< Genesis 33 >

1 [Then Jacob joined the rest of his family]. [Later that day] Jacob looked up and saw Esau coming, and there were 400 men with him. [Jacob was worried because of that], so he separated the children. He put Leah’s children with Leah, Rachel’s children with Rachel, and the two female slaves’ children with their mothers.
Jacob leva les yeux, et regarda; et voici, Ésaü arrivait, avec quatre cents hommes. Il répartit les enfants entre Léa, Rachel, et les deux servantes.
2 He put the two female slaves and their children in front. He put Leah and her children next. He put Rachel and Joseph at the rear.
Il plaça en tête les servantes avec leurs enfants, puis Léa avec ses enfants, et enfin Rachel avec Joseph.
3 He himself went ahead of them all, and as he continued to approach his older brother, he prostrated himself with his face on the ground seven times.
Lui-même passa devant eux; et il se prosterna en terre sept fois, jusqu’à ce qu’il fût près de son frère.
4 But Esau ran to Jacob. He hugged him, put his arms around his neck, and kissed him on the cheek. And they both cried.
Ésaü courut à sa rencontre; il l’embrassa, se jeta à son cou, et le baisa. Et ils pleurèrent.
5 Then Esau looked up and saw the women and the children. He asked, “Who are these people who are with you?” Jacob replied, “These are the wives and children that God has graciously/kindly given to me.”
Ésaü, levant les yeux, vit les femmes et les enfants, et il dit: Qui sont ceux que tu as là? Et Jacob répondit: Ce sont les enfants que Dieu a accordés à ton serviteur.
6 Then the female slaves and their children came near and bowed in front of Esau.
Les servantes s’approchèrent, elles et leurs enfants, et se prosternèrent;
7 Then Leah and her children came and bowed down. Finally Joseph and Rachel came near and bowed down.
Léa et ses enfants s’approchèrent aussi, et se prosternèrent; ensuite Joseph et Rachel s’approchèrent, et se prosternèrent.
8 Esau asked, “What is the meaning of all the animals that I saw?” Jacob replied, “I am giving them to you, sir, so that you will feel good toward me.”
Ésaü dit: A quoi destines-tu tout ce camp que j’ai rencontré? Et Jacob répondit: A trouver grâce aux yeux de mon seigneur.
9 But Esau replied, “My [younger] brother, I have enough animals! Keep for yourself the animals that you have!”
Ésaü dit: Je suis dans l’abondance, mon frère; garde ce qui est à toi.
10 But Jacob said, “No, please, if you feel good toward me, accept these gifts from me. You have greeted me very kindly. Seeing your smiling face assures me [that you have forgiven me]. It is like seeing the face of God!
Et Jacob répondit: Non, je te prie, si j’ai trouvé grâce à tes yeux, accepte de ma main mon présent; car c’est pour cela que j’ai regardé ta face comme on regarde la face de Dieu, et tu m’as accueilli favorablement.
11 Please accept these gifts that I have brought to you, because God has acted kindly toward me, and I still have plenty of animals!” Jacob kept on urging him to accept the animals, and finally he accepted them.
Accepte donc mon présent qui t’a été offert, puisque Dieu m’a comblé de grâces, et que je ne manque de rien. Il insista auprès de lui, et Ésaü accepta.
12 Then Esau said, “Let’s continue traveling together, and I will show the road to you.”
Ésaü dit: Partons, mettons-nous en route; j’irai devant toi.
13 Jacob [had no intention to go with Esau], but he said, “You know, sir, that the children are weak, and that I must take care of the female sheep and cows that are (sucking their mother’s milk/nursing their young). If I force them to walk fast for a long distance in just one day, the animals will all die.
Jacob lui répondit: Mon seigneur sait que les enfants sont délicats, et que j’ai des brebis et des vaches qui allaitent; si l’on forçait leur marche un seul jour, tout le troupeau périrait.
14 You go ahead of me. I will lead the animals slowly, but I will walk as fast as the children and animals can walk. I will catch up with you in Seir, [in the land where the descendants of Edom live].”
Que mon seigneur prenne les devants sur son serviteur; et moi, je suivrai lentement, au pas du troupeau qui me précédera, et au pas des enfants, jusqu’à ce que j’arrive chez mon seigneur, à Séir.
15 Esau said, “Then allow me to leave with you some of the men who came with me, [to protect you].” But Jacob replied, “(Why do that?/There is no need to do that!) [RHQ] The only thing that I want is for you to act friendly toward me.”
Ésaü dit: Je veux au moins laisser avec toi une partie de mes gens. Et Jacob répondit: Pourquoi cela? Que je trouve seulement grâce aux yeux de mon seigneur!
16 So on that day Esau left to return to Seir.
Le même jour, Ésaü reprit le chemin de Séir.
17 But [instead of going to Seir], Jacob and his family went to [a place called] Succoth. There he built a house for himself and his family, and built shelters for his livestock. That is the reason they named the place Succoth, [which means ‘shelters’].
Jacob partit pour Succoth. Il bâtit une maison pour lui, et il fit des cabanes pour ses troupeaux. C’est pourquoi l’on a appelé ce lieu du nom de Succoth.
18 [Some time later, ] Jacob and his family left Paddan-Aram [in Mesopotamia], and they traveled safely to the Canaan region. There they set up their tents in a field near Shechem city.
A son retour de Paddan-Aram, Jacob arriva heureusement à la ville de Sichem, dans le pays de Canaan, et il campa devant la ville.
19 One of the leaders of the people in that area was named Hamor. Hamor had several sons. Jacob paid the sons of Hamor 100 pieces of silver for the piece of ground on which they set up their tents.
Il acheta la portion du champ où il avait dressé sa tente, des fils d’Hamor, père de Sichem, pour cent kesita.
20 He built a stone altar there, and named it El-Elohe Israel, [which means ‘God, the God of Israel].’
Et là, il éleva un autel, qu’il appela El-Élohé-Israël.

< Genesis 33 >