Eklezyas 9
1 Paske, tout sa mwen te pote kon fado nan kè m pou eksplike li; ke moun dwat yo, moun saj yo, avèk tout zèv yo nan men Bondye. Lòm pa konnen si se lanmou, oswa rayisman; nenpòt bagay kapab tann li.
For all this I laid to my heart, even to explore all this: that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God; whether it is love or hatred, man doesn’t know it; all is before them.
2 Se menm bagay la pou tout moun. Gen yon sèl desten pou moun dwat yo ak mechan yo; pou bon an, pou moun san tach la, ak pou enpi a; pou sila ki ofri sakrifis ak sila ki pa ofri sakrifis la. Tankou sila ki dwat ak pechè a menm jan; tankou sila ki fè sèman an, se konsa sila ki refize sèmante a ye.
All things come alike to all. There is one event to the righteous and to the wicked; to the good, to the clean, to the unclean, to him who sacrifices, and to him who doesn’t sacrifice. As is the good, so is the sinner; he who takes an oath, as he who fears an oath.
3 Men yon mal nan tout sa ki konn fèt anba solèy la, ke gen menm desten an pou tout moun. Anplis, kè a fis a lòm yo plen mechanste, e foli rete nan kè yo pandan tout lavi yo. Apre, yo ale kote mò yo.
This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that there is one event to all. Yes also, the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead.
4 Paske, nenpòt moun ki jwenn ansanm ak lòt vivan yo gen espwa; anverite, yon chen vivan pi bon pase yon lyon ki mouri.
For to him who is joined with all the living there is hope; for a living dog is better than a dead lion.
5 Paske vivan yo konnen ke y ap mouri; men mò yo pa konnen anyen; ni yo pa jwenn rekonpans ankò, paske memwa yo fin bliye nèt.
For the living know that they will die, but the dead don’t know anything, neither do they have any more a reward; for their memory is forgotten.
6 Anverite, lanmou yo, rayisman yo, ak fòs kouraj yo deja fin mouri, e yo pa gen pati ankò nan tout sa ki fèt anba solèy la.
Also their love, their hatred, and their envy has perished long ago; neither do they any longer have a portion forever in anything that is done under the sun.
7 Ale manje pen ou ak kè kontan e bwè diven ak kè plen ak jwa; paske Bondye deja pran plezi nan sa ou fè a.
Go your way—eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart; for God has already accepted your works.
8 Kite tout vètman ou yo rete blan tout tan, e pa kite lwil la manke sou tèt ou.
Let your garments be always white, and don’t let your head lack oil.
9 Fè rejwisans lavi ou ak fanm ke ou renmen pandan tout jou kout lavi ou ke Li te bay ou anba solèy la. Paske sa se rekonpans ou nan lavi ak nan travay di ou konn fè anba solèy la.
Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your life of vanity, which he has given you under the sun, all your days of vanity, for that is your portion in life, and in your labour in which you labour under the sun.
10 Nenpòt sa ke men ou jwenn pou fè, fè l ak tout kouraj ou. Paske pa gen aktivite, ni plan, ni konesans, ni sajès nan Sejou mò kote ou prale a. (Sheol h7585)
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work, nor plan, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in Sheol, where you are going. (Sheol h7585)
11 Anplis, mwen te wè anba solèy la ke kous la pa pou moun ki rapid la, ni batay la pa pou gwo gèrye yo, ni pen pou saj la, ni richès a sila ki byen konprann nan, ni favè a moun abil; paske tan avèk jan tout bagay dewoule vin genyen yo tout.
I returned and saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happen to them all.
12 Anplis, lòm pa konnen lè li tankou pwason ki kenbe nan yon filè mechan an, o zwazo ki kenbe nan pèlen an. Se konsa fis a lòm yo sezi nan yon move moman. Epi lanmò an tonbe sou yo sibitman.
For man also doesn’t know his time. As the fish that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare, even so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falls suddenly on them.
13 Sa osi, mwen te vin konprann kon sajès anba solèy la, e li te etone panse m.
I have also seen wisdom under the sun in this way, and it seemed great to me.
14 Te gen yon ti vil ak kèk grenn moun ladann. Yon gran wa te parèt sou li, te antoure li, e te konstwi zam syèj kont li.
There was a little city, and few men within it; and a great king came against it, besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it.
15 Men te twouve ladann yon malere byen saj; li te delivre vil la avèk sajès li. Men pa t gen pèsòn ki te sonje moun malere sila a.
Now a poor wise man was found in it, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man.
16 Konsa mwen te di: “Sajès pi bon pase pwisans.” Men sajès a malere a meprize, e pou pawòl li, pèsòn pa tande yo.
Then I said, “Wisdom is better than strength.” Nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard.
17 Pawòl a saj k ap koute lè tout bagay kalm pi bon pase vwa chèf k ap rele fò nan mitan moun ensanse.
The words of the wise heard in quiet are better than the cry of him who rules amongst fools.
18 Sajès pi bon ke zam lagè; men yon sèl pechè detwi anpil ki bon.
Wisdom is better than weapons of war; but one sinner destroys much good.
