Job 39
1 “[Job], do you know at what time/season [of the year] the female mountain goats give birth? Have you watched the wild deer while their fawns were being born?
Connais-tu le temps où les chèvres sauvages font leurs petits? As-tu observé les biches quand elles mettent bas?
2 Do you know how many months pass from the time they become pregnant until their fawns are born?
As-tu compté les mois de leur portée, et connais-tu l’époque de leur délivrance?
3 [When they give birth, ] they crouch down so that the fawns do not [get hurt by] falling to the ground when they are born.
Elles se mettent à genoux, déposent leurs petits, et sont quittes de leurs douleurs.
4 The young fawns grow up in the open fields, and then they leave their mothers and do not return to them again.
Leurs faons se fortifient et grandissent dans les champs; ils s’en vont, et ne reviennent plus.
5 “Who allows the wild donkeys to go wherever they want [DOU]?
Qui a lâché l’onagre en liberté, qui a brisé les liens de l’âne sauvage,
6 I am the one who put them in the desert, in places where grass does not grow.
à qui j’ai donné le désert pour maison, pour demeure la plaine salée?
7 They do not like the noise in the cities; [in the desert] they do not have to listen to the shouts of those who force donkeys to work.
Il méprise le tumulte des villes, il n’entend pas les cris d’un maître.
8 They go to the hills to find food; there they search for grass to eat.
Il parcourt les montagnes pour trouver sa pâture, il y poursuit les moindres traces de verdure.
9 :Will a wild ox agree to work for you? Will it allow you to keep it penned up at night in the place where you put feed for your animals?
Le buffle voudra-t-il te servir, ou bien passera-t-il la nuit dans son étable?
10 And can you fasten it with a rope so that it will plow furrows/trenches in your fields?
L’attacheras-tu avec une corde au sillon, ou bien hersera-t-il derrière toi dans les vallées?
11 Since it is very strong, can you trust it to work for you? Can you go away after you tell it what work it should do [and assume that it will do that work]?
Te fieras-tu à lui parce qu’il est très fort, lui laisseras-tu faire tes travaux?
12 Can you rely on it to come back [from the field], bringing your grain to the place where you thresh it?
Compteras-tu sur lui pour rentrer ta moisson, pour recueillir le blé dans ton aire?
13 “[Think also about] the ostriches. [They] joyfully flap their wings, but they do not have wing feathers [that enable them to fly] like storks do.
L’aile de l’autruche bat joyeusement; elle n’a ni l’aile pieuse ni le plumage de la cigogne.
14 Ostriches lay their eggs on top of the ground [and then walk away], leaving the eggs to be warmed in the sand.
Elle abandonne ses œufs à la terre, et les laisse chauffer sur le sable.
15 Ostriches do not worry that some wild animal may step on the eggs and crush them [DOU].
Elle oublie que le pied peut les fouler, la bête des champs les écraser.
16 Ostriches act cruelly towards their chicks; they act as though the chicks belonged to some other ostrich. They are not concerned if [their chicks die], [and so] the laying of the eggs was in vain.
Elle est dure pour ses petits, comme s’ils n’étaient pas siens; que son travail soit vain, elle ne s’en inquiète pas.
17 That is because I did not allow ostriches to be wise. I did not enable them to be intelligent.
Car Dieu lui a refusé la sagesse, et ne lui a pas départi l’intelligence.
18 But, when they get up and begin to run, they scornfully laugh at horses with their riders [because the horses cannot run as fast as the ostriches!]
Mais quand elle se bat les flancs et prend son essor, elle se rit du cheval et du cavalier.
19 And [think about] horses. [Job], are you the one who caused horses to be strong? Are you the one who put flowing (manes/long hair) on their necks?
Est-ce toi qui donnes au cheval la vigueur, qui revêts son cou d’une crinière flottante,
20 Are you the one who enabled them to leap forward like locusts? When they (snort/blow loudly through their noses), they cause people to be afraid.
qui le fais bondir comme la sauterelle? Son fier hennissement répand la terreur.
21 They paw the ground, rejoicing about being very strong, as they prepare to rush into a battle.
Il creuse du pied la terre, il est fier de sa force, il s’élance au-devant du combat.
22 [It is as if] they laugh at the thought of being afraid. They are not afraid of anything! They do not run away when [the soldiers in the battle are fighting each other with] swords.
Il se rit de la peur; rien ne l’effraie; il ne recule pas devant l’épée.
23 The quivers containing the riders’ arrows rattle against the horses’ sides, and the spears and javelins flash [in the light of the sun].
Sur lui résonne le carquois, la lance étincelante et le javelot.
24 The horses paw the ground fiercely/excitedly, [wanting the battle to begin, ] and they rush into the battle when the trumpet is blown.
Il frémit, il s’agite, il dévore le sol; il ne se contient plus quand la trompette sonne.
25 They neigh [joyfully] when they hear someone blowing the trumpet. They can smell a battle even when they are far away, and they understand what it means when the commanders shout their commands [to their soldiers].
Au bruit de la trompette, il dit: « Allons! » De loin il flaire la bataille, la voix tonnante des chefs et les cris des guerriers.
26 “[And think about big birds.] Are you the one who enabled hawks to spread their wings and fly to the south [for the winter]?
Est-ce par ta sagesse que l’épervier prend son vol et déploie ses ailes vers le midi?
27 Do eagles fly high up [into the cliffs] to make their nests because you commanded them to do that?
Est-ce à ton ordre que l’aigle s’élève, et fait son nid sur les hauteurs?
28 They live in [holes in] those cliffs. They are safe in those high pointed rocks [because no animals can reach them there].
Il habite les rochers, il fixe sa demeure dans les dents de la pierre, sur les sommets.
29 As they watch carefully from there, they see far away the animals that they can kill (OR, dead bodies of animals).
De là, il guette sa proie, son regard perce au loin.
30 After an eagle kills an animal, the baby eagles drink the blood of that animal.”
Ses petits s’abreuvent de sang; partout où il y a des cadavres, on le trouve.
