Psalms 78
1 “A Maskil of Assaph.” Give ear, O my people, to my instruction: incline thy ear to the words of my mouth.
Maskil (cantique) d'Asaph. Écoute ma loi, ô mon peuple! Prêtez l'oreille aux paroles de ma bouche.
2 I will open with a parable my mouth: I will utter riddles out of ancient times;
J'ouvrirai ma bouche pour prononcer des discours sententieux; je publierai les secrets des temps anciens,
3 Which we have heard and know, and which our fathers have related unto us.
Que nous avons entendus et connus, et que nos pères nous ont racontés.
4 We will not conceal them from their children, relating to the latest generation the praises of the Lord, and his strength, and his wonderful deeds which he hath done.
Nous ne les cacherons point à leurs enfants; nous raconterons à la race future les louanges de l'Éternel, et sa force, et les merveilles qu'il a faites.
5 Yea, he established a testimony in Jacob, and instituted a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children:
Il établit un témoignage en Jacob; il mit en Israël une loi, qu'il ordonna à nos pères de faire connaître à leurs enfants;
6 In order that the latest generation might know them, even the children that are to be born; that they may arise and relate them to their children;
Afin que la génération suivante, les enfants à venir, la connussent, et qu'en grandissant ils la racontassent à leurs enfants;
7 That they may place in God their hope, and not forget the doings of God, but observe his commandments;
Qu'ils missent en Dieu leur confiance, qu'ils n'oubliassent pas les œuvres de Dieu, et qu'ils gardassent ses commandements;
8 And that they may not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that had not directed their heart firmly, and whose spirit was not faithful to God.
Et qu'ils ne fussent pas, comme leurs pères, une génération rebelle et indocile, génération qui ne disposa point son cœur, et dont l'esprit ne fut pas fidèle à Dieu.
9 The children of Ephraim, like well-armed archers, that turn round on the day of battle,
Les fils d'Éphraïm, armés et tirant de l'arc, ont tourné le dos au jour du combat.
10 Kept not the covenant of God, and in his law they refused to walk;
Ils n'ont point gardé l'alliance de Dieu, et n'ont pas voulu marcher dans sa loi.
11 And they forgot his deeds, as also his wonders, which he had permitted them to see.
Ils ont mis en oubli ses exploits, et ses merveilles qu'il leur avait fait voir.
12 In the presence of their fathers did he do wonders, in the land of Egypt, in the fields of Zo'an.
Il fit des prodiges devant leurs pères, au pays d'Égypte, aux champs de Tsoan.
13 He divided the sea, and caused them to pass through; and he made the waters stand upright as a wall.
Il fendit la mer et les fit passer; il dressa les eaux comme en un monceau;
14 And he led them with the cloud by day, and all the night with a light of fire.
Et il les conduisit, le jour par la nuée, et toute la nuit par la clarté du feu.
15 He split rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink as out of the mighty deep.
Il fendit les rochers au désert, et les abreuva comme à flots abondants.
16 And he brought forth running streams out of the rock, and caused water to run down like rivers.
De la pierre il fit sortir des ruisseaux; il fit descendre les eaux comme des rivières.
17 But they repeated to sin yet more against him, rebelling against the Most High in the desert.
Mais ils continuèrent à pécher contre lui, se rebellant contre le Très-Haut dans le désert.
18 And they tempted God in their heart, by asking food for their desire.
Ils tentèrent Dieu dans leur cœur, demandant des mets selon leur désir.
19 Yea, they spoke against God: they said, Will God be able to set in order a table in the wilderness?
Ils parlèrent contre Dieu et dirent: Dieu pourrait-il dresser une table au désert?
20 Behold, he smote the rock, so that waters gushed out, and streams overflowed: shall he also be able to give bread? or can he provide flesh for his people?
Voici, il a frappé la roche, et des eaux ont coulé, et des torrents se sont répandus: pourra-t-il bien donner du pain, préparer de la chair à son peuple?
21 Therefore, when the Lord heard this, he became wroth: and a fire was kindled against Jacob, and anger also ascended against Israel,
Aussi l'Éternel l'entendit et s'indigna; un feu s'alluma contre Jacob, et la colère s'éleva contre Israël;
22 Because they had not believed in God, and had not trusted in his salvation.
Parce qu'ils n'avaient pas cru en Dieu, et ne s'étaient pas confiés en son salut.
