Proverbs 23
1 When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider well who is before thee;
Lè chèf envite ou manje sou menm tab ak li, pa janm bliye ki moun li ye.
2 and put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite.
Si ou se yon moun ki gen bon lapeti, kontwole bouch ou.
3 Be not desirous of his dainties; for they are deceitful food.
Pa pote lanvi sou bon ti manje l'ap ofri ou yo. Se ka yon pèlen li tann pou ou.
4 Weary not thyself to become rich; cease from thine own intelligence:
Pa touye tèt ou ap kouri dèyè lajan pou ou vin rich. Wete lide ou sou sa.
5 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.
Paske, anvan ou bat je ou, li gen tan disparèt. Ou ta di lajan gen zèl. Li rete konsa, li vole, li ale.
6 Eat thou not the food of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainties.
Pa chita pou ou manje sou menm tab ak moun ki tikoulout. Pa pote lanvi sou manje l'ap ofri ou.
7 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.
Li chich ata ak tèt pa li, ale wè avè ou. L'ap di ou: Manje non, monchè! Bwè non! Men se pa ak tout kè li l'ap di ou sa.
8 Thy morsel which thou hast eaten must thou vomit up, and thou wilt have wasted thy sweet words.
W'a vonmi tou sa ou te manje a. Tout bèl pawòl ou te di l' yo p'ap sèvi ou anyen.
9 Speak not in the ears of a foolish [man], for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.
Pa chache fè yon moun san konprann konprann anyen. Li p'ap tande anyen nan sa w'ap di l' la. Lèfini, l'ap meprize ou met sou li.
10 Remove not the ancient landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless:
Pa janm deplase bòn tè kote yo te ye depi lontan an. Pa antre sou jaden ki pou timoun san papa.
11 for their redeemer is mighty; he will plead their cause against thee.
Se Bondye k'ap defann yo, li gen anpil pouvwa. L'a plede kòz yo kont ou.
12 Apply thy heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge.
Mete tèt ou an plas lè y'ap moutre ou kichòy. Louvri zòrèy ou lè yon moun ki gen konesans ap pale.
13 Withhold not correction from the child; for [if] thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die:
Ou pa bezwen pè bat yon timoun. Yon bèl kal, sa p'ap touye l'.
Okontrè, si ou bat li, w'a sove nanm li pou l' pa mouri. (Sheol h7585)
15 My son, if thy heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine;
Pitit mwen, si ou gen bon konprann, mwen p'ap manke kontan.
16 and my reins shall exult, when thy lips speak right things.
M'a kontan anpil lè m'a tande bon pawòl k'ap soti nan bouch ou.
17 Let not thy heart envy sinners, but [be thou] in the fear of Jehovah all the day;
Pa pote lanvi sou moun k'ap fè sa ki mal. Nan tou sa w'ap fè, toujou gen krentif pou Bondye.
18 for surely there is a result, and thine expectation shall not be cut off.
Paske gen denmen. Se pa pou gremesi w'ap tann sa w'ap tann lan.
19 Thou, my son, hear and be wise, and direct thy heart in the way.
Louvri zòrèy ou, gason mwen, pou ou ka gen bon konprann, pou ou ka mache dwat. Kalkile byen kote w'ap mete pye ou, pou ou ka mache dwat.
20 Be not among winebibbers, among riotous eaters of flesh.
Pa fè zanmi avèk moun k'ap bwè twòp, ak moun k'ap fè safte.
21 For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty; and drowsiness clotheth with rags.
Paske moun k'ap fè metye bwè ak moun ki afre ap vin pòv. Si ou pase tout tan ou ap dòmi, talè konsa w'ap mache yon men devan yon men dèyè.
22 Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old.
Pitit mwen, koute papa ou ki fè ou. Pa meprize manman ou lè li fin granmoun.
23 Buy the truth, and sell it not; wisdom, and instruction, and intelligence.
Verite, konesans, lespri ak bon konprann, se bagay ou mèt peye chè pou ou genyen. Men, pa janm vann sa.
24 The father of a righteous [man] shall greatly rejoice, and he that begetteth a wise [son] shall have joy of him:
Papa ki gen yon pitit k'ap mache dwat ap toujou kontan. Manman ki fè yon pitit ki gen bon konprann ap toujou gen kè kontan.
25 let thy father and thy mother have joy, and let her that bore thee rejoice.
Fè kè papa ou ak manman ou kontan. Fè kè manman ki fè ou la kontan.
26 My son, give me thy heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.
Pitit mwen, louvri zòrèy ou pou tande sa m'ap di ou. Louvri je ou byen pou ou wè jan m'ap viv.
27 For a whore is a deep ditch; and a strange woman is a narrow pit.
Fanm jennès se tankou yon twou pèlen, fanm adiltè se tankou yon pi jis jis.
28 She also lieth in wait as a robber, and increaseth the treacherous among men.
Tankou vòlò, y'ap pare pèlen pou ou. Yo fè anpil gason pèdi tèt yo.
29 Who hath woe? Who hath sorrow? Who contentions? Who complaining? Who wounds without cause? Who redness of eyes?
Ki moun ki nan tèt chaje, ki nan lapenn? Ki moun ki toujou nan kont, ki tou tan ap plenyen? Ki moun k'ap pran kou san rezon, ki gen je yo tou wouj?
30 — They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to try mixed wine.
Se moun k'ap bwè twòp gwòg, moun k'ap kouri dèyè tranpe.
31 Look not upon the wine when it is red, when it sparkleth in the cup, and goeth down smoothly:
Pa kite bweson pran nanm ou, ou te mèt wè jan li bèl, jan li klè nan vè a. Lè ou bwè l', li desann dous nan gòj ou.
32 at the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.
Men, pita ou santi se tankou yon move sèpan ki mòde ou, yon sèpan aspik ki pike ou.
33 Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thy heart shall speak froward things;
W'ap wè tout bagay ap vire devan je ou, w'ap depale.
34 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:
W'ap santi tankou si ou te sou lanmè: w'ap tankou si ou te sou tèt yon ma batiman.
35 — “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.”
Lè sa a w'a di: Gen lè yo bat mwen, mwen pa santi sa. Gen lè yo te ban m' kou, mwen pa konn sa. Kilè m'a leve la a? Mwen ta pran yon ti kou ankò.
