Ecclesiastes 7
1 A good name is better than fine perfume, and one’s day of death is better than his day of birth.
Pito yo nonmen non ou anbyen pase pou yo pale sou kalite bon odè ou mete sou ou. Jou ou mouri a pi bon pase jou ou fèt la.
2 It is better to enter a house of mourning than a house of feasting, since death is the end of every man, and the living should take this to heart.
Pito ou ale nan yon kay kote ki gen lanmò pase pou ou ale nan yon kay kote y'ap fè fèt, paske tout moun gen pou mouri. Nou menm ki vivan, nou pa dwe janm bliye sa.
3 Sorrow is better than laughter, for a sad countenance is good for the heart.
Pito yon moun nan lapenn pase pou l' gen kè kontan. Lapenn rale figi ou, men l'ap louvri lespri ou.
4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.
Moun ki gen bon konprann toujou ap kalkile sou lanmò. Moun sòt toujou ap kalkile sou ki jan pou yo jwi lavi a.
5 It is better to heed a wise man’s rebuke than to listen to the song of fools.
Pito ou tande yon moun ki gen bon konprann ap rale zòrèy ou pase pou ou tande moun sòt ap fè lwanj pou ou.
6 For like the crackling of thorns under the pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This too is futile.
Lè moun sòt ap ri, se tankou move chabon k'ap pete nan dife. Sa pa vo anyen.
7 Surely extortion turns a wise man into a fool, and a bribe corrupts the heart.
Lè yon moun ki gen bon konprann ap sibi move trètman, sa ka fè l' pèdi tèt li. Lajan sou kote fè l' pèdi karaktè l'.
8 The end of a matter is better than the beginning, and a patient spirit is better than a proud one.
Lè yon bagay ap fini li pi bon pase lè l'ap konmanse. Pito ou pran pasyans pase pou ou kite lògèy ap pouse ou.
9 Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger settles in the lap of a fool.
Pa fè kòlè fasil, paske se moun sòt ki renmen fache.
10 Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?” For it is unwise of you to ask about this.
Pa janm mande poukisa tan lontan te pi bon pase tan n'ap viv koulye a. Moun ki gen bon konprann p'ap mande bagay konsa.
11 Wisdom, like an inheritance, is good, and it benefits those who see the sun.
Sa bon pou moun gen bon konprann. Se tankou si ou te gen anpil byen. Se yon gwo avantaj pou tout moun k'ap viv sou latè.
12 For wisdom, like money, is a shelter, and the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of its owner.
Bon konprann pwoteje ou menm jan lajan ka fè l'. Men, avantaj yon moun genyen lè li gen konesans avèk bon konprann, sa l' konnen an ap fè l' viv.
13 Consider the work of God: Who can straighten what He has bent?
Gade travay Bondye! Ki moun ki ka drese sa Bondye kwochi?
14 In the day of prosperity, be joyful, but in the day of adversity, consider this: God has made one of these along with the other, so that a man cannot discover anything that will come after him.
Lè bagay ap mache byen pou ou, fè kè ou kontan. Lè malè tonbe sou ou, chonje ni yonn ni lòt se nan Bondye sa soti. Konsa, yon moun pa janm konnen sa k'ap vin apre l'.
15 In my futile life I have seen both of these: A righteous man perishing in his righteousness, and a wicked man living long in his wickedness.
Lavi n' sou latè pa vo anyen, se vre! Men mwen wè tout kalite bagay: Mwen wè moun debyen, atout yo mache dwat la, mouri mouri yo. Mwen wè mechan yo menm ap viv lontan pou fè mechanste.
16 Do not be overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself?
Pa chache twò bon, ni gen twòp lespri. Sa ou bezwen touye tèt ou fè?
17 Do not be excessively wicked, and do not be a fool. Why should you die before your time?
Men, pa twò mechan ni pa twò sòt. Poukisa pou ou ta mouri anvan lè ou?
18 It is good to grasp the one and not let the other slip from your hand. For he who fears God will follow both warnings.
Evite fè eksè ni nan yon sans ni nan yon lòt. Si ou gen krentif pou Bondye, ou p'ap tonbe nan fè eksè.
19 Wisdom makes the wise man stronger than ten rulers in a city.
Sa konesans fè pou yon moun, dis grannèg pa ka fè l' pou yon lavil.
20 Surely there is no righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.
Pa gen moun k'ap mache dwat sou latè ki ka di tou sa l'ap fè byen, li pa janm fè sa ki mal.
21 Do not pay attention to every word that is spoken, or you may hear your servant cursing you.
Pa koute tou sa moun ap di. Konsa ou p'ap tande lè domestik ou ap pale ou mal.
22 For you know in your heart that many times you yourself have cursed others.
Paske ou menm tou, nan kè ou, ou konnen konbe fwa ou pale moun mal.
23 All this I tested by wisdom, saying, “I resolve to be wise.” But it was beyond me.
Mwen sèvi avèk bon konprann mwen pou m' fè tout esperyans sa yo nan lavi. Mwen di mwen ta renmen gen bon konprann. Men, mwen pa t' janm rive genyen l'.
24 What exists is out of reach and very deep. Who can fathom it?
Lavi se yon mistè. Li tankou yon twou san fon. Ki moun ki ka rive konprann li?
25 I directed my mind to understand, to explore, to search out wisdom and explanations, and to understand the stupidity of wickedness and the folly of madness.
Men, mwen pran san m' pou m' chache konnen, pou m' egzaminen tout bagay. Mwen te soti pou m' te konprann, pou m' te jwenn repons pou tout keksyon mwen t'ap poze tèt mwen, pou m' te rive konnen jan moun mechan yo pèdi tèt yo, jan moun sòt yo egare.
26 And I find more bitter than death the woman who is a snare, whose heart is a net, and whose hands are chains. The man who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is ensnared.
Mwen jwenn yon bagay ki pi rèd pase lanmò. Se fanm. Lè yo di yo renmen ou, se pèlen yo pare pou ou. Lè yo pase bra yo nan kou ou, se chenn yo pase nan kou ou. Yon moun ki fè Bondye plezi va chape anba men yo. Men, moun k'ap fè sa ki mal ap tonbe anba grif yo.
27 “Behold,” says the Teacher, “I have discovered this by adding one thing to another to find an explanation.
Wi, men sa mwen menm filozòf la, mwen di: Antan m'ap chache konprann, lè mwen mete tou sa m' konnen yonn sou lòt, bout pou bout men sa mwen rive jwenn.
28 While my soul was still searching but not finding, among a thousand I have found one upright man, but among all these I have not found one such woman.
M'ap chache yon lòt esplikasyon. Men mwen pa jwenn li. Sou mil gason mwen kontre, se yon sèl mwen jwenn ki gen konprann. Men pou fanm, mwen pa jwenn yonn menm.
29 Only this have I found: I have discovered that God made men upright, but they have sought out many schemes.”
Men sa ase mwen jwenn: Bondye kreye moun pou yo viv san pwoblèm, li mete yon chemen tou dwat devan yo, men se yo menm ki chache traka bay tèt yo.
