Ecclesiastes 7
1 A good name is better than fine perfume; and the day of death better than the day of one’s birth.
A ming te tah situi then lakah ah then tih dueknah hnin he a cun khohnin lakah then.
2 It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting; for that is the end of all men, and the living should take this to heart.
Nguekcoinah im la caeh te buhkoknah im la caeh lakah then. He tah hlang boeih kah a bawtnah coeng tih aka hing loh a lungbuei ah dueh saeh.
3 Sorrow is better than laughter; for by the sadness of the face the heart is made good.
Konoinah he nueihbu lakah then. Maelhmai thaenah long ni lungbuei a voelphoeng sak.
4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.
Aka cueih kah lungbuei tah nguekcoinah im ah dae aka ang kah lungbuei tah kohoenah im ah om.
5 It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise than for a man to hear the song of fools.
Aka cueih kah tluungnah hnatun he tah aka ang laa aka hnatun hlang lakah then.
6 For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This also is vanity.
Am lae kah hling ol bangla aka ang kah nueihbu khaw om. Te dongah he khaw a honghi ni.
7 Surely extortion makes the wise man foolish; and a bribe destroys the understanding.
Hnaemtaeknah loh hlangcueih a yan sak tih kutdoe loh lungbuei a poo sak.
8 Better is the end of a thing than its beginning. The patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.
Ol bawtnah he a tongnah lakah then. Aka ueh kah mueihla he aka oek kah mueihla lakah then.
9 Don’t be hasty in your spirit to be angry, for anger rests in the bosom of fools.
Huesak hamla na mueihla neh let sak boeh. Konoinah he aka ang kah rhang dongah ni a kol.
10 Don’t say, “Why were the former days better than these?” For you do not ask wisely about this.
“Balae tih hnukbuet kah a tue aka om te tahae kah lakah a then la a om?” ti boeh. Te bang te cueihnah neh na dawt moenih.
11 Wisdom is as good as an inheritance. Yes, it is more excellent for those who see the sun.
Cueihnah tah rho la then tih khomik aka hmu ham khaw hoeikhang.
12 For wisdom is a defense, even as money is a defense; but the excellency of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of him who has it.
Cueihnah hlipkhup ah om he tangka hlipkhup kah om banghui ni. Tedae mingnah he tah rhoeikhangnah la om tih cueihnah long tah a kungmah te a hing sak.
13 Consider the work of God, for who can make that straight which he has made crooked?
Pathen kah bibi te hmu lah. Amah loh a khun sak te dueng hamla aka noeng te unim?
14 In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider; yes, God has made the one side by side with the other, to the end that man should not find out anything after him.
A then tue vaengah tah a then la om. Tedae a yoethae tue vaengkah khaw hmu. He khaw dumlai dongah Pathen loh voeivang ah a khueh. Te daengah ni hlang loh a hnukah te pakhat khaw ahmu pawt eh.
15 All this I have seen in my days of vanity: there is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who lives long in his evildoing.
Kamah kah a honghi tue vaengah a cungkuem te ka hmuh. Amah kah duengnah dongah aka paltham hlang dueng om tih a boethae neh aka nguel halang khaw om.
16 Don’t be overly righteous, neither make yourself overly wise. Why should you destroy yourself?
Aka dueng koek la om boel lamtah hoeikhangnah aih ham khaw cueih boeh. Balae tih namah na phae uh?
17 Don’t be too wicked, neither be foolish. Why should you die before your time?
Muep poehlip boel lamtah lunghmang la om boeh. Balae tih namah tue pawt vaengah na duek eh?
18 It is good that you should take hold of this. Yes, also don’t withdraw your hand from that; for he who fears God will come out of them all.
He he na tuuk vaengah na kut te ke lamloh na hlah pawt ham then. Pathen aka rhih ham tah a cungkuem te a noeng.
19 Wisdom is a strength to the wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city.
Cueihnah long tah aka cueih te khopuei kah aka om boei parha lakah khaw a tanglue sak.
20 Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and doesn’t sin.
Diklai hman ah hnothen a saii tih aka tholh pawh hlang dueng a om moenih.
21 Also don’t take heed to all words that are spoken, lest you hear your servant curse you;
Ol a thui uh boeih te khaw na lungbuei pae boeh. Te pawt koinih na sal loh namah n'tap te na ya ve.
22 for often your own heart knows that you yourself have likewise cursed others.
Namah loh hlang tloe na tap te na lungbuei loh a voei a yet khaw a ming.
23 All this I have proved in wisdom. I said, “I will be wise;” but it was far from me.
He boeih he cueihnah neh ka noemcai tih, “Ka cueih eh?,” ka ti dae kai lamloh lakhla laklo.
24 That which is, is far off and exceedingly deep. Who can find it out?
Te tla a om te khaw hla coeng tih a dung lakah dung coeng. Te te aka hmu te unim?
25 I turned around, and my heart sought to know and to search out, and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things, and to know that wickedness is stupidity, and that foolishness is madness.
Kamah neh ka lungbuei khaw, uepnah koikah halangnah neh anglatnah, lunghmangnah te ming ham neh yaam hamla, cueihnah neh poeknah tlap hamla ka maelh.
26 I find more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and traps, whose hands are chains. Whoever pleases God shall escape from her; but the sinner will be ensnared by her.
A lungbuei te tluum neh soh la a tung tih a kut dongah pinyennah aka khueh huta he dueknah lakah khahing la ka hmuh. Pathen mikhmuh ah aka then tah anih aeng lamloh loeih suidae aka tholh tah anih loh a tuuk ni.
27 “Behold, I have found this,” says Kohelet, “to one another, to find an explanation
So lah he, thuituenkung loh a thui bangla poeknah hmuh hamla pakhat soah pakhat ka phoel.
28 which my soul still seeks, but I have not found. I have found one man among a thousand, but I have not found a woman among all those.
Te te ka hinglu loh a tlap pueng dae ka hmuh moenih. Thawngkhat khuiah tongpa pakhat ka hmuh dae te boeih lakli ah huta ka hmuh moenih.
29 Behold, I have only found this: that God made mankind upright; but they search for many inventions.”
He bueng mah so lah. Pathen loh hlang he a thuem la a saii coeng dae amih loh phuengnah muep a tlap uh te ka hmuh.
