Ecclesiastes 7
1 A good name is better than fine perfume, and one’s day of death is better than his day of birth.
A ming te tah situi then lakah ah then tih dueknah hnin he a cun khohnin lakah then.
2 It is better to enter a house of mourning than a house of feasting, since death is the end of every man, and the living should take this to heart.
Nguekcoinah im la caeh te buhkoknah im la caeh lakah then. He tah hlang boeih kah a bawtnah coeng tih aka hing loh a lungbuei ah dueh saeh.
3 Sorrow is better than laughter, for a sad countenance is good for the heart.
Konoinah he nueihbu lakah then. Maelhmai thaenah long ni lungbuei a voelphoeng sak.
4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.
Aka cueih kah lungbuei tah nguekcoinah im ah dae aka ang kah lungbuei tah kohoenah im ah om.
5 It is better to heed a wise man’s rebuke than to listen to the song of fools.
Aka cueih kah tluungnah hnatun he tah aka ang laa aka hnatun hlang lakah then.
6 For like the crackling of thorns under the pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This too is futile.
Am lae kah hling ol bangla aka ang kah nueihbu khaw om. Te dongah he khaw a honghi ni.
7 Surely extortion turns a wise man into a fool, and a bribe corrupts the heart.
Hnaemtaeknah loh hlangcueih a yan sak tih kutdoe loh lungbuei a poo sak.
8 The end of a matter is better than the beginning, and a patient spirit is better than a proud one.
Ol bawtnah he a tongnah lakah then. Aka ueh kah mueihla he aka oek kah mueihla lakah then.
9 Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger settles in the lap of a fool.
Huesak hamla na mueihla neh let sak boeh. Konoinah he aka ang kah rhang dongah ni a kol.
10 Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?” For it is unwise of you to ask about this.
“Balae tih hnukbuet kah a tue aka om te tahae kah lakah a then la a om?” ti boeh. Te bang te cueihnah neh na dawt moenih.
11 Wisdom, like an inheritance, is good, and it benefits those who see the sun.
Cueihnah tah rho la then tih khomik aka hmu ham khaw hoeikhang.
12 For wisdom, like money, is a shelter, and the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of its owner.
Cueihnah hlipkhup ah om he tangka hlipkhup kah om banghui ni. Tedae mingnah he tah rhoeikhangnah la om tih cueihnah long tah a kungmah te a hing sak.
13 Consider the work of God: Who can straighten what He has bent?
Pathen kah bibi te hmu lah. Amah loh a khun sak te dueng hamla aka noeng te unim?
14 In the day of prosperity, be joyful, but in the day of adversity, consider this: God has made one of these along with the other, so that a man cannot discover anything that will come after him.
A then tue vaengah tah a then la om. Tedae a yoethae tue vaengkah khaw hmu. He khaw dumlai dongah Pathen loh voeivang ah a khueh. Te daengah ni hlang loh a hnukah te pakhat khaw a hmu pawt eh.
15 In my futile life I have seen both of these: A righteous man perishing in his righteousness, and a wicked man living long in his wickedness.
Kamah kah a honghi tue vaengah a cungkuem te ka hmuh. Amah kah duengnah dongah aka paltham hlang dueng om tih a boethae neh aka nguel halang khaw om.
16 Do not be overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself?
Aka dueng koek la om boel lamtah hoeikhangnah aih ham khaw cueih boeh. Balae tih namah na phae uh?
17 Do not be excessively wicked, and do not be a fool. Why should you die before your time?
Muep poehlip boel lamtah lunghmang la om boeh. Balae tih namah tue pawt vaengah na duek eh?
18 It is good to grasp the one and not let the other slip from your hand. For he who fears God will follow both warnings.
He he na tuuk vaengah na kut te ke lamloh na hlah pawt ham then. Pathen aka rhih ham tah a cungkuem te a noeng.
19 Wisdom makes the wise man stronger than ten rulers in a city.
Cueihnah long tah aka cueih te khopuei kah aka om boei parha lakah khaw a tanglue sak.
20 Surely there is no righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.
Diklai hman ah hnothen a saii tih aka tholh pawh hlang dueng a om moenih.
21 Do not pay attention to every word that is spoken, or you may hear your servant cursing you.
Ol a thui uh boeih te khaw na lungbuei pae boeh. Te pawt koinih na sal loh namah n'tap te na ya ve.
22 For you know in your heart that many times you yourself have cursed others.
Namah loh hlang tloe na tap te na lungbuei loh a voei a yet khaw a ming.
23 All this I tested by wisdom, saying, “I resolve to be wise.” But it was beyond me.
He boeih he cueihnah neh ka noemcai tih, “Ka cueih eh,” ka ti dae kai lamloh lakhla laklo.
24 What exists is out of reach and very deep. Who can fathom it?
Te tla a om te khaw hla coeng tih a dung lakah dung coeng. Te te aka hmu te unim?
25 I directed my mind to understand, to explore, to search out wisdom and explanations, and to understand the stupidity of wickedness and the folly of madness.
Kamah neh ka lungbuei khaw, uepnah koi kah halangnah neh anglatnah, lunghmangnah te ming ham neh yaam hamla, cueihnah neh poeknah tlap hamla ka maelh.
26 And I find more bitter than death the woman who is a snare, whose heart is a net, and whose hands are chains. The man who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is ensnared.
A lungbuei te tluum neh soh la a tung tih a kut dongah pinyennah aka khueh huta he dueknah lakah khahing la ka hmuh. Pathen mikhmuh ah aka then tah anih taeng lamloh loeih suidae aka tholh tah anih loh a tuuk ni.
27 “Behold,” says the Teacher, “I have discovered this by adding one thing to another to find an explanation.
So lah he, thuituenkung loh a thui bangla poeknah hmuh hamla pakhat soah pakhat ka phoel.
28 While my soul was still searching but not finding, among a thousand I have found one upright man, but among all these I have not found one such woman.
Te te ka hinglu loh a tlap pueng dae ka hmuh moenih. Thawngkhat khuiah tongpa pakhat ka hmuh dae te boeih lakli ah huta ka hmuh moenih.
29 Only this have I found: I have discovered that God made men upright, but they have sought out many schemes.”
He bueng mah so lah. Pathen loh hlang he a thuem la a saii coeng dae amih loh phuengnah muep a tlap uh te ka hmuh.
