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.
A lathueng lah dei tangcoung e naw hah kai ni ka pouk navah, tamikalan hoi tami lungkaangnaw teh, a tawksak e hno khuehoi Cathut kut dawk ao. Tami pueng ni amamae hmalah lengkaleng kaawm e lungpatawnae hoi hmuhmanae hah panuek awh hoeh.
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.
Tami pueng e lathueng vah reikâvan e hno a tâco. Tami kalan hoi kalan hoeh e, tami kahawi hoi kahawihoeh e, tami kathoung hoi kathounghoehe, thuengnae ka sak hoi ka sak hoeh e, yonnae ka tawn hoeh e hoi ka tawn e, thoekâbo e tami hoi kâbo hoeh e taminaw lathueng hai reikâvan e hno a tâco.
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.
Hethateh, kanî rahim vah sak e reikâvan e hawihoehnae tami pueng ni a kâhmo e hno doeh. Atang katang lah taminaw e lungthin teh yonnae hoi akawi. A hring awh nathung vah, pathunae lung a tawn awh teh bout a due awh.
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.
Ka hring e taminaw hoi kâkuennaw teh ngaihawinae ao. Kahring e ui teh kadout e sendek hlak bet ahawi.
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.
Kahring e tami ni a due hane a panue. Ka dout e ni teh banghai panuek hoeh. Tawkphu awm hoeh toe. Ama hai pahnim awh toe.
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.
Ahnie lungpatawnae, maithoenae, utnae hai a kahma toe. Kanî rahim vah sak e hno dawk ayânaw hoi rei coe mahoeh toe.
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.
Cet nateh lunghawi lahoi rawca cat leih. Lunghawi lahoi misurtui net leih. Nang ni na sak e naw pueng Cathut ni lung na kuepkhai.
8 Wear nice [MTY] clothes and make your face look nice.
Na khohna hai pou pangaw naseh. Na lû dawk e satui hai phui sak hanh.
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.
Kanî rahim na poe e ahrawnghrang hring nathung, na lungpataw e yu hoi kanawmcalah hringnae atueng loum sak haw. Hetteh, hring na thung kanî rahim vah panki thapatho e dawk coe e doeh.
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)
Tawk hane kaawm e pueng hah thahmei laihoi tawk awh. Bangkongtetpawiteh, atu na cei teh na pha hane hmu e, tami kadout kho teh thaw tawknae, kho pouknae, thoumthainae, lungangnae hai awm mahoeh toe. (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.
Kanî rahim kaawm e naw pueng bout ka khet navah, a hue karang poung e tami hai ouk tâ hoeh. Atha kaawm poung ni taran a tuk ei, ouk tâ hoeh. A lungkaang ni ka boum lah ouk cat hoeh. A ratho kahawi ni hnopai ouk hmawt hoeh. Lawk ka ngai e teh tami hmalah minhmai kahawi ouk hmawt hoeh. Tami pueng koe atueng akuepnae, coungkacoenae patetlah doeh ouk ao tie hah ka hmu.
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.
Tami ni amae atueng hah ouk panuek hoeh. Tamlawk dawk kâman e tanga patetlah tangkam dawk kâman e tava patetlah taminaw ni runae thungvah pouk laipalah a kâman awh toe.
13 Once I saw something that a wise man did that impressed me.
Kanî rahim oup han kawi lah ka hmu e lungangnae teh,
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.
khoca kayoun e kho buet touh ao. Siangpahrang kalen e a tho teh, hote kho lawilah ao awh teh, ransanaw moikapap hoi a kalup awh.
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.
Hote kho dawk kaawm e mathoe ca a lungkaang e buet touh ni, amae lungangnae lahoi hote kho teh a hlout sak. Hatei, hote mathoe ca hah apinihai noutna awh hoeh.
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.
Hatnavah, ka dei ngai e teh, lungangnae teh thasainae hlak ahawi. Hatei, mathoe ca e lungangnae teh banglahai ouk noutna awh hoeh. A lawk hai ngai a pouh hoeh.
17 Speaking quietly what is [very] wise is [much] more sensible than a king shouting to foolish people.
Ka ukkung ni kapathunaw e hramkikhai e lawk ngâi e hlakvah, soumtinae koe tami lungkaang ni dei e lawk doeh a ngâi pouh.
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.
Lungangnae teh senehmaica hlak bet ahawi. Yonnae ka sak e haiyah hno kahawinaw hah ouk a raphoe.
