< 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, thou shalt consider well, what is before thee;
2 Konsa, mete yon kouto sou gòj ou si ou se yon nonm ak gwo lanvi.
And shalt put a knife to thy throat, if, of great appetite, thou art:
3 Pa dezire bon manje sa yo, paske se yon repa desepsyon.
Do not crave his dainties, for, the same, are deceitful food.
4 Pa fatige kò ou pou jwenn richès; sispann reflechi sou sa.
Do not toil to get wealth, of thine own understanding, forbear:
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 let thine eye fly thereupon, when it is nothing? for it will, surely make, itself wings, Like an eagle, will it wing its way across the heavens.
6 Pa manje pen a yon mesye ki chich, ni anvi bèl bagay li;
Do not eat the food of him that hath a begrudging eye, neither crave 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, just as he hath thought in his own mind, so, he is: Eat and drink! he may say 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.
As for thy morsel thou hast eaten, thou shalt vomit it, so shalt thou waste thy things so sweet.
9 Pa pale nan zòrèy a moun sòt, paske l ap meprize sajès a pawòl ou yo.
In the ears of a dullard, do not speak, for he will despise the good sense of thy words.
10 Pa deplase ansyen bòn nan, ni antre nan chan òfelen yo,
Do not move back the ancient boundary, and, into the fields of the fatherless, do not enter;
11 Paske Redanmtè yo a pwisan. Li va plede ka yo kont ou.
For, their near of kin, is strong, he, will plead their cause with thee.
12 Aplike kè ou a disiplin ak zòrèy ou a pawòl ki pote konesans.
Bring, to correction, thy heart, and thine ears, to the sayings of knowledge.
13 Pa ralanti disiplin sou yon timoun; malgre ou frape li ak yon baton, li p ap mouri.
Do not withhold, from a child, correction, When thou smitest him with the rod, he shall not die:
14 Ou va frape li ak baton pou delivre nanm li de sejou mò yo. (Sheol )
Thou, with the rod, shalt smite him, and, his soul from hades, shalt thou deliver. (Sheol )
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.
So shall my reins exult, when thy lips speak the things that are right.
17 Pa kite kè ou fè lanvi pechè yo, men viv nan lakrent SENYÈ a tout tan.
Let not thy heart be envious of sinners, only of the reverence of Yahweh, all day long;
18 Anverite, gen davni, e espwa ou p ap anile.
For surely there is a future, and, thine expectation, 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 lead forward, in duty, thy heart.
20 Pa bwè twòp diven, ni fè voras nan manje vyann;
Do not be among them who tipple with wine, —among them who are gluttons;
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 tippler and the glutton, shall come to poverty, and, rags, shall Slumber put on!
22 Koute papa ou ki te fè ou a, e pa meprize manman ou lè l vin granmoun.
Hearken to thy father here, who begat thee, and despise not, when she is old, thy mother.
23 Achte verite e pa vann li! Ranmase sajès, enstriksyon ak bon konprann.
Truth, buy thou, but do not sell, wisdom, and correction, 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.
Greatly shall exult, the father of a righteous man, and, he that begetteth a wise son, shall rejoice in him:
25 Kite papa ou ak manman ou fè kè kontan; kite fanm ki te fè ou a, rejwi.
Rejoice shall thy father and thy mother, yea she, shall exult, who bare thee.
26 Ban m kè ou, fis mwen an; kite zye ou fè kè kontan nan chemen mwen yo.
Oh give, my son, thy mind unto me, 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 deep chasm, is the unchaste woman, and, a narrow pit, the female unknown;
28 Anverite, li kache veye tankou vòlè, pou l ogmante enfidelite pami lòm.
Yea, she, as for prey, lieth in wait, and, the treacherous among mankind, she causeth to abound.
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 outcry of pain? Who hath contentions? Who hath complaining? Who hath needless wounds? Who hath dullness of eyes?
30 Sila ki mize sou diven nan, sila ki ale goute diven mele an.
They who tarry over wine, they who go in to search for mixed wine.
31 Pa gade diven an lè l wouj, lè l fè klè nan tas la, lè l desann byen dous.
Do not look on wine when it becometh red, when it giveth in the cup its sparkle, glideth down smoothly.
32 Nan dènye moman an, li mòde tankou sèpan; li brile tankou bouch koulèv.
Its after effect, is that, like a serpent, it biteth, and, like a viper, it doth sting.
33 Zye ou va wè bagay ki dwòl, e panse ou va twouble anpil.
Thine eyes, will see strange women, and, thy heart, will speak perverse things:
34 Ou va tankou yon moun ki kouche nan mitan lanmè, oswa tankou yon moun ki kouche sou ma batiman.
So shalt thou become, as one lying down in the heart of the sea, —or as one lying down on the top of the mastgear:
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 smote me—I felt no pain, They struck me down—I noticed it not, —When shall I wake up? I will go on, I will seek it, again!