Ecclesiastes 5
1 When you enter God’s temple, you should be sure to listen carefully. Doing that is better than offering sacrifices to God [and then not obeying him], which is foolish.
Sithaw imthung ah na caeh naah na khok tangkan to acoe ah; amsoem ai hmuen a sak o tiah panoek ai kamthunawk ih angbawnhaih to sak pae pongah loe, lok tahngaih hanah azom ah.
2 Think carefully before you speak [MTY] or before you promise God that you will do something [IDM]. [Do not forget that] God is in heaven [and he is all-powerful] and you are here on the earth, so think carefully before you [make any promises to God].
Na pakha to rangsak hmah, Sithaw hmaa ah lokthuih hanah, na poekhaih rangsak hmah; Sithaw loe van ah oh moe, nang loe long ah na oh; to pongah na lok to tamsisak ah.
3 If you are continually thinking [and worrying] about things, you will have bad dreams about them and not rest [well]. And the more you talk, the more likely it will be that you will say things that are foolish.
Kapop ah poek ih hmuen to amang ah hnuk baktih toengah, lokpunghaih mah amthuhaih to amtuengsak.
4 When you solemnly promise God that you will do something, do not be foolish by delaying in doing it, because God is not pleased with foolish people. Do [all] the things that you promise God that you will do.
Sithaw khae lokkamhaih sak naah, akoepsak ai ah om hmah; anih loe kamthunawk nuiah anghoe ai; lokkamhaih to koepsak ah.
5 It is better to not promise [anything] than to promise to do something, and [then] not doing it.
Lokkamhaih na koepsak ai pongah loe, lokkamhaih sah ai ah oh to hoih kue.
6 Do not sin by promising to do something and then not doing it. And [when you promise God to do something and do not do it], do not say to God’s priest that it was a mistake for you to promise to do that. If you do that, God will certainly [RHQ] become very angry with you, and he will take from you everything that you [SYN] have worked to acquire.
Na pakha pongah na takpum to zaehaih sahsak hmah; ka sakpazae moeng boeh tiah, van kaminawk hmaa ah thui hmah; na thuih nahaeloe Sithaw palungphui ueloe, na ban hoi sak ih hmuen to amrosak tih.
7 Promising to do something and not doing it is like [SIM] a dream that has no value; instead, revere God [by doing what you promised him that you would do].
Pop parai amang hoi pop hmoek ah apaeh ih lok loe avanghaih tidoeh om ai; to pongah nang loe Sithaw to zii ah.
8 Do not be surprised if you see poor [people] being (oppressed/treated cruelly) [by powerful/influential people], or if you see judges making unjust decisions throughout the land. [That happens] because the people who do that are supervised [and cheated by] more important officials [DOU],
Prae thungah kamtang hnaphnaehaih, toenghaih loklam hoi amkhraeng moe, patuk ih lok baktih na ai ah lokcaekhaih hoi athii palonghaih to na hnuk naah, to baktih hmuen pongah dawnrai hmah; angraeng maeto loe angmah pongah kasang kue angraeng mah anih to khet parui, nihnik doeh angmah hnik pongah kasang kue angraeng mah khet parui let bae vop.
9 and even the king forces the people to give him some of the crops that they harvest.
Prae thung ih amekhaih loe kami boih han ih ni, siangpahrang angmah doeh lawk thung hoiah amekhaih to hnuk.
10 Everyone who tries to [get as much] money as they can will never think that they have enough. They will never be satisfied with the money that they have. That also is senseless.
Phoisa palung kami loe phoisa hoiah palungdip mak ai; angraenghaih koeh kami doeh a tawnh ih hmuenmae hoiah palungdip thai mak ai; hae hmuen doeh azom pui ni.
11 The more money that we have, the more people want us to spend our money to buy things for them. So people who have a lot of money do not [RHQ] benefit from it; they see [MTY] it when they get it, but it soon (disappears/is completely spent).
Hmuenmae pop naah, patohhaih doeh pop aep; katawn kaminawk mah mik hoiah dan o khue ai ah loe tih amekhaih maw a tawnh o?
12 Those who work hard sleep peacefully [at night], even if they do not have much food to eat. But rich [people] do not sleep well, because [they worry] about their money.
Toksahkung loe zetta caa cadoeh kapop ah caa cadoeh, iih nawm pae; angraeng loe hmuenmae tawnh mang, toe iip thai ai.
13 I have seen [another] terrible thing that happens here on the earth [MTY]: People save [up all] their money and become rich, [but] they are not helped by saving a lot of money,
Ni tlim ah kasae koek hmuen to ka hnuk; angraengnawk loe a tawnh o ih hmuen to angmacae patang han ih ni patung o.
14 [because] something happens that causes their money to be gone, and when they die, there is no money for their children to get/inherit.
Toe to tiah angraeng kaminawk loe tahamsethaih mah anghmatsak boih; caa nongpa tapen cadoeh, anih mah toep han ih hmuen tidoeh om ai.
15 When we are born, we do not bring anything with us, and when we die, we take nothing with us from all that we have earned by our working hard.
Anih loe amno zokthung hoi bangkrai ah tacawt baktih toengah, bangkrai ah ni amlaem let tih; a toksakhaih to a ban hoi tidoeh sin thai mak ai.
16 That also seems senseless. People bring nothing [into the world when they are born], and they leave [this world] taking nothing with them. They have worked hard, but they receive no lasting benefit [MET].
Kami loe angmah angzohhaih baktiah, caeh let tih, hae doeh kasae koek hmuen ah ni oh; takhi hanah toksak hae timaw amekhaih oh?
17 [Furthermore, rich people] are always miserable [MET] and sad, and depressed/discouraged and often sick and (resentful/thinking that what has happened to them is unfair).
Anih hinghaih aninawk loe khoving thungah laemsak boih; palungsethaih, palungphuihaih, nathaih hoiah ni kho a sak.
18 So, the best thing for people to do here on the earth during the few years that God allows them to be alive is to eat and drink and to enjoy their work, because those are the things that God has given to them.
Sithaw mah paek ih hinghaih ni setta thungah kami han kahoih, kamsoem ah kaom ka hnuk ih hmuen loe caaknaek moe, tha pathok hoiah hnuk ih toksakhaih atho nuiah poeknawm ah khosakhaih hae ni; to hmuen loe angmah khosakhaih taham ah ni oh roe boeh.
19 If people are rich and have a lot of possessions, and are able to (enjoy/be happy with) the things that they have and to enjoy their work, those things are [also] gifts from God.
Sithaw mah kami boih hanah angraenghaih hoi hmuenmae tawnhhaih to paek; to hmuennawk hoi kanawm ah khosakhaih to paek, angmah ih taham to laksak moe, a toksakhaih pongah anghoehaih to paek; hae hmuen loe Sithaw ih tangqum ah ni oh.
20 Those people do not worry much about [everything that has happened] during the time that they have been alive, because God enables them to be happy doing everything that they do.
Sithaw mah poeknawmhaih palungthin to paek boeh pongah, kalaem tangcae khosakhaih aninawk to poek mak ai boeh.
