< Proverbs 30 >

1 These are sayings/messages that God gave to Agur, the son of Jakeh. [Agur wrote them] for Ithiel and Ucal.
Jakeh capa Agur mah thuih ih, palunghahaih loknawk loe hae tiah oh; kami maeto mah, Ithiel, Ithiel hoi Ukal khaeah, taphong pae;
2 It seems that I am very stupid; I do not deserve to be considered to be a human; I do not have the good sense that humans should have.
kai loe minawk boih pongah poek ka ham kue, kami poekhaih to ka tawn ai.
3 I have not learned [how to become] wise and I do not know [much] about God.
Palunghahaih to kam tuk ai moe, ciimhaih kawng doeh ka panoek ai.
4 [But let me say this]: No one [RHQ] has ascended to heaven [to find out what God is like] and returned [to tell us]. No one [RHQ] has gathered/held the wind in his hand. No one [RHQ] has wrapped the water [in the ocean] in [a piece of] cloth, and no one [RHQ] has established the boundaries of the earth. [If you know who has done those things, tell me] [RHQ] his name, and the names of his children [SAR]! [But you do not know who has done those things, so you cannot speak with authority about what God is like].
Mi maw van ah daw tahang moe, long ah anghum tathuk? Azom pui ah takhi naeh kami loe mi maw? Mi maw kahni pongah tui tapawk vai? Long boenghaih ahmuennawk boih caksakkung loe mi maw? To tiah sahkung ih ahmin hoi a caa ih ahmin loe mi maw? Na thui thai tih maw?
5 Everything that God has said is true; he is [like] a shield [MET] for all those who request him to protect them.
Sithaw ih lok loe ciim boih; anih loe angmah khae amha kaminawk boih hanah abuephaih ah oh.
6 Do not add to (OR, change) what God has said; if you do that, he will rebuke you and show that you are lying.
Angraeng ih lok to patomh hmah, to tih ai nahaeloe anih mah na zoeh ueloe, na thuih ih amsawnlok to amtueng moeng tih.
7 [God], I ask you to do two things for me; [please] do them before I die:
Aw Angraeng, ka dueh ai naah nang sak pae hanah, hnik ih hmuen hnetto oh;
8 Help me never to lie or deceive [people] and do not cause me to become poor or to become rich. [Just] give me the food that I need;
amsoem ai lok hoi amsawn lok hae kai khae hoiah na takhoe pae ving ah; amtanghaih hoi angraenghaih doeh na paek hmah; ni thokkruek caak khawt caaknaek to na paek ah:
9 because if I become rich, I might say that I do not [RHQ] know you and that I do not need you; and if I become poor, I might dishonor you by stealing things.
to tih ai ah pop hmoek ah ka tawnh nahaeloe, nang kang pahnet ving ueloe, Angraeng loe mi aa? tiah ka thui moeng tih; kam tang hmoek nahaeloe, ka paqu moeng ueloe, ka Sithaw ih ahmin to ka saesak moeng tih.
10 Do not (slander/say bad things about) a worker to his boss; if you do that, the worker will curse you, and cause you to have trouble.
Angmah ih angraeng khaeah tamna sethaih kawng to thui hmah, kasae na thuih nahaeloe nang to na pasoih ueloe, na nuiah zaehaih om moeng tih.
11 [I will list four kinds of evil things that people do]: Some people curse their fathers and do not [ask God to] bless their mothers.
Ampa to kasae thui kami, amno tahamhoihaih paek ai kami to oh.
12 Some people think that they are perfect, but [really] they have never been cleansed from their guilt for committing disgusting sins.
Angmacae amhnonghaih to pasae ai ah, angmah mik ah kai loe ciim, tiah poekhaih tawn kami to oh.
13 Some people are very proud; they think that they are very good and they despise others.
Amoekhaih hoiah mikpadai kami, patoekhaih hoi minawk khen kami to oh.
14 Some people [act very cruelly toward others]; [it is as though] [MET] they have teeth that are [like] sharp knives; they severely oppress poor [people] and try to cause them to disappear from the land.
Haa loe sumsen baktiah oh moe, long ah kaom kamtang hoi mithoenawk to paaeh hanah, toektaboe ahuh haita baktih kaom kami doeh oh.
