Ecclesiastes 1
1 These are the words of the Teacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem:
Men pawòl pitit David la, filozòf la, ki te wa nan lavil Jerizalèm.
2 “Futility of futilities,” says the Teacher, “futility of futilities! Everything is futile!”
Nan lavi a anyen pa vo anyen. Se sa filozòf la di. Non, anyen pa vo anyen nan lavi a. Tout bagay gen pou pase.
3 What does a man gain from all his labor, at which he toils under the sun?
Yon moun te mèt pase tout lavi l' ap travay di, ap bay kò l' traka sou latè beni, kisa sa rapòte l'?
4 Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever.
Moun fèt, moun mouri. Men sa pa deranje anyen sou latè.
5 The sun rises and the sun sets; it hurries back to where it rises.
Solèy leve, solèy kouche. L'ap kouri tounen kote pou l' leve a ankò.
6 The wind blows southward, then turns northward; round and round it swirls, ever returning on its course.
Van an soufle soti nan nò desann nan sid. Apre sa, li vire soti nan sid moute nan nò. Konsa, l'ap vire tounen nan menm chemen an san rete.
7 All the rivers flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full; to the place from which the streams come, there again they flow.
Tout dlo larivyè desann nan lanmè, men lanmè pa janm plen. Dlo a tounen kote larivyè a te soti a. Konsa, larivyè a pa janm sispann koule.
8 All things are wearisome, more than one can describe; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear content with hearing.
Tout bagay ap vire won san rete. Pa gen pawòl ki ka di jan sa ye. Je pa janm bouke wè. Zòrèy pa janm bouke tande.
9 What has been will be again, and what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.
Sa ki te rive anvan, se sa ki va rive apre. Sa yo te fè anvan an, se sa y'ap toujou fè. Pa gen anyen ki chanje sou latè beni.
10 Is there a case where one can say, “Look, this is new”? It has already existed in the ages before us.
Menm lè nou di: Gade! Men yon bagay ki nèf, bagay la te la deja depi nan tan lontan anvan nou te fèt.
11 There is no remembrance of those who came before, and those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow after.
Pesonn pa chonje sa ki te pase nan tan lontan. Konsa tou, pita, pesonn p'ap chonje sa k'ap pase koulye a.
12 I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
Mwen menm, nèg fò, mwen te wa peyi Izrayèl nan lavil Jerizalèm.
13 And I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. What a heavy burden God has laid upon the sons of men to occupy them!
Mwen te soti pou m' te fouye, pou m' te egzaminen tou sa k'ap fèt sou latè nan tout ti detay yo. Travay Bondye bay moun fè sou latè a pa manke rèd.
14 I have seen all the things that are done under the sun, and have found them all to be futile, a pursuit of the wind.
Mwen wè tou sa k'ap fèt sou latè. Anyen pa vo anyen! Anyen pa rapòte anyen.
15 What is crooked cannot be straightened, and what is lacking cannot be counted.
Ou pa ka drese sa ki fin kwochi. Ou pa ka konte sa ou pa genyen.
16 I said to myself, “Behold, I have grown and increased in wisdom beyond all those before me who were over Jerusalem, and my mind has observed a wealth of wisdom and knowledge.”
Mwen di nan kè mwen: Mwen vin grannèg. Mwen vin pi fò pase tout wa ki t'ap gouvènen lavil Jerizalèm anvan m' yo. Mwen konnen sa ki rele gen konprann ak konesans.
17 So I set my mind to know wisdom and madness and folly; I learned that this, too, is a pursuit of the wind.
Mwen te soti pou m' te konnen diferans ki genyen ant moun ki gen konprann ak moun egare, ant moun ki gen konesans ak moun sòt. Men, la ankò, mwen wè anyen pa rapòte anyen.
18 For with much wisdom comes much sorrow, and as knowledge grows, grief increases.
Paske plis ou gen konprann, se plis ou nan tèt chaje. Plis ou konnen, se plis ou soufri.
