Ecclesiastes 7
1 A good name is better than fine perfume, and one’s day of death is better than his day of birth.
Minhawinae teh hmuitui satui hlak ahawi. Duenae hnin hai khenae hnin hlak bet ahawi.
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.
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.
3 Sorrow is better than laughter, for a sad countenance is good for the heart.
Panui e hlakvah lungmathoe e bet ahawi. Bangkongtetpawiteh, lungmathoenae ni lungthin bet ahawi sak.
4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.
Lungkaangnaw e lungthin teh ro im vah ao. Tamipathunaw e lungthin teh pawi im vah ao.
5 It is better to heed a wise man’s rebuke than to listen to the song of fools.
Tamipathunaw e la sak lawk thai hlakvah, lungkaangnaw e tounnae lawk tarawi e bet ahawi.
6 For like the crackling of thorns under the pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This too is futile.
Bangkongtetpawiteh, tamipathunaw e panuinae teh hlaam rahim vah pâkhing ka kang e lawk hoi a kâvan. Hot naw hai ahrawnghrang doeh.
7 Surely extortion turns a wise man into a fool, and a bribe corrupts the heart.
Atangcalah, rektapnae ni a lungkaangnaw a pathu sak. Tadawngnae ni lungthin a rawk sak.
8 The end of a matter is better than the beginning, and a patient spirit is better than a proud one.
Apoutnae teh kamtawngnae hlak ahawi, a lungkasaw e tami teh a lungkalen e tami hlakvah ahawi.
9 Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger settles in the lap of a fool.
Lungkhuek han totouh na lungduem sak hanh. Lungkhueknae teh kapathunaw e lungthung vah hmuen ouk a la.
10 Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?” For it is unwise of you to ask about this.
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.
11 Wisdom, like an inheritance, is good, and it benefits those who see the sun.
Lungangnae teh râw patetlah ahawi. Kanî ka hmawt e naw koe hnokahawi a sak.
12 For wisdom, like money, is a shelter, and the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of its owner.
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.
13 Consider the work of God: Who can straighten what He has bent?
Cathut ni hno a sak e hah pouk haw, a longkawi sak e teh apinimaw a palan thai han.
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.
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.
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.
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.
16 Do not be overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself?
Hloi lan hanh, hloi lungang hanh. Bangkongmaw nama e hawinae hah raphoe hanelah na ngai.
17 Do not be excessively wicked, and do not be a fool. Why should you die before your time?
Hloi mathout hanh, hloi pathu hanh. Bangkongmaw atueng a pha hoehnahlan due hane na ngai.
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.
Hete lawk heh pâkuem hanelah ahawi. Thada hanh, Cathut ka taket e tami teh hno pueng dawk hoi a hlout han.
19 Wisdom makes the wise man stronger than ten rulers in a city.
Khopui thung kaawm e ukkung hra touh hlak, tami lungkaang buet touh e lungangnae a tha aohnawn.
20 Surely there is no righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.
Yon nuen laipalah hnokahawi ka sak e tami a nuen kahawi e talai van buet touh hai awm hoeh.
21 Do not pay attention to every word that is spoken, or you may hear your servant cursing you.
Ayâ ni a dei e pueng hah pâkuem hanh. Hottelah na tetpawiteh, na san e thoebo lawk na thai han.
22 For you know in your heart that many times you yourself have cursed others.
Nama roeroe ni atuhoitu, ayânaw thoe na bo e hah na lung hoi na panue.
23 All this I tested by wisdom, saying, “I resolve to be wise.” But it was beyond me.
Hetnaw pueng heh, kai ni lungangnae hoi ka noumcai toe. Ka lungang han toe ka ti navah, lungangnae hoi hoe ka kâhla.
24 What exists is out of reach and very deep. Who can fathom it?
Kahlat ni teh kadung poung e hno hah apinimaw a tawng vaiteh a hmu thai han.
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.
Lungangnae hoi akongnaw hah ka tawng teh panue hanelah thoseh, povangtanae hoi pathunae panue nahanelah thoseh, ka lung ni a kâyawm toe.
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.
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.
27 “Behold,” says the Teacher, “I have discovered this by adding one thing to another to find an explanation.
Phungdeikung ti e teh kai ni ka tawng teh ka hmu hoeh rae hah hmu hanelah buet touh hnukkhu buet touh a pâphue.
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.
Tongpa thong touh thung dawk buet touh ka hmu toe. Napui thong touh thung buet touh boehai ka hmawt hoeh.
29 Only this have I found: I have discovered that God made men upright, but they have sought out many schemes.”
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.
