< Pwovèb 23 >

1 Lè ou chita sou tab ak yon ki gouvènè, konsidere byen sa ki devan ou.
When you sit down to eat a meal with a (government official/king), think carefully about what (OR, who) is in front of you.
2 Konsa, mete yon kouto sou gòj ou si ou se yon nonm ak gwo lanvi.
[Even] if you (have a big appetite/want to eat a lot of food), restrain yourself.
3 Pa dezire bon manje sa yo, paske se yon repa desepsyon.
Do not want to eat [a lot of] his fine food, because he may be trying to trick you.
4 Pa fatige kò ou pou jwenn richès; sispann reflechi sou sa.
Do not [cause yourself to become very tired by] working very hard to become rich; be wise and stop doing that,
5 Depi ou mete zye ou sou li, l ale. Paske, anverite, li gen zèl kon yon èg k ap vole vè syèl yo.
because as soon as you look [MTY] at [all the money that you have acquired], it will be gone; it will [disappear as if it] suddenly grew wings [SIM] and flew up into the sky like an eagle.
6 Pa manje pen a yon mesye ki chich, ni anvi bèl bagay li;
[If] someone who is stingy [invites you to a meal], do not eat [a lot of] his fine food,
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.
because he will be thinking about how much [the food cost that you are eating]. He [will] say to you, “Eat and drink all that you want!”, but that is not what he [will] really be thinking.
8 Ou va vomi mòso ke ou te manje a e gaspiye tout bèl pawòl ou yo.
[When you realize what he is really thinking, it will cause you to want to] vomit what you have eaten; and your kind words [telling him that you are enjoying the meal] will be wasted.
9 Pa pale nan zòrèy a moun sòt, paske l ap meprize sajès a pawòl ou yo.
(Do not [waste time by]/It is useless) talking to foolish people; they will [only] despise the wise things that you say.
10 Pa deplase ansyen bòn nan, ni antre nan chan òfelen yo,
Do not [steal someone’s property by] removing a boundary marker that has been there for a long time, and do not take for yourself the land that belongs to orphans,
11 Paske Redanmtè yo a pwisan. Li va plede ka yo kont ou.
because Yahweh is strong, and he is [like] a relative that has the responsibility to defend them, he will [stand up in court and] argue for them and against you.
12 Aplike kè ou a disiplin ak zòrèy ou a pawòl ki pote konesans.
Pay attention to what [your teachers] teach you, and try to learn from the wise things that they say.
13 Pa ralanti disiplin sou yon timoun; malgre ou frape li ak yon baton, li p ap mouri.
Do not refuse to discipline your children; if you punish/spank them, it will not cause them to die,
14 Ou va frape li ak baton pou delivre nanm li de sejou mò yo. (Sheol h7585)
and it may save them from [going to] the place where dead people are. (Sheol h7585)
15 Fis mwen an, si kè ou saj, pwòp kè m va kontan tou.
My son/child, if you [SYN] become wise, I [SYN] will be very happy.
16 Wi, jis anndan m va rejwi lè lèv ou pale sa ki dwat.
I [SYN] will rejoice when I hear you [SYN] say what is right/wise.
17 Pa kite kè ou fè lanvi pechè yo, men viv nan lakrent SENYÈ a tout tan.
Do not envy sinful people; instead, revere Yahweh all of your life.
18 Anverite, gen davni, e espwa ou p ap anile.
[If you do that], you will be happy in the future, and [God] will certainly [do for you what you are] confidently expecting him to do.
19 Koute, fis mwen an, vin saj pou dirije kè ou nan chemen an.
My son/child, listen carefully to me and become wise, and think about (all that you do/your behavior).
20 Pa bwè twòp diven, ni fè voras nan manje vyann;
Do not associate with those who drink a lot of (wine/strong drink) or with those who (are gluttons/eat more than they should),
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.
because drunkards and gluttons will become poor; and if all that you do is eat and sleep, you will [soon] (be wearing rags/not have any money to buy clothes).
22 Koute papa ou ki te fè ou a, e pa meprize manman ou lè l vin granmoun.
Pay attention to what your father tells you, and (do not neglect/take care of) [LIT] your mother when she is old.
23 Achte verite e pa vann li! Ranmase sajès, enstriksyon ak bon konprann.
Try to know/learn what is wise, and get good instruction and understanding; and do not throw those things away.
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.
Righteous [children] will cause their parents to be very happy; those whose children are wise are proud of them.
25 Kite papa ou ak manman ou fè kè kontan; kite fanm ki te fè ou a, rejwi.
[Do what will] cause your father to be glad and enable your mother [also] to be happy.
26 Ban m kè ou, fis mwen an; kite zye ou fè kè kontan nan chemen mwen yo.
My son, heed what I say to you, and allow what I do to be an example for you.
27 Paske yon pwostitiye se yon fòs byen fon, e yon fanm adiltè se yon ti pwi etwat.
Prostitutes and immoral women [DOU] are [like] [MET] a deep pit or a well [that you may fall into].
28 Anverite, li kache veye tankou vòlè, pou l ogmante enfidelite pami lòm.
They wait [for you] like robbers [SIM], and they cause many men to (be unfaithful to/have sex with women who are not) their wives.
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?
I will tell you [RHQ] what kind of people are always miserable and sad. I will tell you [RHQ] which people are always causing arguments/quarrels and who are always complaining. I will tell you [RHQ] who are injured in fights and whose eyes are always red/bloodshot.
30 Sila ki mize sou diven nan, sila ki ale goute diven mele an.
[It is] those who drink a lot of wine, who try drinking other kinds of strong drinks.
31 Pa gade diven an lè l wouj, lè l fè klè nan tas la, lè l desann byen dous.
Do not look with pleasure at red wine that looks nice, and which sparkles when it is [poured out] into cups, and which tastes good as you drink it,
32 Nan dènye moman an, li mòde tankou sèpan; li brile tankou bouch koulèv.
because the next morning [you will feel like] you have been bitten by a poisonous snake [DOU].
33 Zye ou va wè bagay ki dwòl, e panse ou va twouble anpil.
You [SYN] will [think that you are] seeing strange/weird things, and you [SYN] will not be able to think clearly or speak clearly.
34 Ou va tankou yon moun ki kouche nan mitan lanmè, oswa tankou yon moun ki kouche sou ma batiman.
You will think you are in a ship that is tossing on the sea; you be like [SIM] someone who is trying to sleep when the ship is rolling from one side to the other.
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.”
You will say, “[I think that] someone struck me, but he did not hurt me; he hit me, but I did not feel it. When will I (wake up/feel normal again) in order that I can drink some more wine?”

< Pwovèb 23 >