Ecclesiastes 9
1 I had my mind consider all this. Wise and good people and everything they do are in God's hands. Love or hate—who knows what will happen to them?
A lathueng lah dei tangcoung e naw hah kai ni ka pouk navah, tamikalan hoi tami lungkaangnaw teh, a tawksak e hno khuehoi Cathut kut dawk ao. Tami pueng ni amamae hmalah lengkaleng kaawm e lungpatawnae hoi hmuhmanae hah panuek awh hoeh.
2 Yet we all share the same destiny—those who do right, those who do evil, the good, the religiously-observant and those that are not, those who sacrifice and those who don't. Those who do good are as those who sin, those who make vows to God are as those who don't.
Tami pueng e lathueng vah reikâvan e hno a tâco. Tami kalan hoi kalan hoeh e, tami kahawi hoi kahawihoeh e, tami kathoung hoi kathounghoehe, thuengnae ka sak hoi ka sak hoeh e, yonnae ka tawn hoeh e hoi ka tawn e, thoekâbo e tami hoi kâbo hoeh e taminaw lathueng hai reikâvan e hno a tâco.
3 This is just so wrong—that everyone here on earth should suffer the same fate! On top of that, people's minds are filled with evil. They spend their lives thinking about stupid things, and then they die.
Hethateh, kanî rahim vah sak e reikâvan e hawihoehnae tami pueng ni a kâhmo e hno doeh. Atang katang lah taminaw e lungthin teh yonnae hoi akawi. A hring awh nathung vah, pathunae lung a tawn awh teh bout a due awh.
4 But the living still have hope—a live dog is better than a dead lion!
Ka hring e taminaw hoi kâkuennaw teh ngaihawinae ao. Kahring e ui teh kadout e sendek hlak bet ahawi.
5 The living are conscious of the fact that they're going to die, but the dead have no consciousness of anything. They don't receive any further benefit; they're forgotten.
Kahring e tami ni a due hane a panue. Ka dout e ni teh banghai panuek hoeh. Tawkphu awm hoeh toe. Ama hai pahnim awh toe.
6 Their love, hate, and envy—it's all gone. They have no further part in anything that happens here on earth.
Ahnie lungpatawnae, maithoenae, utnae hai a kahma toe. Kanî rahim vah sak e hno dawk ayânaw hoi rei coe mahoeh toe.
7 So go ahead and eat your food, and enjoy it. Drink your wine with a happy heart. That's what God intends that you should do.
Cet nateh lunghawi lahoi rawca cat leih. Lunghawi lahoi misurtui net leih. Nang ni na sak e naw pueng Cathut ni lung na kuepkhai.
8 Always wear smart clothes and look good.
Na khohna hai pou pangaw naseh. Na lû dawk e satui hai phui sak hanh.
9 Enjoy life with the wife that you love—the one God gave you—during all the days of this brief life, all these passing days whose meaning is so hard to understand as you work here on earth.
Kanî rahim na poe e ahrawnghrang hring nathung, na lungpataw e yu hoi kanawmcalah hringnae atueng loum sak haw. Hetteh, hring na thung kanî rahim vah panki thapatho e dawk coe e doeh.
10 Whatever you do, do it with all your strength, for when you go to the grave there's no more working or thinking, no more knowing or being wise. (Sheol h7585)
Tawk hane kaawm e pueng hah thahmei laihoi tawk awh. Bangkongtetpawiteh, atu na cei teh na pha hane hmu e, tami kadout kho teh thaw tawknae, kho pouknae, thoumthainae, lungangnae hai awm mahoeh toe. (Sheol h7585)
11 I thought about other things that happen here on earth. Races are not always won by the fastest runner. Battles are not always decided by the strongest warrior. Also, the wise do not always have food, intelligent people do not always make money, and those who are clever do not always win favor. Time and chance affect all of them.
Kanî rahim kaawm e naw pueng bout ka khet navah, a hue karang poung e tami hai ouk tâ hoeh. Atha kaawm poung ni taran a tuk ei, ouk tâ hoeh. A lungkaang ni ka boum lah ouk cat hoeh. A ratho kahawi ni hnopai ouk hmawt hoeh. Lawk ka ngai e teh tami hmalah minhmai kahawi ouk hmawt hoeh. Tami pueng koe atueng akuepnae, coungkacoenae patetlah doeh ouk ao tie hah ka hmu.
12 You can't predict when your end will come. Just like fish caught in a net, or birds caught in a trap, so people are suddenly caught by death when they least expect it.
Tami ni amae atueng hah ouk panuek hoeh. Tamlawk dawk kâman e tanga patetlah tangkam dawk kâman e tava patetlah taminaw ni runae thungvah pouk laipalah a kâman awh toe.
13 Here's another aspect of wisdom that impressed me about what happens here on earth.
Kanî rahim oup han kawi lah ka hmu e lungangnae teh,
14 Once there was a small town with only a few inhabitants. A powerful king came and besieged the town, building great earth ramps against its walls.
khoca kayoun e kho buet touh ao. Siangpahrang kalen e a tho teh, hote kho lawilah ao awh teh, ransanaw moikapap hoi a kalup awh.
15 In that town lived a man who was wise, but poor. He saved the town by his wisdom. But no one remembered to thank that poor man.
Hote kho dawk kaawm e mathoe ca a lungkaang e buet touh ni, amae lungangnae lahoi hote kho teh a hlout sak. Hatei, hote mathoe ca hah apinihai noutna awh hoeh.
16 As I've always said, “Wisdom is better than strength.” Yet the wisdom of that poor man was dismissed—people didn't pay attention to what he said.
Hatnavah, ka dei ngai e teh, lungangnae teh thasainae hlak ahawi. Hatei, mathoe ca e lungangnae teh banglahai ouk noutna awh hoeh. A lawk hai ngai a pouh hoeh.
17 It's better to listen to the calm words of a wise person than the shouts of a ruler of fools.
Ka ukkung ni kapathunaw e hramkikhai e lawk ngâi e hlakvah, soumtinae koe tami lungkaang ni dei e lawk doeh a ngâi pouh.
18 It's better to have wisdom than weapons of war; but a sinner can destroy a lot of good.
Lungangnae teh senehmaica hlak bet ahawi. Yonnae ka sak e haiyah hno kahawinaw hah ouk a raphoe.
