¹For all this I laid to my heart, even to explore all this: that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God; whether it is love or hatred, man doesn’t know it; all is before them.

¹Hiai tengteng lah ka lungtangin ka vei ngala, hiai tengteng zongkhe dingin; mi diktatte, leh mi pilte leh a thilhihte uh Pathian khut ah a om ahi chih: itna ahi hia, muhdahna, mihingin a theikei; a ma uah a vekin a om hi.

²All things come alike to all. There is one event to the righteous and to the wicked; to the good, to the clean, to the unclean, to him who sacrifices, and to him who doesn’t sacrifice. As is the good, so is the sinner; he who takes an oath, as he who fears an oath.

²Thil tengteng kibangin a vek ua kiangah a hongoma: mi diktatte leh mi giloute tungah tanchin khat a om hi; mi hoih kianga leh mi siang kianga leh mi sianglou kiangah; kithoih mi kiang leh kithoih lou mi kiangah: mi hoih a om bangin, mikhial a oma; a kichiampa, thuchiam kihtapa bangin.

³This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that there is one event to all: yes also, the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead.

³Ni nuaiah hiha om tengteng ah hiai gilou ahi, bangteng tunga tanchin khat om: ahi nalaia, mite tapate lungtang gilouin a dima, a dam lai uh a lungtang uah lungsimkimlouna a om, huai nungin misite kiangah a pai uh.

⁴For to him who is joined with all the living there is hope; for a living dog is better than a dead lion.

⁴Amah hinglaite tengteng toh kizoma om adingin lah lametna a om ngala: humpinelkai sisa sangin ui hinglai lah a hoihzo ngala.

⁵For the living know that they will die, but the dead don’t know anything, neither do they have any more a reward; for their memory is forgotten.

⁵Mihingteng a si ding uh chih la a thei ngal ua: himahleh misiin thil himhim a theikei, kipahman leng a neita kei uhi; amaute theihgigena lah a kimanghilha.

⁶Also their love, their hatred, and their envy has perished long ago; neither have they any more a portion forever in anything that is done under the sun.

⁶A itna uh bangin, a muhdahna u leh a enna uh tuin a mangtaa; ni nuaia hiha om thil himhim ah khantawnin tantuan a nei nawnta kei uhi.

⁷Go your way—eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart; for God has already accepted your works.

⁷Pai inla, nuamsakna toh na tanghou ne inla, lungtang kipak tohin na uain dawnin: Pathianin lah na thilhihte a sang khinta ngala.

⁸Let your garments be always white, and don’t let your head lack oil.

⁸Na puansilhte ngou gigein om hen; huan na luin nilhtheih tasam kei hen.

⁹Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your life of vanity, which he has given you under the sun, all your days of vanity: for that is your portion in life, and in your labor in which you labor under the sun.

⁹Na bangmahlou damsung ni tengtenga na it ji kiangah kipak takin om inla, huai aman ni nuaia a honpiak, na bangmahlou ni tengtengin: huai lah damsungin na tantuan ahi ngala, ni nuaia na sepgimnaa na sepgimna ah.

¹⁰Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in Sheol Sheol is the place of the dead. , where you are going.

¹⁰Na khutin hih ding bangpeuh a muh na theihtawpin hihin; na paina lam han sungah lah, nasep hiam, thilngahtuah hiam, theihna hiam, pilna hiam lah a om nal kei a.

¹¹I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happen to them all.

¹¹Na kiheia, kitaitehna kinte ading ahi keia, galdouna hatte ading ahi tuan kei chih ka mu hi, tanghou leng pilte ading, hauhsakna leng theisiam mite ading, deihsakna khutsiamte ading hi tuan lou; himahleh hun leh phat amaute tengteng tungah a hongom sek hi.

¹²For man also doesn’t know his time. As the fish that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare, even so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falls suddenly on them.

¹²Mihingin lah a hun leng a thei ngal keia: ngasate len gilou-a a kiman bang leh, vasate thanga a awk uh bangin, huchibangin mite tapate, amau tunga thakhata a hongtun guih laiin, hun gilou-a matin a om uhi.

¹³I have also seen wisdom under the sun in this way, and it seemed great to me.

¹³Hichibangin pilna leng ni nuaiah ka mu a, ka kiangah thupiin a kilanga:

¹⁴There was a little city, and few men within it; and a great king came against it, besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it.

¹⁴Khopi lianlou a oma, a sungah mi tawmchik; huan kumpipa thupiin a hongsiama, a laa, a douna dingin sepaih nasep thupi tak a bawla:

¹⁵Now a poor wise man was found in it, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man.

¹⁵Huchiin huaiah mi pil genthei khat a om, a pilnain khopi a hunkhiaa; himahleh kuamahin hiai migenthei mah a theigige kei uh.

¹⁶Then I said, “Wisdom is better than strength.” Nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard.

¹⁶Huan, ken, Hatna sangin pilna a hoihjaw; mi genthei pilna muhsitin a oma, a thute ngaihkhiaksakin a om kei, ka chi.

¹⁷The words of the wise heard in quiet are better than the cry of him who rules among fools.

¹⁷Mihaite laka vaihawmmi kikou sang in awla mi pil thugente a kiza jaw hi.Kidouna galvante sangin pilna ahoihjaw; himahleh mikhial khatin hoih tampi a hihsia hi.

¹⁸Wisdom is better than weapons of war; but one sinner destroys much good.

¹⁸Kidouna galvante sangin pilna ahoihjaw; himahleh mikhial khatin hoih tampi a hihsia hi.