Judges 16
1 Now Samson went to Gaza, and there he saw a loose woman and went in to her.
Samson alla à Gaza; il y vit une courtisane, et il entra chez elle.
2 And it was said to the Gazites, Samson is here. So they went round, watching for him all day at the doorway of the town, but at night they kept quiet, saying, When daylight comes we will put him to death.
On l’annonça aux gens de Gaza, en disant: « Samson est venu ici. » Et ils l’environnèrent et se tinrent en embuscade toute la nuit à la porte de la ville. Ils se tinrent tranquilles toute la nuit, en disant: « Attendons jusqu’à ce que luise le matin, et nous le tuerons. »
3 And Samson was there till the middle of the night; then he got up, and took a grip on the doors of the town, pulling them up, together with their two supports and their locks, and put them on his back and took them up to the top of the hill in front of Hebron.
Samson demeura couché jusqu’à minuit; à minuit, il se leva et, saisissant les battants de la porte de la ville et les deux poteaux, il les arracha avec la barre, les mit sur ses épaules et les porta sur le sommet de la montagne qui regarde Hébron.
4 Now after this, he was in love with a woman in the valley of Sorek, named Delilah.
Après cela, il aima une femme dans la vallée de Sorec; elle se nommait Dalila.
5 And the chiefs of the Philistines came up to her, and said to her, Make use of your power over him and see what is the secret of his great strength, and how we may get the better of him, and put bands on him, so that we may make him feeble; and every one of us will give you eleven hundred shekels of silver.
Les princes des philistins montèrent vers elle et lui dirent: « Flatte-le et vois où gît sa grande force, et comment nous pourrons nous rendre maîtres de lui, afin de le lier et de le dompter, et nous te donnerons chacun mille et cent sicles d’argent. »
6 So Delilah said to Samson, Make clear to me now what is the secret of your great strength, and how you may be put in bands and made feeble.
Dalila dit à Samson: « Dis-moi, je te prie, ou gît ta grande force, et avec quoi il faudrait te lier pour te dompter? »
7 And Samson said to her, If seven new bow-cords which have never been made dry are knotted round me, I will become feeble and will be like any other man.
Samson lui dit: « Si l’on me liait avec sept cordes fraîches, qui ne seraient pas encore sèches, je deviendrais faible et je serais comme un autre homme. »
8 So the chiefs of the Philistines gave her seven new bow-cords which had never been made dry, and she had them tightly knotted round him.
Les princes des Philistins apportèrent à Dalila sept cordes fraîches, qui n’étaient pas encore sèches; et elle le lia avec ces cordes.
9 Now she had men waiting secretly in the inner room; and she said to him, The Philistines are on you, Samson. And the cords were broken by him as a twist of thread is broken when touched by a flame. So the secret of his strength did not come to light.
— Or elle avait des gens en embuscade dans la chambre. — Elle lui dit: « Les Philistins sont sur toi, Samson! » Et il rompit les cordes, comme se rompt un cordon d’étoupe quand il sent le feu; et l’on ne connut pas le secret de sa force.
10 Then Delilah said to Samson, See, you have been making sport of me with false words; now, say truly how may you be put in bands?
Dalila dit à Samson: « Voici, tu t’es joué de moi et tu m’as dit des mensonges. Maintenant, je te prie, indique-moi avec quoi il faut te lier. »
11 And he said to her, If they only put round me new thick cords which have never been used, then I will become feeble and will be like any other man.
Il lui dit: « Si on me liait avec des cordes neuves, n’ayant servi à aucun usage, je deviendrais faible et je serais comme un autre homme. »
12 So Delilah took new thick cords, knotting them tightly round him, and said to him, The Philistines are on you, Samson. And men were waiting secretly in the inner room. And the cords were broken off his arms like threads.
Dalila prit des cordes neuves, avec lesquelles elle le lia. Et elle lui dit: « Les Philistins sont sur toi, Samson! » — Or des gens se tenaient en embuscade dans la chambre. — Et il rompit comme un fil les cordes qu’il avait aux bras.
13 Then Delilah said to Samson, Up to now you have made sport of me with false words; now say truly, how may you be put in bands? And he said to her, If you get the seven twists of my hair worked into the cloth you are making and fixed with the pin, I will become feeble and will be like any other man.
Dalila dit à Samson: « Jusqu’à présent tu t’es joué de moi, et tu m’as dit des mensonges. Indique-moi avec quoi il faut te lier. » Il lui dit: « Tu n’as qu’à tisser les sept tresses de ma tête avec le tissu. »
14 So while he was sleeping she got the seven twists of his hair worked into her cloth and fixed with the pin, and said to him, The Philistines are on you, Samson. Then awaking from his sleep, he got up quickly, pulling up cloth and machine together.
Et elle les fixa avec la cheville. Puis elle lui dit: « Les Philistins sont sur toi, Samson! » Et, se réveillant de son sommeil, il arracha la cheville du métier et le tissu.
15 And she said to him, Why do you say you are my lover when your heart is not mine? Three times you have made sport of me, and have not made clear to me the secret of your great strength.
