Ecclesiastes 5
1 When you enter God’s temple, you should be sure to listen carefully. Doing that is better than offering sacrifices to God [and then not obeying him], which is foolish.
Gade byen ki jan w'ap mete pye ou lakay Bondye a. Pito ou ale la pou ou ka aprann kichòy pase pou ou al ofri bèt pou touye pou Bondye tankou moun san konprann sa yo ki pa konn sa ki byen ak sa ki mal.
2 Think carefully before you speak [MTY] or before you promise God that you will do something [IDM]. [Do not forget that] God is in heaven [and he is all-powerful] and you are here on the earth, so think carefully before you [make any promises to God].
Fè tèt ou travay anvan ou louvri bouch ou pale. Pa prese fè ankenn pwomès bay Bondye. Bondye, se nan syèl li ye, ou menm ou sou latè. Pa di plis pase sa ou dwe di a.
3 If you are continually thinking [and worrying] about things, you will have bad dreams about them and not rest [well]. And the more you talk, the more likely it will be that you will say things that are foolish.
Plis ou kite bagay chaje tèt ou, se plis ou ka fè move rèv. Plis ou pale anpil, se plis ou ka di pawòl ki pa fè sans menm.
4 When you solemnly promise God that you will do something, do not be foolish by delaying in doing it, because God is not pleased with foolish people. Do [all] the things that you promise God that you will do.
Lè ou fè yon pwomès bay Bondye, pa mize fè sa ou pwomèt fè a. Bondye pa nan jwèt ak moun ki san konprann. Sa ou pwomèt fè a, fè l'.
5 It is better to not promise [anything] than to promise to do something, and [then] not doing it.
Pito ou pa janm pwomèt Bondye w'ap fè kichòy pou li pase pou ou pwomèt, epi pou ou pa kenbe pwomès ou.
6 Do not sin by promising to do something and then not doing it. And [when you promise God to do something and do not do it], do not say to God’s priest that it was a mistake for you to promise to do that. If you do that, God will certainly [RHQ] become very angry with you, and he will take from you everything that you [SYN] have worked to acquire.
Pa kite pawòl ki soti nan bouch ou fè ou fè peche. Apre sa pou ou al di reprezantan Bondye a: O wi, se chape bouch mwen chape. Poukisa pou ou ta fè Bondye fache sou ou? Poukisa pou ou ta fè Bondye detwi travay ou fè ak men ou?
7 Promising to do something and not doing it is like [SIM] a dream that has no value; instead, revere God [by doing what you promised him that you would do].
Tout rèv w'ap plede fè yo, tout pawòl w'ap plede di yo p'ap sèvi ou anyen. Se krentif pou ou toujou genyen pou Bondye.
8 Do not be surprised if you see poor [people] being (oppressed/treated cruelly) [by powerful/influential people], or if you see judges making unjust decisions throughout the land. [That happens] because the people who do that are supervised [and cheated by] more important officials [DOU],
Ou pa bezwen sezi lè ou wè nan yon peyi, chèf ap peze pòv malere. Yo refize rann yo jistis, yo derefize defann dwa inonsan yo. Chak chèf gen yon gwo chèf dèyè l'. Lèfini yo tou de gen yon pi gwo chèf ankò dèyè yo.
9 and even the king forces the people to give him some of the crops that they harvest.
Travay latè se yon avantaj pou tout moun, ata pou wa a. Se sou sa li konte tou.
10 Everyone who tries to [get as much] money as they can will never think that they have enough. They will never be satisfied with the money that they have. That also is senseless.
Si ou renmen lajan, ou p'ap janm fin gen ase. Si w'ap kouri dèyè richès, plis ou genyen, se plis ou anvi genyen toujou. Sa tou, sa pa vo anyen.
11 The more money that we have, the more people want us to spend our money to buy things for them. So people who have a lot of money do not [RHQ] benefit from it; they see [MTY] it when they get it, but it soon (disappears/is completely spent).
Plis ou gen lajan, se plis bouch w'ap gen pou bay manje. Sèl benefis ou jwenn nan tou sa, se wè w'a wè ou rich.
12 Those who work hard sleep peacefully [at night], even if they do not have much food to eat. But rich [people] do not sleep well, because [they worry] about their money.
Yon travayè te mèt manje kont li, li te mèt pa manje kont li, l'ap toujou byen dòmi lannwit. Men, moun rich yo, yo sitèlman genyen, yo pase nwit yo blanch ak kè sote.
13 I have seen [another] terrible thing that happens here on the earth [MTY]: People save [up all] their money and become rich, [but] they are not helped by saving a lot of money,
Men mwen wè sou latè yon bagay ki fè lapenn anpil: Moun sere lajan epi sa vire mal pou yo.
14 [because] something happens that causes their money to be gone, and when they die, there is no money for their children to get/inherit.
Yon malè pase, tout lajan an pèdi. Li vin fè yon pitit, li pa gen anyen pou l' ba li.
15 When we are born, we do not bring anything with us, and when we die, we take nothing with us from all that we have earned by our working hard.
Li soti toutouni nan vant manman l', konsa tou l'ap tounen san anyen anba tè. Pa gen anyen nan tou sa li travay fè li ka pran pote ale ak li.
16 That also seems senseless. People bring nothing [into the world when they are born], and they leave [this world] taking nothing with them. They have worked hard, but they receive no lasting benefit [MET].
Wi, sa se bagay ki pou fann kè nou ak lapenn: Jan nou vini an, se konsa nou prale. Nou travay, men sa p'ap rapòte nou anyen.
17 [Furthermore, rich people] are always miserable [MET] and sad, and depressed/discouraged and often sick and (resentful/thinking that what has happened to them is unfair).
Sa ki pi rèd la, nou pase tout lavi nou nan fènwa, nan lapenn, nan kè sere, nan maladi, nan fè kòlè.
18 So, the best thing for people to do here on the earth during the few years that God allows them to be alive is to eat and drink and to enjoy their work, because those are the things that God has given to them.
Men sa mwen jwenn ankò: Pi bon bagay yon moun ka fè sou latè, se manje, se bwè, se jwi sa li travay di fè a, pandan de twa jou Bondye ba li pou li viv la. Men, se sa ase ki pou yon moun nan lavi.
19 If people are rich and have a lot of possessions, and are able to (enjoy/be happy with) the things that they have and to enjoy their work, those things are [also] gifts from God.
Si Bondye bay yon moun richès ak byen, se pou li jwi yo, se pou l' di Bondye mèsi, se pou l' jwi tou sa li travay fè. Sa se kado Bondye ba li.
20 Those people do not worry much about [everything that has happened] during the time that they have been alive, because God enables them to be happy doing everything that they do.
Li pa bezwen chonje jan lavi a kout, paske Bondye ba li kont bagay pou l' fè pou fè kè l' kontan.
