< Ecclesiastes 7 >

1 Better [is] a name than good perfume, And the day of death than the 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 Better to go to a house of mourning, Than to go to a house of banqueting, For that is the end of all men, And the living lays [it] to his 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 Better [is] sorrow than laughter, For by the sadness of the face the heart becomes better.
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 a house of mourning, And the heart of fools in a house of mirth.
Moun ki gen bon konprann toujou ap kalkile sou lanmò. Moun sòt toujou ap kalkile sou ki jan pou yo jwi lavi a.
5 Better to hear a rebuke of a wise man, Than [for] a man to hear a 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 as the noise of thorns under the pot, So [is] the laughter of a fool, even this [is] vanity.
Lè moun sòt ap ri, se tankou move chabon k'ap pete nan dife. Sa pa vo anyen.
7 Surely oppression makes the wise mad, And a gift destroys 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 Better [is] the latter end of a thing than its beginning, Better [is] the patient of spirit, than the haughty of spirit.
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 hasty in your spirit to be angry, For anger in the bosom of fools rests.
Pa fè kòlè fasil, paske se moun sòt ki renmen fache.
10 Do not say, “What was it, That the former days were better than these?” For you have not asked wisely of 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 [is] good with an inheritance, And an advantage [it is] to those beholding 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 [is] a defense, money [is] a defense, And the advantage of the knowledge of wisdom [is], She revives her possessors.
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 See the work of God, For who is able to make straight that which He made crooked?
Gade travay Bondye! Ki moun ki ka drese sa Bondye kwochi?
14 In a day of prosperity be in gladness, And in a day of calamity consider: God has also made this alongside of that, To the intent that man does not find anything 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 The whole I have considered in the days of my vanity. There is a righteous one perishing in his righteousness, and there is a wrongdoer prolonging [himself] in his wrong.
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 over-righteous, nor show yourself too wise, why are you desolate?
Pa chache twò bon, ni gen twòp lespri. Sa ou bezwen touye tèt ou fè?
17 Do not do much wrong, neither be a fool, why do you die within your time?
Men, pa twò mechan ni pa twò sòt. Poukisa pou ou ta mouri anvan lè ou?
18 [It is] good that you lay hold on this, and also, do not withdraw your hand from that, for whoever is fearing God goes out with them all.
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 The wisdom gives strength to a wise man, more than wealth the rulers who have been in a city.
Sa konesans fè pou yon moun, dis grannèg pa ka fè l' pou yon lavil.
20 Because there is not a righteous man on earth that does good and does not sin.
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 Also to all the words that they speak do not give your heart, that you do not hear your servant reviling you.
Pa koute tou sa moun ap di. Konsa ou p'ap tande lè domestik ou ap pale ou mal.
22 For many times also has your heart known that you yourself have also reviled others.
Paske ou menm tou, nan kè ou, ou konnen konbe fwa ou pale moun mal.
23 All this I have tried by wisdom; I have said, “I am wise,” and it [is] far from 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 Far off [is] that which has been, and deep, deep, who finds it?
Lavi se yon mistè. Li tankou yon twou san fon. Ki moun ki ka rive konprann li?
25 I have turned around, also my heart, to know and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and reason, and to know the wrong of folly, and the madness of foolishness.
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 am finding more bitter than death, the woman whose heart [is] nets and snares, her hands [are] bands; the good before God escapes from her, but the sinner is captured by her.
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 See, this I have found, said the Preacher, one to one, to find out the reason
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 (that still my soul had sought, and I had not found), One man, a teacher, I have found, and a woman among all these I have not found.
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 See, this alone I have found, that God made man upright, and they have sought out many inventions.
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.

< Ecclesiastes 7 >