Ecclesiastes 7
1 [Having] a good reputation [MTY] is better than fine perfume, and the day that we die is better than the day that we are born.
La réputation vaut mieux que le bon parfum; et le jour de la mort, que le jour de la naissance.
2 It is better to go to a house where people are mourning [about someone who has died] than to go to a house where people are feasting, because everyone will die some day, and people who are alive should think seriously [IDM] about that.
Il vaut mieux aller dans une maison de deuil, que d'aller dans une maison de festin; car en celle-là est la fin de tout homme, et le vivant met cela en son cœur.
3 It is better to be sad than to be [always] laughing, because being sad can cause us to think more about how we should conduct our lives [IDM].
Il vaut mieux être fâché que rire; à cause que par la tristesse du visage le cœur devient joyeux.
4 Wise [people] who go to where others are mourning think about [the fact that some day they also will] die, but foolish people [PRS] [do not think about that]; they are always [MTY] laughing.
Le cœur des sages est dans la maison du deuil; mais le cœur des fous est dans la maison de joie.
5 It is better to pay attention to [someone who is wise] you than to listen to the songs of a foolish person.
Il vaut mieux ouïr la répréhension du sage, que d'ouïr la chanson des fous.
6 By [listening to] foolish people laughing we will not [learn any more than by listening to] the crackling of thorns [being burned] under a pot. Listening to fools is senseless.
Car tel qu'est le bruit des épines sous le chaudron, tel est le ris du fou; cela aussi est une vanité.
7 When wise people say to others, “You must pay me a lot of money for me to protect you,” that causes those wise people to become foolish, and [accepting] bribes causes people to become unable to do what is fair/just.
Certainement l'oppression fait perdre le sens au sage; et le don fait perdre l'entendement.
8 Finishing something is better than starting something, and being patient is better than being proud.
Mieux vaut la fin d'une chose, que son commencement. Mieux vaut l'homme qui est d'un esprit patient, que l'homme qui est d'un esprit hautain.
9 Do not quickly (lose your temper/react to things angrily), because it is foolish people [SYN] who become very angry.
Ne te précipite point dans ton esprit pour te dépiter; car le dépit repose dans le sein des fous.
10 Do not say, “Things were a lot better [RHQ] previously,” because it is people who are not wise who say that.
Ne dis point: D'où vient que les jours passés ont été meilleurs que ceux-ci? Car ce que tu t'enquiers de cela n'est pas de la sagesse.
11 Being wise is better than inheriting [valuable things]; being wise provides lasting benefits for every person on the earth [MTY].
La sagesse est bonne avec un héritage, et ceux qui voient le soleil reçoivent de l'avantage d'[elle].
12 We are [sometimes] protected by being wise like we are [sometimes] protected by having a lot of money, but being wise is better [than having a lot of money], [because] being wise prevents us from [doing foolish things that would] cause us to die.
Car [on est à couvert] à l'ombre de la sagesse, de même qu'à l'ombre de l'argent; mais la science a cet avantage, que la sagesse fait vivre celui qui en est doué.
13 Think [carefully about] what God has done. Certainly no one can [RHQ] cause to become straight the things that God has caused to be crooked.
Regarde l'œuvre de Dieu; car qui est-ce qui pourra redresser ce qu'il aura renversé?
14 When things are going well for you, be happy, and when things are not going well for you, remember that God is the one who causes good things to happen and who also causes disasters.
Au jour du bien, use du bien, et au jour de l'adversité, prends-y garde; car Dieu a fait l'un à l'opposite de l'autre, afin que l'homme ne trouve rien à [redire] après lui.
15 During all the time that I have been alive I have seen a lot of [HYP] things that seem senseless. I have seen righteous people die [while they are still young], and I have seen wicked people remain alive for a very long time in [spite of] their continuing to be wicked.
J'ai vu tout ceci pendant les jours de ma vanité; il y a tel juste, qui périt dans sa justice; et il y a tel méchant, qui prolonge [ses jours] dans sa méchanceté.
16 [So] do not think that you are very righteous and do not think that you are very wise, [because if you think those things], you will destroy yourself.
Ne te crois pas trop juste, et ne te fais pas plus sage qu'il ne faut; pourquoi en serais-tu surpris?
17 If you do what is evil or do what is foolish, you might die while you are still young.
Ne sois point trop remuant, et ne sois point fou; pourquoi mourrais-tu avant ton temps?
18 Continue to avoid doing what is evil and doing what is foolish; avoid doing both of those things by continually revering God.
Il est bon que tu retiennes ceci, et aussi que tu ne retires point ta main de l'autre; car qui craint Dieu sort de tout.
19 If you are wise, you will be more powerful/influential than the ten most powerful/influential men in your city.
La sagesse donne plus de force au sage, que dix Gouverneurs qui seraient dans une ville.
20 There is no one in this world who [always] does what is right and who never sins.
Certainement il n'y a point d'homme juste sur la terre, qui agisse [toujours] bien, et qui ne pèche point.
21 Do not pay attention [IDM] to everything that people say, because if you do that, you might hear your servant cursing you.
Ne mets point aussi ton cœur à toutes les paroles qu'on dira, afin que tu n'entendes pas ton serviteur médisant de toi.
22 You know that you have also cursed other people.
Car aussi ton cœur a connu plusieurs fois que tu as pareillement mal parlé des autres.
23 I said [to myself] that I would use my wisdom to study all the things [that I have written about], but I was not able to do it successfully.
J'ai essayé tout ceci avec sagesse, et j'ai dit: J'acquerrai de la sagesse; mais elle s'est éloignée de moi.
24 Wisdom seems to be far from me; there is no one [RHQ] who can truly understand everything.
Ce qui a été, est bien loin, et il est enfoncé fort bas; qui le trouvera?
25 But I decided to investigate things and by my wisdom try to understand the reason for everything. I also wanted to understand why people act wickedly and why they act very foolishly.
Moi et mon cœur nous nous sommes agités pour savoir, pour épier, et pour chercher la sagesse, et la raison [de tout]; et pour connaître la malice de la folie, de la bêtise, [et] des sottises;
26 [One thing I learned was that] (allowing a woman to seduce you/having sex with a woman to whom you are not married) is worse than dying. A woman who tries to seduce men is [as dangerous as] a trap [MET]. [If you allow her to put] her arms [around you, it will be as though she will be fastening you with] chains. Women like that will capture sinful men, but men who please God will escape from such women.
Et j'ai trouvé que la femme qui est [comme] des rets, et dont le cœur est [comme] des filets, et dont les mains sont [comme] des liens, est une chose plus amère que la mort; celui qui est agréable à Dieu en échappera, mais le pécheur y sera pris.
27 This is what I have learned: I tried to learn more and more about things to try to find out the reason for everything,
Vois, dit l'Ecclésiaste, ce que j'ai trouvé en cherchant la raison de toutes choses, l'une après l'autre;
28 and I continued to try to learn more, but I could not find [all that I was searching for]. [But] one thing that I found out was that among 1,000 [people] I found one righteous man, but I did not find even one righteous woman.
C'est, que jusqu'à présent mon âme a cherché, mais que je n'ai point trouvé, c'est, [dis-je], que j'ai bien trouvé un homme entre mille; mais pas une femme entre elles toutes.
29 [But] I did learn one thing: When God created people, they were righteous, but they have found many ways to do many evil things.
Seulement voici ce que j'ai trouvé; c'est que Dieu a créé l'homme juste; mais ils ont cherché beaucoup de discours.
