Genesis 49
1 Jacob summoned all his sons, and said to them,
Jacob appela ses fils, et dit: Assemblez-vous, et je vous annoncerai ce qui vous arrivera dans la suite des temps.
2 “Gather around me in order that I can tell you what will happen in the future. My sons, come and listen to me. I am your father, [Jacob, whom God named] Israel.
Rassemblez-vous, et écoutez, fils de Jacob! Écoutez Israël, votre père!
3 Reuben, you are my oldest son. You were born when I was young and energetic/strong. You are prouder and stronger than all the rest of my sons.
Ruben, toi, mon premier-né, Ma force et les prémices de ma vigueur, Supérieur en dignité et supérieur en puissance,
4 But you were as uncontrollable as a flood [SIM]. So now you will not be my most important son, because you climbed up onto my bed, and had sex with [MTY] my (concubine/slave who had become one of my wives). Your doing that caused me, your father, to have great shame.
Impétueux comme les eaux, tu n’auras pas la prééminence! Car tu es monté sur la couche de ton père, Tu as souillé ma couche en y montant.
5 Simeon and Levi, you have both acted like criminals. You use your swords to act violently.
Siméon et Lévi sont frères; Leurs glaives sont des instruments de violence.
6 I do not want to be with you when you make evil plans [DOU]. I do not want to join you in your meetings, because you killed people when you became very angry, and you (hamstrung/cut the tendons in the legs of) oxen just to (have fun/see them suffer).
Que mon âme n’entre point dans leur conciliabule, Que mon esprit ne s’unisse point à leur assemblée! Car, dans leur colère, ils ont tué des hommes, Et, dans leur méchanceté, ils ont coupé les jarrets des taureaux.
7 God says, ‘I will (curse/cause bad things to happen to) them for being very angry, for acting very cruelly when they were very furious. I will scatter their descendants [MTY] throughout Israel land.’
Maudite soit leur colère, car elle est violente, Et leur fureur, car elle est cruelle! Je les séparerai dans Jacob, Et je les disperserai dans Israël.
8 Judah, your [older and younger] brothers will praise you. They will bow down before you, because you will thoroughly defeat [MTY] your enemies.
Juda, tu recevras les hommages de tes frères; Ta main sera sur la nuque de tes ennemis. Les fils de ton père se prosterneront devant toi.
9 Judah is like a young lion [SIM] that has returned to its den satisfied after eating the animals that it has killed. He is like a lion that lies down and stretches out after eating; no one would dare to disturb it [RHQ].
Juda est un jeune lion. Tu reviens du carnage, mon fils! Il ploie les genoux, il se couche comme un lion, Comme une lionne: qui le fera lever?
10 There will always be a ruler [MTY] from the descendants of Judah [MTY]. Each one will hold a scepter/staff to show that he has authority as a king. He will do that until the one to whom the scepter belongs comes, the one to whom the nations will bring tribute and show that they will obey him.
Le sceptre ne s’éloignera point de Juda, Ni le bâton souverain d’entre ses pieds, Jusqu’à ce que vienne le Schilo, Et que les peuples lui obéissent.
11 The grapevines of Judah’s descendants will produce grapes very abundantly. As a result, they will not object to tying their young donkeys to the grapevines in order that the donkeys can eat the leaves of the grapevines. [Wine will be very plentiful, with the result that] they could wash their cloaks in wine that is as red as blood [MET].
Il attache à la vigne son âne, Et au meilleur cep le petit de son ânesse; Il lave dans le vin son vêtement, Et dans le sang des raisins son manteau.
12 Their eyes will be red because of [drinking too much] wine, but their teeth will be very white because of drinking much milk [from the cows].
Il a les yeux rouges de vin, Et les dents blanches de lait.
13 Zebulun, your descendants will live by the seashore where there will be a safe harbor for ships. Their land will extend north as far as Sidon [city].
Zabulon habitera sur la côte des mers, Il sera sur la côte des navires, Et sa limite s’étendra du côté de Sidon.
14 Issachar, your descendants will be like strong donkeys that are lying down on the ground between their loads, [so tired that they cannot get up]!
Issacar est un âne robuste, Qui se couche dans les étables.
15 They will see that their resting place is good, and that the land pleases them very much. But they will bend their backs to carry heavy loads and be forced to work for others.
Il voit que le lieu où il repose est agréable, Et que la contrée est magnifique; Et il courbe son épaule sous le fardeau, Il s’assujettit à un tribut.
16 Dan, although your tribe will be small, their leaders will rule their people just like the leaders of other tribes of Israel will rule their people.
Dan jugera son peuple, Comme l’une des tribus d’Israël.
17 Your descendants will be like snakes at the side of a road, like poisonous snakes lying beside a path. They will strike the heels of horses that pass by, causing the riders to fall backwards [as the horses rear up on their hind legs].”
Dan sera un serpent sur le chemin, Une vipère sur le sentier, Mordant les talons du cheval, Pour que le cavalier tombe à la renverse.
