Jeremiah 4
1 Yahweh says, “You Israeli [people], come back to me! If you get rid of those detestable idols and do not turn away from me [again],
Si tu veux revenir Israël, — oracle de Yahweh, reviens vers moi. Et si tu ôtes tes abominations de devant moi, tu ne seras plus errant!
2 and if you declare, ‘Just as surely as Yahweh lives, what he says is true,’ and if you [start to] always say what is true and act justly/fairly and righteously, then the [people in the other] nations [of the world] will request that I bless them [as I have blessed you], and they will [all come and] honor/praise me.”
Et si tu jures « Yahweh est vivant! » avec vérité, avec droiture et avec justice, les nations se diront bénies en lui; et se glorifieront en lui.
3 This is what Yahweh says to the people of Jerusalem and [the other cities in] Judah: “[Prepare yourselves to receive my messages] like farmers plow up hard ground [in order that they can plant seed in it]. Just as farmers do not [waste good seed by] sowing seeds among thorny plants, [I do not want to waste my time telling you messages that you are not ready to receive].
Car ainsi parle Yahweh aux hommes de Juda et de Jérusalem: Défrichez vos jachères, et ne semez pas dans les épines.
4 Purify your inner beings and your minds for me. If you do not do that, my being angry with you [MTY] because of [all] the sins that you have committed will be like a fire that will be impossible to extinguish.”
Circoncisez-vous pour Yahweh, et enlevez les prépuces de votre cœur, hommes de Juda et habitants de Jérusalem, de peur que ma colère n’éclate comme un feu et ne consume, sans que personne éteigne, à cause de la méchanceté de vos actions.
5 “Declare this [DOU] to [all the people in] Jerusalem and [the rest of] Judea; blow the trumpets everywhere in the land [to warn the people]. Tell them that they should flee to the cities that have high walls around them.
Publiez dans Juda et annoncez dans Jérusalem; parlez, sonnez de la trompette dans le pays; criez à pleine voix et dites: Rassemblez-vous, et allons dans les villes fortes!
6 Shout to the people of Jerusalem, ‘Run away [now]! Do not delay, because I am about to cause you to experience a terrible disaster [DOU] that will come from the north.
Elevez un étendard du côté de Sion, sauvez-vous, ne vous arrêtez pas! Car j’amène du septentrion une calamité et un grand désastre.
7 [An army] that has destroyed [many] nations will attack you [like] [MET] a lion that comes out of its den [to attack other animals]. [The soldiers of that army] have taken down their tents and they are ready to march toward your land. They will destroy your cities and leave them without any people still living in them.’
Un lion s’élance de son fourré, et un destructeur des nations a levé sa tente, quitté son lieu, pour réduire ton pays en désert; tes villes seront désolées, sans habitants.
8 So, put on sackcloth/rough clothes and weep and beat your chests [to show that you are very sorry for what you have done], because Yahweh is still very angry with us.
C’est pourquoi ceignez-vous du cilice; pleurez et lamentez-vous; car le feu de la colère de Yahweh ne s’est pas détourné de nous.
9 Yahweh said that at the time [he punishes you], the King of Judah and [all his] officials will be very afraid. The priests and the prophets will be terrified.
En ce jour-là, — oracle de Yahweh, le cœur manquera au roi et aux princes; les prêtres seront consternés, et les prophètes stupéfaits.
10 Then I replied, “Yahweh [my] God, you completely deceived the people by telling them that there would be peace in Jerusalem, but now [our enemies] [PRS] are ready to slaughter us with their swords!”
Et je dis: Ah! Seigneur Yahweh, vous avez donc trompé ce peuple et Jérusalem, en disant: « Vous aurez la paix! » alors que l’épée va les frapper à mort!
11 When that happens, [Yahweh] will say to the people of Jerusalem, [“A huge army will come to attack you]. They will not [be like a gentle breeze that] separates wheat from chaff. [They will be like] a very hot wind [that blows in] from the desert [MET].
En ce temps-là, on dira à ce peuple et à Jérusalem: Un vent brûlant vient des collines du désert sur le chemin qui mène à la fille de mon peuple, non pour vanner, ni pour nettoyer;
12 [They will be like] [MET] a strong blast that I will send. Now I am declaring that I will punish/destroy you.”
un vent plus fort que celui qui chasse la paille vient vers moi. Maintenant, à mon tour, je vais prononcer leur sentence.
13 [Our enemies] are about to rush down on us; their chariots are like [SIM] whirlwinds. Their horses are faster than eagles. It will be terrible for us!
Voici qu’il monte comme les nuées; pareils à l’ouragan sont ses chars; plus rapides que les aigles sont ses chevaux. Malheur à nous, car nous sommes perdus!
14 [You people of] Jerusalem [APO], purify your hearts/inner beings, in order that Yahweh will rescue you. How long will you continue to think about [doing] evil things?
Purifie ton cœur de la méchanceté, Jérusalem, pour que tu sois sauvée; jusques à quand demeureront-elles dans ton cœur, tes pensées funestes?
15 From Dan [city in the far north] to the hills of Ephraim [a few miles/kilometers north of Jerusalem] messengers are proclaiming that disasters are coming.
Car une voix partie de Dan l’annonce; elle publie le malheur depuis la montagne d’Ephraïm.
