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.
Said, I, in my heart, Come now! I will prove thee with gladness, and look thou on blessedness, —but lo! even that, was vanity.
2 Mwen te di de afè ri, “Sa se foli,” e de plezi, “Kisa l ap akonpli?”
Of laughter, I said, Madness! and, of mirth, What can it do?
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 sought out with my heart, to cherish with wine, my flesh, —but, my heart, was to guide with wisdom, even in laying hold of folly, until I should see which was blessedness for the sons of men, as to that which they could do, under the heavens, 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 enlarged my works, —I built me houses, I planted me vineyards;
5 Mwen te fè jaden ak bèl plas pou tèt mwen e mwen te plante ladann yo tout kalite pye fwi.
I made me gardens, and parks, —I planted in them trees of every kind of fruit;
6 Mwen te fè gwo basen dlo pou tèt mwen pou awoze yon forè bwa ki t ap grandi.
I made me pools of water, —to irrigate therefrom the thick-set saplings growing up into 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 acquired, men-servants and women-servants, and, the children of the household, were mine, —also possessions, herds and flocks in abundance, were mine, beyond all who had been 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 heaped me up, both silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings, and provinces, —I provided me singing-men and singing-women, and the delights of the sons of men, a wife and wives.
9 Epi mwen te vin gran, pi gran pase tout wa ki te avan m Jérusalem yo. Konsa, sajès mwen te kanpe avè m.
So I became great, and increased, more than any one who had been before me in Jerusalem, —moreover, my wisdom, remained 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, nothing that mine eyes asked, withheld I from them, —I did not keep back my heart from any gladness, for, my heart, obtained gladness out of all my toil, and so, this, was my portion, out of all my toil.
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.
When, I, looked upon all my works, which my hands had made, and on my toil, whereon I had toilsomely wrought, then lo! all, was vanity, and feeding on wind, and there was no profit 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?
Thus turned, I, to look at wisdom, and madness and folly, —for what can the man [do more] who cometh after the king? [save] that which, already, men have done.
13 Epi mwen te wè ke sajès toujou genyen sou vanite, tankou limyè genyen sou tenèb.
Then saw, I, that wisdom doth excel folly, —as far as light excelleth 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.
As for the wise man, his eyes, are in his head, whereas, the dullard, in darkness, doth walk, —but, I myself, knew that, one destiny, happeneth to them, all.
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.”
Then said, I, in my heart, As it happeneth to the dullard, even to me, will it happen, but wherefore, then, became, I, wise to excess? Therefore spake I, in my heart, Even this, is vanity.
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 is no remembrance of a wise man, more than of a dullard, unto times age-abiding, —seeing that, already, in the days to come, all hath been forgotten, how then cometh it that the wise man dieth equally with the dullard?
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.
Therefore I hated life, for, a vexation unto me, was the work which was done under the sun, —for, all, was vanity, and a feeding on wind.
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.
Therefore hated, I, all my toil, wherein I was toiling, under the sun, —in that I should leave it for the man who should come 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.
and who could know whether a, wise man, he would be or a foolish, and yet he would lord it over all my toil, wherein I had toiled and wherein I had acted wisely, under the sun, —even this, was vanity.
20 Pou sa, mwen te pèdi espwa nèt a tout fwi a zèv mwen pou sila mwen te travay anba solèy la.
Then resolved I, to give my heart over to despair, —concerning all the toil, wherein I had toiled, 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 here is a man, whose toil hath been with wisdom and with knowledge and with skill, —yet, to a man who hath not toiled therein, shall he leave it as his portion, even this, was vanity and a great vexation.
22 Paske se kisa ke yon nonm jwenn pou tout travay li, nan efò ke li te fòse fè anba solèy la?
For what hath the man for all his toil, and for the striving of his heart, —wherein, he himself, toiled 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.
For, all his days, are pains, and, vexatious, is his employment, even in the night, his heart lieth not down, —even this, was, vanity.
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.
There was nothing more blessed for Man [than] that he should eat and drink, and see his desireth for blessedness in his toil, —even this, saw, I myself, that, from the hand of God, it was.
25 Paske se kilès ki ka manje, e kilès ki ka jwenn plezi li plis pase m?
For who could eat and who could enjoy, so well as I?
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.
For, to a man who is good before him, hath he given wisdom and knowledge and gladness, —whereas, to the sinner, he hath given employment, to gather and heap up, to give to one who is good before God, even this, was vanity, and a feeding on wind.
