< Job 14 >
1 Man, who is born of a woman, is of few days, and full of trouble.
L’homme né de la femme vit peu de jours, et il est rassasié de misères.
2 He comes forth like a flower, and is cut down. He too flees as a shadow, and does not continue.
Comme la fleur, il naît, et on le coupe; il fuit comme l’ombre, sans s’arrêter.
3 And do thou open thine eyes upon such a one, and bring me into judgment with thee?
Et c’est sur lui que tu as l’œil ouvert, lui que tu amènes en justice avec toi!
4 Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Not one.
Qui peut tirer le pur de l’impur? Personne.
5 Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months is with thee, and thou have appointed his bounds that he cannot pass,
Si les jours de l’homme sont comptés, si tu as fixé le nombre de ses mois, si tu as posé un terme qu’il ne doit pas franchir,
6 look away from him, that he may rest, till he shall accomplish, as a hireling, his day.
détourne de lui tes yeux pour qu’il se repose, jusqu’à ce qu’il goûte, comme le mercenaire, la fin de sa journée.
7 For there is hope of a tree, if it is cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch of it will not cease.
Un arbre a de l’espérance: coupé, il peut verdir encore, il ne cesse pas d’avoir des rejetons.
8 Though the root of it grows old in the earth, and the trunk of it dies in the ground,
Que sa racine ait vieilli dans la terre, que son tronc soit mort dans la poussière,
9 yet through the scent of water it will bud, and put forth boughs like a plant.
dès qu’il sent l’eau, il reverdit, il pousse des branches comme un jeune plant.
10 But man dies, and is laid low. Yea, man gives up the spirit, and where is he?
Mais l’homme meurt, et il reste étendu; quand il a expiré, où est-il?
11 As the waters fail from the sea, and the river wastes away and dries up,
Les eaux du lac disparaissent, le fleuve tarit et se dessèche:
12 so man lies down and does not rise. Till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be roused out of their sleep.
ainsi l’homme se couche et ne se relève plus, il ne se réveillera pas tant que subsistera le ciel, on ne le fera pas sortir de son sommeil.
13 O that thou would hide me in Sheol, that thou would keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou would appoint for me a set time, and remember me! (Sheol )
Oh! Si tu voulais me cacher dans le séjour des morts, m’y tenir à couvert jusqu’à ce que ta colère ait passé, me fixer un terme où tu te souviendrais de moi! (Sheol )
14 If a man dies, shall he live again? All the days of my warfare I would wait till my release should come.
Si l’homme une fois mort pouvait revivre! Tout le temps de mon service j’attendrais qu’on vînt me relever.
15 Thou would call, and I would answer thee. Thou would have a desire to the work of thy hands.
Tu m’appellerais alors, et moi je te répondrais; tu languirais après l’ouvrage de tes mains.
16 But now thou number my steps. Do thou not watch over my sin?
Mais hélas! Maintenant, tu comptes mes pas, tu as l’œil ouvert sur mes péchés;
17 My transgression is sealed up in a bag, and thou fasten up my iniquity.
mes transgressions sont scellées dans une bourse, et tu mets un enduit sur mes iniquités.
18 But the falling mountain comes to nothing, and the rock is removed out of its place.
La montagne s’écroule et s’efface; le rocher est transporté hors de sa place;
19 The waters wear the stones. The overflowings of it wash away the dust of the earth. So thou destroy the hope of man.
les eaux creusent la pierre, leurs flots débordés entraînent la poussière du sol: ainsi tu anéantis l’espérance de l’homme.
20 Thou prevail forever against him, and he passes. Thou change his countenance, and send him away.
Tu l’abats sans retour, et il s’en va; tu flétris son visage, et tu le congédies.
21 His sons come to honor, and he does not know it, and they are brought low, but he does not perceive it of them.
Que ses enfants soient honorés, il n’en sait rien; qu’ils soient dans l’abaissement, il l’ignore.
22 But his flesh upon him has pain, and his soul within him mourns.
Sa chair ne sent que ses propres souffrances, son âme ne gémit que sur elle-même.