< Jeremiah 44 >
1 The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews who lived in the land of Egypt, who lived at Migdol, and at Tahpanhes, and at Memphis, and in the country of Pathros, saying,
Et Sédécias, fils de Josias, régna à la place de Joakim, et il fut mis sur le trône par Nabuchodonosor, roi de Babylone.
2 "Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: 'You have seen all the evil that I have brought on Jerusalem, and on all the cities of Judah; and look, this day they are a desolation, and no man dwells in them,
Et ni lui, ni ses serviteurs, ni le peuple de cette terre, n'écoutèrent les paroles du Seigneur, qu'il avait dites par la bouche de Jérémie.
3 because of their wickedness which they have committed to provoke me to anger, in that they went to burn incense, to serve other gods, that they did not know, neither they, nor you, nor your fathers.
Et le roi Sédécias envoya Joachal, fils de Sélémias, et Sophonie, le prêtre, fils de Maasie, auprès de Jérémie, disant: Prie maintenant pour nous le Seigneur!
4 However I sent to you all my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying, 'Oh, do not do this abominable thing that I hate.'
Et Jérémie allait et venait au milieu de la ville; car on ne l'avait pas enfermé dans la prison;
5 But they did not listen, nor inclined their ear to turn from their wickedness, to burn no incense to other gods.
Et l'armée du Pharaon sortit de l'Égypte, et les Chaldéens apprirent cette nouvelle, et ils s'éloignèrent de Jérusalem.
6 Therefore my wrath and my anger was poured forth, and was kindled in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; and they are wasted and desolate, as it is this day.'
Et la parole du Seigneur vint à Jérémie, disant:
7 Therefore now thus says the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: 'Why do you commit great evil against your own souls, to cut off from yourselves man and woman, infant and nursing child out of the midst of Judah, to leave yourselves none remaining;
Ainsi parle le Seigneur: Voici ce que tu diras au roi de Juda qui a envoyé des gens auprès de toi pour me consulter: Voilà que l'armée du Pharaon vient à votre secours; mais elle retournera en Égypte.
8 in that you provoke me to anger with the works of your hands, burning incense to other gods in the land of Egypt, where you have gone to live; that you may be cut off, and that you may be a curse and a reproach among all the nations of the earth?
Les Chaldéens, à leur tour, reviendront, et ils assiégeront cette ville, et ils la prendront, et ils la brûleront par le feu.
9 Have you forgotten the wickedness of your fathers, and the wickedness of the kings of Judah, and the wickedness of their wives, and your own wickedness, and the wickedness of your wives which they committed in the land of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem?
Car voici ce que dit le Seigneur: Ne faites point de conjectures en vos âmes, disant: Les Chaldéens partiront et s'éloigneront de nous; car ils ne s'en iront pas;
10 They are not humbled even to this day, neither have they feared, nor walked in my law, nor in my statutes, that I set before you and before your fathers.'
Et quand même vous écraseriez toute l'armée des Chaldéens qui vous font la guerre, quand même il n'en resterait qu'un petit nombre d'hommes blessés, ils se lèveront chacun en sa province, et ils brûleront cette ville par le feu.
11 Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: 'Look, I will set my face against you for evil, even to cut off all Judah.
Et il arriva que, lorsque l'armée des Chaldéens se fut éloignée de Jérusalem, en face de l'armée de Pharaon,
12 I will take the remnant of Judah, that have set their faces to go into the land of Egypt to live there, and they shall all be consumed; in the land of Egypt shall they fall; they shall be consumed by the sword and by the famine; they shall die, from the least even to the greatest, by the sword and by the famine; and they shall be an object of horror, an astonishment, and a curse, and a reproach.
Jérémie sortit de Jérusalem, et alla en la terre de Benjamin, pour y acheter un champ, au milieu du peuple.
13 For I will punish those who dwell in the land of Egypt, as I have punished Jerusalem, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence;
Comme il passait la porte de Benjamin, un homme avec qui il logeait, Sarvias, fils de Sélémias, fils d'Ananie, l'arrêta, disant: Tu t'enfuis chez les Chaldéens?
