Job 30
1 But now, those younger in years scorn me, whose fathers I would not have seen fit to place with the dogs of my flock,
Et maintenant!… je suis la risée de plus jeunes que moi, De ceux dont je dédaignais de mettre les pères Parmi les chiens de mon troupeau.
2 the strength of whose hands was nothing to me, and they were considered unworthy of life itself.
Mais à quoi me servirait la force de leurs mains? Ils sont incapables d’atteindre la vieillesse.
3 They were barren from poverty and hunger; they gnawed in solitude, layered with misfortune and misery.
Desséchés par la misère et la faim, Ils fuient dans les lieux arides, Depuis longtemps abandonnés et déserts;
4 And they chewed grass and the bark from trees, and the root of junipers was their food.
Ils arrachent près des arbrisseaux les herbes sauvages, Et ils n’ont pour pain que la racine des genêts.
5 They took these things from the steep valleys, and when they discovered one of these things, they rushed to the others with a cry.
On les chasse du milieu des hommes, On crie après eux comme après des voleurs.
6 They lived in the parched desert and in caves underground or above the rocks.
Ils habitent dans d’affreuses vallées, Dans les cavernes de la terre et dans les rochers;
7 They rejoiced among these kinds of things, and they considered it delightful to be under thorns.
Ils hurlent parmi les buissons, Ils se rassemblent sous les ronces.
8 These are the sons of foolish and base men, not even paying any attention to the land.
Êtres vils et méprisés, On les repousse du pays.
9 Now I become their song, and I have been made into their proverb.
Et maintenant, je suis l’objet de leurs chansons, Je suis en butte à leurs propos.
10 They loathe me, and so they flee far from me, and they are not reluctant to spit in my face.
Ils ont horreur de moi, ils se détournent, Ils me crachent au visage.
11 For he has opened his quiver and has afflicted me, and he has placed a bridle in my mouth.
Ils n’ont plus de retenue et ils m’humilient, Ils rejettent tout frein devant moi.
12 Immediately, upon rising, my calamities rise up to the right. They have overturned my feet and have pressed me down along their way like waves.
Ces misérables se lèvent à ma droite et me poussent les pieds, Ils se fraient contre moi des sentiers pour ma ruine;
13 They have diverted my journeys; they have waited to ambush me, and they have prevailed, and there was no one who might bring help.
Ils détruisent mon propre sentier et travaillent à ma perte, Eux à qui personne ne viendrait en aide;
14 They have rushed upon me, as when a wall is broken or a gate opened, and they have been pulled down into my miseries.
Ils arrivent comme par une large brèche, Ils se précipitent sous les craquements.
15 I have been reduced to nothing. You have taken away my desire like a wind, and my health has passed by like a cloud.
Les terreurs m’assiègent; Ma gloire est emportée comme par le vent, Mon bonheur a passé comme un nuage.
16 But now my soul withers within myself, and the days of affliction take hold of me.
Et maintenant, mon âme s’épanche en mon sein, Les jours de la souffrance m’ont saisi.
17 At night, my bone is pierced with sorrows, and those who feed on me, do not sleep.
La nuit me perce et m’arrache les os, La douleur qui me ronge ne se donne aucun repos,
18 By the sheer number of them my clothing is worn away, and they have closed in on me like the collar of my coat.
Par la violence du mal mon vêtement perd sa forme, Il se colle à mon corps comme ma tunique.
19 I have been treated like dirt, and I have been turned into embers and ashes.
Dieu m’a jeté dans la boue, Et je ressemble à la poussière et à la cendre.
20 I cry to you, and you do not heed me. I stand up, and you do not look back at me.
Je crie vers toi, et tu ne me réponds pas; Je me tiens debout, et tu me lances ton regard.
21 You have changed me into hardness, and, with the hardness of your hand, you oppose me.
Tu deviens cruel contre moi, Tu me combats avec la force de ta main.
22 You have lifted me up, and, placing me as if on the wind, you have thrown me down powerfully.
Tu me soulèves, tu me fais voler au-dessus du vent, Et tu m’anéantis au bruit de la tempête.
23 I know that you will hand me over to death, where a home has been established for all the living.
Car, je le sais, tu me mènes à la mort, Au rendez-vous de tous les vivants.
24 Truly, then, you do not extend your hand in order to consume them, and if they fall down, you will save them.
Mais celui qui va périr n’étend-il pas les mains? Celui qui est dans le malheur n’implore-t-il pas du secours?
25 Once, I wept over him who was afflicted, and my soul had compassion on the poor.
N’avais-je pas des larmes pour l’infortuné? Mon cœur n’avait-il pas pitié de l’indigent?
26 I expected good things, but evil things have come to me. I stood ready for light, yet darkness burst forth.
J’attendais le bonheur, et le malheur est arrivé; J’espérais la lumière, et les ténèbres sont venues.
27 My insides have seethed, without any rest, for the days of affliction have prevented it.
Mes entrailles bouillonnent sans relâche, Les jours de la calamité m’ont surpris.
28 I went forth mourning, without anger, and rising up, I cried out in confusion.
Je marche noirci, mais non par le soleil; Je me lève en pleine assemblée, et je crie.
29 I was the brother of snakes, and the companion of ostriches.
Je suis devenu le frère des chacals, Le compagnon des autruches.
30 My skin has become blackened over me, and my bones have dried up because of the heat.
Ma peau noircit et tombe, Mes os brûlent et se dessèchent.
31 My harp has been turned into mourning, and my pipes have been turned into a voice of weeping.
Ma harpe n’est plus qu’un instrument de deuil, Et mon chalumeau ne peut rendre que des sons plaintifs.
