Numbers 24
1 And when Balaam saw that it was good in the eyes of Yahweh to bless Israel, he went not as at other times to invoke enchantments, —but set towards the desert, his face.
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 So Balaam lifted up his eyes and saw Israel, dwelling, according to his tribes, —then came upon him the Spirit of God;
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 took up his parable, and said, —The oracle of Balaam, son of Beor, Yea the oracle of the man, of opened eye;
et il proféra son oracle en ces termes: "Parole de Balaam, fils de Beor, parole de l’homme au clairvoyant regard,
4 The oracle of one hearing sayings of GOD, Who the sight of the Almighty, receiveth in vision, Who falleth down but hath unveiled eyes: —
de celui qui entend le verbe divin, qui perçoit la vision du Tout-Puissant il fléchit, mais son œil reste ouvert:
5 How pleasing are thy tents, O Jacob, —Thy habitations, O Israel:
Qu’elles sont belles tes tentes, ô Jacob! Tes demeures, ô Israël!
6 Like ravines extended, Like gardens by a river, —Like aloe-trees Yahweh hath planted, Like 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 poureth forth water from his buckets, And, his seed, is among many waters, —And taller than Agag is his King, And exalted is his kingdom.
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 having brought him forth out of Egypt, The very horns of the buffalo, are his, —He eateth up nations that assail him And the bones of them, he breaketh And the loins of him, he crusheth:
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 hath knelt—hath lain down, Like a strong lion, yea like a lioness, Who shall rouse him up? Such as bless thee are each one blessed, But, such, as curse thee, are each one 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 Then kindled the anger of Balak against Balaam, and he smote together his hands, —and Balak said unto Balaam—To revile my foes, I called thee, And lo! thou hast kept on blessing, 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 Now, therefore, flee thou unto thy place, —I said, I will, highly honour, thee; but lo! Yahweh hath kept thee back from honour.
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 said unto Balak, —Was it not so that even unto thy messengers whom thou didst send unto me, I spake saying-
Balaam repartit à Balak: "N’Avais-je pas déjà, aux messagers que tu m’avais envoyés, répondu en ces termes:
13 Though Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, yet could I not go beyond the bidding of Yahweh, to, do good or ill, out of my own heart, —what Yahweh shall speak, that, must 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 Now, therefore, behold me! going to my own people, —Come now! let me advise thee, what this people shall do unto thy people in the after-part 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 So he took up his parable and said, —The oracle of Balaam, son of Beor, Yea the oracle of the man, of opened eye;
Et il proféra son oracle de la sorte: "Parole de Balaam, fils de Beor, parole de l’homme au lucide regard,
16 The oracle of one hearing sayings of GOD, And knowing the knowledge of the Most High, —Who the sight of the Almighty, receiveth in vision, Who falleth down but hath unveiled eyes: —
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 One, who is not now, I observe One, who is not nigh, —There hath marched forth a Star out of Jacob. And arisen a Sceptre out of Israel, That hath dishonoured the beard of Moab, Yea the crown of the head of all the tumultuous;
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 So Edom hath become a possession, Yea a possession is Seir to his foes, —But, Israel, is doing valiantly;
fera sa proie de l’Idumée, sa proie de Séir, ses ennemis; et Israël triomphera.
19 Yea One wieldeth dominion out of Jacob, —Who hath destroyed the remnant out of the fortress.
Oui, un dominateur naîtra de Jacob, qui balaiera des villes leurs derniers habitants."
20 And, when he saw Amalek, he took up, his parable, and said—The beginning of nations, —Amalek, But his latter end is even to perish.
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 when he saw the Kenite, he took up his parable, and said, —Enduring thy dwelling-place, Set thou then in the crag, thy nest;
Il vit le Kénéen, et il proféra son oracle en disant: "Fortifie ta demeure! Pose ton nid sur le rocher!
22 Yet shall it be for destruction, O Kain, —How long shall Assyria hold thee captive?
Car, s’il est consumé, ô Kénéen, en combien peu de temps Assur te fera captif!"
23 And he took up his parable, and said, —Alas who shall survive its fulfillment by GOD;
Il proféra encore son oracle et il dit: "Hélas! Qui peut vivre quand Dieu ne l’a pas voulu?
24 When, ships, [come] from the coast of the isles, And humble Assyria, and humble the Hebrew, —And he too, is even to perish?
Des flottes, parties de la côte de Kitttm, subjugueront Assur, subjugueront Héber mais lui aussi est voué à la ruine."
25 Then Balaam arose, and went and returned unto his place, —and, Balak also, went his way.
Alors Balaam se leva et reprit le chemin de son pays; et Balak aussi se remit en route.
