Ecclesiastes 9
1 I thought about all those things, and I concluded that God controls [what happens to] everyone, even those who are wise and those who are righteous. No one knows whether [others] will love them or whether they will hate them.
Ni tlim ah kaom hmuennawk boih ka poek naah, katoeng kaminawk hoi palungha kaminawk mah sak ih hmuen boih Sithaw ban ah ni oh; toe nihcae mah tongh o ih hmuen loe amlunghaih, to tih ai boeh loe hnukmahaih hoiah maw oh, tiah mi mah doeh panoek o ai.
2 [But we know that some time in the future] we will all die; it does not matter whether we act righteously or wickedly, whether we are good or whether we are bad, whether we are acceptable for [worshiping God] or whether [we have done things to cause us to be] unacceptable; it does not matter if we offer sacrifices [to God] or if we do not; it does not matter if we do what we have promised God that we will do or if we do not; [we all die]. The same thing will happen to good people and to sinful people, to those who solemnly promise [to do things for God] and to those who are afraid to make such promises.
Kasae kami, kahoih kami, ciimcai kami, ciimcai ai kami, angbawnhaih paek kami, angbawnhaih paek ai kami, katoeng kami, kami zae, lokkamhaih sah kami hoi lokkamhaih sak han zii kaminawk nuiah kaom hmuen loe anghmong boih, kami boih nuiah kaom hmuen doeh anghmong boih.
3 It seems wrong that the same thing happens to everyone on this earth: Everyone dies [EUP]. Furthermore, people’s inner beings are full of evil. People do foolish things while they are alive, and then they die and join those who are already dead.
Ni tlim ah kaom hmuennawk boih thungah kasae koek hmuen, kami boih khaeah kaom hmuen loe anghmong boih; ue, kaminawk ih palung loe sethaih hoiah koi; a hing o nathung amthuhaih palung hoiah koi o, to pacoengah duekhaih thungah a caeh o boih.
4 While we are alive, we confidently expect [that good things will happen to us]. [We despise] dogs, but it is better to be a dog that is alive than to be a [majestic] lion that is dead.
Kahing kaminawk salakah kaom kami loe oephaih to tawnh; kadueh kaipui pongah loe kahing ui to hoih kue.
5 We who are alive know that [some day] we will die, but dead people do not know anything. Dead people do not receive any more rewards, and people soon forget them.
Kami mah kai loe ka dueh tih, tiah panoek; toe dueh kami loe tidoeh panoek ai, tangqum hnuk han tawn o ai; panoekhaih doeh anghmat boih boeh.
6 [While they were alive], they loved [some people], they hated [some people], they envied [some people], but that all ends when they die. They will never again be a part of anything that happens here on the earth.
Amlunghaih, hnukmahaih hoi uthaihnawk doeh, anghmat boih boeh; ni tlim ah kaom hnuk han koi taham to natuek naah doeh hnu let mak ai boeh.
7 [So I say], be joyful [DOU] while you eat your food and drink your wine, because that is what God wants you to do.
Caeh ah loe anghoehaih hoiah buh ann to caa ah, poeknawmhaih hoiah misurtui to nae ah; na toksakhaih to Sithaw mah vaihi tapom boeh.
8 Wear nice [MTY] clothes and make your face look nice.
Khokpanai kanglung to abuen ah loe, na lu ah situi angnok toepsoep ah.
9 Enjoy living with your wife whom you love, all during the time that God has given to you to be alive here on this earth. And even though it is difficult to understand why many things happen, enjoy doing the work that you do here on this earth.
Ni tlim ah Sithaw mah paek ih azom pui ah kaom na hing thungah na palung ih na zu hoiah kanawm ah khosah ah; hae loe ni tlim ah tha pathokhaih hoiah toksak ih atho ah ni oh.
10 Whatever you are able to do, do it with all your energy, because [some time you will die], and in the place of the dead where you are going, no one works or plans to do anything or knows anything or is wise. (Sheol h7585)
Na ban hoi sak han koi hmuennawk boih to tha pathok ah loe sah ah; na caehhaih ahmuen, taprong ah loe toksakhaih doeh, khopoekhaih doeh, to tih ai boeh loe panoekhaih hoi palunghahaih doeh om ai boeh. (Sheol h7585)
11 I have seen something else here on the earth: The person who runs fastest does not [always] win the race, the strongest soldiers do not [always] win the battle, the wisest people do not [always] have food, the smartest people do not [always] become rich, and people who have studied a lot are not [always] (honored/treated very specially) by others; we cannot [always] control what things will happen to us and where they will happen.
Ni tlim ah kaom hmuennawk to ka khet naah, cawnh rang kami mah angnoekhaih to pazawk poe ai, thacak kami mah misa angtukhaih pazawk poe ai, palungha kami doeh zok amhah poe ai; thoemthaih tawn kami doeh angraeng poe ai; palungha kami doeh minawk hmaa ah mikhmai hak poe ai; toe taham sae, taham hoih tonghaih atue mah nihcae nuiah kangvan ah phak thuih boih.
12 No one knows when he will die [EUP]; fish are cruelly caught in a net, and birds are caught in snares/traps; similarly [SIM], people experience disasters at times when they do not expect them to happen.
Kami mah tong han koi atue to panoek ai; palok pongah kaman tanga hoi dongh pongah kaman tavaanawk baktiah, atue kasae mah anih to naeh, anih loe poek ai pui hoiah to baktih raihaih thungah amtimh.
13 Once I saw something that a wise man did that impressed me.
Hae baktih palunghahaih to ni tlim ah ka hnuk, to hmuen loe kai hanah len parai.
14 There was a small town, where only a few people lived. The army of a great king came to that town and surrounded it. They built dirt ramps up against the walls in order to climb up and attack the town.
Avang tetta maeto oh moe, to avang thungah kami zetta oh o; thacak siangpahrang loe angzoh moe, to vangpui to takui khoep, anih mah kalen parai misa abuephaih long to takaeh.
15 In that town there was a man who was poor but very wise. Because of doing what that man [suggested], the town was saved; but people [soon] forgot about him.
To naah to vangpui thungah palungha kamtang maeto oh; to kami ih palunghahaih mah vangpui to pahlong, toe amtang kami to mi mah doeh poek o ai.
16 So I realized that although being wise is better than being strong, if you are poor, no one will appreciate what you do, and people will soon forget what you said.
To pongah palunghahaih loe thacakhaih pongah hoih kue, tiah ka thuih; toe kamtang palunghahaih loe tidoeh sah pae o ai; a thuih ih lok doeh tahngai pae o ai.
17 Speaking quietly what is [very] wise is [much] more sensible than a king shouting to foolish people.
Ukkung kamthu hanghaih lok tahngaih pongah loe palungha ih loknaem to tahngaih hanah hoih kue.
18 Being wise is more useful than [a lot of] weapons; but if you do one foolish thing, [it is possible that] because of doing that, you will ruin all the good things that you have done.
Palunghahaih loe misatukhaih hmuenmae pongah hoih kue, toe kami zae maeto mah loe pop parai kahoih hmuen to amrosak.
