Pwovèb 24
1 Pa fè anvi a moun mechan, ni dezire pou avèk yo;
Don't be jealous of evil people; don't long to spend time with them,
2 paske panse yo fòmante vyolans e lèv yo pale inikite.
for they think up cruel plans and discuss how to cause trouble.
3 Avèk sajès, kay la bati e avèk bon konprann, li vin etabli.
A house is built by wisdom; its foundation is made secure through understanding.
4 Pa konesans, chanm yon moun vin ranpli avèk tout bèl kalite richès.
Its rooms are filled by knowledge with all kinds of valuable and beautiful objects.
5 Yon nonm saj byen fò, e yon nonm ak konesans ogmante pouvwa li.
If you have wisdom, you are strong; if you have knowledge, your power increases,
6 Paske ak konsèy saj ou va fè lagè, e ak konseye an abondans, gen viktwa.
for with wise guidance you can go to war; you will be victorious by having many good advisors.
7 Sajès twò wo pou moun ensanse a; li pa ouvri bouch li nan pòtay la.
Wisdom goes over the heads of stupid people; they have nothing to contribute when important matters are discussed.
8 Yon moun ki fè plan pou fè mal, moun va rele li magouyè.
Anyone who plans to do evil will be seen as a troublemaker.
9 Fòmante foli se peche, e mokè a abominab a tout moun.
Plans thought up by stupid people are sinful. Everyone hates those who are scornful of others.
10 Si ou lach nan jou gran pwoblèm nan, fòs ou pa fò.
If you give up in times of trouble, it shows how weak you are.
11 Delivre sila k ap mennen vè lanmò a, ak sila k ap mache tonbe vè labatwa a. O, kenbe yo!
Rescue those who are being led away to be executed; save those who are stumbling on their way to be slaughtered.
12 Si ou di: “Gade, nou pa t konnen sa”; èske Li pa konsidere sa, sila ki peze kè? Epi èske Li pa konnen sa, sila kap kenbe nanm ou an? Èske Li p ap rann a lòm selon zèv li?
If you say, “Look, we didn't know anything about this,” don't you think the God who judges your motives will see what's happening? He who watches over you knows, and he will pay people back for what they've done.
13 Fis mwen, manje siwo myèl, paske li bon; wi, siwo sòti nan nich lan dous pou goute.
My son, eating honey is good for you; the honeycomb tastes sweet.
14 Konnen ke sajès se konsa pou nanm ou; si ou twouve li, va gen yon avni, e espwa ou p ap anile.
In the same way, you should know that wisdom is good for you; if you find it, there will be a future for you, and your hope will not be crushed.
15 Pa kouche mete pyèj, o lòm mechan, kont kote ke moun dwat la rete a. Pa detwi kote repo li a;
Don't be like a criminal waiting to ambush the home of good people; don't attack the place where they live.
16 paske yon nonm ladwati tonbe sèt fwa e leve ankò, men se nan lè gwo malè ke mechan an tonbe.
Those who do right may fall down seven times, and still get up again; but the wicked are brought down by disaster.
17 Pa rejwi lè lènmi ou tonbe. Ni pa kite kè ou kontan lè l tonbe;
Don't celebrate when your enemies fall; don't be glad when they trip up,
18 Oswa, SENYÈ a va wè l, vin pa kontan e detounen kòlè Li de li.
otherwise when the Lord sees it, he'll be unhappy with you and won't punish your enemies as he planned.
19 Pa twouble tèt ou pou malveyan yo, ni fè lanvi pou mechan yo,
Don't get all upset over the wicked, or be jealous of those who do wrong,
20 paske pou yon nonm mechan, pa gen avni. Lanp a mechan an va etenn nèt.
for evil people have no future—the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out.
21 Fis mwen an, gen lakrent SENYÈ a ak wa a; pa asosye ak sila ki pa stab yo,
My son, honor the Lord and the king, and don't join those who are rebellious,
22 paske, malè yo va leve vit. Kilès ki konnen destriksyon an k ap sòti nan yo de a.
for disaster will suddenly fall on them. Who knows how the Lord and king will punish them?
23 Sila yo, anplis, se pawòl a sajès: Fè patipri nan jijman pa bon.
These are more sayings of the wise: Showing favoritism when passing judgment is wrong.
24 Sila ki di a mechan an: “Ou dwat”, pèp yo va modi li e nasyon yo va rayi li;
Those who tell the guilty, “You're innocent,” will be cursed by the people and hated by the nation,
25 men pou sila ki repwoche mechan yo, lap wale byen ak yo. Bon benediksyon va tonbe sou yo.
while those who convict the guilty will be appreciated, and will receive a rich blessing.
26 Yon repons onèt tankou yon bo sou lèv yo.
An honest answer is a kiss on the lips.
27 Prepare tout travay ou a deyò; byen prepare chan ou. Apre, alò, bati kay ou.
Do the work you need to do outside first, then prepare and sow your fields, and only after that start building your house.
28 Pa vin yon temwen kont vwazen ou san koz, e pa bay manti ak lèv ou.
Don't testify against your neighbors without having a good reason, and don't tell lies.
29 Pa di: “Se konsa mwen va fè l paske li te fè m konsa; mwen va rann a nonm nan selon zèv li yo.”
Don't say to yourself, “I'm going to do to him what he did to me! I'll pay him back for what he's done!”
30 Mwen te pase nan chan parese a; akote chan rezen a nonm ki manke bon konprann nan.
I walked past the field of a lazy man, past a vineyard of someone with no sense.
31 Epi gade byen, li te plen ak raje pikan, e kouvri ak move zèb, Miray an wòch la te fin kraze nèt.
It was all overgrown with thorns, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall had fallen down.
32 Lè m te wè, mwen te reflechi sou sa; mwen te gade e m te resevwa enstriksyon.
As I looked I thought about it, and what I saw taught me a lesson:
33 “Yon ti dòmi, yon ti somèy, yon ti pliye men pou repoze,”
You may say, “Please, just a little more sleep, a little longer snooze, a little more folding of the arms to rest”—
34 Konsa mizè ou va vin parèt sou ou tankou yon vòlè; ak bezwen tankou yon bandi kon zam.
and poverty will attack you like a robber, destitution like an armed warrior.