23 Then he ordained the skies from above, and the doors of heaven he opened;
Alors il commanda aux nuées en haut, et ouvrit les portes des cieux.
24 And he let rain down upon them manna to eat, and the corn of heaven gave he unto them.
Il fit pleuvoir sur eux la manne pour nourriture, et leur donna le froment des cieux.
25 Angels' bread did man eat: he sent them provision to satisfaction.
Chacun mangea le pain des puissants; il leur envoya des vivres à souhait.
26 He caused an east wind to pass along the heavens; and he led forth by his strength the south wind.
Il fit lever le vent d'orient dans les cieux, et amena par sa force le vent du midi.
27 And he let rain upon them flesh [as plentiful] as the dust, and winged birds like the sand of the sea;
Il fit pleuvoir sur eux de la chair comme de la poussière, et des oiseaux ailés, comme le sable des mers.
28 And he let them fall in the midst of their camp, round about their habitations.
Il les fit tomber au milieu de leur camp, et tout autour de leurs tentes.
29 And they ate, and were greatly satisfied, and what they longed for he brought unto them.
Ils mangèrent et furent abondamment repus; il leur accorda ce qu'ils désiraient.
30 They were not estranged from their longing, yet was their food in their mouth:
Ils n'en avaient pas perdu l'envie, les mets étaient encore dans leur bouche,
31 When the wrath of God ascended against them, and he slew some of the fattest of them, and the young men of Israel did he strike down.
Que la colère de Dieu monta contre eux, qu'il tua leurs hommes forts, et abattit l'élite d'Israël.
32 With all this they sinned again, and believed not in his wonders.
Et pourtant ils péchèrent encore, et ne crurent point à ses merveilles.
33 Therefore he caused their days to come to an end in nought, and their years in dread.
Il consuma leurs jours par un souffle, et leurs années par un effroi soudain.
34 When he slew them, then did they seek him, and they returned and inquired earnestly after God.
Quand il les tuait, ils s'enquéraient de lui, et se remettaient à chercher Dieu.
35 And they remembered that God was their rock, and the most high God their redeemer.
Ils se souvenaient que Dieu était leur rocher, et le Dieu Très-Haut leur rédempteur.
36 Nevertheless they prayed insincerely to him with their mouth, and with their tongue they lied unto him.
Mais ils faisaient beau semblant de leur bouche, et de leur langue ils lui mentaient.
37 For their heart was not firm with him, and they were not faithful in his covenant.
Leur cœur n'était pas droit envers lui, et ils n'étaient pas fidèles à son alliance.
38 But he, being merciful, forgave the iniquity, and destroyed [them] not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not awaken all his fury.
Mais lui, miséricordieux, pardonnait le crime et ne les détruisait pas; souvent il revint de sa colère, et n'éveilla pas toute sa fureur.
39 And he remembered that they are but flesh, a spirit that passeth away, and returneth not again.
Et il se souvint qu'ils n'étaient que chair, un vent qui passe et ne revient pas.
40 How oft did they rebel against him in the wilderness, grieve him in the desert!
Que de fois ils se rebellèrent contre lui au désert, et le contristèrent dans la solitude!
41 Yea, they once more tempted God, and set limits to the Holy One of Israel.
Ils recommencèrent à tenter Dieu et à provoquer le Saint d'Israël;
42 They remembered not his hand, the day when he ransomed them from the adversary;
Ils ne se souvinrent plus de sa main, du jour où il les délivra de l'oppresseur,
43 When he displayed in Egypt his signs, and his wonderful tokens in the fields of Zo'an.
Lorsqu'il manifesta ses prodiges en Égypte, et ses miracles dans les champs de Tsoan;
44 And he changed their rivers into blood; and their running streams, that they could not drink [of them].
Qu'il changea leurs fleuves en sang, et ils n'en burent plus les ondes;
45 He sent out among them various wild beasts, which devoured them; and frogs, which destroyed them.
Qu'il envoya contre eux des insectes pour les dévorer et des grenouilles pour les infester;
46 And he gave unto the cricket their products, and their labor unto the locust.
Qu'il livra leur récolte aux vermisseaux, et leur travail aux sauterelles;
47 He slew with hail their vines, and their sycamore-trees with ice-bolts.
Qu'il tua leurs vignes par la grêle, et leurs sycomores par les frimas;
48 And he surrendered to the hail their cattle, and their herds to the lightning's flashes.
Qu'il livra leur bétail à la grêle, et leurs troupeaux à la foudre;
49 He let loose against them the fierceness of his anger, wrath and indignation, and distress, a host of angels of misfortune.
