan ni a lannae dawk a sung e tie hoi, tami kahawihoeh ni ahawihoehnae, dawk a hringsaw e hai thoseh ka hmu.
All this I have seen in my days of vanity: there is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who lives long in his evildoing.
16 Hloi lan hanh, hloi lungang hanh. Bangkongmaw nama e hawinae hah raphoe hanelah na ngai.
Don’t be overly righteous, neither make yourself overly wise. Why should you destroy yourself?
17 Hloi mathout hanh, hloi pathu hanh. Bangkongmaw atueng a pha hoehnahlan due hane na ngai.
Don’t be too wicked, neither be foolish. Why should you die before your time?
18 Hete lawk heh pâkuem hanelah ahawi. Thada hanh, Cathut ka taket e tami teh hno pueng dawk hoi a hlout han.
It is good that you should take hold of this. Yes, also don’t withdraw your hand from that; for he who fears God will come out of them all.
19 Khopui thung kaawm e ukkung hra touh hlak, tami lungkaang buet touh e lungangnae a tha aohnawn.
Wisdom is a strength to the wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city.
20 Yon nuen laipalah hnokahawi ka sak e tami a nuen kahawi e talai van buet touh hai awm hoeh.
Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and doesn’t sin.
21 Ayâ ni a dei e pueng hah pâkuem hanh. Hottelah na tetpawiteh, na san e thoebo lawk na thai han.
Also don’t take heed to all words that are spoken, lest you hear your servant curse you;
22 Nama roeroe ni atuhoitu, ayânaw thoe na bo e hah na lung hoi na panue.
for often your own heart knows that you yourself have likewise cursed others.
23 Hetnaw pueng heh, kai ni lungangnae hoi ka noumcai toe. Ka lungang han toe ka ti navah, lungangnae hoi hoe ka kâhla.
All this I have proved in wisdom. I said, “I will be wise;” but it was far from me.
24 Kahlat ni teh kadung poung e hno hah apinimaw a tawng vaiteh a hmu thai han.
That which is, is far off and exceedingly deep. Who can find it out?
25 Lungangnae hoi akongnaw hah ka tawng teh panue hanelah thoseh, povangtanae hoi pathunae panue nahanelah thoseh, ka lung ni a kâyawm toe.
I turned around, and my heart sought to know and to search out, and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things, and to know that wickedness is stupidity, and that foolishness is madness.
26 Tangkhek hoi tamlawk lah kaawm e napui e lungthin teh duenae hlak bet akhahnawn tie ka panue. Cathut a lung ka youk lah kaawm e ni duengdoeh hote napui kut dawk hoi a hlout han. Yon ouk ka sak e teh a kâman han.
I find more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and traps, whose hands are chains. Whoever pleases God shall escape from her; but the sinner will be ensnared by her.
27 Phungdeikung ti e teh kai ni ka tawng teh ka hmu hoeh rae hah hmu hanelah buet touh hnukkhu buet touh a pâphue.
“Behold, I have found this,” says the Preacher, “to one another, to find an explanation
28 Tongpa thong touh thung dawk buet touh ka hmu toe. Napui thong touh thung buet touh boehai ka hmawt hoeh.
which my soul still seeks, but I have not found. I have found one man among a thousand, but I have not found a woman among all those.
29 Kai ni ka hmu e buet touh teh, Cathut ni tami hah tamikalan lah a sak ei teh, taminaw ni moikapap e pouknae hah a tawng awh.
Behold, I have only found this: that God made mankind upright; but they search for many inventions.”
