Eklezyas 6
1 Gen yon mal ke m konn wè anba syèl la e ki gaye patou pami lòm—
I have observed another evil here on earth, and it has a great impact on humanity.
2 Yon nonm ke Bondye fin bay richès, byen ak lonè, jiskaske nanm li pa manke anyen nan tout sa ke li dezire. Men Bondye pa kite li manje ladann, paske yon etranje ap jwe benefis yo. Sa se vanite ak gwo malè.
God gives wealth, possessions, and honor to someone. They have everything they want. But God doesn't let them enjoy what they have. Instead somebody else does! This is hard to fathom, and is truly evil.
3 Si yon nonm fè yon santèn timoun e viv anpil ane, malgre fòs kantite ke yo kapab ye, men nanm li pa janm satisfè ak bon bagay, e li pa menm ka fè yon bon antèman; alò, mwen di: “Pito li te sòti kon foskouch nan vant li.”
A man could have one hundred children, and grow old, but it wouldn't matter how long his life was if he couldn't enjoy it and at the end receive a decent burial. I would say that a stillborn child would be better off than him.
4 Paske li parèt an ven e non li vin kouvri nan fènwa.
The way a stillborn child comes into the world and then leaves is painfully hard to understand—arriving and departing in darkness—and who he would have been is never known.
5 Li pa janm wè solèy la, e li p ap janm konnen anyen; li pi bon pase lòt la.
He never saw the light of day or knew what it was like to live. Yet the child finds rest, and not this man.
6 Menm si lòt la viv pandan mil ane de fwa e pa rejwi de bon bagay—èske se pa tout moun ki ale menm kote a?
Even if this man were to live a thousand years twice over he still wouldn't be happy. Don't we all end up in the same place—the grave?
7 Tout travay a lòm se pou satisfè bouch li; malgre sa, apeti li pa janm satisfè.
Everyone works so they can live, but they're never satisfied.
8 Paske, se ki lavantaj yon nonm saj genyen sou yon moun san konprann? Ki lavantaj malere a genyen nan konnen jan pou mache devan sila ki vivan yo?
So then, what real advantage do wise people have over those who are fools? And do poor people really gain anything in knowing how to behave in front of others?
9 Sa ke zye wè pi bon pase sa ke nanm dezire. Sa tou, se san rezon ak kouri dèyè van.
Be happy with what you have instead of running after what you don't! But this is also hard to do, like running after the wind.
10 Tout sa ki egziste te gen non deja, e yo tout konnen sa ke lòm nan ye; paske li pa ka goumen ak sila ki pi fò pase l.
Everything that exists has already been described. Everyone knows what people are like, and that you can't win an argument with a superior.
11 Paske, gen anpil pawòl ki ogmante vanite. Alò, se ki lavantaj pou yon nonm?
For the more words you use, the harder it is to make sense. So what's the point?
12 Paske kilès ki konnen sa ki bon pou yon nonm pandan lavi li, pandan ti kras ane lavi li ki san rezon an? Li va pase yo tankou lonbraj. Paske se kilès ki ka di sa k ap rive apre li anba solèy la?
Who knows what's best for us and our lives? During our short lives that pass like shadows we have many unanswered questions. And who can tell us what will happen when we're gone?
