Eklezyas 7
1 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.
Better [is] a name than good perfume, And the day of death than the day of birth.
2 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.
Better to go unto a house of mourning, Than to go unto a house of banqueting, For that is the end of all men, And the living layeth [it] unto his heart.
3 Pito yon moun nan lapenn pase pou l' gen kè kontan. Lapenn rale figi ou, men l'ap louvri lespri ou.
Better [is] sorrow than laughter, For by the sadness of the face the heart becometh better.
4 Moun ki gen bon konprann toujou ap kalkile sou lanmò. Moun sòt toujou ap kalkile sou ki jan pou yo jwi lavi a.
The heart of the wise [is] in a house of mourning, And the heart of fools in a house of mirth.
5 Pito ou tande yon moun ki gen bon konprann ap rale zòrèy ou pase pou ou tande moun sòt ap fè lwanj pou ou.
Better to hear a rebuke of a wise man, Than [for] a man to hear a song of fools,
6 Lè moun sòt ap ri, se tankou move chabon k'ap pete nan dife. Sa pa vo anyen.
For as the noise of thorns under the pot, So [is] the laughter of a fool, even this [is] vanity.
7 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'.
Surely oppression maketh the wise mad, And a gift destroyeth the heart.
8 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.
Better [is] the latter end of a thing than its beginning, Better [is] the patient of spirit, than the haughty of spirit.
9 Pa fè kòlè fasil, paske se moun sòt ki renmen fache.
Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry, For anger in the bosom of fools resteth.
10 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.
Say not thou, 'What was it, That the former days were better than these?' For thou hast not asked wisely of this.
11 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.
Wisdom [is] good with an inheritance, And an advantage [it is] to those beholding the sun.
12 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.
For wisdom [is] a defense, money [is] a defence, And the advantage of the knowledge of wisdom [is], She reviveth her possessors.
13 Gade travay Bondye! Ki moun ki ka drese sa Bondye kwochi?
See the work of God, For who is able to make straight that which He made crooked?
14 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'.
In a day of prosperity be in gladness, And in a day of evil consider. Also this over-against that hath God made, To the intent that man doth not find anything after him.
15 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.
The whole I have considered in the days of my vanity. There is a righteous one perishing in his righteousness, and there is a wrong-doer prolonging [himself] in his wrong.
16 Pa chache twò bon, ni gen twòp lespri. Sa ou bezwen touye tèt ou fè?
Be not over-righteous, nor show thyself too wise, why art thou desolate?
17 Men, pa twò mechan ni pa twò sòt. Poukisa pou ou ta mouri anvan lè ou?
Do not much wrong, neither be thou a fool, why dost thou die within thy time?
18 Evite fè eksè ni nan yon sans ni nan yon lòt. Si ou gen krentif pou Bondye, ou p'ap tonbe nan fè eksè.
[It is] good that thou dost lay hold on this, and also, from that withdrawest not thy hand, for whoso is fearing God goeth out with them all.
19 Sa konesans fè pou yon moun, dis grannèg pa ka fè l' pou yon lavil.
The wisdom giveth strength to a wise man, more than wealth the rulers who have been in a city.
20 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.
Because there is not a righteous man on earth that doth good and sinneth not.
21 Pa koute tou sa moun ap di. Konsa ou p'ap tande lè domestik ou ap pale ou mal.
Also to all the words that they speak give not thy heart, that thou hear not thy servant reviling thee.
22 Paske ou menm tou, nan kè ou, ou konnen konbe fwa ou pale moun mal.
For many times also hath thy heart known that thou thyself also hast reviled others.
23 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'.
All this I have tried by wisdom; I have said, 'I am wise,' and it [is] far from me.
24 Lavi se yon mistè. Li tankou yon twou san fon. Ki moun ki ka rive konprann li?
Far off [is] that which hath been, and deep, deep, who doth find it?
25 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.
I have turned round, also my heart, to know and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and reason, and to know the wrong of folly, and of foolishness the madness.
26 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.
And I am finding more bitter than death, the woman whose heart [is] nets and snares, her hands [are] bands; the good before God escapeth from her, but the sinner is captured by her.
27 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.
See, this I have found, said the Preacher, one to one, to find out the reason
28 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.
(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.
29 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.
See, this alone I have found, that God made man upright, and they — they have sought out many devices.