18 Then Jacob prayed, “Yahweh, I am waiting for you to rescue me [from my enemies].”
J’espère en ton secours, ô Éternel!
19 [Then Jacob continued telling his sons what would happen in the future. He said], “Gad, your tribe/descendants will be attacked by a group of bandits, but your tribe/descendants will pursue and attack them [MTY].
Gad sera assailli par des bandes armées, Mais il les assaillira et les poursuivra.
20 Asher, your descendants will eat good-tasting food; they will produce food that is delicious enough for kings to eat.
Aser produit une nourriture excellente; Il fournira les mets délicats des rois.
21 Naphtali, your descendants will be like deer [MET] that are (free to/not tied down and can) run wherever they wish. They will give birth to children who are good-looking like (fawns/baby deer) [MET].
Nephthali est une biche en liberté; Il profère de belles paroles.
22 Joseph, you will have many descendants [MET]. Their children will be as many as the fruit on a vine near a spring of water, whose branches extend over a wall.
Joseph est le rejeton d’un arbre fertile, Le rejeton d’un arbre fertile près d’une source; Les branches s’élèvent au-dessus de la muraille.
23 Their enemies will attack them fiercely, and shoot at them with bows and arrows and pursue them.
Ils l’ont provoqué, ils ont lancé des traits; Les archers l’ont poursuivi de leur haine.
24 But they will hold their bows steady and their arms will remain strong, because of the power [MTY] of my mighty God, because of Yahweh who guides and provides for me [MET] like a shepherd guides and provides for his sheep. The people of Israel will [ask Yahweh to protect them], [like people hide under] a huge [overhanging] to be protected.
Mais son arc est demeuré ferme, Et ses mains ont été fortifiées Par les mains du Puissant de Jacob: Il est ainsi devenu le berger, le rocher d’Israël.
25 God, the one whom I worship, will help your descendants. God Almighty will bless them by sending them rain from the sky and by giving them water from deep/far below the ground. He will give them many cattle and children [MET] (OR, and their cattle will have many offspring).
C’est l’œuvre du Dieu de ton père, qui t’aidera; C’est l’œuvre du Tout-Puissant, qui te bénira Des bénédictions des cieux en haut, Des bénédictions des eaux en bas, Des bénédictions des mamelles et du sein maternel.
26 The blessings that I want God to give you are great ones. They are greater than the blessings that come from the eternal mountains, greater than the ones that come from the everlasting hills. Joseph, I pray that these blessings will (be given to you/come upon your head), because you are the leader of your [older] brothers [and younger brother].
Les bénédictions de ton père s’élèvent Au-dessus des bénédictions de mes pères Jusqu’à la cime des collines éternelles: Qu’elles soient sur la tête de Joseph, Sur le sommet de la tête du prince de ses frères!
27 Benjamin, your descendants will be like [MET] vicious/fierce wolves: In the morning they will kill their enemies like a wolf devours (its prey/the animals that it has killed), and in the evening they will divide among their warriors the spoils that they seized from their enemies.”
Benjamin est un loup qui déchire; Le matin, il dévore la proie, Et le soir, il partage le butin.
28 Those twelve sons are the ancestors of the twelve tribes of Israel. That is what their father said to them as he blessed them, telling to each one words that were appropriate for him.
Ce sont là tous ceux qui forment les douze tribus d’Israël. Et c’est là ce que leur dit leur père, en les bénissant. Il les bénit, chacun selon sa bénédiction.
29 Then Jacob said to his sons, “I will soon die. Bury my body where some of my ancestors are buried, in the cave that is in the field that was bought from Ephron, who belonged to the Heth people-group.
Puis il leur donna cet ordre: Je vais être recueilli auprès de mon peuple; enterrez-moi avec mes pères, dans la caverne qui est au champ d’Éphron, le Héthien,
30 That field is in the Machpelah area, east of Mamre [town], in Canaan. My grandfather Abraham bought it from Ephron to use as a burial place.
dans la caverne du champ de Macpéla, vis-à-vis de Mamré, dans le pays de Canaan. C’est le champ qu’Abraham a acheté d’Éphron, le Héthien, comme propriété sépulcrale.
31 That is where they buried him and his wife Sarah. That is where they buried my father Isaac and his wife Rebekah. And that is where I buried my wife Leah.
Là on a enterré Abraham et Sara, sa femme; là on a enterré Isaac et Rebecca, sa femme; et là j’ai enterré Léa.
32 That field and the cave in it were bought from the Heth people-group; so that is where I want you to bury me.”
Le champ et la caverne qui s’y trouve ont été achetés des fils de Heth.
33 When Jacob finished giving those instructions to his sons, he lay down on his bed again. Then he died [IDM].
Lorsque Jacob eut achevé de donner ses ordres à ses fils, il retira ses pieds dans le lit, il expira, et fut recueilli auprès de son peuple.
