1 Samuel 25

1 And Samuel died; and all the Israelites were gathered together, and lamented him, and buried him in his house at Ramah. And David arose, and went down to the wilderness of Paran.

Samuel étant mort, tous les Israélites s’assemblèrent pour mener son deuil et l’ensevelirent dans sa demeure, à Rama. David se mit en route et se dirigea vers le désert de Paran.

2 And there was a man in Maon, whose possessions were in Carmel; and the man was very great, and he had three thousand sheep, and a thousand goats: and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel.

Or, il y avait un homme à Maon, ayant son bien à Carmel; cet homme était très notable, possédait trois mille brebis et mille chèvres, et il assistait à la tonte de son bétail à Carmel.

3 Now the name of the man was Nabal; and the name of his wife Abigail: and she was a woman of good understanding, and of a beautiful countenance: but the man was churlish and evil in his doings; and he was of the house of Caleb.

Cet homme avait nom Nabal, et sa femme s’appelait Abigaïl. La femme était intelligente et belle, l’homme dur et de mauvaise conduite; c’était un Calébite.

4 And David heard in the wilderness that Nabal did shear his sheep.

David, ayant appris dans le désert que Nabal faisait tondre son bétail,

5 And David sent out ten young men, and David said to the young men, Get you up to Carmel, and go to Nabal, and greet him in my name:

envoya dix serviteurs en leur disant: "Montez à Carmel, allez trouver Nabal, et saluez-le en mon nom.

6 And thus shall you say to him that lives in prosperity, Peace be both to you, and peace be to your house, and peace be to all that you have.

Et vous direz: Ainsi soit pour la vie! Sois en paix, en paix ta maison, en paix tout ce qui t’appartient!

7 And now I have heard that you have shearers: now your shepherds which were with us, we hurt them not, neither was there anything missing to them, all the while they were in Carmel.

Or, j’ai appris qu’on fait pour toi la tonte; tant que tes bergers ont été près de nous, nous ne les avons pas molestés, ils n’ont éprouvé aucune perte tout le temps de leur séjour à Carmel.

8 Ask your young men, and they will show you. Why let the young men find favor in your eyes: for we come in a good day: give, I pray you, whatever comes to your hand to your servants, and to your son David.

Demande à tes gens, qu’ils te le disent! Et que mes serviteurs trouvent bon accueil auprès de toi, puisque nous sommes venus en un jour de fête. Veuille donner ce dont tu peux disposer à tes serviteurs et à ton fils David."

9 And when David’s young men came, they spoke to Nabal according to all those words in the name of David, and ceased.

Les serviteurs de David y allèrent et dirent fidèlement toutes ces paroles à Nabal de la part de David; puis ils attendirent.

10 And Nabal answered David’s servants, and said, Who is David? and who is the son of Jesse? there be many servants now a days that break away every man from his master.

Nabal répondit aux serviteurs de David: "Qui est David? Qui est le fils de Jessé? Il y a beaucoup de serviteurs aujourd’hui qui s’émancipent de chez leurs maîtres!

11 Shall I then take my bread, and my water, and my flesh that I have killed for my shearers, and give it to men, whom I know not from where they be?

Et je prendrais mon pain, mon eau, mes bêtes que j’ai tuées pour mes tondeurs, et je les donnerais à des hommes venus je ne sais d’où!"

12 So David’s young men turned their way, and went again, and came and told him all those sayings.

Les serviteurs de David rebroussèrent chemin et, de retour, lui rapportèrent toutes ces paroles.

13 And David said to his men, Gird you on every man his sword. And they girded on every man his sword; and David also girded on his sword: and there went up after David about four hundred men; and two hundred stayed by the stuff.

Et David leur dit: "Que chacun de vous ceigne son épée! Et chacun ceignit son épée, David aussi ceignit la sienne, et ils montèrent à la suite de David, au nombre d’environ quatre cents hommes, et deux cents restèrent près des bagages.

14 But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, saying, Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to salute our master; and he railed on them.

Cependant un des serviteurs informa Abigaïl, femme de Nabal, en disant: "David avait envoyé des hommes chargés de saluer notre maître, mais celui-ci les a rudoyés.

15 But the men were very good to us, and we were not hurt, neither missed we any thing, as long as we were conversant with them, when we were in the fields:

Or, ces hommes étaient très bons pour nous; nous n’avons subi aucun désagrément, aucune perte, tout le temps que nous avons frayé avec eux, que nous étions aux champs.