Qu'il envoya contre eux l'ardeur de son courroux, l'indignation, la colère, la détresse, déchaînant les messagers de malheur.
50 He leveled a path for his anger; he withheld not from death their soul, and their life he surrendered to the pestilence;
Il donna carrière à sa colère, et ne préserva point leur âme de la mort; il livra leur vie à la mortalité.
51 And he smote all the first-born in Egypt; the first of their strength in the tents of Ham;
Il frappa dans l'Égypte tous les premiers-nés, les prémices de la force dans les tentes de Cham.
52 But he caused his own people to depart like flocks, and guided them like a drove in the wilderness.
Il fit partir son peuple comme des brebis, et les conduisit par le désert comme un troupeau.
53 And he led them in safety, so that they felt no dread; but the sea covered over their enemies.
Il les mena en sûreté et sans crainte; mais la mer couvrit leurs ennemis.
54 And he brought them to his holy territory, even to this mount, which his right hand had acquired.
Il les fit parvenir dans ses frontières saintes, à la montagne que sa droite a conquise.
55 And he drove out from before them nations, and divided them by the measuring-line as an inheritance, and he caused to dwell in their tents the tribes of Israel.
Il chassa devant eux des nations; il les leur fit échoir en portions d'héritage, et logea les tribus d'Israël dans leurs tentes.
56 Yet they tempted and rebelled against the most high God, and his testimonies they kept not;
Mais ils tentèrent et irritèrent le Dieu Très-Haut, et ne gardèrent point ses témoignages.
57 But swerved aside, and dealt unfaithfully like their fathers; they turned about like a deceitful bow.
Ils reculèrent et furent infidèles comme leurs pères; ils tournèrent comme un arc qui trompe.
58 And they provoked him to anger with their high-places, and with their graven images they moved him to jealousy.
Ils le provoquèrent par leurs hauts lieux, et l'émurent à jalousie par leurs idoles.
59 God heard this, and he became wroth, and felt greatly disgusted with Israel;
Dieu l'entendit et s'indigna; il prit Israël en aversion.
60 And he cast off the dwelling at Shiloh, the tabernacle where he had dwelt among men;
Il abandonna la demeure de Silo, la tente qu'il avait dressée parmi les hommes.
61 And he gave up his strength unto captivity, and his glory into the adversary's hand.
Il livra sa gloire à la captivité, et sa majesté aux mains de l'ennemi.
62 And he surrendered his people unto the sword; and with his inheritance was he wroth.
Il abandonna son peuple à l'épée, et s'indigna contre son héritage.
63 His young men the fire devoured; and his virgins were not demanded in marriage.
Le feu dévora ses jeunes hommes, et ses vierges ne furent point chantées.
64 His priests fell by the sword; and his widows did not weep.
Ses sacrificateurs tombèrent par l'épée, et ses veuves ne pleurèrent pas.
65 Then awoke the Lord as one that sleepeth, like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine.
Alors le Seigneur s'éveilla comme un homme qui dort, comme un guerrier à qui le vin fait jeter des cris.
66 And he smote his enemies backward: a perpetual disgrace on them.
Il refoula ses adversaires; il les chargea d'un opprobre éternel.
67 Yet was he disgusted with the tent of Joseph, and of the tribe of Ephraim he made not choice;
Mais il rejeta la tente de Joseph, et ne choisit pas la tribu d'Éphraïm.
68 But he chose the tribe of Judah, the mount Zion which he loved.
Il choisit la tribu de Juda, la montagne de Sion qu'il aime.
69 And he built like high [mountains] his sanctuary, like the earth which he hath founded for ever.
Il bâtit son sanctuaire comme les lieux très hauts, comme la terre qu'il a fondée pour toujours.
70 And he made choice of David his servant, and took him from the sheep-folds:
Il choisit David son serviteur, et le prit des parcs des brebis.
71 From following the ewes with young he brought him, to feed Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance.
Il l'amena d'auprès de celles qui allaitent, pour paître Jacob, son peuple, et Israël, son héritage.
72 And he fed them according to the integrity of his heart; and by the skilfulness of his hands did he lead them.
Alors David les fit paître suivant l'intégrité de son cœur, et les conduisit par la sagesse de ses mains.