14 so that none of the remnant of Judah, who have gone into the land of Egypt to live there, shall escape or be left, to return into the land of Judah, to which they have a desire to return to dwell there: for none shall return save such as shall escape.'"
Et il répondit: C'est faux, je ne m'enfuis pas chez les Chaldéens. Mais Sarvias ne l'écouta point, et il l'arrêta, et il le conduisit devant les princes.
15 Then all the men who knew that their wives burned incense to other gods, and all the women who stood by, a great assembly, even all the people who lived in the land of Egypt, in Pathros, answered Jeremiah, saying,
Et les princes se mirent en colère contre Jérémie, et ils le frappèrent, et l'envoyèrent en la maison de Jonathan le scribe; car ils en avaient fait une prison.
16 "As for the word that you have spoken to us in the name of the LORD, we will not listen to you.
Ainsi Jérémie fut mis dans la basse-fosse, au cachot, et il y demeura plusieurs jours.
17 But we will certainly perform every word that is gone forth out of our mouth, to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings to her, as we have done, we and our fathers, our kings and our leaders, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem; for then had we plenty of food, and were well, and saw no evil.
Et Sédécias l'envoya chercher, et il le questionna secrètement, disant: Est-ce la parole du Seigneur? Et Jérémie répondit: C'est sa parole; tu seras livré aux mains du roi de Babylone.
18 But since we left off burning incense to the queen of heaven, and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have wanted all things, and have been consumed by the sword and by the famine."
Et Jérémie dit au roi: Quel tort ai-je fait à toi et à tes serviteurs, et à tout ce peuple, pour que vous me mettiez en prison?
19 And the women said, "When we burned incense to the queen of heaven, and poured out drink offerings to her, did we make her cakes to worship her, and pour out drink offerings to her, without our husbands?"
Et où sont vos prophètes qui vous prophétisaient, disant: Le roi de Babylone ne marchera pas contre cette terre?
20 Then Jeremiah said to all the people, to the men, and to the women, even to all the people who had given him an answer, saying,
Et maintenant, ô roi mon maître, que mon appel à ta compassion tombe devant ta face! Pourquoi me renvoyer en la maison de Jonathan le scribe? Fais que je n'y meure point!
21 "The incense that you burned in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, you and your fathers, your kings and your leaders, and the people of the land. Did not the LORD remember them, and did not it come into his mind,
Et le roi donna ses ordres; et on le mit dans la prison ordinaire, et on lui donna, outre la viande que l'on cuisait, un pain par jour, jusqu'à ce que le pain manquât dans la ville; et Jérémie demeura dans le préau de la prison.
22 so that the LORD could no longer bear because of the evil of your doings, and because of the abominations which you have committed? Therefore your land has become a desolation, and an astonishment, and a curse, without inhabitant, as it is this day.
23 Because you have burned incense, and because you have sinned against the LORD, and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD, nor walked in his law, nor in his statutes, nor in his testimonies; therefore this evil has happened to you, as it is this day."
24 Moreover Jeremiah said to all the people, and to all the women, "Hear the word of the LORD, all Judah who are in the land of Egypt:
25 Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, 'You and your wives have both spoken with your mouths, and with your hands have fulfilled it, saying, "We will surely perform our vows that we have vowed, to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings to her": establish then your vows, and perform your vows.'
26 Therefore hear the word of the LORD, all Judah who dwell in the land of Egypt: 'Look, I have sworn by my great name,' says the LORD, 'that my name shall no more be named in the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, "As the LORD lives."
27 Look, I watch over them for disaster, and not for good; and all the men of Judah who are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword and by the famine, until they are all gone.
28 Those who escape the sword shall return out of the land of Egypt into the land of Judah, few in number; and all the remnant of Judah, who have gone into the land of Egypt to live there, shall know whose word shall stand, mine, or theirs.
29 This shall be the sign to you,' says the LORD, 'that I will punish you in this place, that you may know that my words shall surely stand against you for evil':
30 Thus says the LORD, 'Look, I will give Pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt into the hand of his enemies, and into the hand of those who seek his life; as I gave Zedekiah king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, who was his enemy, and sought his life.'"