Ecclesiastes 9
1 All these things have I considered in my heart, that I might carefully understand them: there are just men and wise men, and their works are in the hand of God: and yet man knoweth not whether he be worthy of love, or hatred:
Ni tlim ah kaom hmuennawk boih ka poek naah, katoeng kaminawk hoi palungha kaminawk mah sak ih hmuen boih Sithaw ban ah ni oh; toe nihcae mah tongh o ih hmuen loe amlunghaih, to tih ai boeh loe hnukmahaih hoiah maw oh, tiah mi mah doeh panoek o ai.
2 But all things are kept uncertain for the time to come, because all things equally happen to the just and to the wicked, to the good and to the evil, to the clean and to the unclean, to him that offereth victims, and to him that despiseth sacrifices. As the good is, so also is the sinner: as the perjured, so he also that sweareth truth.
Kasae kami, kahoih kami, ciimcai kami, ciimcai ai kami, angbawnhaih paek kami, angbawnhaih paek ai kami, katoeng kami, kami zae, lokkamhaih sah kami hoi lokkamhaih sak han zii kaminawk nuiah kaom hmuen loe anghmong boih, kami boih nuiah kaom hmuen doeh anghmong boih.
3 This is a very great evil among all things that are done under the sun, that the same things happen to all men: whereby also the hearts of the children of men are filled with evil, and with contempt while they live, and afterwards they shall be brought down to hell. (questioned)
Ni tlim ah kaom hmuennawk boih thungah kasae koek hmuen, kami boih khaeah kaom hmuen loe anghmong boih; ue, kaminawk ih palung loe sethaih hoiah koi; a hing o nathung amthuhaih palung hoiah koi o, to pacoengah duekhaih thungah a caeh o boih.
4 There is no man that liveth always, or that hopeth for this: a living dog is better than a dead lion.
Kahing kaminawk salakah kaom kami loe oephaih to tawnh; kadueh kaipui pongah loe kahing ui to hoih kue.
5 For the living know that they shall die, but the dead know nothing more, neither have they a reward any more: for the memory of them is forgotten.
Kami mah kai loe ka dueh tih, tiah panoek; toe dueh kami loe tidoeh panoek ai, tangqum hnuk han tawn o ai; panoekhaih doeh anghmat boih boeh.
6 Their love also, and their hatred, and their envy are all perished, neither have they any part in this world, and in the work that is done under the sun.
Amlunghaih, hnukmahaih hoi uthaihnawk doeh, anghmat boih boeh; ni tlim ah kaom hnuk han koi taham to natuek naah doeh hnu let mak ai boeh.
7 Go then, and eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with gladness: because thy works please God.
Caeh ah loe anghoehaih hoiah buh ann to caa ah, poeknawmhaih hoiah misurtui to nae ah; na toksakhaih to Sithaw mah vaihi tapom boeh.
8 At all times let thy garments be white, and let not oil depart from thy head.
Khokpanai kanglung to abuen ah loe, na lu ah situi angnok toepsoep ah.
9 Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest, all the days of thy unsteady life, which are given to thee under the sun, all the time of thy vanity: for this is thy portion in life, and in thy labour wherewith thou labourest under the sun.
Ni tlim ah Sithaw mah paek ih azom pui ah kaom na hing thungah na palung ih na zu hoiah kanawm ah khosah ah; hae loe ni tlim ah tha pathokhaih hoiah toksak ih atho ah ni oh.
10 Whatsoever thy hand is able to do, do it earnestly: for neither work, nor reason, nor wisdom, nor knowledge shall be in hell, whither thou art hastening. (Sheol h7585)
Na ban hoi sak han koi hmuennawk boih to tha pathok ah loe sah ah; na caehhaih ahmuen, taprong ah loe toksakhaih doeh, khopoekhaih doeh, to tih ai boeh loe panoekhaih hoi palunghahaih doeh om ai boeh. (Sheol h7585)
11 I turned me to another thing, and I saw that under the sun, the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the learned, nor favour to the skillful: but time and chance in all.
Ni tlim ah kaom hmuennawk to ka khet naah, cawnh rang kami mah angnoekhaih to pazawk poe ai, thacak kami mah misa angtukhaih pazawk poe ai, palungha kami doeh zok amhah poe ai; thoemthaih tawn kami doeh angraeng poe ai; palungha kami doeh minawk hmaa ah mikhmai hak poe ai; toe taham sae, taham hoih tonghaih atue mah nihcae nuiah kangvan ah phak thuih boih.
12 Man knoweth not his own end: but as fishes are taken with the hook, and as birds are caught with the snare, so men are taken in the evil time, when it shall suddenly come upon them.
Kami mah tong han koi atue to panoek ai; palok pongah kaman tanga hoi dongh pongah kaman tavaanawk baktiah, atue kasae mah anih to naeh, anih loe poek ai pui hoiah to baktih raihaih thungah amtimh.
13 This wisdom also I have seen under the sun, and it seemed to me to be very great:
Hae baktih palunghahaih to ni tlim ah ka hnuk, to hmuen loe kai hanah len parai.
14 A little city, and few men in it: there came against it a great king, and invested it, and built bulwarks round about it, and the siege was perfect.
Avang tetta maeto oh moe, to avang thungah kami zetta oh o; thacak siangpahrang loe angzoh moe, to vangpui to takui khoep, anih mah kalen parai misa abuephaih long to takaeh.
15 Now there was found in it a man poor and wise, and he delivered the city by his wisdom, and no man afterward remembered that poor man.
To naah to vangpui thungah palungha kamtang maeto oh; to kami ih palunghahaih mah vangpui to pahlong, toe amtang kami to mi mah doeh poek o ai.
16 And I said that wisdom is better than strength: how then is the wisdom of the poor man slighted, and his words not heard?
To pongah palunghahaih loe thacakhaih pongah hoih kue, tiah ka thuih; toe kamtang palunghahaih loe tidoeh sah pae o ai; a thuih ih lok doeh tahngai pae o ai.
17 The words of the wise are heard in silence, more than the cry of a prince among fools.
Ukkung kamthu hanghaih lok tahngaih pongah loe palungha ih loknaem to tahngaih hanah hoih kue.
18 Better is wisdom, than weapons of war: and he that shall offend in one, shall lose many good things.
Palunghahaih loe misatukhaih hmuenmae pongah hoih kue, toe kami zae maeto mah loe pop parai kahoih hmuen to amrosak.