15 Leeches [are always wanting more blood to suck]; [similarly, greedy people are always] saying “Give [me some]!” or “Give [me more]!” [MET] There are four things that are never (satisfied/content with what they have); they always want more [LIT]:
Taqawt loe canu hnetto tawnh; nihnik loe na paek ah, na paek ah, tiah hangh hoi. Amhah thai ai hmuen thumto oh, ue, khawt boeh, tiah thui vai ai hmuen palitonawk loe,
16 The place where the dead people are; women who do not have any children; ground that needs water/rain; and a fire that always needs more wood. (Sheol h7585)
taprong, caa kak nongpata ih zok, tui amhah thai ai long karoem; zetto mah tiah thui vai ai hmai. (Sheol h7585)
17 Those who [SYN] make fun of their fathers or refuse to obey their mothers (OR, despise their aged mothers) should [die and] have their eyes pecked out by crows, and the [rest of their corpses should be] fed to the vultures.
Ampa pahnui thuih moe, amno patoek kami loe, azawn ih pangaahnawk mah anih ih mik to taprok pae ueloe, tahmunawk mah a ngan to caa o tih.
18 There are four things that are wonderful to me, [but] I do not understand any of them:
Ka dawnrai ih hmuen thumto khue ai ah, ka panoek thai ai ih hmuen palitonawk loe,
19 How eagles fly in the sky, how snakes [are able to] move/crawl across a big rock, how ships sail on the seas, and how a man falls in love with a woman.
van ih tahmu azawkhaih loklam, cathaeng nui ih pahui caehhaih loklam, tuipui thung ih palongpui caehhaih loklam, thendoeng mah tangla paqaihaih loklam hae ni.
20 This is what a woman who (is not faithful to/does not have sex only with) her husband does: She commits adultery [EUP], and [then] bathes and says, “I have not done anything that is wrong!”
Sava nuiah oep om ai nongpata caehhaih loklam doeh to tiah oh; to nongpata loe buh to caak moe, pakha a huk pacoengah, kai loe hmuen sakpazaehaih ka tawn ai, tiah thuih.
21 There are four things that no [one in] the world can tolerate:
Long tasoehsak hmuen thumto khue ai ah, pauep thai ai ih hmuen palitonawk loe,
22 [What] a slave [does who] becomes a king, a foolish person eating [too much] food,
siangpahrang ah kangcoeng tamna, caaknaek tawn mangh kamthu;
23 [what] a woman who is hated [does when she] gets married, and [what] a female servant [does when she] becomes the boss instead of her mistress.
amram aak nongpata sava sakhaih hoi tamna nongpata mah angraeng ih qawktoephaih hae ni.
24 [There are] four animals on the earth that are small, but they are very wise:
Long nuiah tetta ah ni oh, toe paroeai palungha hmuen palitonawk loe,
25 Ants are not strong, but they store up food during the summer [in order to have it during the winter].
thacak ai, toe nipui tueah caaknaek patung thaih, cahmatnawk;
26 Rock badgers [also] are not strong, but they make their homes among the rocks [where they will be safe].
thacak ai, toe lungsong thungah tabu sah savehnawk;
27 Locusts do not have a king, but they march like [the soldiers in] an army.
siangpahrang tawn ai, toe nawnto hmabangah kacaeh pakhunawk;
28 Lizards/Geckos [are very small and] you can hold them in your hand, but they are [cleverly able to get] inside kings’ palaces.
angmah ih ban hoiah angdoet, toe siangpahrang im ah ohhaih ahmuen katawn caneknawk cae hae ni.
29 [There are] four animals that strut around and look very impressive while they walk [DOU]:
Kahoih ah kacaeh thaih hmuen thumto khue ai, ue, kahoih ah kacaeh thaih hmuen palitonawk loe,
30 Lions, which are stronger than all other animals and are not afraid of any of them;
kasan moinawk thungah thacak koek, kawbaktih hmuen om cadoeh hnuk angnawk taak ai kaipui;
31 male goats, strutting roosters, and kings who (parade/walk proudly back and forth) in front of the people whom they rule.
misatukhaih hrang, maeh tae hoi misa tawn ai siangpahrang cae hae ni.
32 If you have acted foolishly, exalting yourself, or if you been planning [to do something] evil, stop it immediately [IDM]!
Kamthu ah nang coeng moe, nangmah hoi nangmah nam koeh naah maw, to tih ai boeh loe kahoih ai hmuen na poek naah maw, na pakha to tamuep khoep ah!
33 If you churn milk, it produces butter/curds, and if you hit [someone hard on his] nose, [his nose] bleeds; similarly, if you do something to cause [people to become] angry, strife [usually] results.
Maitaw tahnutui loe ahaeh khing nahaeloe, amkhawk tih, hnah doeh na hnoih khing nahaeloe, athii long tih; to baktih toengah palungphui hanah pahrue khing nahaeloe, angzoehhaih to om tih.

< Proverbs 30 >