¹I said in my heart, Come now, I will try thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure. But behold, this also is vanity.

¹Ka lungtangin, Kisain, vualnopnain ka honentel dia; huaijiakin nuambawlnaah bualin; huan, ngaiin, hiai leng bangmahlou ahi, ka chi a.

²I said of laughter, Madness! and of mirth, What availeth it?

²Nuihzatna thuah, Hai ahi: vualnopna thu ah, Bang a hiha? ka chi a.

³I searched in my heart how to cherish my flesh with wine, while practising my heart with wisdom; and how to lay hold on folly, till I should see what was that good for the children of men which they should do under the heavens all the days of their life.

³A damsung ua mite tapaten a hih ding uh bang ahia hoih ka muh theih matan, ka lungtangin pilna kei honpi kawmin, uaiina ka sa kipahsakdan leh, haina let chintendan ka lungtangin ka zonga.

⁴I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards;

⁴Na sepna thupi ka bawla; inte ka kilama;

⁵I made me gardens and parks, and I planted trees in them of every kind of fruit;

⁵Grep huante ka kibawla; huante leh gamsitte ka kibawla, huaiteah thei chi chih ka suana:

⁶I made me ponds of water, to water therewith the wood, where the trees are reared.

⁶Gammang singte khoihna hihkawt dingin, tui lite ka kibawla.

⁷I acquired servants and maidens, and had servants born in my house; also I had great possessions of herds and flocks, above all that had been in Jerusalem before me.

⁷Pasal sikhate leh numei sikhate ka leia, ka insungah sikha te a piang ua; belamhon leh bawnghon leng ka haua, Jerusalema ka maa omte tengteng sangin:

⁸I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces; I got me men-singers and women-singers, and the delights of the children of men, a wife and concubines.

⁸Dangka leh dangkaeng leng, bialte akipan leh kumpipate akipan gou lamdang ka ki lak khawma: pasal lasamite leh numei lasamite, mite tapa kipahna, a tama tam meite ka kineiha.

⁹And I became great, and increased more than all that had been before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me.

⁹Huchiin Jerusalema ka maa omte tengteng sangin ka thupiin, ka pung jaw a: ka pilna leng ka kiangah a om gige a.

¹⁰And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them: I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour, and this was my portion from all my labour.

¹⁰Huan, bangpeuhmah ka mitin a lunggulh amau ka it kei hi: nuamsakna himhim akipanin ka lungtang ka len kei, ka sepgimnate tengteng jiakin ka lungtang lah a kipak ngala; huan hiai tuh ka sepgimna tengteng akipan ka tantuan ahi.

¹¹Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that it had cost me to do [them]; and behold, all was vanity and pursuit of the wind, and there was no profit under the sun.

¹¹Huchiin ka khutten a bawl uh nasepte tengteng ka vela, semgima ka hih nasep gimna tengteng: huan, ngaiin, bangteng bangmahlou leh huih nungdelh ahi a, ni nuaiah bangmah phattuamna a om kei hi.

¹²And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness, and folly; for what shall the man [do] that cometh after the king? -- that which hath already been done.

¹²Huan pilna leh lungsimkimlouhna leh haina en dingin ka kiheia: kumpipa nunga hongpai mihingin bang hih thei ding ahia? a kihihkhinsa mahmah leng.

¹³And I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, as light excelleth darkness.

¹³Huchiin, khovakin khomial a khen dandanin, pilnain haina a kheng ahi chih ka muta hi.

¹⁴The wise man's eyes are in his head, and the fool walketh in darkness; but I myself also perceived that one event happeneth to them all.

¹⁴Mi pil mitte a lutang ah a om, huan mi hai khomial ah a vak hi: huchi hinapiin lah thu khat mi tengteng kiangah a tung a;

¹⁵And I said in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool so will it happen even to me; and why was I then so wise? Then I said in my heart that this also is vanity.

¹⁵Huai laiin ka lungtangin, Mi haite kianga a hongom bangin, huchibangin kei kiangah leng a hongom ding; a hihleh bangdinga kei piljaw ka hia? ka chi a. Huan, ka lungtangin hiai mah leng bangmahlou ahi, ka chita hi.

