Ecclesiastes 1
1 Here are the words of the Teacher, the king of Jerusalem, David's son.
Devit capa, phungdeikung Jerusalem siangpahrang ni a dei e lawk teh,
2 “Everything passes—it's so temporary! It's all so hard to understand!” says the Teacher.
Ahrawnghrang doeh, ahrawnghrang doeh. Bangpueng hai ahrawnghrang doeh.
3 What benefit do you get for slaving away in this life?
Kanî rahim vah tami ni a tawksak e pueng bang hawinae maw kaawm.
4 People come, and people go, but the earth lasts forever!
Se buet touh aloum teh se alouke bout a tâco. Hatei, talai teh a kangning.
5 The sun comes up, and the sun goes down, and then rushes to its place to rise again.
Kanî a tâco teh bout a khup. Hatei, a tâconae koehoi bout bout a tâco.
6 The wind blows south, and then turns to the north. Round and round it spins, finally coming full circle.
Kahlî haiyah a kâheinae koe lah bout bout a kâhei.
7 Streams all flow into the sea, but the sea never becomes full. The streams return to the place from where they came.
Tuipuinaw a lawng teh talîpui dawk koung a kâcu eiteh kawi hoeh. Talîpui teh a lawngnae koelah bout bout a ban.
8 Everything just keeps on going. You can't say all there is to say. You can't see all there is to see. You can't hear all there is to hear.
Bangpueng hai tami ni dei thai hoeh totouh patangnae a kâhmo. Mit ni a khet eiteh hmawt thai hoeh. Hnâ ni a thai eiteh boum thai hoeh.
9 Everything that was will continue to be; everything that has been done will be done again. Nothing new ever happens here.
Hno kaawm tangcoung e hai bout kaawm hane hoi a kâvan. Atu sak e hai bout sak hane hoi a kâvan. Kanî rahim vah hno katha awm hoeh.
10 There's nothing anyone can point to and say, “Look! Here's something new.” In fact it's been around for ages, long before our time.
Khenhaw! hno katha buet tabang ao maw awm hoeh, ayan vah yo kaawm tangcoung e doeh.
11 The problem is we don't remember people from the past, and people in the future won't remember those who came before them.
Ayan kaawm boi e hnonaw ouk pahnim thai awh. Ka tho hane naw hai ka tho hane naw ni bout a pahnim awh han.
12 I am the Teacher, and I was king over Israel, reigning from Jerusalem.
Kai, phungdeikung, Jerusalem khopui dawk Isarel siangpahrang lah ka o nah,
13 I decided to focus my mind to explore, using wisdom, everything that happens here on earth. This is a tough assignment that God has given people to keep them busy!
Kanî rahim vah sakyoe e pueng thoumthainae lahoi pakhingpalang lungthin ka tawng. Cathut ni taminaw koe khoram sak nahanelah a patangpalai sak.
14 I examined everything people do here on earth, and discovered that it's all so temporary—trying to understand it is like trying to pin down the wind!
Kanî rahim e hnosak e pueng ka hmu toe. Bangpueng ahrawnghrang doeh. Kahlî ka man e hoi doeh a kâvan.
15 You can't straighten what is twisted, and you can't count what isn't there.
Ka longkawi e teh palan thai hoeh. Kamko e hno teh touk mahoeh.
16 I thought to myself, “I've become very wise, wiser than all the kings of Jerusalem before me. My mind has gained a great deal of wisdom and knowledge.”
Kama hoi kama ka kâdei e teh, kai teh Jerusalem kauknaw pueng hlakvah ka talue, ka lung a ang, ka lungthin ni lungangnae hah alawkpui lah a kamtu.
17 So I decided to use my mind to learn everything about wisdom, and madness and foolishness as well. But I found out that this is as hard as trying to catch hold of the wind.
Lungangnae hoi pathunae, polainae pakhingpalang ka tawn. Hot naw haiyah, kahlî man e patetlah doeh ao.
18 For with great wisdom comes great frustration. The greater the knowledge, the greater the pain.
Lungangnae apap nah, lungreithainae a pap. Thoumthainae apapnae koe lungmathoenae hoe a pap.
