Pwovèb 23
1 Lè chèf envite ou manje sou menm tab ak li, pa janm bliye ki moun li ye.
When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, Consider diligently him that is before thee;
2 Si ou se yon moun ki gen bon lapeti, kontwole bouch ou.
And put a knife to thy throat, If thou be a man given to appetite.
3 Pa pote lanvi sou bon ti manje l'ap ofri ou yo. Se ka yon pèlen li tann pou ou.
Be not desirous of his dainties; Seeing they are deceitful food.
4 Pa touye tèt ou ap kouri dèyè lajan pou ou vin rich. Wete lide ou sou sa.
Weary not thyself to be rich; Cease from thine own wisdom.
5 Paske, anvan ou bat je ou, li gen tan disparèt. Ou ta di lajan gen zèl. Li rete konsa, li vole, li ale.
Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? For [riches] certainly make themselves wings, Like an eagle that flieth toward heaven.
6 Pa chita pou ou manje sou menm tab ak moun ki tikoulout. Pa pote lanvi sou manje l'ap ofri ou.
Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, Neither desire thou his dainties:
7 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.
For as he thinketh within himself, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; But his heart is not with thee.
8 W'a vonmi tou sa ou te manje a. Tout bèl pawòl ou te di l' yo p'ap sèvi ou anyen.
The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, And lose thy sweet words.
9 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.
Speak not in the hearing of a fool; For he will despise the wisdom of thy words.
10 Pa janm deplase bòn tè kote yo te ye depi lontan an. Pa antre sou jaden ki pou timoun san papa.
Remove not the ancient landmark; And enter not into the fields of the fatherless:
11 Se Bondye k'ap defann yo, li gen anpil pouvwa. L'a plede kòz yo kont ou.
For their Redeemer is strong; He will plead their cause against thee.
12 Mete tèt ou an plas lè y'ap moutre ou kichòy. Louvri zòrèy ou lè yon moun ki gen konesans ap pale.
Apply thy heart unto instruction, And thine ears to the words of knowledge.
13 Ou pa bezwen pè bat yon timoun. Yon bèl kal, sa p'ap touye l'.
Withhold not correction from the child; [For] if thou beat him with the rod, he will not die.
Thou shalt beat him with the rod, And shalt deliver his soul from Sheol. (Sheol h7585)
15 Pitit mwen, si ou gen bon konprann, mwen p'ap manke kontan.
My son, if thy heart be wise, My heart will be glad, even mine:
16 M'a kontan anpil lè m'a tande bon pawòl k'ap soti nan bouch ou.
Yea, my heart will rejoice, When thy lips speak right things.
17 Pa pote lanvi sou moun k'ap fè sa ki mal. Nan tou sa w'ap fè, toujou gen krentif pou Bondye.
Let not thy heart envy sinners; But [be thou] in the fear of Jehovah all the day long:
18 Paske gen denmen. Se pa pou gremesi w'ap tann sa w'ap tann lan.
For surely there is a reward; And thy hope shall not be cut off.
19 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.
Hear thou, my son, and be wise, And guide thy heart in the way.
20 Pa fè zanmi avèk moun k'ap bwè twòp, ak moun k'ap fè safte.
Be not among winebibbers, Among gluttonous eaters of flesh:
21 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.
For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty; And drowsiness will clothe [a man] with rags.
22 Pitit mwen, koute papa ou ki fè ou. Pa meprize manman ou lè li fin granmoun.
Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, And despise not thy mother when she is old.
23 Verite, konesans, lespri ak bon konprann, se bagay ou mèt peye chè pou ou genyen. Men, pa janm vann sa.
Buy the truth, and sell it not; [Yea], wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.
24 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.
The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice; And he that begetteth a wise child will have joy of him.
25 Fè kè papa ou ak manman ou kontan. Fè kè manman ki fè ou la kontan.
Let thy father and thy mother be glad, And let her that bare thee rejoice.
26 Pitit mwen, louvri zòrèy ou pou tande sa m'ap di ou. Louvri je ou byen pou ou wè jan m'ap viv.
My son, give me thy heart; And let thine eyes delight in my ways.
27 Fanm jennès se tankou yon twou pèlen, fanm adiltè se tankou yon pi jis jis.
For a harlot is a deep ditch; And a foreign woman is a narrow pit.
28 Tankou vòlò, y'ap pare pèlen pou ou. Yo fè anpil gason pèdi tèt yo.
Yea, she lieth in wait as a robber, And increaseth the treacherous among men.
29 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?
Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? Who hath complaining? who hath wounds without cause? Who hath redness of eyes?
30 Se moun k'ap bwè twòp gwòg, moun k'ap kouri dèyè tranpe.
They that tarry long at the wine; They that go to seek out mixed wine.
31 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.
Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, When it sparkleth in the cup, When it goeth down smoothly:
32 Men, pita ou santi se tankou yon move sèpan ki mòde ou, yon sèpan aspik ki pike ou.
At the last it biteth like a serpent, And stingeth like an adder.
33 W'ap wè tout bagay ap vire devan je ou, w'ap depale.
Thine eyes shall behold strange things, And thy heart shall utter perverse things.
34 W'ap santi tankou si ou te sou lanmè: w'ap tankou si ou te sou tèt yon ma batiman.
Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, Or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast.
35 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.
They have stricken me, [shalt thou say], and I was not hurt; They have beaten me, and I felt it not: When shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.
