Ecclesiastes 8
1 Who is like the wise man? Who knows the interpretation of a matter? A man’s wisdom brightens his face, and the sternness of his face is changed.
Unim hlang cueih bangla aka om? Olka te thuingaihnah aka ming te unim? Hlang he cueihnah loh a maelhmai a sae sak tih a maelhmai khaw sarhi a tho.
2 Keep the king’s command, I say, because of your oath before God.
Kamah manghai ka dongkah he Pathen olhlo dongkah dumlai la a om dongah ngaithuen.
3 Do not hasten to leave his presence, and do not persist in a bad cause, for he will do whatever he pleases.
A mikhmuh lamloh na caeh vaengah let boeh. Boethae ol dongah pai boeh. A cungkuem te a ngaih bangla a saii bitni.
4 For the king’s word is supreme, and who can say to him, “What are you doing?”
Manghai ol dongah a khuet om tih anih te ulong, “Balae na saii?” a ti nah.
5 Whoever keeps his command will come to no harm, and a wise heart knows the right time and procedure.
Olpaek aka tuem tah boethae ol a ming moenih. Aka cueih kah lungbuei tah a tue neh laitloeknah khaw a ming.
6 For there is a right time and procedure to every purpose, though a man’s misery weighs heavily upon him.
Hlang kah boethae he amah soah ping cakhaw ngaihnah cungkuem ham he a tuetang neh a khosing om.
7 Since no one knows what will happen, who can tell him what is to come?
Anih te metla a om te khaw a ming moenih. Te vanbangla mebang a om ham khaw te anih taengah ulong a thui thai?
8 As no man has power over the wind to contain it, so no one has authority over his day of death. As no one can be discharged in wartime, so wickedness will not release those who practice it.
Khohli te hloh hamla khohli soah hlang a boei moenih. Dueknah khohnin soah a khuet aka khueh khaw om pawh. Caemtloeknah khuiah khaw paanah a om moenih. Te dongah halangnah loh a boei te loeih sak mahpawh.
9 All this I have seen, applying my mind to every deed that is done under the sun; there is a time when one man lords it over another to his own detriment.
A cungkuem he ka sawt tih khomik hmuikah a saii bibi boeih he ka lungbuei ah ka dueh. Hlang loh hlang soah amah kah a yoethae ham duela a taemrhai tue khaw om.
10 Then too, I saw the burial of the wicked who used to go in and out of the holy place, and they were praised in the city where they had done so. This too is futile.
Halang rhoek a up uh he ka sawt vaengah hmuen cim lamloh aka thoeng tih aka pongpa rhoek ni. Tedae te bang a saii nah khopuei ah a hnilh uh coeng. He khaw a honghi coeng ni.
11 When the sentence for a crime is not speedily executed, the hearts of men become fully set on doing evil.
Khoboe thae khaw oltloeknah hat a saii hae moenih. Te dongah ni hlang koca kah lungbuei tah a khuiah thae saii hamla a hah.
12 Although a sinner does evil a hundred times and still lives long, yet I also know that it will go well with those who fear God, who are reverent in His presence.
Aka tholh khaw boethae yakhat a saii tih anih te nguel mai cakhaw Pathen aka rhih tih a mikhmuh ah aka rhih taengah ni hnothen a om eh tila ka ming.
13 Yet because the wicked do not fear God, it will not go well with them, and their days will not lengthen like a shadow.
Tedae hnothen he halang taengah om mahpawh. Anih te Pathen mikhmuh ah a rhih pawt dongah khokhawn bangla a khohnin vang mahpawh.
14 There is a futility that is done on the earth: There are righteous men who get what the actions of the wicked deserve, and there are wicked men who get what the actions of the righteous deserve. I say that this too is futile.
Diklai ah aka thoeng he a honghi mai ni. Aka dueng khaw a soah halang kah khoboe bangla aka thoeng te om tih, halang khaw a taengah aka dueng kah khoboe bangla a thoeng pah te om bal. He khaw a honghi mai la ka ti.
15 So I commended the enjoyment of life, because there is nothing better for a man under the sun than to eat and drink and be merry. For this joy will accompany him in his labor during the days of his life that God gives him under the sun.
Te dongah kai tah kohoenah he ni ka domyok sak mai. Khomik hmuiah a caak, a ok tih ko a hoe mak atah hlang ham hnothen a om moenih. Te dongah anih te a hingnah tue vaengah tah a thakthaenah nen khaw a naem coeng. Te te Pathen loh anih taengla khomik hmuiah a paek coeng.
16 When I applied my mind to know wisdom and to observe the task that one performs on the earth—though his eyes do not see sleep in the day or even in the night—
Cueihnah ming ham neh bibi hmuh ham ka lungbuei te ka paek coeng. Te long te diklai hman ah tah khothaih ah khaw, khoyin ah khaw, a mik te ih sak pawt tih hmuh sak pawt ham a saii.
17 I saw every work of God, and that a man is unable to comprehend the work that is done under the sun. Despite his efforts to search it out, he cannot find its meaning; even if the wise man claims to know, he is unable to comprehend.
Pathen bibi boeih te ka hmuh. Te bibi te hlang loh a hmuh ham a noeng moenih. Khomik hmuiah a saii te hlang loh tlap hamla thakthae sitoe mai cakhaw a hmuh moenih. Aka cueih loh ming hamla a ti van akhaw a hmuh hamla a noeng moenih.
