Numbers 24

1 And when Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he went not, as at the other times, to meet with enchantments, but he set his face toward the wilderness.

Balaam vit que l’Éternel trouvait bon de bénir Israël, et il n’alla point comme les autres fois, à la rencontre des enchantements; mais il tourna son visage du côté du désert.

2 And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel dwelling according to their tribes; and the spirit of God came upon him.

Balaam leva les yeux, et vit Israël campé selon ses tribus. Alors l’esprit de Dieu fut sur lui.

3 And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor saith, And the man whose eye was closed saith:

Balaam prononça son oracle, et dit: Parole de Balaam, fils de Beor, Parole de l’homme qui a l’œil ouvert,

4 He saith, which heareth the words of God, Which seeth the vision of the Almighty, Falling down, and having his eyes open:

Parole de celui qui entend les paroles de Dieu, De celui qui voit la vision du Tout-Puissant, De celui qui se prosterne et dont les yeux s’ouvrent.

5 How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, Thy tabernacles, O Israel!

Qu’elles sont belles, tes tentes, ô Jacob! Tes demeures, ô Israël!

6 As valleys are they spread forth, As gardens by the river side, As lign-aloes which the LORD hath planted, As cedar trees beside the waters.

Elles s’étendent comme des vallées, Comme des jardins près d’un fleuve, Comme des aloès que l’Éternel a plantés, Comme des cèdres le long des eaux.

7 Water shall flow from his buckets, And his seed shall be in many waters, And his king shall be higher than Agag, And his kingdom shall be exalted.

L’eau coule de ses seaux, Et sa semence est fécondée par d’abondantes eaux. Son roi s’élève au-dessus d’Agag, Et son royaume devient puissant.

8 God bringeth him forth out of Egypt; He hath as it were the strength of the wild-ox: He shall eat up the nations his adversaries, And shall break their bones in pieces, And smite [them] through with his arrows.

Dieu l’a fait sortir d’Égypte, Il est pour lui comme la vigueur du buffle. Il dévore les nations qui s’élèvent contre lui, Il brise leurs os, et les abat de ses flèches.

9 He couched, he lay down as a lion, And as a lioness; who shall rouse him up? Blessed be every one that blesseth thee, And cursed be every one that curseth thee.

Il ploie les genoux, il se couche comme un lion, comme une lionne: Qui le fera lever? Béni soit quiconque te bénira, Et maudit soit quiconque te maudira!

10 And Balak’s anger was kindled against Balaam, and he smote his hands together: and Balak said unto Balaam, I called thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast altogether blessed them these three times.

La colère de Balak s’enflamma contre Balaam; il frappa des mains, et dit à Balaam: C’est pour maudire mes ennemis que je t’ai appelé, et voici, tu les as bénis déjà trois fois.

11 Therefore now flee thou to thy place: I thought to promote thee unto great honour; but, lo, the LORD hath kept thee back from honour.

Fuis maintenant, va-t’en chez toi! J’avais dit que je te rendrais des honneurs, mais l’Éternel t’empêche de les recevoir.

12 And Balaam said unto Balak, Spake I not also to thy messengers which thou sentest unto me, saying,

Balaam répondit à Balak: Eh! N’ai-je pas dit aux messagers que tu m’as envoyés:

13 If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the LORD, to do either good or bad of mine own mind; what the LORD speaketh, that will I speak?

Quand Balak me donnerait sa maison pleine d’argent et d’or, je ne pourrais faire de moi-même ni bien ni mal contre l’ordre de l’Éternel; je répéterai ce que dira l’Éternel?

14 And now, behold, I go unto my people: come, [and] I will advertise thee what this people shall do to thy people in the latter days.

Et maintenant voici, je m’en vais vers mon peuple. Viens, je t’annoncerai ce que ce peuple fera à ton peuple dans la suite des temps.

15 And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor saith, And the man whose eye was closed saith:

Balaam prononça son oracle, et dit: Parole de Balaam, fils de Beor, Parole de l’homme qui a l’œil ouvert,

16 He saith, which heareth the words of God, And knoweth the knowledge of the Most High, Which seeth the vision of the Almighty, Falling down, and having his eyes open:

Parole de celui qui entend les paroles de Dieu, De celui qui connaît les desseins du Très-Haut, De celui qui voit la vision du Tout-Puissant, De celui qui se prosterne et dont les yeux s’ouvrent.

17 I see him, but not now: I behold him, but not nigh: There shall come forth a star out of Jacob, And a sceptre shall rise out of Israel, And shall smite through the corners of Moab, And break down all the sons of tumult.

Je le vois, mais non maintenant, Je le contemple, mais non de près. Un astre sort de Jacob, Un sceptre s’élève d’Israël. Il perce les flancs de Moab, Et il abat tous les enfants de Seth.

18 And Edom shall be a possession, Seir also shall be a possession, [which were] his enemies; While Israel doeth valiantly.

Il se rend maître d’Édom, Il se rend maître de Séir, ses ennemis. Israël manifeste sa force.

19 And out of Jacob shall one have dominion, And shall destroy the remnant from the city.

Celui qui sort de Jacob règne en souverain, Il fait périr ceux qui s’échappent des villes.

20 And he looked on Amalek, and took up his parable, and said, Amalek was the first of the nations; But his latter end shall come to destruction.

Balaam vit Amalek. Il prononça son oracle, et dit: Amalek est la première des nations, Mais un jour il sera détruit.

21 And he looked on the Kenite, and took up his parable, and said, Strong is thy dwelling place, And thy nest is set in the rock.

Balaam vit les Kéniens. Il prononça son oracle, et dit: Ta demeure est solide, Et ton nid posé sur le roc.

22 Nevertheless Kain shall be wasted, Until Asshur shall carry thee away captive.

Mais le Kénien sera chassé, Quand l’Assyrien t’emmènera captif.

23 And he took up his parable, and said, Alas, who shall live when God doeth this?

Balaam prononça son oracle, et dit: Hélas! Qui vivra après que Dieu l’aura établi?

24 But ships [shall come] from the coast of Kittim, And they shall afflict Asshur, and shall afflict Eber, And he also shall come to destruction.

Mais des navires viendront de Kittim, Ils humilieront l’Assyrien, ils humilieront l’Hébreu; Et lui aussi sera détruit.

25 And Balaam rose up, and went and returned to his place: and Balak also went his way.

Balaam se leva, partit, et retourna chez lui. Balak s’en alla aussi de son côté.