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!’”
Moïse prit la parole et dit: "Mais certes, ils ne me croiront pas et ils n’écouteront pas ma voix, parce qu’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).”
Le Seigneur lui dit: "Qu’as-tu là à la main?" Il répondit: "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.
Il reprit: "Jette-la à terre!" Et il la jeta à terre et elle devint un serpent. Moïse s’enfuit à cette vue.
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.]
Le Seigneur dit à Moïse: "Avance la main et saisis sa queue!" Il avança la main et le saisit et il redevint 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.”
"Ceci leur prouvera qu’il s’est révélé à toi, l’Éternel, le Dieu de leurs pères, le Dieu d’Abraham, d’Isaac et de Jacob."
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.
Le Seigneur lui dit encore: "Mets ta main dans ton sein." Il mit sa main dans son sein, l’en retira et voici qu’elle était lépreuse, blanche comme la 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!
II reprit: "Replace ta main dans ton sein." Il remit sa main dans son sein, puis il l’en retira et voici qu’elle avait repris sa carnation.
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.
"Eh bien! s’ils n’ont pas croyance en toi, s’ils sont sourds à la voix du premier prodige, ils devront céder à la voix du dernier.
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).”
Que s’ils restent incrédules en présence de ces deux prodiges et s’ils n’écoutent pas ta voix, tu prendras des eaux du fleuve et tu les répandras à terre et ces eaux que tu auras prises du fleuve deviendront du sang sur la terre."
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.”
Moïse dit à l’Éternel: "De grâce, Seigneur! je ne suis habile à parler, ni depuis hier, ni depuis avant-hier, ni depuis que tu parles à ton serviteur; car j’ai la bouche pesante et la langue embarrassée."
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]!
L’Éternel lui répondit: "Qui a donné une bouche à l’homme? qui le fait muet ou sourd, clairvoyant ou aveugle, si ce n’est 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.”
Va donc, je seconderai ta parole et je t’inspirerai ce que tu devras dire."
13 But he/I replied, “O, Yahweh, I ask you, please send someone else [instead]!”
Il repartit: "De grâce, Seigneur! donne cette mission à quelque autre!"
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.
Le courroux de l’Éternel s’alluma contre Moïse et il dit: "Eh bien! c’est Aaron ton frère, le Lévite, que je désigne! Oui, c’est lui qui parlera! Déjà même il s’avance à ta rencontre et à ta vue 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.
Tu lui parleras et tu transmettras les paroles à sa bouche; pour moi, j’assisterai ta bouche et la sienne et je vous apprendrai ce que vous aurez à faire.
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.
Lui, il parlera pour toi au peuple, de sorte qu’il sera pour toi un organe et que tu seras pour lui un inspirateur.
17 [Be sure] to take with you the walking/shepherd’s stick [that is in your hand], because you will perform miracles with it.”
Cette même verge, tu l’auras à la main, car c’est par elle que tu opéreras les miracles."
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.”
Là-dessus Moïse s’en retourna chez Jéthro, son beau-père et lui dit: "Je voudrais partir, retourner près de mes frères qui sont en Égypte, afin de voir s’ils vivent encore." Jéthro répondit 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.”
L’Éternel dit à Moïse, en Madian: "Va, retourne en Égypte; tous ceux-là sont morts qui en voulaient à ta vie."
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].
Moïse emmena sa femme et ses enfants, les plaça sur un âne et reprit le chemin du pays d’Égypte. Moïse tenait la verge divine à la 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].
L’Éternel dit à Moïse: "Maintenant que tu te disposes à rentrer en Egypte, sache que tous les miracles dont je t’aurai chargé, tu les accompliras devant Pharaon mais moi je laisserai s’endurcir son cœur et il ne renverra point 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].
Alors tu diras à Pharaon: ‘Ainsi parle l’Éternel: Israël est le premier-né de mes fils;
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!”’”
or, je t’avais dit: Laisse partir mon fils, pour qu’il me serve et tu as refusé de le laisser partir. Eh bien! moi, je ferai mourir ton fils 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].
Pendant ce voyage, il s’arrêta dans une hôtellerie; le Seigneur l’aborda et voulut 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].”
Séphora saisit un caillou, retrancha l’excroissance de son fils et la jeta à ses pieds en disant: "Est-ce donc par le sang que tu es uni à moi?"
26 She said to him, “You are safe now [MET] because you have been circumcised.” So Yahweh did not harm her son.
Le Seigneur le laissa en repos. Elle dit alors: "Oui, tu m’es uni par le sang, grâce à 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].
L’Éternel dit à Aaron: "Va au-devant de Moïse, dans le désert." Il y alla; il le rencontra sur la montagne 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.
Moïse fit part à Aaron de toutes les paroles dont l’Éternel l’avait chargé et de tous les prodiges qu’il lui avait donné mission d’accomplir.
29 [So Aaron and Moses/I] returned [to Egypt]. There they/we gathered together all the Israeli elders/leaders.
Alors Moïse et Aaron partirent et assemblèrent tous les anciens des enfants 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 adressées à Moïse et il opéra les prodiges à la vue 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 y eut foi; ils comprirent que l’Éternel s’était souvenu des enfants d’Israël, qu’il avait considéré leur misère et ils courbèrent la tête et se prosternèrent.
