Jak 1
1 Mwen menm Jak, sèvitè Bondye ak Jezikri Seyè nou an, m'ap ekri lèt sa a pou douz branch fanmi yo ki gaye toupatou sou latè. Bonjou pou nou tout.
James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, greets the twelve tribes that are living abroad.
2 Frè m' yo, se pou nou santi nou kontan anpil lè nou wè nou tonbe anba nenpòt kalite eprèv.
My friends, whatever trials you may face from time to time, always regard them as a reason for rejoicing,
3 Paske, nou konnen byen, lè konfyans nou gen nan Bondye a tonbe anba eprèv, sa ban nou pasyans.
knowing, as you do, that the testing of your faith develops endurance.
4 Men, fòk pasyans sa a fin fè travay li nèt pou nou kapab bon nèt sou tout pwen, byen devlope, san nou pa manke anyen.
And let endurance do its work perfectly, so that you may be altogether perfect, and in no respect lacking.
5 Si yon moun pami nou manke bon konprann, se pou l' mande Bondye, Bondye va ba li li. Paske, Bondye bay tout moun san mezire, pou gremesi.
If any one of you lacks wisdom, they should ask wisdom from the God who gives freely to everyone without reproach, and it will be given to them.
6 Men, se pou li mande ak konfyans, san l' pa gen doutans. Paske, moun ki gen doutans, li tankou lanm lanmè van ap boulvèse.
But they should ask with confidence, never doubting; for the person who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven here and there at the mercy of the wind –
7 Yon moun konsa pa bezwen mete nan tèt li l'ap resevwa anyen nan men Seyè a.
Such a person must not expect that they will receive anything from the Lord,
8 Se yon moun ki pa konnen sa li vle, ki toujou ap chanje lide nan tou sa l'ap fè.
vacillating as they are, irresolute at every turn.
9 Yon frè ki pòv dwe moutre jan li kontan lè Bondye fè kichòy pou li.
Let a follower in humble circumstances be proud of their exalted position,
10 Konsa tou, yon frè ki rich dwe moutre jan l' kontan tou lè Bondye rabese li. Paske, moun ki rich gen pou pase tankou flè zèb.
but a rich follower of their humiliation; for the rich will pass away like a wild flower.
11 Solèy la leve ak tout chalè li. Li cheche zèb la. Flè a tonbe. Tout bèlte l' disparèt. Konsa tou, moun rich la gen pou l' disparèt pandan tout kòmès li ap mache.
As the sun rises, and the hot wind blows, the plant withers, its flower fades, and all its beauty is gone. So is it with the rich. In the midst of their pursuits they will wither away.
12 benediksyon pou moun ki sipòte eprèv li ak pasyans. Lè la fin pase anba eprèv yo, la resevwa pou rekonpans lavi Bondye te pwomèt tout moun ki renmen li yo.
Blessed is the person who remains firm under temptation, for, when they have stood the test, they will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those who love him.
13 Lè eprèv tonbe sou yon moun, lè l' anba tantasyon, moun sa a pa dwe di se Bondye k'ap tante li. Paske, menm jan Bondye pa janm anba tantasyon pou fè sa ki mal, konsa tou Bondye pa ka tante pesonn pou fè l' fè sa ki mal.
Let no one say, when they are tempted, ‘It is God who is tempting me!’ For God, who cannot be tempted to do wrong, does not himself tempt anyone.
14 Men, lè yon moun anba tantasyon, se pwòp move dezi moun lan k'ap rale l', k'ap pouse li.
A man is in every case tempted by their own passions – allured and enticed by them.
15 Konsa, move dezi a travay nan kè li, li fè l' fè peche. Lè peche a fin fèt, li bay lanmò.
Then passion conceives and gives birth to sin, and sin, on reaching maturity, brings forth death.
16 Frè mwen renmen anpil yo, pa twonpe tèt nou sou bagay sa a.
Do not be deceived, my dear friends.
17 Tout pi bèl favè, tout pi bon kado nou resevwa, se anwo nan syèl la yo soti, nan men Bondye ki kreye tout limyè. Bondye pa janm chanje, ni li pa gen anyen ki ta ka sanble yon chanjman nan li.
Every good thing given us, and every perfect gift, is from above, and comes down to us from the Father of the lights in the heavens, who is himself never subject to change or to eclipse.
18 Gremesi pawòl verite a, li ban nou lavi jan l' te vle l' la, pou nou kapab gen premye plas nan tou sa li kreye.
Because he so willed, he gave us life, through the message of the truth, so that we should be, as it were, a kind of first fruits of his creation.
19 Frè mwen renmen anpil yo, men yon bagay pou nou toujou chonje. Se pou tout moun prese louvri zòrèy yo pou yo ka tande. Men, pa kouri pale, pa prese fè kòlè.
Mark this, my dear friends – Let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry;
20 Paske, kòlè lèzòm pa ka fè volonte Bondye.
for human anger does not forward the righteous purpose of God.
21 Se poutèt sa, derasinen tout vye abitid ki pa dakò ak volonte Bondye ansanm ak tout kras mechanste ki nan lavi nou, voye yo jete. Soumèt nou devan Bondye, asepte pawòl li te plante nan kè nou an, paske se pawòl sa a ki ka sove nanm nou.
Therefore, get rid of all filthiness and whatever wickedness still remains, and in a humble spirit receive that message which has been planted in your hearts and is able to save your souls.
22 Se pou nou fè tou sa pawòl la mande nou fè. Pa rete ap koute ase. Lè sa a, se pwòp tèt nou n'ap twonpe.
Put that message into practice, and do not merely listen to it – deceiving yourselves.
23 Paske, lè yon moun tande pawòl la ase, san li pa fè sa pawòl la mande l' fè, li tankou yon moun ki gade figi l' nan yon glas.
For, when anyone listens to it and does not practice it, they are like a person looking at their own face in a mirror.
24 Men, kou l' vire do l' ale, lamenm li bliye kisa li sanble.
They look at themselves, then go on their way,
25 Men, moun ki fikse je l' sou lalwa ki bon nèt la, lalwa ki bay libète a, si l' soti pou l' fè sa lalwa a mande, si li pa yon moun ki kite pawòl la antre nan yon zòrèy soti nan yon lòt, men ki fè sa lalwa a mande, moun sa a va jwenn benediksyon nan sa l'ap fè a.
but the person who looks carefully into the perfect Law, the Law of freedom, and continues to do so, not listening to it and then forgetting it, but putting it into practice – that person will be blessed in what they do.
26 Si yon moun kwè l'ap sèvi Bondye, pou anmenmtan li pa bride lang li, se tèt li l'ap twonpe. Sèvi Bondye jan sa a pa vo anyen.
When a person appears to be religious, yet does not bridle their tongue, but imposes on their own conscience, that person’s religious observances are valueless.
27 Men jan pou nou sèvi Bondye Papa a, si nou vle sèvi l' yon jan ki dakò ak volonte Bondye, yon jan ki bon tout bon devan li: SE pòte sekou bay timoun ki san papa. Se bay vèv yo lasistans lè yo nan lafliksyon. Se pa mele nan move bagay k'ap fèt sou latè pou nou pa pèdi kondisyon nou.
That religious observance which is pure and spotless in the eyes of God our Father is this – to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself uncontaminated by the world.
