Nehemiah 4
1 And it comes to pass, when Sanballat has heard that we are building the wall, that it is displeasing to him, and he is very angry and mocks at the Jews,
Or, lorsque Sanaballat apprit que nous relevions les remparts, il le trouva mauvais, s'en courrouça grandement, et se moqua fort des Juifs.
2 and says before his brothers and the force of Samaria, indeed, he says, “What [are] the weak Jews doing? Are they left to themselves? Do they sacrifice? Do they complete in a day? Do they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish—and they are burned?”
Et il dit devant ses frères (c'est-à-dire devant l'armée samaritaine): Il est donc vrai que les Juifs réédifient leur ville?
3 And Tobiah the Ammonite [is] by him and says, “Also, that which they are building—if a fox goes up, then it has broken down their stone wall.”
Et Tobias l'Ammonite s'approcha de lui, et il dit à la multitude: Est-ce qu'ils sacrifieront et mangeront en ce lieu? Est-ce qu'un renard en sautant ne renversera pas leur muraille de pierres?
4 Hear, O our God, for we have been despised; and return their reproach on their own head, and give them for a spoil in a land of captivity;
Écoutez, ô notre Dieu, car nous sommes un sujet de raillerie; faites retomber ces outrages sur leurs têtes, et qu'eux-mêmes soient un sujet de raillerie en la terre où nous avons été captifs.
5 and do not cover over their iniquity, and do not let their sin be blotted out from before You, for they have provoked [You] to anger in front of those building.
Ne couvrez pas leur iniquité.
6 And we build the wall, and all the wall is joined—to its half, and the people have a heart to work.
Cependant, nous continuâmes à rebâtir le mur; et lorsque tout le mur fut bouché jusqu’à mi-hauteur, le peuple eut de nouveau du cœur à l’ouvrage.
7 And it comes to pass, when Sanballat has heard, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, that lengthening has gone up to the walls of Jerusalem, that the breeches have begun to be stopped, then it is very displeasing to them,
Or, lorsque Sanaballat, et Tobias, et les Arabes et les Ammonites, apprirent que les murs de Jérusalem reprenaient leur forme, et que leurs brèches commençaient à se fermer, ils le trouvèrent fort mauvais.
8 and they conspire, all of them together, to come to fight against Jerusalem, and to do to it injury.
Et ils se réunirent tous ensemble pour marcher contre Jérusalem, et la faire disparaître.
9 And we pray to our God, and appoint a watch against them, by day and by night, because of them.
Alors, nous priâmes notre Dieu, et nous mîmes, nuit et jour, des gardes, à cause d'eux.
10 And Judah says, “The power of the burden-bearers has become feeble, and the rubbish [is] abundant, and we are not able to build on the wall.”
Et Juda dit: La force des ennemis est brisée; mais le monceau de ruines est énorme, et nous ne pourrons bâtir les remparts.
11 And our adversaries say, “They do not know, nor see, until we come into their midst, and have slain them, and caused the work to cease.”
Et nos oppresseurs dirent: Ils ne sauront, ils ne verront que lorsque nous arriverons au milieu d'eux, et nous les massacrerons, et nous ferons cesser l'œuvre.
12 And it comes to pass, when the Jews have come who are dwelling near them, that they say to us ten times from all the places to where you return—[they are] against us.
Et les Juifs qui habitaient dans le voisinage, vinrent, et nous dirent: Ils arrivent de toutes parts contre nous.
13 And I appoint at the lowest of the places, at the back of the wall, in the clear places, indeed, I appoint the people, by their families, with their swords, their spears, and their bows.
Alors, je plaçai tout le peuple en bas, au pied des remparts, sous des abris, par familles, avec leurs épées, leurs javelines et leurs arcs.
14 And I see, and rise up, and say to the nobles, and to the prefects, and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them; remember the Lord, the great and the fearful, and fight for your brothers, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses.”
Et je regardai, me levai, et dis aux nobles, aux capitaines, à tout le reste du peuple: Ne craignez point leur face; souvenez-vous de notre Dieu grand et redoutable; combattez pour vos frères, vos fils, vos filles, vos femmes et vos foyers.
15 And it comes to pass, when our enemies have heard that it has been known to us, and God frustrates their counsel, and we return, all of us, to the wall, each to his work;
Et aussitôt que nos ennemis apprirent qu'ils nous avaient été signalés, Dieu dissipa leurs conseils, et nous retournâmes aux remparts, chacun à son ouvrage.
16 indeed, it comes to pass, from that day, half of my servants are working in the business, and half of them are keeping hold of both the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the coats of mail; and the heads [are] behind all the house of Judah.
Et, à partir de ce jour, la moitié de ceux que j'avais attirés fit l'œuvre; l'autre moitié se rangea derrière les remparts avec des javelines, des boucliers, des arcs et des cuirasses; leurs chefs se tenant derrière toute la maison de Juda,
17 The builders on the wall, and the bearers of the burden, those loading, [each] with one of his hands is working in the business, and one is laying hold of the missile.
Et derrière ceux qui bâtissaient; ceux qui transportaient les matériaux ne quittaient point leurs armes; d'une main ils faisaient leur tâche, de l'autre ils tenaient un trait.
18 And the builders [are] each with his sword, girded on his loins, and building, and he who is blowing with a horn [is] beside me.
Et chaque travailleur avait autour des reins son épée, et ils édifiaient, et celui qui sonnait de la trompette était auprès d'eux.
19 And I say to the nobles, and to the prefects, and to the rest of the people, “The work is abundant, and large, and we are separated on the wall, far off from one another;
Et je dis aux nobles, aux capitaines et au reste du peuple: L'œuvre est grande et de longue étendue, et nous, sommes dispersés sur le rempart, chacun loin de son frère.
20 in the place that you hear the voice of the horn there you are gathered to us; our God fights for us.”
N'importe où vous entendrez la trompette, accourez tous en ce lieu, et notre Dieu combattra avec nous.
21 And we are working in the business, and half of them are keeping hold of the spears, from the going up of the dawn until the coming forth of the stars.
Ainsi, nous continuâmes nos travaux; la moitié de nous ne quitta point ses javelines, depuis les premières lueurs du jour jusqu'au lever des étoiles.
22 Also, at that time I said to the people, “Let each lodge with his servant in the midst of Jerusalem, and they have been a watch for us by night, and [for] the work by day”:
Et, en ce temps-là, je dis au peuple: Que chacun, avec son serviteur, demeure au milieu de Jérusalem; la nuit on veillera, le jour on se mettra au travail.
23 and there are none—I, and my brothers, and my servants, the men of the watch who [are] after me—there are none of us putting off our garments, each [has] his vessel of water.
Et j'étais là, et les hommes de garde se tenaient derrière moi, et nul de nous n'ôtait ses vêtements.
