Proverbs 24
1 Don't be jealous of evil people; don't long to spend time with them,
Hlang thae rhoek taengah thatlai boeh. Amih taengah om hamla nai rhoe nai boeh.
2 for they think up cruel plans and discuss how to cause trouble.
Amih kah lungbuei loh rhoelrhanah te a taeng tih, a hmuilai loh thakthaenah ni a thui.
3 A house is built by wisdom; its foundation is made secure through understanding.
Cueihnah neh im a sak tih a lungcuei neh a thoh.
4 Its rooms are filled by knowledge with all kinds of valuable and beautiful objects.
Mingnah loh boeirhaeng neh a kuel a ka, a naep a noi boeih khaw imkhui ah a khawk sak.
5 If you have wisdom, you are strong; if you have knowledge, your power increases,
Cueih he tah hlang kah sarhi la om tih, mingnah loh hlang kah thadueng a cong pah.
6 for with wise guidance you can go to war; you will be victorious by having many good advisors.
Caemtloek vaengah nang hamla a niing hang hol vetih, uentonah cungkuem neh loeihnah hang khueh ni.
7 Wisdom goes over the heads of stupid people; they have nothing to contribute when important matters are discussed.
Cueihnah he aka ang ham tah sang aih. Vongka ah a ka a ong pah moenih.
8 Anyone who plans to do evil will be seen as a troublemaker.
Thaehuet ham aka moeh tah, “Tangkhuepnah boei,” la a khue uh ni.
9 Plans thought up by stupid people are sinful. Everyone hates those who are scornful of others.
Anglat kah a tholh khaw khonuen rhamtat, hmuiyoi hlang khaw tueilaehkoi ni.
10 If you give up in times of trouble, it shows how weak you are.
Citcai tue vaengah na tahah tih, na thadueng khaw tla.
11 Rescue those who are being led away to be executed; save those who are stumbling on their way to be slaughtered.
Duek sak ham a khuen uh te huul uh laeh, ngawnnah la aka yalh te khaw hloh uh laeh.
12 If you say, “Look, we didn't know anything about this,” don't you think the God who judges your motives will see what's happening? He who watches over you knows, and he will pay people back for what they've done.
“Ka ming uh moenih ko he,” na ti cakhaw, amah loh lungbuei a khiinglang tih yakming mahpawt a? Na hinglu aka kueinah loh a ming ta. Te dongah hlang he amah kah bisai bangla a thuung ni ta.
13 My son, eating honey is good for you; the honeycomb tastes sweet.
Ka ca, khoitui tah then tih ca lah. Khoilitui tah na ka dongah didip ta.
14 In the same way, you should know that wisdom is good for you; if you find it, there will be a future for you, and your hope will not be crushed.
Cueihnah te na hinglu ham ming van lah. Na hmuh atah na hmailong khui vetih, na ngaiuepnah khaw yoe mahpawh.
15 Don't be like a criminal waiting to ambush the home of good people; don't attack the place where they live.
Halang aw, hlang dueng tolkhoeng ke rhongngol thil boeh, a kolhmuen te khaw rhoelrhak pah boeh.
16 Those who do right may fall down seven times, and still get up again; but the wicked are brought down by disaster.
Aka dueng tah voei rhih a cungku akhaw koep thoo dae, halang rhoek tah yoethae nen ni a tongtah uh.
17 Don't celebrate when your enemies fall; don't be glad when they trip up,
Na thunkha, na thunkha te a cungku vaengah kokhahnah boeh, a paloe vaengah khaw na lungbuei omngaih sak boeh.
18 otherwise when the Lord sees it, he'll be unhappy with you and won't punish your enemies as he planned.
BOEIPA loh a hmuh vaengah a mik lolh vetih, anih taengkah a thintoek te vik lat ve.
19 Don't get all upset over the wicked, or be jealous of those who do wrong,
Thaehuet dongah sai boeh. Halang rhoek taengah khaw thatlai boeh.
20 for evil people have no future—the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out.
Boethae ham a hmailong a khui pah moenih, halang kah hmaithoi khaw a thih pah ni.
21 My son, honor the Lord and the king, and don't join those who are rebellious,
Ka ca, BOEIPA khaw, manghai khaw rhih lah. Aka thovael neh pitpom boeh.
22 for disaster will suddenly fall on them. Who knows how the Lord and king will punish them?
Amih te rhainah loh buengrhuet a pai thil vetih, amih rhoi kah yoethaenah te ulong a ming?
23 These are more sayings of the wise: Showing favoritism when passing judgment is wrong.
He rhoek khaw hlang cueih kah a hut ni. Laitloeknah dongah maelhmai loha sak khaw then pawh.
24 Those who tell the guilty, “You're innocent,” will be cursed by the people and hated by the nation,
Halang te, “Na dueng,” aka ti nah tah, amah te pilnam loh a tap vetih, namtu loh kosi a sah thil ni.
25 while those who convict the guilty will be appreciated, and will receive a rich blessing.
Tedae amih aka tluung rhoek te hoel ti vetih, a soah yoethennah hnothen loh a thoeng pah ni.
26 An honest answer is a kiss on the lips.
Langya la olka aka mael tah, a hmuilai te a mok pah.
27 Do the work you need to do outside first, then prepare and sow your fields, and only after that start building your house.
Na bibi te vongvoel ah khaw cikngae sak. Anih te a hnukah na lo ah a sikim phoeiah na im te thoh.
28 Don't testify against your neighbors without having a good reason, and don't tell lies.
Na hui te ahong mai neh laipai la om thil boeh. Namah kah hmuilai neh na hloih a?
29 Don't say to yourself, “I'm going to do to him what he did to me! I'll pay him back for what he's done!”
“Kai taengah a saii bangla amah te ka saii van ni, hlang te amah kah bisai bangla ka thuung ni,” ti boeh.
30 I walked past the field of a lazy man, past a vineyard of someone with no sense.
Kolhnaw hlang kah lohma longah khaw, lungbuei aka talh hlang kah misur taengah khaw ka cet coeng.
31 It was all overgrown with thorns, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall had fallen down.
Lo pum ah dohui daih tih, canghli ah lota loh a thing. A vongtung dongkah lungto khaw a koengloeng coeng ke.
32 As I looked I thought about it, and what I saw taught me a lesson:
Ka hmuh vaengah kai long tah, ka lungbuei ah ka khueh tih, ka sawt vaengah thuituennah la ka loh.
33 You may say, “Please, just a little more sleep, a little longer snooze, a little more folding of the arms to rest”—
Bet ip, bet ngam, kut bet a poem neh yalh pahoi.
34 and poverty will attack you like a robber, destitution like an armed warrior.
Te vaengah na khodaeng loh aka cetpaitai bangla, na tloelnah loh photling aka bai hlang bangla ha pawk.
