James 3
1 My fellow believers, not many of you should [desire to] become teachers [of God’s truth, because] you know [that God] will judge us [(exc)], who teach others, more severely [than he will judge other people].
Frè m' yo, se pa pou anpil moun nan mitan nou kouri dèyè plas dirèktè. Paske, konnen byen: lè nou dirèktè, Bondye ap jije nou pi sevè pase lòt yo.
2 It is true that we all in many ways do things that are wrong [MET]. But those who always [LIT] control what they say will be all that God intends/wants them to be. They will be able to control all their actions [MTY].
Nou tout nou bite nan plizyè sans. Yon moun ki pa janm bite nan pawòl li, se yon moun ki bon nèt; moun sa a kapab kontwole tout kò l' byen tou.
3 [To illustrate], if we put [a small metal] bit into the mouth of a horse in order to cause the horse to obey us, we can cause the horse to turn [and go where we want it to] [MET].
Nou mete yon mò nan bouch chwal pou fè yo obeyi nou. Avèk sa, nou fè y ale kote nou vle.
4 Think also about ships. [Although] a ship may be very large and [although] it can be moved by strong winds {strong winds can move it}, by [turning] a very small (rudder/steering paddle) people can direct the ship wherever they want [it to go].
Se menm jan an tou ak bato. Gwo kou l' gwo, gwo van te mèt ap pouse l', se yon ti gouvènay ki dirije li. Ak gouvènay tou piti sa a, kaptenn lan mennen l'l kote l' vle.
5 Similarly, [although] our tongues are very small, [if we do not control them], we can [harm] many people by what we proudly say [MTY]. Think [also] about how [just] a small [flame of] fire can cause a large forest (OR, a large area of brushwood) to burn.
Konsa tou ak lang moun. Piti kou li piti, li vante tèt li pou gwo bagay li ka fè. Gade ki jan yon ti flanm dife ka boule yon gwo rakbwa!
6 [Just like a fire damages a forest] [MET], when we say things that are evil, [we harm many people]. What we say [MTY] reveals that we are very evil. What we say contaminates/defiles everything that we think and do [PRS, MET]. [Just like a flame of fire easily] causes [the whole surrounding area] [MET] to burn, what we say [MTY] can cause [others] to want to do evil. It is the devil himself [MTY] who causes us to say evil things. (Geenna g1067)
Enben, lang se tankou dife. Se la tout lenjistis rete. Paske se yon manm nan kò nou li ye, l'ap kontaminen tout kò a nèt. Se lanfè menm ki mete dife nan li. Apre sa, li menm pou tèt pa l', li mete dife nan tout lavi nou. (Geenna g1067)
7 Indeed, although people are able to tame/control all kinds of wild animals, birds, reptiles and creatures that live in the water, and people have actually tamed/controlled them,
Moun ka donte tout kalite bèt, zwezo, bèt ki trennen sou vant, bèt ki nan lanmè. Li menm rive donte yo deja.
8 no person ([on his own/by himself]) is able to control what he says [MTY]. And when people say evil things, [it shows that] they are unstable/uncontrolled and wicked [MTY]. [As] the poison [of a snake kills people] [MTY], [we harm others] [MET] by what we say.
Men, pou lang lan menm, pesonn poko ka donte li. Se yon move bagay ou pa ka kontwole, li plen pwazon ki ka touye moun.
9 We use our tongue to praise God, who is our Lord and Father, but we also use our same tongue to ask God to say evil things to people. [That is very wrong]! God made people like himself, [so we should speak as respectfully to others as we speak to God].
Avèk lang nou, nou fè lwanj Bondye papa nou. Avèk menm lang lan, nou bay moun madichon, moun Bondye te kreye pòtre ak li.
10 We praise [God], but with our same mouth we also ask for evil [things to happen to others]. My fellow believers, this should not be!
Menm bouch la bay benediksyon, li bay madichon tou. Frè m' yo, sa pa dwe fèt konsa.
11 Surely bitter water and good water do not come out of the same spring! [RHQ]
Yon sous dlo pa ka bay dlo dous ak dlo sale anmenmtan.
12 My fellow believers, a fig tree cannot [RHQ] produce olives. Nor can [RHQ] a grapevine produce figs. Neither can a salty spring produce good [water]. [Similarly, we should say only good things, and we should not say evil things] [MET].
Frè m' yo, yon pye fig frans pa ka donnen grenn oliv. Ni yon pye rezen pa ka donnen fig frans. Dlo sale pa ka bay dlo dous non plis.
13 If any of you thinks [RHQ] that [you are] wise and know a lot, you should always act in a good way to show people that your good actions are the result of your [being truly] wise. Being wise [helps us to act] gently [toward others].
Si gen nan mitan nou yon moun ki gen bon konprann, ki gen lespri, se pou l' moutre sa ak bon kondit li. Se pou l' fè sa ki byen san lògèy, men avèk bon konprann.
14 But if you are very [MET] jealous/unhappy when you see that someone else is succeeding, and always want to have what you want, regardless of what others want, you should not say [that you are wise, for by boasting like that], you are saying that ([God’s message/what God says about you]) is not true.
Men, si n'ap fè jalouzi nan kè nou, si nou kenbe moun nan kè nou, si n'ap kouri dèyè enterè pa nou, pa vante tèt nou, pa fè manti sou laverite a.
15 Those who have such [attitudes are] not wise [MTY] in the way that God [wants them to be]. Instead, they are only thinking and acting like ([ungodly people/people who do not please God]). They think and act according to their own [evil] desires. They do what the demons [want them to do] (OR, they think and act as demons [do]).
Bon konprann konsa pa soti nan Bondye, li soti nan lemonn, nan moun ak nan dyab la.
16 [Keep in mind that] people who have such attitudes (are unruly/do not submit to authority) and [do] all kinds of evil things.
Paske, kote ki gen jalouzi, kote moun ap kouri dèyè enterè pa yo, fòk gen dezòd ak tout kalite mechanste.
17 But [when people] are wise [PRS] in the way that God [MTY] [wants them to be], they are pure in every way, which God considers to be very important. They also act peaceably towards [others], they (are considerate of/think about the rights and feelings of) others, they are willing to yield to [the wishes of] others, they act compassionately [toward others], and they do all kinds of good things [for others] [MET]. [How they treat others does] not depend on (others’ status/whether others are important or not), and they are sincere [in all they do].
Pou konmanse, moun ki gen bon konprann ki soti nan Bondye a ap fè volonte Bondye, l'ap viv byen ak tout moun, l'ap respekte tout moun, l'ap tande rezon, l'ap gen kè sansib, l'ap fè anpil anpil byen, li pa nan de fas ni nan ipokrit.
18 Those who [act] peaceably [toward others] cause [others to also] act peaceably, with the result that they all live together [acting toward each other] in a righteous way [MET].
Moun k'ap chache pou lèzòm viv byen yonn ak lòt, y'ap travay ak kè poze pou yo ka rekòlte yon lavi ki dwat devan Bondye.
