Ecclesiastes 5

1 Put your feet down with care when you go to the house of God, for it is better to give ear than to make the burned offerings of the foolish, whose knowledge is only of doing evil.

Sithaw imthung ah na caeh naah na khok tangkan to acoe ah; amsoem ai hmuen a sak o tiah panoek ai kamthunawk ih angbawnhaih to sak pae pongah loe, lok tahngaih hanah azom ah.

2 Be not unwise with your mouth, and let not your heart be quick to say anything before God, because God is in heaven and you are on the earth — so let not the number of your words be great.

Na pakha to rangsak hmah, Sithaw hmaa ah lokthuih hanah, na poekhaih rangsak hmah; Sithaw loe van ah oh moe, nang loe long ah na oh; to pongah na lok to tamsisak ah.

3 As a dream comes from much business, so the voice of a foolish man comes with words in great number.

Kapop ah poek ih hmuen to amang ah hnuk baktih toengah, lokpunghaih mah amthuhaih to amtuengsak.

4 When you take an oath before God, put it quickly into effect, because he has no pleasure in the foolish; keep the oath you have taken.

Sithaw khae lokkamhaih sak naah, akoepsak ai ah om hmah; anih loe kamthunawk nuiah anghoe ai; lokkamhaih to koepsak ah.

5 It is better not to take an oath than to take an oath and not keep it.

Lokkamhaih na koepsak ai pongah loe, lokkamhaih sah ai ah oh to hoih kue.

6 Let not your mouth make your flesh do evil. And say not before the angel, It was an error. So that God may not be angry with your words and put an end to the work of your hands.

Na pakha pongah na takpum to zaehaih sahsak hmah; ka sakpazae moeng boeh tiah, van kaminawk hmaa ah thui hmah; na thuih nahaeloe Sithaw palungphui ueloe, na ban hoi sak ih hmuen to amrosak tih.

7 Because much talk comes from dreams and things of no purpose. But let the fear of God be in you.

Pop parai amang hoi pop hmoek ah apaeh ih lok loe avanghaih tidoeh om ai; to pongah nang loe Sithaw to zii ah.

8 If you see the poor under a cruel yoke, and law and right being violently overturned in a country, be not surprised, because one authority is keeping watch on another and there are higher than they.

Prae thungah kamtang hnaphnaehaih, toenghaih loklam hoi amkhraeng moe, patuk ih lok baktih na ai ah lokcaekhaih hoi athii palonghaih to na hnuk naah, to baktih hmuen pongah dawnrai hmah; angraeng maeto loe angmah pongah kasang kue angraeng mah anih to khet parui, nihnik doeh angmah hnik pongah kasang kue angraeng mah khet parui let bae vop.

9 It is good generally for a country where the land is worked to have a king.

Prae thung ih amekhaih loe kami boih han ih ni, siangpahrang angmah doeh lawk thung hoiah amekhaih to hnuk.

10 He who has a love for silver never has enough silver, or he who has love for wealth, enough profit. This again is to no purpose.

Phoisa palung kami loe phoisa hoiah palungdip mak ai; angraenghaih koeh kami doeh a tawnh ih hmuenmae hoiah palungdip thai mak ai; hae hmuen doeh azom pui ni.

11 When goods are increased, the number of those who take of them is increased; and what profit has the owner but to see them?

Hmuenmae pop naah, patohhaih doeh pop aep; katawn kaminawk mah mik hoiah dan o khue ai ah loe tih amekhaih maw a tawnh o?

12 The sleep of a working man is sweet, if he has little food or much; but to him who is full, sleep will not come.

Toksahkung loe zetta caa cadoeh kapop ah caa cadoeh, iih nawm pae; angraeng loe hmuenmae tawnh mang, toe iip thai ai.

13 There is a great evil which I have seen under the sun — wealth kept by the owner to be his downfall.

Ni tlim ah kasae koek hmuen to ka hnuk; angraengnawk loe a tawnh o ih hmuen to angmacae patang han ih ni patung o.

14 And I saw the destruction of his wealth by an evil chance; and when he became the father of a son he had nothing in his hand.

Toe to tiah angraeng kaminawk loe tahamsethaih mah anghmatsak boih; caa nongpa tapen cadoeh, anih mah toep han ih hmuen tidoeh om ai.

15 As he came from his mother at birth, so does he go again; he gets from his work no reward which he may take away in his hand.

Anih loe amno zokthung hoi bangkrai ah tacawt baktih toengah, bangkrai ah ni amlaem let tih; a toksakhaih to a ban hoi tidoeh sin thai mak ai.

16 And this again is a great evil, that in all points as he came so will he go; and what profit has he in working for the wind?

Kami loe angmah angzohhaih baktiah, caeh let tih, hae doeh kasae koek hmuen ah ni oh; takhi hanah toksak hae timaw amekhaih oh?

17 All his days are in the dark, and he has much sorrow, pain, disease, and trouble.

Anih hinghaih aninawk loe khoving thungah laemsak boih; palungsethaih, palungphuihaih, nathaih hoiah ni kho a sak.

18 This is what I have seen: it is good and fair for a man to take meat and drink and to have joy in all his work under the sun, all the days of his life which God has given him; that is his reward.

Sithaw mah paek ih hinghaih ni setta thungah kami han kahoih, kamsoem ah kaom ka hnuk ih hmuen loe caaknaek moe, tha pathok hoiah hnuk ih toksakhaih atho nuiah poeknawm ah khosakhaih hae ni; to hmuen loe angmah khosakhaih taham ah ni oh roe boeh.

19 Every man to whom God has given money and wealth and the power to have pleasure in it and to do his part and have joy in his work: this is given by God.

Sithaw mah kami boih hanah angraenghaih hoi hmuenmae tawnhhaih to paek; to hmuennawk hoi kanawm ah khosakhaih to paek, angmah ih taham to laksak moe, a toksakhaih pongah anghoehaih to paek; hae hmuen loe Sithaw ih tangqum ah ni oh.

20 He will not give much thought to the days of his life; because God lets him be taken up with the joy of his heart.

Sithaw mah poeknawmhaih palungthin to paek boeh pongah, kalaem tangcae khosakhaih aninawk to poek mak ai boeh.