16 They were a wall to us both by night and day, all the while we were with them keeping the sheep.

Ils nous ont servi de rempart la nuit comme le jour, tant que nous avons été avec eux, paissant le bétail.

17 Now therefore know and consider what you will do; for evil is determined against our master, and against all his household: for he is such a son of Belial, that a man cannot speak to him.

Avise maintenant à prendre un parti, car c’en est fait de notre maître et de toute sa maison; il est d’ailleurs trop violent pour qu’on ose lui parler."

18 Then Abigail made haste, and took two hundred loaves, and two bottles of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five measures of parched corn, and an hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on asses.

AbigaïI, en toute hâte, prit deux cents pains, deux outres de vin, cinq brebis tout accommodées, cinq mesures de froment grillé, cent gâteaux de raisins secs et deux cents gâteaux de figues, qu’elle fit charger sur des ânes,

19 And she said to her servants, Go on before me; behold, I come after you. But she told not her husband Nabal.

et elle dit à ses serviteurs: "Passez devant moi, je vous suis"; mais à son époux Nabal elle n’en dit rien.

20 And it was so, as she rode on the ass, that she came down by the covert on the hill, and, behold, David and his men came down against her; and she met them.

Or, tandis que, montée sur un âne, elle descendait par un pli de la montagne, David et ses hommes descendaient à l’opposite; et elle les rencontra.

21 Now David had said, Surely in vain have I kept all that this fellow has in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that pertained to him: and he has requited me evil for good.

David avait dit: "C’Est donc en vain que j’ai préservé tout ce que cet homme possédait dans le désert, de sorte qu’il n’a éprouvé aucune perte! Et lui m’a rendu le mal pour le bien!

22 So and more also do God to the enemies of David, if I leave of all that pertain to him by the morning light any that urinates against the wall.

Que Dieu en fasse autant et plus aux ennemis de David, si d’ici au point du jour je laisse subsister, de ce qui lui appartient, la moindre créature!"

23 And when Abigail saw David, she hurried, and lighted off the ass, and fell before David on her face, and bowed herself to the ground,

Abigaïl, en voyant David, descendit de l’âne en toute hâte, se jeta sur la face devant David et se prosterna par terre.

24 And fell at his feet, and said, On me, my lord, on me let this iniquity be: and let your handmaid, I pray you, speak in your audience, and hear the words of your handmaid.

Puis elle se jeta à ses pieds et dit: "A moi, seigneur, à moi la faute! Mais permets à ta servante de t’adresser quelques mots, et écoute les paroles de ta servante.

25 Let not my lord, I pray you, regard this man of Belial, even Nabal: for as his name is, so is he; Nabal is his name, and folly is with him: but I your handmaid saw not the young men of my lord, whom you did send.

Que mon seigneur ne s’occupe pas de cet homme indigne, de Nabal, car il ressemble à son nom: Nabal il se nomme, et nabal est son caractère. Pour moi, ta servante, je n’ai pas vu les jeunes gens envoyés par mon seigneur.

26 Now therefore, my lord, as the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, seeing the LORD has withheld you from coming to shed blood, and from avenging yourself with your own hand, now let your enemies, and they that seek evil to my lord, be as Nabal.

Et maintenant, seigneur, j’en atteste le Dieu vivant et ta propre vie, ce Dieu qui t’aura préservé de t’engager dans le sang et de te venger par ta propre main, oui, ils seront comme Nabal, tes ennemis, ceux qui veulent du mal à mon seigneur.

27 And now this blessing which your handmaid has brought to my lord, let it even be given to the young men that follow my lord.

Quant au présent que ta servante a apporté à son seigneur, qu’il soit remis aux jeunes gens de sa suite.

28 I pray you, forgive the trespass of your handmaid: for the LORD will certainly make my lord a sure house; because my lord fights the battles of the LORD, and evil has not been found in you all your days.

Daigne faire grâce à ta servante! Certes, l’Eternel donnera à ta maison, seigneur, une existence durable, car ce sont les guerres de l’Eternel que tu soutiens, et, de ta vie, le malheur ne t’atteindra.

29 Yet a man is risen to pursue you, and to seek your soul: but the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with the LORD your God; and the souls of your enemies, them shall he sling out, as out of the middle of a sling.

Que si on s’avisait de t’attaquer et d’en vouloir à ta vie, l’existence de mon seigneur restera liée au faisceau des vivants que protège l’Eternel, ton Dieu, tandis qu’il lancera au loin, avec la fronde, celle de tes ennemis.

