Ecclesiastes 4
1 And I have turned, and I see all the oppressions that are done under the sun, and behold, the tear of the oppressed, and they have no comforter; and at the hand of their oppressors [is] power, and they have no comforter.
Ni tlim ah sak ih pacaekthlaekhaihnawk to ka khet moe, ka poek let bae naah; khenah, pacaekthlaekhaih tongh kaminawk loe qah o, toe pathloepkung tawn o ai; kami pacaekthlaek kaminawk loe sakthaihaih tha to tawnh o, toe pacaelthlaek ih kaminawk loe pathloepkung tawn o ai.
2 And I am praising the dead who have already died above the living who are yet alive.
To pongah kadueh tangcae kaminawk loe, kahing kaminawk pongah tahamhoih o kue, tiah ka thuih.
3 And better than both of them [is] he who has not yet been, in that he has not seen the evil work that has been done under the sun.
Ue, kaom vai ai, ni tlim ah sak ih sethaih hmuen hnu vai ai kami loe to kaminawk pongah tahamhoih kue.
4 And I have seen all the labor, and all the benefit of the work, because for it a man is the envy of his neighbor. Even this [is] vanity and distress of spirit.
Kami mah a imtaeng kami to ut pongah ni, patanghaih hoiah tok a sak, tiah ka hnuk. Hae hmuen doeh azom pui ni, takhi hnuk tapom rumramhaih ah ni oh.
5 The fool is clasping his hands, and eating his own flesh:
Kamthu loe a ban to pakhuem moe, angmah ih angan to caak.
6 “Better [is] a handful [with] quietness, than two handfuls [with] labor and distress of spirit.”
Patanghaih hoiah toksak moe, ban hnetto koiah hmuen tawnh pacoengah, takhi hnukah patom rumram pongah loe, kamding rue ah toksak moe, ban tamsum maeto hmuen tawnh to hoih kue.
7 And I have turned, and I see a vain thing under the sun:
To pacoengah ni tlim ah kaom azom pui hmuen to ka hnuk let bae vop.
8 There is one, and there is not a second; even son or brother he has not, and there is no end to all his labor! His eye also is not satisfied with riches, and [he does not say], “For whom am I laboring and bereaving my soul of good?” This also is vanity, it is a sad travail.
Kami maeto loe ampui tawn ai, caa sah ai moe, nawkamya doeh tawn ai, angmabueng khosak, toe toksak patanghaih to boeng thai ai; a tawnh ih hmuennawk to khet boep thai ai; kai loe kaimah hoi kaimah pacaekthlaek kami ah ni ka oh moe, kaimah ih khosak hoihaih to poek ai ah, minawk han ih maw patanghaih hoiah tha ka pathok moeng, tiah anih mah poek vai ai. Hae hmuen doeh azom pui ni, patangkhang rumramhaih ah ni oh.
9 The two [are] better than the one, in that they have a good reward by their labor.
Hnetto loe maeto pongah hoih kue; nihnik mah toksak azom hoi nahaeloe, toksakhaih atho to hnu hoi hmaek tih.
10 For if they fall, the one raises up his companion, but woe to the one who falls and there is not a second to raise him up!
Maeto amtim nahaeloe ampui mah anih to pathawk tih; toe bomkung tawn ai ah angmabueng ah amtimh kami loe khosak bing!
11 Also, if two lie down, then they have heat, but how has one heat?
Kami hnetto nawnto angsong hoi nahaeloe, bae um tih! Toe angmabueng ah angsong nahaeloe, kawbangmaw bae thai tih?
12 And if the one strengthens himself, the two stand against him; and the threefold cord is not quickly broken.
Kalah kami mah maeto han hmaang naah nihnik loe angbomh hoi tih; aqui thumto ah zet ih qui loe apet han rai.
13 Better is a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king, who has not known to be warned anymore.
Thuitaekhaih koeh ai siangpahrang kamthu mitong pongah loe, palungha mithoe nawkta to hoih kue.
14 For from a house of prisoners he has come out to reign, for even in his own kingdom he has been poor.
Kami loe thongkrah cadoeh, siangpahrang ah angcoeng thaih; siangpahrang imthung ah tapen cadoeh amtang thaih.
15 I have seen all the living, who are walking under the sun, with the second youth who stands in his place;
Ni tlim ah kahing khosah kaminawk loe, siangpahrang qawktoep han kazing, kami hnukah ni bang o boih, tiah ka poek.
16 there is no end to all the people, to all who were before them; also, the latter do not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and distress of spirit.
Anih loe angmah hmaa ih kroeklaek ai kami nuiah siangpahrang ah oh, toe angzo han koi kaminawk loe siangpahrang nuiah anghoe o poe mak ai. Hae hmuen doeh azom pui ah ni oh tangtang, takhi hnukah patom ramrum baktiah ni oh.
