< Exodus 4 >
1 Moses/I replied, “But what if [the Israeli people] (do not believe me/are not convinced) or not do what I tell them? What if they say, ‘Yahweh did not appear to you!’”
Et Moïse répondit, et dit: Mais voici, ils ne me croiront pas, et n’écouteront pas ma voix; car ils diront: L’Éternel ne t’est point apparu.
2 Yahweh said to him/me, “[Look at] that thing you are holding in your hand. What is it?” He/I replied, “A (walking stick/shepherd’s stick).”
Et l’Éternel lui dit: Qu’est-ce [que tu as] dans ta main? Et il dit: Une verge.
3 He said, “Throw it down on the ground!” So, he/I threw it on the ground, and it became a snake! And he/I ran/jumped away from it.
Et il dit: Jette-la à terre. Et il la jeta à terre, et elle devint un serpent; et Moïse fuyait devant lui.
4 But Yahweh said to Moses/me, “Reach down and pick it up by its tail!” So he/I reached down and caught it, and [when he/I picked it up], it became a stick in his/my hand [again.]
Et l’Éternel dit à Moïse: Étends ta main, et saisis-le par la queue (et il étendit sa main, et le saisit, et il devint une verge dans sa main),
5 Yahweh said, “[Do the same thing in front of the Israeli people], in order that they may believe that [I], Yahweh God, the one Abraham and Isaac and Jacob worshiped, truly appeared to you.”
afin qu’ils croient que l’Éternel, le Dieu de leurs pères, le Dieu d’Abraham, le Dieu d’Isaac, et le Dieu de Jacob, t’est apparu.
6 Yahweh spoke to Moses/me again, saying “Put your hand inside your robe [MTY]!” He/I did that. And when he/I took it out again, [surprisingly], his/my hand was white. It had a skin disease [that made it] as white as snow.
Et l’Éternel lui dit encore: Mets maintenant ta main dans ton sein. Et il mit sa main dans son sein; et il la retira, et voici, sa main était lépreuse, [blanche] comme neige.
7 Then God said, “Put your hand back inside your robe [MTY]!” So he/I did that, and when he/I took it out again, surprisingly, it was normal again, just like the rest of his/my body!
Et il dit: Remets ta main dans ton sein. Et il remit sa main dans son sein; et il la retira de son sein, et voici, elle était redevenue comme sa chair.
8 God said, “[You can do that in front of the Israeli people, too]. If they do not pay attention to what you say because of [seeing] the first miracle, they will (believe [you/be convinced) when you perform] the second miracle.
Et il arrivera que, s’ils ne te croient pas et n’écoutent pas la voix du premier signe, ils croiront la voix de l’autre signe.
9 If they do not believe you or do what you say, even [after you perform] those two miracles, get some water from the Nile [River] and pour it on the ground. [When you do that], the water from the river that you pour on the ground will become blood [MTY] (OR, [red like] blood).”
Et il arrivera que, s’ils ne croient pas même à ces deux signes, et n’écoutent pas ta voix, tu prendras de l’eau du fleuve et tu la verseras sur le sec; et l’eau que tu auras prise du fleuve deviendra du sang sur le sec.
10 Moses/I replied, “O Yahweh! I am not an eloquent [speaker]! I was not an eloquent speaker before, and I have not become one since you started talking to me! I am not a good speaker [MTY], and I speak very slowly.”
Et Moïse dit à l’Éternel: Ah, Seigneur! je ne suis pas un homme éloquent, – ni d’hier, ni d’avant-hier, ni depuis que tu parles à ton serviteur; car j’ai la bouche pesante et la langue pesante.
11 Then Yahweh said to him/me, “[You seem to forget] who it is that makes people able to speak [RHQ]! Who is it that enables people to be unable to speak or unable to hear, or able to see or not to see? It is I, Yahweh [RHQ]!
Et l’Éternel lui dit: Qui est-ce qui a donné une bouche à l’homme? ou qui a fait le muet, ou le sourd, ou le voyant, ou l’aveugle? N’est-ce pas moi, l’Éternel?
12 So start going [to Egypt], and I will help you to speak [MTY], and I will tell you what you should say.”
Et maintenant, va, et je serai avec ta bouche, et je t’enseignerai ce que tu diras.
13 But he/I replied, “O, Yahweh, I ask you, please send someone else [instead]!”
Et il dit: Ah, Seigneur! envoie, je te prie, par celui que tu enverras.
14 Then Yahweh became very angry with Moses/me. He said, “[What about] your [older] brother Aaron, who is [also] a descendant of Levi? I know that he is a very good/eloquent speaker. He is actually on his way here [right now], and he will be very happy to see you.
Alors la colère de l’Éternel s’embrasa contre Moïse, et il dit: Aaron, le Lévite, n’est-il pas ton frère? Je sais qu’il parlera très bien; et aussi le voici qui sort à ta rencontre, et quand il te verra, il se réjouira dans son cœur.
15 You can talk to him and tell him what to say [MTY], and I will help both of you [SYN] to know what to say [MTY]. And I will tell you both what you should do.
