Pwovèb 23
1 Lè chèf envite ou manje sou menm tab ak li, pa janm bliye ki moun li ye.
When you take your seat at the feast with a ruler, give thought with care to what is before you;
2 Si ou se yon moun ki gen bon lapeti, kontwole bouch ou.
And put a knife to your throat, if you have a strong desire for food.
3 Pa pote lanvi sou bon ti manje l'ap ofri ou yo. Se ka yon pèlen li tann pou ou.
Have no desire for his delicate food, for it is the bread of deceit.
4 Pa touye tèt ou ap kouri dèyè lajan pou ou vin rich. Wete lide ou sou sa.
Take no care to get wealth; let there be an end to your desire for money.
5 Paske, anvan ou bat je ou, li gen tan disparèt. Ou ta di lajan gen zèl. Li rete konsa, li vole, li ale.
Are your eyes lifted up to it? it is gone: for wealth takes to itself wings, like an eagle in flight up to heaven.
6 Pa chita pou ou manje sou menm tab ak moun ki tikoulout. Pa pote lanvi sou manje l'ap ofri ou.
Do not take the food of him who has an evil eye, or have any desire for his delicate meat:
7 Li chich ata ak tèt pa li, ale wè avè ou. L'ap di ou: Manje non, monchè! Bwè non! Men se pa ak tout kè li l'ap di ou sa.
For as the thoughts of his heart are, so is he: Take food and drink, he says to you; but his heart is not with you.
8 W'a vonmi tou sa ou te manje a. Tout bèl pawòl ou te di l' yo p'ap sèvi ou anyen.
The food which you have taken will come up again, and your pleasing words will be wasted.
9 Pa chache fè yon moun san konprann konprann anyen. Li p'ap tande anyen nan sa w'ap di l' la. Lèfini, l'ap meprize ou met sou li.
Say nothing in the hearing of a foolish man, for he will put no value on the wisdom of your words.
10 Pa janm deplase bòn tè kote yo te ye depi lontan an. Pa antre sou jaden ki pou timoun san papa.
Do not let the landmark of the widow be moved, and do not go into the fields of those who have no father;
11 Se Bondye k'ap defann yo, li gen anpil pouvwa. L'a plede kòz yo kont ou.
For their saviour is strong, and he will take up their cause against you.
12 Mete tèt ou an plas lè y'ap moutre ou kichòy. Louvri zòrèy ou lè yon moun ki gen konesans ap pale.
Give your heart to teaching, and your ears to the words of knowledge.
13 Ou pa bezwen pè bat yon timoun. Yon bèl kal, sa p'ap touye l'.
Do not keep back training from the child: for even if you give him blows with the rod, it will not be death to him.
Give him blows with the rod, and keep his soul safe from the underworld. (Sheol h7585)
15 Pitit mwen, si ou gen bon konprann, mwen p'ap manke kontan.
My son, if your heart becomes wise, I, even I, will be glad in heart;
16 M'a kontan anpil lè m'a tande bon pawòl k'ap soti nan bouch ou.
And my thoughts in me will be full of joy when your lips say right things.
17 Pa pote lanvi sou moun k'ap fè sa ki mal. Nan tou sa w'ap fè, toujou gen krentif pou Bondye.
Have no envy of sinners in your heart, but keep in the fear of the Lord all through the day;
18 Paske gen denmen. Se pa pou gremesi w'ap tann sa w'ap tann lan.
For without doubt there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off.
19 Louvri zòrèy ou, gason mwen, pou ou ka gen bon konprann, pou ou ka mache dwat. Kalkile byen kote w'ap mete pye ou, pou ou ka mache dwat.
Give ear, my son, and be wise, guiding your heart in the right way.
20 Pa fè zanmi avèk moun k'ap bwè twòp, ak moun k'ap fè safte.
Do not be among those who give themselves to wine-drinking, or among those who make themselves full with meat:
21 Paske moun k'ap fè metye bwè ak moun ki afre ap vin pòv. Si ou pase tout tan ou ap dòmi, talè konsa w'ap mache yon men devan yon men dèyè.
For those who take delight in drink and feasting will come to be in need; and through love of sleep a man will be poorly clothed.
22 Pitit mwen, koute papa ou ki fè ou. Pa meprize manman ou lè li fin granmoun.
Give ear to your father whose child you are, and do not keep honour from your mother when she is old.
23 Verite, konesans, lespri ak bon konprann, se bagay ou mèt peye chè pou ou genyen. Men, pa janm vann sa.
Get for yourself that which is true, and do not let it go for money; get wisdom and teaching and good sense.
24 Papa ki gen yon pitit k'ap mache dwat ap toujou kontan. Manman ki fè yon pitit ki gen bon konprann ap toujou gen kè kontan.
The father of the upright man will be glad, and he who has a wise child will have joy because of him.
25 Fè kè papa ou ak manman ou kontan. Fè kè manman ki fè ou la kontan.
Let your father and your mother be glad, let her who gave you birth have joy.
26 Pitit mwen, louvri zòrèy ou pou tande sa m'ap di ou. Louvri je ou byen pou ou wè jan m'ap viv.
My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes take delight in my ways.
27 Fanm jennès se tankou yon twou pèlen, fanm adiltè se tankou yon pi jis jis.
For a loose woman is a deep hollow, and a strange woman is a narrow water-hole.
28 Tankou vòlò, y'ap pare pèlen pou ou. Yo fè anpil gason pèdi tèt yo.
Yes, she is waiting secretly like a beast for its food, and deceit by her is increased among men.
29 Ki moun ki nan tèt chaje, ki nan lapenn? Ki moun ki toujou nan kont, ki tou tan ap plenyen? Ki moun k'ap pran kou san rezon, ki gen je yo tou wouj?
Who says, Oh! who says, Ah! who has violent arguments, who has grief, who has wounds without cause, whose eyes are dark?
30 Se moun k'ap bwè twòp gwòg, moun k'ap kouri dèyè tranpe.
Those who are seated late over the wine: those who go looking for mixed wine.
31 Pa kite bweson pran nanm ou, ou te mèt wè jan li bèl, jan li klè nan vè a. Lè ou bwè l', li desann dous nan gòj ou.
Keep your eyes from looking on the wine when it is red, when its colour is bright in the cup, when it goes smoothly down:
32 Men, pita ou santi se tankou yon move sèpan ki mòde ou, yon sèpan aspik ki pike ou.
In the end, its bite is like that of a snake, its wound like the wound of a poison-snake.
33 W'ap wè tout bagay ap vire devan je ou, w'ap depale.
Your eyes will see strange things, and you will say twisted things.
34 W'ap santi tankou si ou te sou lanmè: w'ap tankou si ou te sou tèt yon ma batiman.
Yes, you will be like him who takes his rest on the sea, or on the top of a sail-support.
35 Lè sa a w'a di: Gen lè yo bat mwen, mwen pa santi sa. Gen lè yo te ban m' kou, mwen pa konn sa. Kilè m'a leve la a? Mwen ta pran yon ti kou ankò.
They have overcome me, you will say, and I have no pain; they gave me blows without my feeling them: when will I be awake from my wine? I will go after it again.