¹⁶For there shall be no remembrance of the wise more than of the fool for ever; because everything is already forgotten in the days which come. And how dieth the wise even as the fool?

¹⁶Mi pil, mi hai bangmaha, theihgigena lah khantawnin a om ngal keia: tunung chiangin a vek ua mangngilh khit ahi ding uh chih theiin. Huan bangchi-a mi hai banga mi pil si ahia?

¹⁷And I hated life; for the work that is wrought under the sun was grievous unto me; for all is vanity and pursuit of the wind.

¹⁷Huchiin hinna ka huaa; ni nuaia bawl thilhih keia dinga a haksat jiakin: bangteng lah bangmahlou leh huih nungdelh ahi ngala.

¹⁸And I hated all my labour wherewith I had been toiling under the sun, because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me.

¹⁸Huan, ni nuaia ka sepgim ka sepgimna tengteng ka huaa: ka nunga hongom ding mi kianga ka nutsiat ngei ding ahi chih theiin.

¹⁹And who knoweth whether he will be a wise [man] or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my labour at which I have laboured, and wherein I have been wise under the sun. This also is vanity.

¹⁹Huan, kuan ahia mipil hia a hihkeileh mihai hia a honghih ding thei? ka sepgimna tengtenga ka sepgimna tungah thu a nei dinga, ni nuaia pilna ka etsakna ah. Hiai leng bangmahlou ahi.

²⁰Then I went about to cause my heart to despair of all the labour wherewith I had laboured under the sun.

²⁰Huaijiakin ni nuaia sepgimna tengteng ka nabawltak tungtang thu-a ka lungtang lungdong sak dingin ka kipumhei hi.

²¹For there is a man whose labour hath been with wisdom, and with knowledge, and with skill, and who leaveth it to a man that hath not laboured therein, to be his portion. This also is vanity and a great evil.

²¹Mi a sepgimna pilna leh, theihna leh, kivakna toh om lah a om ngala: himahleh huaia semgim lou mi kiangah a tantuan dinga nutsiahin a om ding hi. Hiai leng bangmahlou leh gilou lianpi ahi.

²²For what will man have of all his labour and of the striving of his heart, wherewith he hath wearied himself under the sun?

²²Ni nuaia a sepgimna tengteng akipan leh, a lungtanga a kisukna tengteng akipan mihingin bang a neia ahia leh?

²³For all his days are sorrows, and his travail vexation: even in the night his heart taketh no rest. This also is vanity.

²³A nite tengteng ahi lungkhamna lel ahi ngala, a thuakna dahna; ahi, jan nangawnin a lungtang a khawl kei hi. Hiai leng bangmahlou ahi.

²⁴There is nothing good for man, but that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God.

²⁴Mihing adinga a neka a dawna, a sepgimnaa thilhoiha a kha a bualsak vala hoihjaw bangmah a om kei hi. Hiai leng ka theia, Pathian khut akipan om ahi.

²⁵For who can eat, or who be eager, more than I?

²⁵Kei sangin, kuan ahia ne theia, a hihkeileh kuan ahia nuamsakna nei jaw?Amah hihlungkim mi kiangah Pathianin pilna leh, theihna leh nuamsakna a pe ngala: himahleh mikhial kiangah, gimthuakna a pia hi, lakhawm ding leh khawl khawm dingin, huchi-a kuapeuh Pathian hihlungkim kianga a piak theihna dingin, Hiai leng bangmahlou leh huih nungdelh ahi.

²⁶For he giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy; but to the sinner he giveth travail to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that is good in God's sight. This also is vanity and pursuit of the wind.

²⁶Amah hihlungkim mi kiangah Pathianin pilna leh, theihna leh nuamsakna a pe ngala: himahleh mikhial kiangah, gimthuakna a pia hi, lakhawm ding leh khawl khawm dingin, huchi-a kuapeuh Pathian hihlungkim kianga a piak theihna dingin, Hiai leng bangmahlou leh huih nungdelh ahi.