Eklezyas 2
1 Mwen te di nan tèt mwen: “Vini koulye a, mwen va teste ou ak plezi. Pou sa, fè kè ou kontan.” Epi sa osi se te vanite.
I said in my heart: “I will go forth and overflow with delights, and I will enjoy good things.” And I saw that this, too, is emptiness.
2 Mwen te di de afè ri, “Sa se foli,” e de plezi, “Kisa l ap akonpli?”
Laughter, I considered an error. And to rejoicing, I said: “Why are you being deceived, to no purpose?”
3 Mwen te fè ankèt ak panse m kòman pou eksite kò m ak diven pandan panse m ap gide m ak sajès ak jan pou kenbe foli, jiskaske mwen ta kapab wè sa ki bon ki genyen pou fis a lòm yo fè anba syèl la pandan ti kras ane ke y ap viv yo.
I decided in my heart to withdraw my flesh from wine, so that I might bring my mind to wisdom, and turn away from foolishness, until I see what is useful for the sons of men, and what they ought to do under the sun, during the number of the days of their life.
4 Mwen te agrandi zèv mwen yo. Mwen te bati kay pou mwen; mwen te plante chan rezen pou mwen.
I magnified my works. I built houses for myself, and I planted vineyards.
5 Mwen te fè jaden ak bèl plas pou tèt mwen e mwen te plante ladann yo tout kalite pye fwi.
I made gardens and orchards. And I planted them with trees of every kind.
6 Mwen te fè gwo basen dlo pou tèt mwen pou awoze yon forè bwa ki t ap grandi.
And I dug out fishponds of water, so that I might irrigate the forest of growing trees.
7 Mwen te achte esklav, ni mal ni femèl e mwen te genyen ki te fèt lakay mwen. Anplis mwen te genyen bann mouton avèk twoupo pi gran pase tout wa ki te Jérusalem avan m yo.
I obtained men and women servants, and I had a great family, as well as herds of cattle and great flocks of sheep, beyond all who were before me in Jerusalem.
8 Anplis, mwen te ranmase ajan ak lò pou pwòp tèt mwen ansanm ak trezò a wa yo ak pwovens pa yo. Mwen te founi pou pwòp tèt mwen chantè, ni mal, ni femèl, e tout plezi a lòm yo—anpil konkibin.
I amassed for myself silver and gold, and the wealth of kings and governors. I chose men and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, bowls and pitchers for the purpose of pouring wine.
9 Epi mwen te vin gran, pi gran pase tout wa ki te avan m Jérusalem yo. Konsa, sajès mwen te kanpe avè m.
And I surpassed in opulence all who were before me in Jerusalem. My wisdom also persevered with me.
10 Tout sa ke zye m te anvi, mwen pa t refize yo. Mwen pa t refize kè m okenn plezi li te vle, paske kè m te kontan akoz tout zèv mwen yo, e sa se te rekonpans pou tout travay mwen yo.
And all that my eyes desired, I did not refuse them. Neither did I prohibit my heart from enjoying every pleasure, and from amusing itself in the things that I had prepared. And I regarded this as my share, as if I were making use of my own labors.
11 Konsa, mwen te konsidere tout zèv men m te konn fè yo, avèk travay ke m te fòse fè yo, men gade byen, tout te vanite ak kouri dèyè van, e pa t gen okenn avantaj anba solèy la.
But when I turned myself toward all the works that my hands had made, and to the labors in which I had perspired to no purpose, I saw emptiness and affliction of the soul in all things, and that nothing is permanent under the sun.
12 Konsa mwen te vire konsidere sajès, afè moun ensanse menm ak foli; paske se kisa yon nonm ki swiv wa sila a ka fè, sinon sa ki te konn fèt deja?
I continued on, so as to contemplate wisdom, as well as error and foolishness. “What is man,” I said, “that he would be able to follow his Maker, the King?”
13 Epi mwen te wè ke sajès toujou genyen sou vanite, tankou limyè genyen sou tenèb.
And I saw that wisdom surpasses foolishness, so much so that they differ as much as light from darkness.
