< Eklezyas 10 >

1 Mouch mouri bay lwil pafen yon move odè; Se konsa yon ti kras foli gen pouvwa pou depase sajès ak respè.
[A few] dead flies in [a bottle of] perfume cause [all] the perfume to stink. Similarly [SIM], a small amount of acting foolishly can have a greater effect than acting wisely.
2 Kè a yon moun saj mennen li adwat, men kè a moun san konprann nan mennen l agoch.
If people think sensibly, it will lead them to do what is right; if they think foolishly, it causes them to do what is wrong.
3 Menm lè ensanse a mache nan lari li manke bon tèt. Li montre tout moun ke se moun fou li ye.
Even while foolish people walk along the road, they show that they do not have good sense; they show everyone that they are not wise.
4 Si kòlè a wa a vin monte kont ou, pa abandone pozisyon ou; paske rete kalm ka evite gwo ofans.
Do not quit working for a ruler when he is angry with you; if you remain calm, he will [probably] stop being angry.
5 Gen yon mal mwen konn wè anba solèy la, tankou yon fot ki sòti nan sila k ap gouvène a——
There is something [else] that I have seen here on this earth, something that rulers sometimes do that is wrong/inappropriate:
6 Foli plase nan anpil kote byen wo pandan rich yo chita kote ki ba.
They appoint foolish people to have important positions, while they appoint rich [people] to have unimportant positions.
7 Mwen konn wè esklav ki monte sou cheval ak prens k ap mache atè tankou esklav.
They allow slaves [to ride] on horses [like rich people usually do], [but] they force officials to walk [like slaves usually do].
8 Sila ki fouye fè yon twou ka byen tonbe ladann, e yon sèpan ka mòde gèrye a ki kraze yon miray.
[It is possible that] those who dig pits will fall into one of those pits. [It is possible that] someone who tears down a wall will be bitten by a snake [that is in that wall].
9 Sila ki taye wòch yo ka blese ladann, e sila ki fann gwo bout bwa a kapab an danje.
If you work in a quarry, [it is possible that] a stone [will fall on you and] injure you. [It is possible that] men who split logs will be injured by one of those logs.
10 Si rach la pa gen tay, e li pa file pwent li; alò, li va egzije plis fòs. Avantaj a sajès se reyisi!
If your axe is not sharp [DOU], you will need to work harder [to cut down a tree], but by being wise, you will succeed.
11 Si sèpan an mòde avan li vin chame, nanpwen pwofi.
If a snake bites a man before he charms/tames it, his ability to charm snakes will not benefit him.
12 Pawòl ki soti nan bouch sila ki saj la plen ak gras, men pawòl a moun ensanse a fin manje l nèt;
Wise people say [MTY] what is sensible, and because of that, people honor them; but foolish people are destroyed by what they say [MTY].
13 Kòmansman diskou ensanse a se foli, e fen diskou li se plen mechanste ak betiz.
When foolish people start to talk, they say things that are foolish, and they end by saying things that are both wicked and foolish.
14 Malgre tout sa, moun ensanse a ogmante pawòl li yo. Pèsòn pa konnen sa ki va rive, e kilès kab di li sa ki va rive apre li.
They talk (too much/without ceasing). None of us knows what will happen in the future, or what will happen after we die.
15 Zèv a moun ensanse a tèlman fatige l, ke li pa konnen kijan pou li rive nan vil la.
Foolish people become [so] exhausted by the work that they do that they are unable to find the road to their town/homes.
16 Malè a ou menm, O peyi ki gen jenn ti gason kon wa; ak prens yo k ap fè fèt granmaten.
Terrible things will happen to the people of a nation whose ruler is a foolish young man, and whose [other] leaders continually eat, all day long, every day.
17 Beni se ou menm, O peyi ki gen yon fis byen prepare kon wa a ak prens ki manje nan pwòp lè yo, pou bay fòs, e non pou fè banbòch vin sou.
[But] a nation will prosper if its ruler is from a (noble/well-educated) family, and if its [other] leaders feast [only] at the proper times, and [if they eat and drink only] to be strong, not to become drunk.
18 Akoz parès ak neglijans, twati a vin pann, e nan enpridans kay la vin koule.
Some men are very lazy [and do not repair the rafters], with the result that the rafters sag [and collapse]; and if they do not repair the roof, water will leak into the house [when it rains].
19 Yon gwo tab manje fèt pou yo rejwi yo, diven pou fè kè kontan; epi lajan se repons pou tout bagay.
Eating food and drinking wine causes us to laugh and be happy, [but] we are able to enjoy those things only if we have money [to buy them].
20 Anplis, nan chanm a kouche ou, pa bay wa a madichon; e nan chanm a kouche ou, pa bay yon moun rich madichon. Paske yon zwazo syèl la ka pote bri a, e sa ki gen zèl yo ka fè yo konnen bagay la.
Do not even think about cursing the king, or cursing rich [people, even] when you are [alone] in your bedroom, because [it is possible that] a little bird will hear [what you are saying], [and] tell those people what you said [about them].

< Eklezyas 10 >