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 well who 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; for they are deceitful food.
4 Pa fatige kò ou pou jwenn richès; sispann reflechi sou sa.
Weary not thyself to become rich; cease from thine own intelligence:
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 it, it is gone; for indeed it maketh itself wings and it flieth away as an eagle towards the heavens.
6 Pa manje pen a yon mesye ki chich, ni anvi bèl bagay li;
Eat thou not the food 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 in his soul, so is he. Eat and drink! will he say unto 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.
Thy morsel which thou hast eaten must thou vomit up, and thou wilt have wasted thy sweet words.
9 Pa pale nan zòrèy a moun sòt, paske l ap meprize sajès a pawòl ou yo.
Speak not in the ears of a foolish [man], 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 mighty; 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 beatest him with the rod, he shall 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 shall rejoice, even mine;
16 Wi, jis anndan m va rejwi lè lèv ou pale sa ki dwat.
and my reins shall exult, 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;
18 Anverite, gen davni, e espwa ou p ap anile.
for surely there is a result, and thine expectation shall not be cut off.
19 Koute, fis mwen an, vin saj pou dirije kè ou nan chemen an.
Thou, my son, hear and be wise, and direct thy heart in the way.
20 Pa bwè twòp diven, ni fè voras nan manje vyann;
Be not among winebibbers, among riotous 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 clotheth 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; wisdom, and instruction, and intelligence.
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 a righteous [man] shall greatly rejoice, and he that begetteth a wise [son] shall 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 have joy, and let her that bore 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 observe my ways.
27 Paske yon pwostitiye se yon fòs byen fon, e yon fanm adiltè se yon ti pwi etwat.
For a whore is a deep ditch; and a strange woman is a narrow pit.
28 Anverite, li kache veye tankou vòlè, pou l ogmante enfidelite pami lòm.
She also 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 contentions? Who complaining? Who wounds without cause? Who 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 try mixed wine.
31 Pa gade diven an lè l wouj, lè l fè klè nan tas la, lè l desann byen dous.
Look not upon the wine when it is red, when it sparkleth in the cup, and 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 women, and thy heart shall speak froward things;
34 Ou va tankou yon moun ki kouche nan mitan lanmè, oswa tankou yon moun ki kouche sou ma batiman.
and thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, and as he that lieth down 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 smitten me, [and] I am not sore; they have beaten me, [and] I knew it not. When shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.”
