Ecclesiastes 4
1 I thought some more about all the suffering that people are caused to experience on the earth [MTY]. I saw the tears of people who were (oppressed/treated cruelly) and who had no one to comfort/encourage them. Those who oppressed them had power, and there was absolutely no one who was able to comfort those who were being oppressed.
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 [So] I thought that those who are already dead are more fortunate than those who are still alive.
To pongah kadueh tangcae kaminawk loe, kahing kaminawk pongah tahamhoih o kue, tiah ka thuih.
3 And those who have not been born yet are more fortunate than those who are still alive and those who have died, [because] those who have not been born have not seen all the evil things that are done on the earth.
Ue, kaom vai ai, ni tlim ah sak ih sethaih hmuen hnu vai ai kami loe to kaminawk pongah tahamhoih kue.
4 I also thought about all the hard work that people do and the skills that they have. And I thought about how they compete with each other because they are envious of others, [and I concluded that] this also is something that is not accomplishing anything useful, [like] chasing the wind.
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 Foolish people [refuse to work]; they sit idly, with their hands folded, [and do not work]. [So] they ruin themselves.
Kamthu loe a ban to pakhuem moe, angmah ih angan to caak.
6 [So I say], “It is better to be content with not having much money, than to work very hard and try to get a lot of money, which is [as useless as] chasing the wind.”
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 I thought about something else that happens on the earth [MTY] that seems senseless.
To pacoengah ni tlim ah kaom azom pui hmuen to ka hnuk let bae vop.
8 There are men who live alone; they do not have a wife or children or any brothers living with them; every day they work [very hard], without stopping, to get a lot of money, but they are never satisfied with the things that they have. They never ask [themselves], “Why am I working very hard to earn more money? Why am I not doing things that would cause me to be happy?” What they do also seems senseless.
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 Having someone [work] with you is better than being by yourself [all the time]. If you have a friend, he can help you to do your work.
Hnetto loe maeto pongah hoih kue; nihnik mah toksak azom hoi nahaeloe, toksakhaih atho to hnu hoi hmaek tih.
10 If you fall down, he can help you get up again. But if you fall down when you are alone, it will be difficult for you, because there will be no one to help you stand up.
Maeto amtim nahaeloe ampui mah anih to pathawk tih; toe bomkung tawn ai ah angmabueng ah amtimh kami loe khosak bing!
11 Similarly, if two people sleep together, they can keep each other warm. But someone who sleeps alone will certainly not [RHQ] be warm.
Kami hnetto nawnto angsong hoi nahaeloe, bae um tih! Toe angmabueng ah angsong nahaeloe, kawbangmaw bae thai tih?
12 Someone who is alone can easily be attacked and defeated by another person, but two people can help each other and (resist/defend themselves against) someone who attacks them. [Three people can defend themselves even more easily], [like] a rope that is made from three cords is harder to break [than a rope made from two cords].
Kalah kami mah maeto han hmaang naah nihnik loe angbomh hoi tih; aqui thumto ah zet ih qui loe apet han rai.
13 A young man who is poor but wise is a better person than a foolish old king who refuses to pay attention when people try to give him good advice.
Thuitaekhaih koeh ai siangpahrang kamthu mitong pongah loe, palungha mithoe nawkta to hoih kue.
14 It is possible for a young man like that to succeed and some day become king, even if his parents were poor or even if he was in prison some of the time.
Kami loe thongkrah cadoeh, siangpahrang ah angcoeng thaih; siangpahrang imthung ah tapen cadoeh amtang thaih.
15 But then some other young man becomes king, and everyone (starts to support/is pleased with) him.
Ni tlim ah kahing khosah kaminawk loe, siangpahrang qawktoep han kazing, kami hnukah ni bang o boih, tiah ka poek.
16 Large crowds of people crowd around him. But after a few years, they will reject him, [too]. So it is all senseless, [like] chasing after the wind.
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.
