Eklezyas 5
1 Gade byen ki jan w'ap mete pye ou lakay Bondye a. Pito ou ale la pou ou ka aprann kichòy pase pou ou al ofri bèt pou touye pou Bondye tankou moun san konprann sa yo ki pa konn sa ki byen ak sa ki mal.
Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Draw near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong.
2 Fè tèt ou travay anvan ou louvri bouch ou pale. Pa prese fè ankenn pwomès bay Bondye. Bondye, se nan syèl li ye, ou menm ou sou latè. Pa di plis pase sa ou dwe di a.
Do not be quick to speak, and do not be hasty in your heart to utter a word before God. After all, God is in heaven and you are on earth. So let your words be few.
3 Plis ou kite bagay chaje tèt ou, se plis ou ka fè move rèv. Plis ou pale anpil, se plis ou ka di pawòl ki pa fè sans menm.
As a dream comes through many cares, so the speech of a fool comes with many words.
4 Lè ou fè yon pwomès bay Bondye, pa mize fè sa ou pwomèt fè a. Bondye pa nan jwèt ak moun ki san konprann. Sa ou pwomèt fè a, fè l'.
When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it, because He takes no pleasure in fools. Fulfill your vow.
5 Pito ou pa janm pwomèt Bondye w'ap fè kichòy pou li pase pou ou pwomèt, epi pou ou pa kenbe pwomès ou.
It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it.
6 Pa kite pawòl ki soti nan bouch ou fè ou fè peche. Apre sa pou ou al di reprezantan Bondye a: O wi, se chape bouch mwen chape. Poukisa pou ou ta fè Bondye fache sou ou? Poukisa pou ou ta fè Bondye detwi travay ou fè ak men ou?
Do not let your mouth cause your flesh to sin, and do not tell the messenger that your vow was a mistake. Why should God be angry with your words and destroy the work of your hands?
7 Tout rèv w'ap plede fè yo, tout pawòl w'ap plede di yo p'ap sèvi ou anyen. Se krentif pou ou toujou genyen pou Bondye.
For as many dreams bring futility, so do many words. Therefore, fear God.
8 Ou pa bezwen sezi lè ou wè nan yon peyi, chèf ap peze pòv malere. Yo refize rann yo jistis, yo derefize defann dwa inonsan yo. Chak chèf gen yon gwo chèf dèyè l'. Lèfini yo tou de gen yon pi gwo chèf ankò dèyè yo.
If you see the oppression of the poor and the denial of justice and righteousness in the province, do not be astonished at the matter; for one official is watched by a superior, and others higher still are over them.
9 Travay latè se yon avantaj pou tout moun, ata pou wa a. Se sou sa li konte tou.
The produce of the earth is taken by all; the king himself profits from the fields.
10 Si ou renmen lajan, ou p'ap janm fin gen ase. Si w'ap kouri dèyè richès, plis ou genyen, se plis ou anvi genyen toujou. Sa tou, sa pa vo anyen.
He who loves money is never satisfied by money, and he who loves wealth is never satisfied by income. This too is futile.
11 Plis ou gen lajan, se plis bouch w'ap gen pou bay manje. Sèl benefis ou jwenn nan tou sa, se wè w'a wè ou rich.
When good things increase, so do those who consume them; what then is the profit to the owner, except to behold them with his eyes?
12 Yon travayè te mèt manje kont li, li te mèt pa manje kont li, l'ap toujou byen dòmi lannwit. Men, moun rich yo, yo sitèlman genyen, yo pase nwit yo blanch ak kè sote.
The sleep of the worker is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of the rich man permits him no sleep.
13 Men mwen wè sou latè yon bagay ki fè lapenn anpil: Moun sere lajan epi sa vire mal pou yo.
There is a grievous evil I have seen under the sun: wealth hoarded to the harm of its owner,
14 Yon malè pase, tout lajan an pèdi. Li vin fè yon pitit, li pa gen anyen pou l' ba li.
or wealth lost in a failed venture, so when that man has a son there is nothing to pass on.
15 Li soti toutouni nan vant manman l', konsa tou l'ap tounen san anyen anba tè. Pa gen anyen nan tou sa li travay fè li ka pran pote ale ak li.
As a man came from his mother’s womb, so he will depart again, naked as he arrived. He takes nothing for his labor to carry in his hands.
16 Wi, sa se bagay ki pou fann kè nou ak lapenn: Jan nou vini an, se konsa nou prale. Nou travay, men sa p'ap rapòte nou anyen.
This too is a grievous evil: Exactly as a man is born, so he will depart. What does he gain as he toils for the wind?
17 Sa ki pi rèd la, nou pase tout lavi nou nan fènwa, nan lapenn, nan kè sere, nan maladi, nan fè kòlè.
Moreover, all his days he eats in darkness, with much sorrow, sickness, and anger.
18 Men sa mwen jwenn ankò: Pi bon bagay yon moun ka fè sou latè, se manje, se bwè, se jwi sa li travay di fè a, pandan de twa jou Bondye ba li pou li viv la. Men, se sa ase ki pou yon moun nan lavi.
Here is what I have seen to be good and fitting: to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in all the labor one does under the sun during the few days of life that God has given him—for this is his lot.
19 Si Bondye bay yon moun richès ak byen, se pou li jwi yo, se pou l' di Bondye mèsi, se pou l' jwi tou sa li travay fè. Sa se kado Bondye ba li.
Furthermore, God has given riches and wealth to every man, and He has enabled him to enjoy them, to accept his lot, and to rejoice in his labor. This is a gift from God.
20 Li pa bezwen chonje jan lavi a kout, paske Bondye ba li kont bagay pou l' fè pou fè kè l' kontan.
For a man seldom considers the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with the joy of his heart.