14 Zye a mesye saj la anndan tèt li; men moun ensanse a mache nan tenèb. Sepandan, mwen konnen ke se menm desten ki va rive yo tou de.
The eyes of a wise man are in his head. A foolish man walks in darkness. Yet I learned that one would pass away like the other.
15 Konsa, mwen rive di tèt mwen: “Kon desten a moun ensanse a, se konsa l ap rive m. Alò, poukisa mwen te fòse fè anpil sajès?” Alò, pou sa mwen te di tèt mwen: “Sa, anplis, se vanite.”
And I said in my heart: “If the death of both the foolish and myself will be one, how does it benefit me, if I have given myself more thoroughly to the work of wisdom?” And as I was speaking within my own mind, I perceived that this, too, is emptiness.
16 Paske nanpwen okenn memwa k ap sonje nonm saj la, menm jan pou ensanse a, akoz nan tout jou k ap vini yo, tout moun va bliye yo nèt. Epi konsa, nonm saj la ak ensanse a mouri tou de!
For there will not be a remembrance in perpetuity of the wise, nor of the foolish. And the future times will cover everything together, with oblivion. The learned die in a manner similar to the unlearned.
17 Pou sa, mwen te rayi lavi, paske travay ki te fèt anba syèl la te yon doulè pou mwen; paske tout bagay se kòve ak kouri dèyè van.
And, because of this, my life wearied me, since I saw that everything under the sun is evil, and everything is empty and an affliction of the spirit.
18 Konsa, mwen te rayi tout fwi a travay mwen yo, pou sila mwen te fè efò anba solèy la; paske mwen ap oblije kite li bay nonm nan k ap swiv mwen an.
Again, I detested all my efforts, by which I had earnestly labored under the sun, to be taken up by an heir after me,
19 Epi se kilès ki konnen si li va saj, oswa moun fou? Malgre li va gen kontwòl sou tout fwi travay mwen. Pou sila mwen te fòse fè ak sajès yo, anba solèy la. Sa, anplis, se vanite.
though I know not whether he will be wise or foolish. And yet he will have power over my labors, in which I have toiled and been anxious. And is there anything else so empty?
20 Pou sa, mwen te pèdi espwa nèt a tout fwi a zèv mwen pou sila mwen te travay anba solèy la.
Therefore, I ceased, and my heart renounced further laboring under the sun.
21 Kote ki genyen yon nonm ki te travay ak sajès, konesans ak kapasite, alò, li va kite eritaj li a yon moun ki pa t travay pou yo. Sa osi se vanite ak yon gwo mal.
For when someone labors in wisdom, and doctrine, and prudence, he leaves behind what he has obtained to one who is idle. So this, too, is emptiness and a great burden.
22 Paske se kisa ke yon nonm jwenn pou tout travay li, nan efò ke li te fòse fè anba solèy la?
For how can a man benefit from all his labor and affliction of spirit, by which he has been tormented under the sun?
23 Paske tout jou li yo, travay li plen ak doulè ak chagren; menm nan lannwit tèt li pa jwenn repo. Sa tou, se vanite.
All his days have been filled with sorrows and hardships; neither does he rest his mind, even in the night. And is this not emptiness?
24 Nanpwen anyen pi bon pou yon nonm, ke manje, bwè, e di tèt li, ke travay li a bon. Sa a mwen konn wè tou, ke li sòti nan men Bondye.
Is it not better to eat and drink, and to show his soul the good things of his labors? And this is from the hand of God.
25 Paske se kilès ki ka manje, e kilès ki ka jwenn plezi li plis pase m?
So who will feast and overflow with delights as much as I have?
26 Paske a yon nonm ki bon nan zye Bondye, Li te bay sajès, konesans ak lajwa; men a pechè a, Li te bay tach ranmase ak rasanble pou li kab bay a sila ki bon nan zye Bondye a. Sa anplis se vanite ak kouri dèyè van.
God has given, to the man who is good in his sight, wisdom, and knowledge, and rejoicing. But to the sinner, he has given affliction and needless worrying, so as to add, and to gather, and to deliver, to him who has pleased God. But this, too, is emptiness and a hollow worrying of the mind.
