Olcueih 24
1 Hlang thae rhoek taengah thatlai boeh. Amih taengah om hamla nai rhoe nai boeh.
Don't be jealous of evil people; don't long to spend time with them,
2 Amih kah lungbuei loh rhoelrhanah te a taeng tih, a hmuilai loh thakthaenah ni a thui.
for they think up cruel plans and discuss how to cause trouble.
3 Cueihnah neh im a sak tih a lungcuei neh a thoh.
A house is built by wisdom; its foundation is made secure through understanding.
4 Mingnah loh boeirhaeng neh a kuel a ka, a naep a noi boeih khaw imkhui ah a khawk sak.
Its rooms are filled by knowledge with all kinds of valuable and beautiful objects.
5 Cueih he tah hlang kah sarhi la om tih, mingnah loh hlang kah thadueng a cong pah.
If you have wisdom, you are strong; if you have knowledge, your power increases,
6 Caemtloek vaengah nang hamla a niing hang hol vetih, uentonah cungkuem neh loeihnah hang khueh ni.
for with wise guidance you can go to war; you will be victorious by having many good advisors.
7 Cueihnah he aka ang ham tah sang aih. Vongka ah a ka a ong pah moenih.
Wisdom goes over the heads of stupid people; they have nothing to contribute when important matters are discussed.
8 Thaehuet ham aka moeh tah, “Tangkhuepnah boei,” la a khue uh ni.
Anyone who plans to do evil will be seen as a troublemaker.
9 Anglat kah a tholh khaw khonuen rhamtat, hmuiyoi hlang khaw tueilaehkoi ni.
Plans thought up by stupid people are sinful. Everyone hates those who are scornful of others.
10 Citcai tue vaengah na tahah tih, na thadueng khaw tla.
If you give up in times of trouble, it shows how weak you are.
11 Duek sak ham a khuen uh te huul uh laeh, ngawnnah la aka yalh te khaw hloh uh laeh.
Rescue those who are being led away to be executed; save those who are stumbling on their way to be slaughtered.
12 “Ka ming uh moenih ko he,” na ti cakhaw, amah loh lungbuei a khiinglang tih yakming mahpawt a? Na hinglu aka kueinah loh a ming ta. Te dongah hlang he amah kah bisai bangla a thuung ni ta.
If you say, “Look, we didn't know anything about this,” don't you think the God who judges your motives will see what's happening? He who watches over you knows, and he will pay people back for what they've done.
13 Ka ca, khoitui tah then tih ca lah. Khoilitui tah na ka dongah didip ta.
My son, eating honey is good for you; the honeycomb tastes sweet.
14 Cueihnah te na hinglu ham ming van lah. Na hmuh atah na hmailong khui vetih, na ngaiuepnah khaw yoe mahpawh.
In the same way, you should know that wisdom is good for you; if you find it, there will be a future for you, and your hope will not be crushed.
15 Halang aw, hlang dueng tolkhoeng ke rhongngol thil boeh, a kolhmuen te khaw rhoelrhak pah boeh.
Don't be like a criminal waiting to ambush the home of good people; don't attack the place where they live.
16 Aka dueng tah voei rhih a cungku akhaw koep thoo dae, halang rhoek tah yoethae nen ni a tongtah uh.
Those who do right may fall down seven times, and still get up again; but the wicked are brought down by disaster.
17 Na thunkha, na thunkha te a cungku vaengah kokhahnah boeh, a paloe vaengah khaw na lungbuei omngaih sak boeh.
Don't celebrate when your enemies fall; don't be glad when they trip up,
18 BOEIPA loh a hmuh vaengah a mik lolh vetih, anih taengkah a thintoek te vik lat ve.
otherwise when the Lord sees it, he'll be unhappy with you and won't punish your enemies as he planned.
19 Thaehuet dongah sai boeh. Halang rhoek taengah khaw thatlai boeh.
Don't get all upset over the wicked, or be jealous of those who do wrong,
20 Boethae ham a hmailong a khui pah moenih, halang kah hmaithoi khaw a thih pah ni.
for evil people have no future—the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out.
21 Ka ca, BOEIPA khaw, manghai khaw rhih lah. Aka thovael neh pitpom boeh.
My son, honor the Lord and the king, and don't join those who are rebellious,
22 Amih te rhainah loh buengrhuet a pai thil vetih, amih rhoi kah yoethaenah te ulong a ming?
for disaster will suddenly fall on them. Who knows how the Lord and king will punish them?
23 He rhoek khaw hlang cueih kah a hut ni. Laitloeknah dongah maelhmai loha sak khaw then pawh.
These are more sayings of the wise: Showing favoritism when passing judgment is wrong.
24 Halang te, “Na dueng,” aka ti nah tah, amah te pilnam loh a tap vetih, namtu loh kosi a sah thil ni.
Those who tell the guilty, “You're innocent,” will be cursed by the people and hated by the nation,
25 Tedae amih aka tluung rhoek te hoel ti vetih, a soah yoethennah hnothen loh a thoeng pah ni.
while those who convict the guilty will be appreciated, and will receive a rich blessing.
26 Langya la olka aka mael tah, a hmuilai te a mok pah.
An honest answer is a kiss on the lips.
27 Na bibi te vongvoel ah khaw cikngae sak. Anih te a hnukah na lo ah a sikim phoeiah na im te thoh.
Do the work you need to do outside first, then prepare and sow your fields, and only after that start building your house.
28 Na hui te ahong mai neh laipai la om thil boeh. Namah kah hmuilai neh na hloih a?
Don't testify against your neighbors without having a good reason, and don't tell lies.
29 “Kai taengah a saii bangla amah te ka saii van ni, hlang te amah kah bisai bangla ka thuung ni,” ti boeh.
Don't say to yourself, “I'm going to do to him what he did to me! I'll pay him back for what he's done!”
30 Kolhnaw hlang kah lohma longah khaw, lungbuei aka talh hlang kah misur taengah khaw ka cet coeng.
I walked past the field of a lazy man, past a vineyard of someone with no sense.
31 Lo pum ah dohui daih tih, canghli ah lota loh a thing. A vongtung dongkah lungto khaw a koengloeng coeng ke.
It was all overgrown with thorns, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall had fallen down.
32 Ka hmuh vaengah kai long tah, ka lungbuei ah ka khueh tih, ka sawt vaengah thuituennah la ka loh.
As I looked I thought about it, and what I saw taught me a lesson:
33 Bet ip, bet ngam, kut bet a poem neh yalh pahoi.
You may say, “Please, just a little more sleep, a little longer snooze, a little more folding of the arms to rest”—
34 Te vaengah na khodaeng loh aka cetpaitai bangla, na tloelnah loh photling aka bai hlang bangla ha pawk.
and poverty will attack you like a robber, destitution like an armed warrior.
