Job 20
1 Then answered Zophar the Naamathite, and said:
Et Tsophar, le Naamathite, répondit et dit:
2 For this do my thoughts lead me to reply, And for this is my ardor within me.
C’est pourquoi mes pensées m’inspirent une réponse, et à cause de ceci l’ardeur de mon esprit [agit] en moi:
3 I have heard my shameful rebuke; And the spirit, from my understanding, answereth for me.
J’entends une réprimande qui me couvre de honte, et mon esprit me répond par mon intelligence.
4 Knowest thou not, that from the days of old, From the time when man was placed upon the earth,
Sais-tu bien que, de tout temps, depuis que l’homme a été mis sur la terre,
5 The triumphing of the wicked hath been short, And the joy of the impious but for a moment?
L’exultation des méchants est courte, et la joie de l’impie n’est que pour un moment?
6 Though his greatness mount up to the heavens, And his head reach to the clouds,
Si sa hauteur s’élève jusqu’aux cieux, et que sa tête touche les nuées,
7 Yet shall he perish for ever, and be mingled with dust; They who saw him shall say, Where is he?
Il périra pour toujours comme ses ordures; ceux qui l’ont vu diront: Où est-il?
8 He shall flee away like a dream, and shall not be found; Yea, he shall disappear like a vision of the nigh.
Il s’envole comme un songe, et on ne le trouve pas; il s’enfuit comme une vision de la nuit.
9 The eye also which saw him shall see him no more, And his dwelling-place shall never more behold him.
L’œil l’a regardé et ne l’aperçoit plus, et son lieu ne le revoit plus.
10 His sons shall seek the favor of the poor, And their hands shall give back his wealth.
Ses fils rechercheront la faveur des pauvres, et ses mains restitueront [ce que] sa violence [a ravi].
11 His bones are full of his youth, But they shall lie down with him in the dust.
Ses os étaient pleins de sa jeunesse: elle se couchera avec lui sur la poussière.
12 Though wickedness be sweet in his mouth, Though he hide it under his tongue,
Si le mal est doux dans sa bouche, [et] qu’il le cache sous sa langue,
13 Though he cherish it, and will not part with it, And keep it fast in his mouth,
S’il l’épargne et ne l’abandonne pas, mais qu’il le retienne dans sa bouche,
14 Yet his meat shall be changed within him, And become to him the poison of asps.
Son pain sera changé dans ses entrailles en un fiel d’aspic au-dedans de lui.
15 He hath glutted himself with riches, And he shall throw them up again; Yea, God shall cast them out of his body.
Il a avalé les richesses, et il les vomira; Dieu les chassera de son ventre.
16 He shall suck the poison of asps; The tongue of the viper shall destroy him.
Il sucera le venin des aspics, la langue de la vipère le tuera.
17 He shall never see the flowing streams, And the rivers of honey and milk.
Il ne verra pas des ruisseaux, des rivières, des torrents de miel et de beurre.
18 The fruits of his toil he shall give back, and shall not enjoy them: It is substance to be restored, and he shall not rejoice therein.
Il rendra le fruit de son travail, et ne l’avalera pas; il le restituera selon sa valeur, et ne s’en réjouira pas.
19 Because he hath oppressed and abandoned the poor, And seized upon the house which he did not build;
Car il a opprimé, délaissé les pauvres; il a pillé une maison qu’il n’avait pas bâtie.
20 Because he knew no rest in his bosom, He shall not save that in which he delighteth.
Parce qu’il n’a pas connu de repos dans son désir, il ne sauvera rien de ce qu’il a de plus cher.
21 Because nothing escaped his greediness, His prosperity shall not endure.
Rien n’a échappé à sa voracité: c’est pourquoi son bien-être ne durera pas.
22 In the fulness of his abundance he shall be brought low; Every hand of the wretched shall come upon him.
Dans la plénitude de son abondance, il sera dans la détresse; toutes les mains des malheureux viendront sur lui.
23 He shall, indeed, have wherewith to fill himself: God shall send upon him the fury of his anger, And rain it down upon him for his food.
Il arrivera que, pour remplir son ventre, [Dieu] enverra sur lui l’ardeur de sa colère, et la fera pleuvoir sur lui dans sa chair.
24 If he fleeth from the iron weapon, The bow of brass shall pierce him through.
S’il fuit devant les armes de fer, un arc d’airain le transpercera.
25 He draweth the arrow, and it cometh forth from his body; Yea, the glittering steel cometh out of his gall. Terrors are upon him;
Il arrache [la flèche] et elle sort de son corps, et le fer étincelant de son fiel: les terreurs sont sur lui.
26 Calamity of every kind is treasured up for him. A fire not blown shall consume him; It shall consume whatever is left in his tent.
Toutes les ténèbres sont réservées pour ses trésors; un feu qu’on ne souffle pas le dévorera, [et] se repaîtra de ce qui reste dans sa tente.
27 The heavens shall reveal his iniquity, And the earth shall rise up against him.
Les cieux révéleront son iniquité, et la terre s’élèvera contre lui.
28 The substance of his house shall disappear; It shall flow away in the day of His wrath.
Le revenu de sa maison sera emporté; il s’écoulera au jour de Sa colère.
29 Such is the portion of the wicked man from God, And the inheritance appointed for him by the Almighty.
Telle est, de la part de Dieu, la portion de l’homme méchant, et l’héritage qui lui est assigné par Dieu.
