Ecclesiastes 4
1 I thought some more about all the suffering that people are caused to experience on the earth [MTY]. I saw the tears of people who were (oppressed/treated cruelly) and who had no one to comfort/encourage them. Those who oppressed them had power, and there was absolutely no one who was able to comfort those who were being oppressed.
Apre sa, mwen gade tout lenjistis k'ap fèt sou latè. Dlo ap koule konsa nan je moun y'ap maltrete yo. Pa gen pesonn pou ede yo. Moun k'ap maltrete yo gen lafòs avèk yo. Pesonn pa ka fè anyen pou yo.
2 [So] I thought that those who are already dead are more fortunate than those who are still alive.
Mwen wè sò moun mouri yo miyò pase sò moun vivan yo.
3 And those who have not been born yet are more fortunate than those who are still alive and those who have died, [because] those who have not been born have not seen all the evil things that are done on the earth.
Men, gen yon lòt moun ankò ki pi bon pase yo tou de: Se moun ki pa t' janm fèt la, paske li pa janm wè move zak k'ap fèt sou tè a.
4 I also thought about all the hard work that people do and the skills that they have. And I thought about how they compete with each other because they are envious of others, [and I concluded that] this also is something that is not accomplishing anything useful, [like] chasing the wind.
Mwen vin wè tout travay di lèzòm ap travay di a, tout bèl bagay y'ap reyalize nan lavi a, se paske yonn vle gen plis pase lòt. Men, sa tou, sa pa vo anyen, sa pa rapòte anyen.
5 Foolish people [refuse to work]; they sit idly, with their hands folded, [and do not work]. [So] they ruin themselves.
Pawòl la di: Moun sòt rete san fè anyen, yo pito grangou.
6 [So I say], “It is better to be content with not having much money, than to work very hard and try to get a lot of money, which is [as useless as] chasing the wind.”
Men, pito ou pran ti repo ou tanzantan ak kè poze pase pou ou touye tèt ou ap travay di, lèfini pou sa pa rapòte anyen.
7 I thought about something else that happens on the earth [MTY] that seems senseless.
Mwen wè yon lòt bagay nan lavi a ki pa vo anyen ankò.
8 There are men who live alone; they do not have a wife or children or any brothers living with them; every day they work [very hard], without stopping, to get a lot of money, but they are never satisfied with the things that they have. They never ask [themselves], “Why am I working very hard to earn more money? Why am I not doing things that would cause me to be happy?” What they do also seems senseless.
Se te yon nonm ki t'ap viv pou kont li, san zanmi. Li pa t' gen pitit gason, li pa t' gen frè. Li travay san pran souf. Li pa t' janm gen ase. Pou ki moun li t'ap travay di konsa, san bay tèt li yon ti plezi? Li pa t' janm gen tan pou mande tèt li sa. Sa a tou, sa pa vo anyen, se pa yon bon jan pou moun viv.
9 Having someone [work] with you is better than being by yourself [all the time]. If you have a friend, he can help you to do your work.
Lè ou gen yon lòt moun avèk ou, li pi bon pase lè ou pou kont ou, paske ansanm nou bay pi bon rannman nan travay nou.
10 If you fall down, he can help you get up again. But if you fall down when you are alone, it will be difficult for you, because there will be no one to help you stand up.
Si yonn tonbe, lòt la va ba l' men pou l' leve. Men, malè pou moun k'ap viv pou kont li! Si l' tonbe, p'ap gen moun pou ba l' men.
11 Similarly, if two people sleep together, they can keep each other warm. But someone who sleeps alone will certainly not [RHQ] be warm.
Konsa tou, lè fè frèt, si yo kouche ansanm, yonn va chofe lòt. Men, si li pou kont li, ki jan pou l' fè chofe kò l'?
12 Someone who is alone can easily be attacked and defeated by another person, but two people can help each other and (resist/defend themselves against) someone who attacks them. [Three people can defend themselves even more easily], [like] a rope that is made from three cords is harder to break [than a rope made from two cords].
Kote dezòm ka kenbe tèt ak yon moun k'ap atake yo, yon sèl p'ap kapab. Yon kòd trese an twa pa fasil pou kase.
13 A young man who is poor but wise is a better person than a foolish old king who refuses to pay attention when people try to give him good advice.
-(we vèsè pwochen)
14 It is possible for a young man like that to succeed and some day become king, even if his parents were poor or even if he was in prison some of the time.
Yon nonm ka soti nan mizè pou l' rive chèf nan peyi l'. Ou ankò li ka soti nan prizon epi yo mete l' chèf pou gouvènen. Pito ou annafè ak yon ti moun ki pòv men ki gen lespri pase pou ou annafè ak yon wa ki fin granmoun, ki fin gaga, ki pa ka pran konsèy.
15 But then some other young man becomes king, and everyone (starts to support/is pleased with) him.
Mwen kalkile, mwen gade tout moun k'ap viv sou latè, mwen di nan mitan tout moun sa yo gen jenn gason ki pral pran plas wa a.
16 Large crowds of people crowd around him. But after a few years, they will reject him, [too]. So it is all senseless, [like] chasing after the wind.
Ou pa ka konte kantite moun yon wa ka gouvènen, kantite moun yon wa ka dirije. Men lè l' mouri, pesonn p'ap chonje di l' mèsi pou sa li te fè pou yo. Tou sa pa vo anyen. Sa pa rapòte anyen.