16 Tell this to the [people in other] nations [but also] announce it in Jerusalem: [Yahweh says], “An army is coming to Jerusalem from far away; they will shout [a battle-cry] against the cities in Judah.
Faites-le savoir aux nations, annoncez-leur le malheur de Jérusalem. Des assiégeants arrivent d’une terre lointaine; ils poussent leurs cris contre les villes de Juda.
17 They will set up tents around Jerusalem like people set up temporary shelters [SIM] around a field [at harvest time]. That will happen because the people of Judah have rebelled against me.
Comme les gardiens des champs, ils entourent Jérusalem; car elle s’est révoltée contre moi, — oracle de Yahweh.
18 You will be punished very severely; it will [be as though a sword] has stabbed your inner beings. But you are causing those things to happen to you because of the evil things that you have done.”
Voilà ce que t’ont valu ta conduite et tes actes criminels; voilà le fruit de ta méchanceté, et il est amer! Oui, cela atteint jusqu’au cœur!
19 I am extremely anguished/sad; the pain in my inner being is very severe. My heart beats wildly. But I cannot remain silent because I have heard [our enemies] blowing their trumpets to announce that the battle [against Judah will start immediately].
Mes entrailles! mes entrailles! je souffre au plus intime du cœur! Mon cœur s’agite; je ne puis me taire! Car tu entends; ô mon âme, le son de la trompette, le cri de guerre.
20 Disasters will occur one after another until the whole land is ruined. Suddenly [all] our tents will be destroyed; [even] the curtains [inside the tents] will be ripped apart.
On annonce ruine sur ruine; car tout le pays est ravagé. Tout d’un coup on détruit mes tentes, en un instant mes pavillons.
21 How long will this battle continue? How long will I continue to see the enemy battle flags and hear the sound of their trumpets being blown?
Jusques à quand verrai-je l’étendard, entendrai-je le son de la trompette?...
22 [Yahweh says], “My people are [very] foolish! They do not have a relationship with me. They are [like] [MET] stupid children who do not understand [anything]. They very cleverly do what is wrong, but they do not know how to do what is good.”
C’est que mon peuple est fou! Ils ne me connaissent pas; ce sont des fils insensés, qui n’ont pas d’intelligence; ils sont habiles à faire le mal, ils ne savent pas faire le bien.
23 [God gave me a vision in which] I saw that the earth was barren and without form. I looked at the sky, and there was no light there.
Je regarde la terre, et voici qu’elle est informe et vide; les cieux, et leur lumière a disparu.
24 I looked at the mountains and hills, and they shook and moved from side to side.
Je regarde les montagnes, et voici qu’elles sont ébranlées, et toutes les collines chancellent.
25 I looked and saw that there were no [more] people, and all the birds had flown away.
Je regarde, et voici qu’il n’y a plus d’homme; et tous les oiseaux du ciel ont fui.
26 I looked and saw that the fields that previously were fertile had become a desert. The cities were all ruined; they had all been destroyed by Yahweh because he was extremely angry.
Je regarde, et voici que le verger est devenu un désert; et toutes ses villes sont détruites devant Yahweh, devant le feu de sa colère.
27 This is what Yahweh is saying: “The entire land [of Judah] will be ruined, but I will not destroy it completely.
Car ainsi parle Yahweh: Tout le pays sera dévasté; cependant je ne le détruirai pas entièrement.
28 I will do to my people what I said that I would do, and I will not change my mind. So [when that happens, it will be as though] the earth will mourn and the sky will become very dark.”
A cause de cela, la terre est en deuil, et les cieux en haut sont obscurcis, parce que je l’ai dit et que je l’ai résolu, et je ne m’en repens pas et je n’en reviendrai pas.
29 [When the people hear] the sound of the [enemy] army marching, [they will be terrified as] they flee from their cities. Some of them will find places to hide in the bushes, and others will run toward the mountains/hills [to escape being killed by their enemies]. All the cities [in Judah] will be abandoned; not one person will remain in them.
A la voix du cavalier et de l’archer, toute la ville est en fuite; on entre dans les bois, on monte sur les rochers; toutes les villes sont abandonnées, il n’y a plus d’habitant.
30 So you who will surely be destroyed, [why are you doing the things that you are doing now]? Why are you wearing beautiful clothes and jewelry? Why are you putting paint around your eyes? Doing those things will not help you, because the people [in other countries that you think] love you [actually] despise you, and they will try to kill you.
Et toi, dévastée, que feras-tu? Quand tu te revêtirais de pourpre, que tu te parerais d’ornements d’or, que tu borderais tes yeux de fard, c’est en vain que tu te ferais belle: tes amants te dédaignent; c’est à ta vie qu’ils en veulent.
31 [It is as though] I already hear [the people in Jerusalem] crying very loudly, like [SIM] a woman cries when she is giving birth to her first child; she gasps for breath and pleads for someone to help her. [It is as though Jerusalem] is crying, “Something terrible is happening to me! They are about to murder me!”
Car j’entends une voix comme d’une femme en travail, des cris d’angoisse comme d’une femme qui enfante pour la première fois; voix de la fille de Sion, qui pousse des soupirs et étend les mains: « Malheur à moi! car mon âme succombe aux coups des meurtriers! »
