Ecclesiastes 1
1 These are the words of the Teacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem:
Pawòl predikatè a, fis a David la, Wa Jérusalem.
2 “Futility of futilities,” says the Teacher, “futility of futilities! Everything is futile!”
“Vanite sou vanite”, predikatè la di: “Vanite sou vanite! Tout se vanite.”
3 What does a man gain from all his labor, at which he toils under the sun?
Ki avantaj yon nonm gen nan tout travay ke li fè anba solèy la?
4 Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever.
Yon jenerasyon ale e yon jenerasyon vini; men tè a rete pou tout tan.
5 The sun rises and the sun sets; it hurries back to where it rises.
Anplis, solèy la leve e solèy la kouche; konsa li kouri al jwenn plas li pou li leve la ankò.
6 The wind blows southward, then turns northward; round and round it swirls, ever returning on its course.
Van an soufle vè sid, vire kote nò e kontinye vire fè wonn li. Sou menm kous vire won an, li retounen ankò.
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 rivyè yo desann vè lanmè a; sepandan li pa vin plen. Nan plas kote rivyè yo koule a, se la yo koule ankò.
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 sa yo fatigan; lòm pa kapab menm eksplike sa. Zye pa satisfè ak wè, ni zòrèy ak 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 ye, se sa ki va ye e sa ki te konn fèt, se sa k ap fèt. Konsa, nanpwen anyen ki nèf anba syèl la.
10 Is there a case where one can say, “Look, this is new”? It has already existed in the ages before us.
Èske gen yon bagay sou sila a nou ta kab di: “Men sa a nèf”? Deja, li te la depi syèk ki te ekoule avan nou yo.
11 There is no remembrance of those who came before, and those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow after.
Nanpwen memwa a ansyen bagay yo, ni anplis a sila k ap vini pita, pami sila ki vini apre yo.
12 I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
Mwen menm, predikatè a, te sèvi kon wa sou Israël nan Jérusalem.
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 konsantre tout refleksyon mwen pou chache e egzamine sou sajès tout sa ki te konn fèt anba syèl la. Sa se yon gwo tach lou ke Bondye te bay fis a lòm yo pou l ta aflije yo.
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 te wè tout zèv ki te fèt anba solèy la e, men vwala, tout se vanite e chache kouri dèyè van.
15 What is crooked cannot be straightened, and what is lacking cannot be counted.
Sa ki kwochi p ap ka drese e sa ki manke p ap ka konte.
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 te di a pwòp tèt mwen: “Men gade, mwen te fè sajès vin grandi e ogmante plis pase tout lòt wa ki te sou Jérusalem avan mwen yo. Wi, panse mwen te obsève anpil richès ak sajès avèk 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 dirije panse mwen pou konnen sajès e pou konnen sa ki ensanse ak sa ki foli nèt. Konsa, mwen te vin wè ke sa osi se chache kouri dèyè van.
18 For with much wisdom comes much sorrow, and as knowledge grows, grief increases.
Paske nan anpil sajès gen anpil tristès, e nan anpil konesans gen anpil doulè.
