Numbers 24
1 And when Balaam saw that it pleased God to bless Israel, he did not go according to his custom to meet the omens, but turned his face towards the wilderness.
Et Balaam voyant qu'il plaisait à l'Éternel de bénir Israël, n'alla point cette fois, comme la première, à la recherche des enchantements, mais il tourna sa face du côté du désert.
2 And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and sees Israel encamped by their tribes; and the Spirit of God came upon him.
Et Balaam levant les yeux vit Israël campé par tribus; alors vint sur lui l'esprit de Dieu.
3 And he took up his parable and said, Balaam son of Beor says, the man who sees truly says,
Et il prononça son oracle et dit: Ainsi parle Balaam, fils de Behor, ainsi parle l'homme dont l'œil est ouvert,
4 he says who hears the oracle of the Mighty One, who saw a vision of God in sleep; his eyes were opened:
ainsi parle l'auditeur des paroles de Dieu, qui voit les visions du Tout-Puissant, qui se prosterne et a les yeux dessillés:
5 How goodly [are] your habitations, Jacob, and your tents, Israel!
Que tes tentes sont belles, ô Jacob! tes demeures, ô Israël! Elles s'étendent comme des vallées,
6 as shady groves, and as gardens by a river, and as tents which God pitched, and as cedars by the waters.
comme des jardins le long d'un fleuve, comme des aloès que planta l'Éternel, comme des cèdres le long des eaux.
7 There shall come a man out of his seed, and he shall rule over many nations; and the kingdom of Gog shall be exalted, and his kingdom shall be increased.
Des ondes s'épanchent de son seau, et sa race, en flots abondants. Au-dessus d'Agag s'élève son Roi, et son royaume a la prééminence.
8 God led him out of Egypt; he has as it were the glory of a unicorn: he shall consume the nations of his enemies, and he shall drain their marrow, and with his darts he shall shoot through the enemy.
Dieu le retira de l'Egypte, et il a la vélocité du buffle. Il dévore les peuples, ses adversaires, ronge leurs os, et fracasse leurs flèches.
9 He lay down, he rested as a lion, and as a young lion; who shall stir him up? they that bless you are blessed, and they that curse you are cursed.
Il se couche, il repose, pareil au lion ou à la lionne: Qui le fera lever? Qui te bénira, sera béni, et qui te maudira, sera maudit.
10 And Balac was angry with Balaam, and clapped his hands together; and Balac said to Balaam, I called you to curse my enemy, and behold you have decidedly blessed [him] this third time.
Alors la colère de Balak s'enflamma contre Balaam, et frappant ses mains l'une contre l'autre Balak dit à Balaam: Je t'ai mandé pour maudire mes ennemis, et voilà que tu as béni, béni déjà par trois fois.
11 Now therefore flee to your place: I said, I will honour you, but now the Lord has deprived you of glory.
Fuis donc maintenant et va-t'en chez toi! Je disais: Je t'accorderai des honneurs, mais voilà que l'Éternel t'empêche de les recevoir.
12 And Balaam said to Balac, Did I not speak to your messengers also whom you sent to me, saying,
Et Balaam dit à Balak: Même aux messagers que tu m'as envoyés, n'ai-je pas dit en propres termes:
13 If Balac should give me his house full of silver and gold, I shall not be able to transgress the word of the Lord to make it good or bad by myself; whatever things God shall say, them will I speak.
Quand Balak me donnerait sa maison pleine d'argent et d'or, je ne pourrais transgresser l'ordre de l'Éternel en faisant de par moi du bien ou du mal! ce que l'Éternel dira, c'est ce que je répéterai.
14 And now, behold, I return to my place; come, I will advise you of what this people shall do to your people in the last days.
Et maintenant, voici, je reprends le chemin de mon peuple. Mais viens! je veux t'avertir de ce que ce peuple fera à ton peuple dans la suite des temps.
15 And he took up his parable and said, Balaam the son of Beor says, the man who sees truly says,
Puis Balaam prononça son oracle et dit: Ainsi parle Balaam, fils de Behor, ainsi parle l'homme dont l'œil est ouvert,
16 hearing the oracles of God, receiving knowledge from the Most High, and having seen a vision of God in sleep; his eyes were opened.
ainsi parle l'auditeur des paroles de Dieu, qui connaît les vues du Très-Haut, qui voit les visions du Tout-Puissant, qui se prosterne et a les yeux dessillés:
17 I will point to him, but not now; I bless him, but he draws not near: a star shall rise out of Jacob, a man shall spring out of Israel; and shall crush the princes of Moab, and shall spoil all the sons of Seth.
Je le vois, quoique non présent, Je le vois, mais dans le lointain… Un astre surgit de Jacob, et un sceptre s'élève d'Israël; il ébranle Moab de fond en comble, et extermine tous les fils de Seth,
18 And Edom shall be an inheritance, and Esau his enemy shall be an inheritance [of Israel], and Israel wrought valiantly.
et Edom devient sa conquête, et Séïr la conquête de ses ennemis, et Israël fait des actes de vaillance.
19 And [one] shall arise out of Jacob, and destroy out of the city him that escapes.
Issu de Jacob il aura l'empire, et fera périr les réchappés des villes.
20 And having seen Amalec, he took up his parable and said, Amalec [is] the first of the nations; yet his seed shall perish.
Et à la vue d'Amalek, il prononça son oracle et dit: Amalek est en tête des peuples, mais son avenir aboutit à la ruine.
21 And having seen the Kenite, he took up his parable and said, your dwelling-place [is] strong; yet though you should put your nest in a rock,
Et à la vue des Kénites, il prononça son oracle et dit: Que ta demeure soit permanente, et place ton aire sur le rocher!
22 and though Beor should have a skilfully contrived hiding-place, the Assyrians shall carry you away captive.
Mais Kain est voué à la ruine: Quelle sera sa durée? Assur te fera prisonnier.
23 And he looked upon Og, and took up his parable and said, Oh, oh, who shall live, when God shall do these things?
Et il prononça son oracle et dit: Hélas! qui vivra, quand Il fera ces choses?…
24 And one shall come forth from the hands of the Citians, and shall afflict Assur, and shall afflict the Hebrews, and they shall perish together.
Et des navires partis de la côte de Kittim humilieront Assur, humilieront Eber, lui aussi est voué à la ruine.
25 And Balaam rose up and departed and returned to his place, and Balac went to his own home.
Et Balaam se leva, et partit et retourna chez lui; de même Balak s'en alla de son côté.