Elle lui dit: « Comment peux-tu dire: je t’aime! puisque ton cœur n’est pas avec moi? Voilà trois fois que tu t’es joué de moi, et que tu ne m’as pas indiqué où gît ta grande force. »
16 So day after day she gave him no peace, for ever questioning him till his soul was troubled to death.
Elle le tourmentait ainsi chaque jour et le fatiguait de ses instances; à la fin, son âme s’impatienta jusqu’à en mourir;
17 And opening all his heart to her, he said to her, My head has never been touched by a blade, for I have been separate to God from the day of my birth: if my hair is cut off, then my strength will go from me and I will become feeble, and will be like any other man.
il lui ouvrit tout son cœur et lui dit: « Le rasoir n’a jamais passé sur ma tête, car je suis nazaréen de Dieu dès le sein de ma mère. Si j’étais rasé, ma force m’abandonnerait, je deviendrais faible et je serais comme tous les autres hommes. »
18 And when Delilah saw that he had let her see into his heart, she sent word to the chiefs of the Philistines saying, Come up this time, for he has let out all his heart to me. Then the chiefs of the Philistines came to her, with the money in their hands.
Dalila vit qu’il lui avait ouvert tout son cœur; elle envoya appeler les princes des Philistins et leur fit dire: « Montez cette fois, car il m’a ouvert tout son cœur. » Et les princes des Philistins montèrent vers elle. apportant l’argent dans leurs mains.
19 And she made him go to sleep on her knees; and she sent for a man and had his seven twists of hair cut off; and while it was being done he became feeble and his strength went from him.
Elle l’endormit sur ses genoux et, ayant appelé l’homme, elle fit raser les sept tresses de la tête de Samson et commença à le dompter, et sa force se retira de lui.
20 Then she said, The Philistines are on you, Samson. And awaking from his sleep, he said, I will go out as at other times, shaking myself free. But he was not conscious that the Lord had gone from him.
Elle dit alors: « Les Philistins sont sur toi, Samson! » Il se réveilla de son sommeil et dit: « Je me tirerai d’affaire comme les autres fois, et je me dégagerai; » car il ne savait pas que Yahweh s’était retiré de lui.
21 So the Philistines took him and put out his eyes; then they took him down to Gaza, and, chaining him with bands of brass, put him to work crushing grain in the prison-house.
Les Philistins le saisirent et lui crevèrent les yeux et, l’ayant fait descendre à Gaza, ils le lièrent d’une double chaîne d’airain. Il tournait la meule dans la prison.
22 But the growth of his hair was starting again after it had been cut off.
Cependant les cheveux de sa tête commençaient à repousser depuis qu’il avait été rasé.
23 And the chiefs of the Philistines came together to make a great offering to Dagon their god, and to be glad; for they said, Our god has given into our hands Samson our hater.
Les princes des Philistins s’assemblèrent pour offrir un grand sacrifice à Dagon, leur dieu, et pour se réjouir. Ils disaient: « Notre dieu a livré entre nos mains Samson, notre ennemi. »
24 And when the people saw him, they gave praise to their god; for they said, Our god has given into our hands the one who was fighting against us, who made our country waste, and who put great numbers of us to death.
Le peuple le vit, et ils louèrent leur dieu, car ils disaient: « Notre dieu a livré entre nos mains notre ennemi, celui qui ravageait notre pays, et qui nous tuait tant de gens. »
25 Now when their hearts were full of joy, they said, Send for Samson to make sport for us. And they sent for Samson out of the prison-house, and he made sport before them; and they put him between the pillars.
Quand leurs cœurs furent devenus joyeux, ils dirent: « Qu’on fasse venir Samson, et qu’il nous divertisse! » Ils tirèrent Samson de la prison, et il dansa devant eux. On l’avait placé entre les colonnes.
26 And Samson said to the boy who took him by the hand, Let me put my hand on the pillars supporting the house, so that I may put my back against them.
Samson dit au jeune homme qui le tenait par la main: « Laisse-moi toucher les colonnes sur lesquelles se tient la maison et m’y appuyer.
27 Now the house was full of men and women; and all the lords of the Philistines were there; and about three thousand men and women were on the roof, looking on while Samson made sport.
Or la maison était remplie d’hommes et de femmes; tous les princes des Philistins étaient là, et il y avait sur le toit environ trois mille personnes, hommes et femmes, qui regardaient Samson danser.
28 And Samson, crying out to the Lord, said, O Lord God, do have me now in mind, and do make me strong only this once, O God, so that I may take one last payment from the Philistines for my two eyes.
Alors Samson invoqua Yahweh et dit: « Seigneur Yahweh, souvenez-vous de moi, je vous prie, et donnez-moi de la force cette fois seulement, ô Dieu. afin que d’un seul coup je me venge des Philistins pour mes deux yeux. »
29 Then Samson put his arms round the two middle pillars supporting the house, putting his weight on them, on one with his right hand and on the other with his left.
Et Samson, embrassant les deux colonnes du milieu sur lesquelles se tenait la maison, s’appuya sur elles, sur l’une de la main droite, sur l’autre de la main gauche.
30 And Samson said, Let death overtake me with the Philistines. And he put out all his strength, and the house came down on the chiefs and on all the people who were in it. So the dead whom he sent to destruction by his death were more than all those on whom he had sent destruction in his life.
Et Samson dit: « Que je meure avec les Philistins! ». Et il se pencha avec force, et la maison s’écroula sur les princes et sur tout le peuple qui s’y trouvait. Ceux qu’il fit périr en mourant furent plus nombreux que ceux qu’il avait tués pendant sa vie.
31 Then his brothers and his father's people came down and took him up and put his body to rest in the earth between Zorah and Eshtaol in the resting-place of Manoah his father. And he had been judge of Israel for twenty years.
Ses frères et toute la maison de son père descendirent à Gaza et l’emportèrent. Lorsqu’ils furent remontés, ils l’enterrèrent entre Saraa et Esthaol, dans le sépulcre de Manué, son père. Il avait jugé Israël pendant vingt ans.
