Pwovèb 23
1 Lè ou chita sou tab ak yon ki gouvènè, konsidere byen sa ki devan ou.
When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, Consider diligently him that is before thee;
2 Konsa, mete yon kouto sou gòj ou si ou se yon nonm ak gwo lanvi.
And put a knife to thy throat, If thou be a man given to appetite.
3 Pa dezire bon manje sa yo, paske se yon repa desepsyon.
Be not desirous of his dainties; Seeing they are deceitful food.
4 Pa fatige kò ou pou jwenn richès; sispann reflechi sou sa.
Weary not thyself to be rich; Cease from thine own wisdom.
5 Depi ou mete zye ou sou li, l ale. Paske, anverite, li gen zèl kon yon èg k ap vole vè syèl yo.
Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? For [riches] certainly make themselves wings, Like an eagle that flieth toward heaven.
6 Pa manje pen a yon mesye ki chich, ni anvi bèl bagay li;
Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, Neither desire thou his dainties:
7 paske jan li panse nan tèt li a, se konsa li ye. Li di ou: “Manje e bwè!” Men kè li pa avè w.
For as he thinketh within himself, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; But his heart is not with thee.
8 Ou va vomi mòso ke ou te manje a e gaspiye tout bèl pawòl ou yo.
The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, And lose thy sweet words.
9 Pa pale nan zòrèy a moun sòt, paske l ap meprize sajès a pawòl ou yo.
Speak not in the hearing of a fool; For he will despise the wisdom of thy words.
10 Pa deplase ansyen bòn nan, ni antre nan chan òfelen yo,
Remove not the ancient landmark; And enter not into the fields of the fatherless:
11 Paske Redanmtè yo a pwisan. Li va plede ka yo kont ou.
For their Redeemer is strong; He will plead their cause against thee.
12 Aplike kè ou a disiplin ak zòrèy ou a pawòl ki pote konesans.
Apply thy heart unto instruction, And thine ears to the words of knowledge.
13 Pa ralanti disiplin sou yon timoun; malgre ou frape li ak yon baton, li p ap mouri.
Withhold not correction from the child; [For] if thou beat him with the rod, he will not die.
Thou shalt beat him with the rod, And shalt deliver his soul from Sheol. (Sheol h7585)
15 Fis mwen an, si kè ou saj, pwòp kè m va kontan tou.
My son, if thy heart be wise, My heart will be glad, even mine:
16 Wi, jis anndan m va rejwi lè lèv ou pale sa ki dwat.
Yea, my heart will rejoice, When thy lips speak right things.
17 Pa kite kè ou fè lanvi pechè yo, men viv nan lakrent SENYÈ a tout tan.
Let not thy heart envy sinners; But [be thou] in the fear of Jehovah all the day long:
18 Anverite, gen davni, e espwa ou p ap anile.
For surely there is a reward; And thy hope shall not be cut off.
19 Koute, fis mwen an, vin saj pou dirije kè ou nan chemen an.
Hear thou, my son, and be wise, And guide thy heart in the way.
20 Pa bwè twòp diven, ni fè voras nan manje vyann;
Be not among winebibbers, Among gluttonous eaters of flesh:
21 paske sila ki bwè twòp la ak moun voras la va vin pòv; e dòmi nan zye a va fè l abiye ak vye twal chire.
For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty; And drowsiness will clothe [a man] with rags.
22 Koute papa ou ki te fè ou a, e pa meprize manman ou lè l vin granmoun.
Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, And despise not thy mother when she is old.
23 Achte verite e pa vann li! Ranmase sajès, enstriksyon ak bon konprann.
Buy the truth, and sell it not; [Yea], wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.
24 Papa a sila ki dwat la va rejwi anpil, e sila ki fè yon fis ki saj la va gen kè kontan nan li.
The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice; And he that begetteth a wise child will have joy of him.
25 Kite papa ou ak manman ou fè kè kontan; kite fanm ki te fè ou a, rejwi.
Let thy father and thy mother be glad, And let her that bare thee rejoice.
26 Ban m kè ou, fis mwen an; kite zye ou fè kè kontan nan chemen mwen yo.
My son, give me thy heart; And let thine eyes delight in my ways.
27 Paske yon pwostitiye se yon fòs byen fon, e yon fanm adiltè se yon ti pwi etwat.
For a harlot is a deep ditch; And a foreign woman is a narrow pit.
28 Anverite, li kache veye tankou vòlè, pou l ogmante enfidelite pami lòm.
Yea, she lieth in wait as a robber, And increaseth the treacherous among men.
29 Se kilès ki gen gwo pwoblèm? Se kilès ki gen tristès? Se kilès ki gen konfli? Se kilès kap plenyèn? Se kilès ki blese san rezon? Se kilès ki gen zye wouj?
Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? Who hath complaining? who hath wounds without cause? Who hath redness of eyes?
30 Sila ki mize sou diven nan, sila ki ale goute diven mele an.
They that tarry long at the wine; They that go to seek out mixed wine.
31 Pa gade diven an lè l wouj, lè l fè klè nan tas la, lè l desann byen dous.
Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, When it sparkleth in the cup, When it goeth down smoothly:
32 Nan dènye moman an, li mòde tankou sèpan; li brile tankou bouch koulèv.
At the last it biteth like a serpent, And stingeth like an adder.
33 Zye ou va wè bagay ki dwòl, e panse ou va twouble anpil.
Thine eyes shall behold strange things, And thy heart shall utter perverse things.
34 Ou va tankou yon moun ki kouche nan mitan lanmè, oswa tankou yon moun ki kouche sou ma batiman.
Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, Or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast.
35 “Yo te frape m, men mwen pa t santi anyen! Yo te bat mwen, men mwen pa t konnen sa! Lè m leve, m ap chache pou m kab bwè ankò.”
They have stricken me, [shalt thou say], and I was not hurt; They have beaten me, and I felt it not: When shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.
