Numbers 24
1 And Balaam sees that [it is] good in the eyes of YHWH to bless Israel, and he has not gone as time by time to seek enchantments, and he sets his face toward the wilderness;
Balaam, voyant que l’Éternel se plaisait à bénir Israël, n’eut plus recours, comme précédemment, à des opérations magiques, mais tourna son visage du côté du désert.
2 and Balaam lifts up his eyes, and sees Israel dwelling by its tribes, and the Spirit of God is on him,
En y portant ses regards, Balaam vit Israël, dont les tribus s’y déployaient; et l’esprit divin s’empara de lui;
3 and he takes up his allegory and says: “An affirmation of Balaam son of Beor, And an affirmation of the man whose eyes are shut,
et il proféra son oracle en ces termes: "Parole de Balaam, fils de Beor, parole de l’homme au clairvoyant regard,
4 An affirmation of him who is hearing sayings of God, Who sees a vision of the Almighty, Falling—and eyes uncovered:
de celui qui entend le verbe divin, qui perçoit la vision du Tout-Puissant il fléchit, mais son œil reste ouvert:
5 How good have been your tents, O Jacob, Your dwelling places, O Israel;
Qu’elles sont belles tes tentes, ô Jacob! Tes demeures, ô Israël!
6 They have been stretched out as valleys, As gardens by a river; As aloes YHWH has planted, As cedars by waters;
Elles se développent comme des vallées, comme des vergers le long d’un fleuve; Dieu les a plantées comme des aloès, comme des cèdres au bord des eaux.
7 He makes water flow from his buckets, And his seed [is] in many waters; And his King [is] higher than Gog [[or Agag]], And his kingdom is exalted.
La sève ruisselle de ses branches, et sa graine est abondamment arrosée; son roi est plus grand que n’est Agag, sa royauté est souveraine!
8 God is bringing him out of Egypt, As the swiftness of a wild ox for him, He eats up nations—his adversaries, And he breaks their bones, And he strikes [with] his arrows.
Quand Dieu le fit sortir de l’Egypte, son élan fut celui du réêm; iI dévore les peuples qui l’attaquent, il brise leurs os, trempe ses flèches dans leur sang.
9 He has bent, he has lain down as a lion, And as a lioness, who raises him up? He who is blessing you [is] blessed, And he who is cursing you [is] cursed.”
Il se couche, il repose comme le lion et le léopard: qui osera le réveiller? Heureux ceux qui te bénissent! Malheur à qui te maudit."
10 And the anger of Balak burns against Balaam, and he strikes his hands; and Balak says to Balaam, “I called you to pierce my enemies, and behold, you have certainly blessed these three times;
Balak, enflammé de colère contre Balaam, frappa des mains, et il dit à Balaam: "C’Est pour maudire mes ennemis que je t’avais appelé, et tu as persisté à les bénir, par trois fois!
11 and now, flee for yourself to your place; I have said, I greatly honor you, and behold, YHWH has kept you back from honor.”
Eh bien donc, fuis dans ton pays; je voulais te combler d’honneurs, et voici que l’Éternel t’en a frustré!"
12 And Balaam says to Balak, “Did I not also speak to your messengers whom you have sent to me, saying,
Balaam repartit à Balak: "N’Avais-je pas déjà, aux messagers que tu m’avais envoyés, répondu en ces termes:
13 If Balak gives to me the fullness of his house of silver and gold, I am not able to pass over the command of YHWH, to do good or evil of my own heart; that which YHWH speaks—it I speak?
Quand Balak me donnerait de l’argent et de l’or plein son palais, je ne saurais désobéir à la voix de l’Éternel, en agissant bien ou mal de mon chef; ce que dira l’Éternel, je le dirai.
14 And now, behold, I am going to my people; come, I counsel you [concerning] that which this people does to your people in the latter end of the days.”
Et maintenant, je m’en retourne chez mon peuple; mais écoute, je veux t’avertir de ce que ce peuple-ci fera au tien dans la suite des jours."
15 And he takes up his allegory and says: “An affirmation of Balaam son of Beor, And an affirmation of the man whose eyes [are] shut;
Et il proféra son oracle de la sorte: "Parole de Balaam, fils de Beor, parole de l’homme au lucide regard,
16 An affirmation of him who is hearing sayings of God, And knowing knowledge of the Most High; He sees a vision of the Almighty, Falling—and eyes uncovered:
de celui qui entend le verbe divin et connaît le secret du Très-Haut qui perçoit la vision du Tout-Puissant, qui fléchit, mais dont l’œil reste ouvert:
17 I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; A star has proceeded from Jacob, And a scepter has risen from Israel, And has struck corners of Moab, And has destroyed all sons of Seth.
je le vois, mais ce n’est pas encore l’heure; je le distingue; mais il n’est pas proche: un astre s’élance de Jacob, et une comète surgit du sein d’Israël, qui écrasera les sommités de Moab et renversera tous les enfants de l’orgueil,
18 And Edom has been a possession, And Seir has been a possession [for] his enemies, And Israel is doing valiantly;
fera sa proie de l’Idumée, sa proie de Séir, ses ennemis; et Israël triomphera.
19 And [One] rules out of Jacob, And has destroyed a remnant from the city.”
Oui, un dominateur naîtra de Jacob, qui balaiera des villes leurs derniers habitants."
20 And he sees Amalek, and takes up his allegory, and says: “Amalek [is] first [among] nations, But his latter end—destruction forever.”
Puis il vit Amalec, et il proféra son oracle en disant: "Amalec était le premier des peuples; mais son avenir est voué à la perdition."
21 And he sees the Kenite, and takes up his allegory, and says: “Your dwelling [is] enduring, And your nest is being set in a rock,
Il vit le Kénéen, et il proféra son oracle en disant: "Fortifie ta demeure! Pose ton nid sur le rocher!
22 But the Kenite is for a burning; Until when does Asshur keep you captive?”
Car, s’il est consumé, ô Kénéen, en combien peu de temps Assur te fera captif!"
23 And he takes up his allegory and says: “Woe! Who lives when God does this?
Il proféra encore son oracle et il dit: "Hélas! Qui peut vivre quand Dieu ne l’a pas voulu?
24 But ships [come] from the side of Chittim, And they have humbled Asshur, And they have humbled Eber, But it is also perishing forever.”
Des flottes, parties de la côte de Kitttm, subjugueront Assur, subjugueront Héber mais lui aussi est voué à la ruine."
25 And Balaam rises, and goes, and turns back to his place, and Balak has also gone on his way.
Alors Balaam se leva et reprit le chemin de son pays; et Balak aussi se remit en route.