30 And it shall come to pass, when the LORD shall have done to my lord according to all the good that he has spoken concerning you, and shall have appointed you ruler over Israel;

Or, quand l’Eternel aura accompli pour toi, seigneur, tout le bien qu’il t’a promis, et qu’il t’aura institué chef d’Israël,

31 That this shall be no grief to you, nor offense of heart to my lord, either that you have shed blood causeless, or that my lord has avenged himself: but when the LORD shall have dealt well with my lord, then remember your handmaid.

il ne faut pas que ceci devienne pour toi, seigneur, un écueil, une cause de remords, d’avoir versé le sang inutilement, et de t’être fait justice toi-même. L’Eternel te rendra heureux, seigneur, et tu te souviendras de ta servante."

32 And David said to Abigail, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, which sent you this day to meet me:

David répondit à Abigaïl: "Béni soit l’Eternel, Dieu d’Israël, de t’avoir envoyée aujourd’hui à ma rencontre!

33 And blessed be your advice, and blessed be you, which have kept me this day from coming to shed blood, and from avenging myself with my own hand.

Et bénie soit ta prudence et bénie sois-tu, toi qui m’as empêché aujourd’hui de m’engager dans le sang et de demander secours à ma propre main!

34 For in very deed, as the LORD God of Israel lives, which has kept me back from hurting you, except you had hurried and come to meet me, surely there had not been left to Nabal by the morning light any that urinates against the wall.

Mais certes, par l’Eternel, Dieu d’Israël, qui m’a préservé de te faire du mal, si tu n’avais pas pris les devants en venant à moi, certes, d’ici au point du jour pas la moindre créature ne fût restée à Nabal!"

35 So David received of her hand that which she had brought him, and said to her, Go up in peace to your house; see, I have listened to your voice, and have accepted your person.

David accepta de sa main ce qu’elle lui avait apporté, et lui dit: "Retourne en paix chez toi; vois, j’ai cédé à ta parole et t’ai fait bon accueil."

36 And Abigail came to Nabal; and, behold, he held a feast in his house, like the feast of a king; and Nabal’s heart was merry within him, for he was very drunken: why she told him nothing, less or more, until the morning light.

Abigaïl rejoignit Nabab qui faisait alors chez lui un vrai festin de roi, était en belle humeur et s’était enivré à l’excès. Elle ne lui adressa pas une parole jusqu’au lendemain matin.

37 But it came to pass in the morning, when the wine was gone out of Nabal, and his wife had told him these things, that his heart died within him, and he became as a stone.

Au matin, l’ivresse de Nabal étant dissipée, sa femme lui conta ces faits; il sentit son cœur défaillir et devint comme une pierre.

38 And it came to pass about ten days after, that the LORD smote Nabal, that he died.

Environ dix jours après, Nabal, frappé d’un coup du ciel, expirait.

39 And when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, Blessed be the LORD, that has pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and has kept his servant from evil: for the LORD has returned the wickedness of Nabal on his own head. And David sent and communed with Abigail, to take her to him to wife.

En apprenant la mort de Nabal, David dit: "Béni soit le Seigneur, qui s’est intéressé à mon injure et en a puni Nabal! Il a épargné un méfait à son serviteur, et le méfait de Nabal, il l’a fait retomber sur sa tête." Puis David envoya faire parler à Abigaïl, désirant la prendre pour femme.

40 And when the servants of David were come to Abigail to Carmel, they spoke to her, saying, David sent us to you, to take you to him to wife.

Les serviteurs de David vinrent trouver Abigaïl à Carmel, et lui dirent: "David nous a envoyés vers toi, voulant te prendre pour épouse."

41 And she arose, and bowed herself on her face to the earth, and said, Behold, let your handmaid be a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.

Et elle se leva, se prosterna la face contre terre et dit: "Ta servante est prête à laver, comme esclave, les pieds des serviteurs de mon maître."

42 And Abigail hurried, and arose and rode on an ass, with five damsels of hers that went after her; and she went after the messengers of David, and became his wife.

Aussitôt Abigail se releva et monta sur un âne, suivie par ses cinq servantes elle partit à la suite des envoyés de David et devint son épouse.

43 David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel; and they were also both of them his wives.

David avait également épousé Ahinoam, de Jezreël, de sorte qu’il les eut toutes deux pour femmes.

44 But Saul had given Michal his daughter, David’s wife, to Phalti the son of Laish, which was of Gallim.

Pour Saül, il avait fait épouser Mikhal, sa fille, femme de David, par Palti, fils de Layich, de Gallim.