Et tu lui parleras, et tu mettras les paroles dans sa bouche; et moi, je serai avec ta bouche et avec sa bouche, et je vous enseignerai ce que vous ferez;
16 He will speak for you to the [Israeli] people. He will be (your spokesman/as though he was your mouth) [MET], and you will be to him as though you are [his] god.
et il parlera pour toi au peuple, et il arrivera qu’il te sera en la place de bouche, et toi, tu lui seras en la place de Dieu.
17 [Be sure] to take with you the walking/shepherd’s stick [that is in your hand], because you will perform miracles with it.”
Et tu prendras dans ta main cette verge, avec laquelle tu feras les signes.
18 Moses/I returned to his/my father-in-law Jethro and said to him, “Please let me go back to Egypt, to see my fellow Israelis there. I want to know if they are still alive.” Jethro said to Moses/me, “Go, and may [God give you inner] peace.”
Et Moïse s’en alla, et retourna vers Jéthro, son beau-père, et lui dit: Je te prie, laisse-moi m’en aller, et retourner vers mes frères qui sont en Égypte, afin que je voie s’ils vivent encore. Et Jéthro dit à Moïse: Va en paix.
19 Yahweh said to Moses/me [before he/I left] Midian, “You can [safely] return to Egypt, because the men who were wanting to kill you [MTY] are [now] dead.”
Et l’Éternel dit à Moïse, en Madian: Va, retourne en Égypte; car tous les hommes qui cherchaient ta vie sont morts.
20 So Moses/I took his/my wife and sons and put them on donkeys, and they/we returned to Egypt. And Moses/I took in his/my hand the stick that God [told him/me to take along].
Et Moïse prit sa femme et ses fils, et les fit monter sur un âne, et retourna au pays d’Égypte. Et Moïse prit la verge de Dieu dans sa main.
21 Yahweh said to Moses/me, “When you return to Egypt, be sure to perform all the miracles that I have given you power [to do], while the king is watching. But I will make him stubborn [IDM], with the result that he will not let the Israeli people leave [Egypt].
Et l’Éternel dit à Moïse: Quand tu t’en iras pour retourner en Égypte, vois tous les miracles que j’ai mis dans ta main, et tu les feras devant le Pharaon; et moi, j’endurcirai son cœur, et il ne laissera pas aller le peuple.
22 Then say to him, ‘This is what Yahweh says: “The Israeli [people] [MTY] are [as dear to] me as firstborn sons [MET].
Et tu diras au Pharaon: Ainsi a dit l’Éternel: Israël est mon fils, mon premier-né.
23 I told you to let my people [MTY] leave [Egypt], in order that they may worship me [in the desert]. If you refuse to let them go, I warn you, I will kill your firstborn son!”’”
Et je te dis: Laisse aller mon fils pour qu’il me serve; et si tu refuses de le laisser aller, voici, je tuerai ton fils, ton premier-né.
24 [One night], as they were camping on the way [to Egypt], Yahweh appeared to Moses/me. He wanted/threatened to kill Moses/me [for disobeying his command that boys/sons be circumcised].
Et il arriva, en chemin, dans le caravansérail, que l’Éternel vint contre lui, et chercha à le faire mourir.
25 Then [his/my wife] Zipporah took a flint knife and circumcised her son. Then she touched the boy’s feet (OR, genitals) with the piece of skin [she had cut off], and she said, “The blood [which flowed when I circumcised you] will protect you [from being harmed by Yahweh] [MET].”
Et Séphora prit une pierre tranchante et coupa le prépuce de son fils, et le jeta à ses pieds, et dit: Certes tu m’es un époux de sang!
26 She said to him, “You are safe now [MET] because you have been circumcised.” So Yahweh did not harm her son.
Et [l’Éternel] le laissa. Alors elle dit: Époux de sang! à cause de la circoncision.
27 Yahweh said to Aaron, “Go into the desert to meet/see Moses!” So he went [there from Egypt] and met him/me at [Sinai], the mountain dedicated to God, and [greeted him/me by] kissing him/me [on the cheek].
Et l’Éternel dit à Aaron: Va à la rencontre de Moïse, au désert. Et il alla, et le rencontra en la montagne de Dieu, et l’embrassa.
28 Moses/I told Aaron everything that Yahweh had said to him/me when he told him/me to return to Egypt. He/I also told Aaron about all the miracles that Yahweh told him/me to perform.
Et Moïse raconta à Aaron toutes les paroles de l’Éternel qui l’avait envoyé, et tous les signes qu’il lui avait commandés.
29 [So Aaron and Moses/I] returned [to Egypt]. There they/we gathered together all the Israeli elders/leaders.
Et Moïse et Aaron allèrent, et assemblèrent tous les anciens des fils d’Israël;
30 Aaron told them everything that Yahweh had told Moses/me, and Aaron performed [all] the miracles as the people watched.
et Aaron dit toutes les paroles que l’Éternel avait dites à Moïse, et fit les signes devant les yeux du peuple.
31 They believed [that what they/we were saying was true]. When they heard that Yahweh had seen how the Israeli people were being cruelly oppressed and that he was going to help them, they bowed down and worshiped [Yahweh].
Et le peuple crut; et ils apprirent que l’Éternel avait visité les fils d’Israël, et qu’il avait vu leur affliction; et ils s’inclinèrent et se prosternèrent.