Ecclesiastes 9
1 I thought about all those things, and I concluded that God controls [what happens to] everyone, even those who are wise and those who are righteous. No one knows whether [others] will love them or whether they will hate them.
Mwen kalkile anpil sou bagay sa yo. Mwen repase bagay sa yo byen repase nan tèt mwen. Mwen wè se Bondye k'ap dirije lavi tout moun, ni moun ki gen bon konprann, ni moun ki mache dwat yo. Li kontwole tou sa y'ap fè, kit yo renmen, kit yo rayi. Pesonn pa konn anyen sou sa k'ap tann yo pi devan.
2 [But we know that some time in the future] we will all die; it does not matter whether we act righteously or wickedly, whether we are good or whether we are bad, whether we are acceptable for [worshiping God] or whether [we have done things to cause us to be] unacceptable; it does not matter if we offer sacrifices [to God] or if we do not; it does not matter if we do what we have promised God that we will do or if we do not; [we all die]. The same thing will happen to good people and to sinful people, to those who solemnly promise [to do things for God] and to those who are afraid to make such promises.
Se menm sò a ki gen pou rive tout moun, ni mechan an, ni moun ki mache dwat la, bon an kou move a, moun ki kenbe pye Bondye a kou moun ki pa kenbe pye Bondye a, moun ki ofri bèt pou touye pou Bondye kou moun ki pa ofri bèt pou Bondye. Konsa, yon moun debyen pa pi bon pase moun k'ap fè sa ki mal la. Moun ki fè sèman pa pi mal pase moun ki pè fè sèman.
3 It seems wrong that the same thing happens to everyone on this earth: Everyone dies [EUP]. Furthermore, people’s inner beings are full of evil. People do foolish things while they are alive, and then they die and join those who are already dead.
Se menm sò a pou tout moun. Sa tou, tankou tout lòt bagay ki rive sou latè, se yon malè. Se konsa, moun pase tout lavi yo ak mechanste nan kè yo, y'ap kite lide moun fou travay nan tèt yo, epi yo rete konsa yo mouri.
4 While we are alive, we confidently expect [that good things will happen to us]. [We despise] dogs, but it is better to be a dog that is alive than to be a [majestic] lion that is dead.
Men, toutotan yon moun vivan toujou gen espwa pou li. Yon chen vivan miyò pase yon lyon mouri.
5 We who are alive know that [some day] we will die, but dead people do not know anything. Dead people do not receive any more rewards, and people soon forget them.
Wi. Moun vivan yo konnen yo gen pou yo mouri. Men moun mouri yo pa konn anyen. Yo pa bezwen tann anyen ankò pou sa yo fè. Talè konsa tout moun bliye yo.
6 [While they were alive], they loved [some people], they hated [some people], they envied [some people], but that all ends when they die. They will never again be a part of anything that happens here on the earth.
Tout santiman yo te gen nan kè yo pou moun yo te renmen, pou moun yo te rayi, pou bagay yo te anvi, tou sa disparèt avèk yo. Yo p'ap janm patisipe nan anyen k'ap fèt sou latè ankò.
7 [So I say], be joyful [DOU] while you eat your food and drink your wine, because that is what God wants you to do.
Ale non, monchè, manje manje ou ak kè kontan, bwè diven ou san kè sote. Bondye deja dakò ak tou sa w'ap fè.
8 Wear nice [MTY] clothes and make your face look nice.
Se pou rad anwo ou toujou byen pwòp, tèt ou toujou byen penyen ak lwil santi bon.
9 Enjoy living with your wife whom you love, all during the time that God has given to you to be alive here on this earth. And even though it is difficult to understand why many things happen, enjoy doing the work that you do here on this earth.
Jwi lavi avèk fanm ou renmen an, pandan tout jou w'ap viv lavi ki pa vo anyen an, lavi Bondye ba ou pou viv sou latè a. Jwi tout jou sa yo ki yonn pa vo lòt, paske se sèlman sa ki pou ou nan lavi a, apre tout traka ou bay tèt ou pou fè travay ou sou latè.
10 Whatever you are able to do, do it with all your energy, because [some time you will die], and in the place of the dead where you are going, no one works or plans to do anything or knows anything or is wise. (Sheol h7585)
Tou sa ou jwenn pou ou fè, fè l' ak tout fòs ou. Paske, kote ou prale a, nan peyi kote mò yo ye a, nanpwen travay pou ou fè, pa gen lide ki pou mache nan tèt ou, pa gen konesans, pa gen bon konprann. (Sheol h7585)
11 I have seen something else here on the earth: The person who runs fastest does not [always] win the race, the strongest soldiers do not [always] win the battle, the wisest people do not [always] have food, the smartest people do not [always] become rich, and people who have studied a lot are not [always] (honored/treated very specially) by others; we cannot [always] control what things will happen to us and where they will happen.
Yon lòt bagay mwen wè ankò sou latè, se pa toujou moun ki konn kouri ki genyen nan kous, se pa toujou vanyan gason ki genyen nan lagè. Yon moun ki gen konprann pa toujou gen manje pou l' manje, yon moun ki gen lespri pa toujou gen anpil byen. Moun ki gen kapasite pa toujou jwenn gwo pozisyon. Chans ak malchans la pou tout moun.
12 No one knows when he will die [EUP]; fish are cruelly caught in a net, and birds are caught in snares/traps; similarly [SIM], people experience disasters at times when they do not expect them to happen.
Moun pa konnen lè lè yo ap rive. Tankou pwason ki pran nan senn, tankou zwezo ki pran nan pèlen, se konsa moun pran tou lè yon malè sèk tonbe sou yo.
13 Once I saw something that a wise man did that impressed me.
Men yon lòt bagay mwen te wè ankò: Se yon bèl egzanp ki moutre sa bon konprann ka fè pou moun.
14 There was a small town, where only a few people lived. The army of a great king came to that town and surrounded it. They built dirt ramps up against the walls in order to climb up and attack the town.
Vwala se te yon ti bouk tou piti ki pa t' gen anpil moun ladan l'. Yon gran wa vin atake l' ak yon gwo lame. Li sènen bouk la toupatou, li fè pare yon bann bagay pou kraze miray ranpa bouk la.
15 In that town there was a man who was poor but very wise. Because of doing what that man [suggested], the town was saved; but people [soon] forgot about him.
Te gen yon nonm nan bouk la ki te gen lespri, men se te yon pòv malere. Se li ki te sove bouk la avèk konesans li. Apre sa, tout moun bliye l'.
16 So I realized that although being wise is better than being strong, if you are poor, no one will appreciate what you do, and people will soon forget what you said.
Mwen te toujou di: Konesans pi bon pase gwo kouraj, men yo meprize konesans moun ki pòv. Yo p'ap koute yo lè y'ap pale.
17 Speaking quietly what is [very] wise is [much] more sensible than a king shouting to foolish people.
Pito ou koute pawòl yon moun ki gen konprann ap di ou tou dousman pase pawòl chèf k'ap rele byen fò nan mitan yon bann moun sòt.
18 Being wise is more useful than [a lot of] weapons; but if you do one foolish thing, [it is possible that] because of doing that, you will ruin all the good things that you have done.
Konesans pi bon pase tout zam pou fè lagè. Men, fòt yon sèl moun ka fè anpil byen pèdi tou.
