Thuituen 12
1 Yoethae khohnin a pai hlan kah na cacawn tue vaengah nang aka suen te poek. Kum loh a pha vaengah tah a khuiah kai hamla kongaih om pawh na ti ni.
Remember your Creator while you are young, before days of trouble come and you grow old, saying, “I'm not enjoying life anymore.”
2 Khomik neh vangnah, hla neh aisi loh hmuep tih khonal hnukkah khomai a mael hlan vaengah.
Before the light fades—sun, moon, and stars—and rain clouds return to darken the skies.
3 Te khohnin ah tah im tawt rhoek te tonga uh vetih tatthai hlang rhoek khaw khun uh ni. Sum kuelh rhoek khaw muei vetih paa ni. Bangbuet longah aka so khaw a hmuep pah ni.
Before the guards of the house tremble and the strong men are bent over, the grinders stop working because there are only a few left, and the ones looking through the windows only see dimly,
4 Thohkhaih te imdak ah a khaih uh vetih sumkuelh ol khaw dim ni. Vaa ol dongah thoo vetih laa sa nu rhoek khaw boeih ngam uh ni.
and the doors to the street are shut. Before the sound of the grinding mill grows low, and you wake up early when the birds are singing, but you can hardly hear them.
5 A sang neh longpuei ah mueirhih te a rhih uh bal ni. Noe thing khaw khooi vetih tangku khaw canawt ni. Huengaihnah khaw talh tih hlang loh amah kah kumhal im la cet tih aka rhaengsae rhoek loh imdak ah a vael uh.
Before you develop a fear of heights and worry about going out on the streets; when the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper crawls along, and desire fails, for everyone has to go to their eternal home as the mourners go up and down the street.
6 Cak rhui siing a pat pawt ah khaw sui tuidueh paep tih tuisih kah amrhaeng rhek. Tuito kah hmuikil khaw po coeng.
Before the silver cord is snapped and the golden bowl is broken; before the water jug is smashed at the spring, or the pulley is broken at the well.
7 Te vaengah laipi tah a om hmuen bangla diklai la mael tih mueihla tah aka pae kung Pathen taengla mael.
Then the dust returns to the earth from which it came, and the breath of life returns to God who gave it.
8 A honghi kah a honghi ni, thuituenkung loh a honghi ni boeih a thui.
“Everything passes! It's all so hard to understand!” says the Teacher.
9 Aka cueih thuituenkung la a om bangla hoeikhangnah phoeiah khaw pilnam te mingnah neh a tukkil bal tih a khiingmong. Te vaengah thuidoeknah khaw a dueng la muep a khe.
Not only was the Teacher a wise man, he also taught what he knew to others. He thought about many proverbs, studying them and arranging them.
10 Thuituenkung loh kongaih ol te hmuh hamla a tlap tih oltak ol te a dueng la a daek.
The Teacher looked for the best way to explain things, writing truthfully and honestly.
11 Hlang cueih ol tah ciksum bangla, olboep boei aka khing thikhing bangla om. Te te tu dawn pakhat loh a paek.
The words of the wise are like cattle prods. Their collected sayings are like nails driven home, given by one shepherd.
12 Te phoeikah a koeinah la, ka ca te n'thuituen pai saeh. Cabu saii ham he rhu tih bawt pawh. Muep cangnah khaw pumsa kah tawnbanah ni.
In addition, my student, take care, for there's no end to book writing, and too much study wears you out.
13 Ol bawtnah la a cungkuem aka ya loh Pathen te rhih lamtah a olpaek te tuem. He he hlang boeih ham ni.
To sum up now that everything has been discussed: Respect God by keeping his commandments, for that's what everyone should do.
14 Bibi boeih neh a thuh boeih te khaw, a thae khaw, a then a khaw Pathen loh laitloeknah khuila a khuen ni.
God is going to judge us for everything we do, including what we do secretly, whether good or bad.
