Judges 16
1 One day Samson went to Gaza [city in the Philistia area]. He spent some time with a prostitute.
Samson alla à Gaza; il y vit une prostituée, et il entra chez elle.
2 People soon found out that Samson was there, so the men of Gaza gathered together at the city gate and waited all night. They said to themselves, “When it dawns tomorrow morning, we will kill him [when he tries to leave the city].”
Les habitants de Gaza furent informés: « Samson est ici! » Ils l'entourèrent et l'attendirent toute la nuit à la porte de la ville, et restèrent silencieux toute la nuit, en disant: « Attendez la lumière du matin; alors nous le tuerons. »
3 But Samson did not stay there all night. At midnight, he got up. He went to the city gate, he took hold of its two posts, and he lifted it up out of the ground, with its [connecting cross] bar still attached. He put it on his shoulders and carried it [many miles] uphill to Hebron.
Samson resta couché jusqu'à minuit, puis se leva à minuit et saisit les portes de la porte de la ville, avec les deux poteaux, les arracha, barre et tout, les mit sur ses épaules et les porta au sommet de la montagne qui est devant Hébron.
4 Later Samson fell in love with a woman named Delilah, [and started to live with her]. She lived in Sorek Valley [in the Philistia area].
Par la suite, il aima une femme dans la vallée de Sorek, dont le nom était Dalila.
5 The Philistine leaders went to her and said, “Find out from Samson what makes him so strong. And find out how we can subdue him and tie him up securely. If you do that, each of us will give you 1,100 pieces of silver.”
Les princes des Philistins s'approchèrent d'elle et lui dirent: « Attire-le, et vois en quoi consiste sa grande force, et par quel moyen nous pouvons l'emporter sur lui, afin de le lier pour l'affliger; et nous te donnerons chacun onze cents pièces d'argent. »
6 So Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me what makes you so strong, and tell me how someone can subdue you and tie you up.”
Dalila dit à Samson: « Dis-moi, je t'en prie, où réside ta grande force, et ce qui pourrait t'affliger. »
7 Samson said, “If someone ties me with seven new bowstrings, ones that are not dry yet, I will become as weak as other men.”
Samson lui dit: « Si on me lie avec sept cordes vertes qui n'ont jamais séché, je deviendrai faible et je serai comme un autre homme. »
8 So [after Delilah told that to the Philistine leaders], they brought seven new bowstrings to Delilah.
Et les princes des Philistins lui apportèrent sept cordes vertes qui n'avaient pas séché, et elle le lia avec elles.
9 Then she hid the men in one of the rooms in her house. Then [while Samson was sleeping], she tied him up with the bowstrings. Then she called out, “Samson! The Philistines have come here to capture you!” But Samson snapped the bowstrings as easily as though they were strings that had been singed in a fire. So the Philistines did not find out what made Samson so strong.
Elle avait préparé une embuscade dans la salle intérieure. Elle lui dit: « Les Philistins sont sur toi, Samson! ». Il brisa les cordes comme on brise un fil de lin au contact du feu. Ainsi, sa force n'était pas connue.
10 Then Delilah said to Samson, “You have deceived me and lied to me! Now tell me [the truth, ] how someone can tie you up securely.”
Dalila dit à Samson: « Voici, tu t'es moqué de moi et tu m'as dit des mensonges. Maintenant, dis-moi comment on peut te lier. »
11 Samson replied, “If someone ties me with new ropes, ones that have never been used, I will be as weak as other men.”
Il lui dit: « Si l'on me lie seulement avec des cordes neuves dont on n'a pas fait usage, je deviendrai faible et je serai comme un autre homme. »
12 So again, [she told the Philistine leaders, and] they [came and] hid in the room as they had done before. And again, while Samson was sleeping, she took the new ropes and tied him up with them. Then she called out, “Samson! The Philistines have come to capture you!” But Samson snapped the ropes on his arms as easily as if they were threads.
Alors Dalila prit des cordes neuves et le lia avec, puis elle lui dit: « Les Philistins sont sur toi, Samson! ». L'embuscade l'attendait dans la salle intérieure. Il les brisa sur ses bras comme un fil.
13 Then Delilah said, “You have deceived me and lied to me [again]! Please tell me how someone can tie you up securely!” Samson replied, “If you weave the seven braids of my hair into the threads you are weaving on the loom, and then fasten those threads with the pin [that makes the threads tight], then I will be as weak as other men.” So again, while Samson was sleeping on her lap, Delilah held the seven braids of his hair, and wove them into the threads on the loom,
Dalila dit à Samson: « Jusqu'à présent, tu t'es moqué de moi et tu m'as raconté des mensonges. Dis-moi avec quoi tu pourrais être lié. » Il lui dit: « Si tu tisses les sept mèches de ma tête avec le tissu du métier à tisser. »
14 and she tightened them with the pin. Then she called out, “Samson! The Philistines have come to capture you!” But Samson woke up and pulled out the pin, and pulled his hair from the threads on the loom.
Elle l'attacha avec l'épingle, et lui dit: « Les Philistins sont sur toi, Samson! » Il se réveilla de son sommeil, et arracha l'épingle de la poutre et du tissu.
15 Then Delilah said to him, “How can you say that you love me when you do not tell me the truth about yourself? You have deceived me three times, and you still have not told me what really makes you so strong!”
Elle lui dit: « Comment peux-tu dire: « Je t'aime », alors que ton cœur n'est pas avec moi? Tu t'es moqué de moi ces trois fois, et tu ne m'as pas dit où était ta grande force. »
16 Day after day she nagged him like that. He thought he would die from her nagging [IDM].
Comme elle le pressait chaque jour de ses paroles et l'exhortait, son âme était troublée à mort.
17 Finally Samson told her the truth. He said, “I have been set apart for God since the day I was born. And because of that, my hair has never been cut. If my hair were shaved off, my strength would be gone, and I would be as weak as other men.”
Il lui raconta tout son cœur et lui dit: « Jamais rasoir n'a touché ma tête, car j'ai été naziréen à Dieu dès le ventre de ma mère. Si l'on me rase, alors ma force s'en ira de moi et je deviendrai faible, et je serai comme n'importe quel autre homme. »
18 Delilah realized that this time he had told her the truth. So she summoned the Philistine leaders again, saying, “Come back one more time, because Samson has really told me everything [about why he is so strong]”. So the Philistine leaders returned and brought to Delilah the money [that they promised to give her].
Lorsque Dalila vit qu'il lui avait dit tout son cœur, elle envoya chercher les princes des Philistins et dit: « Montez tout de suite, car il m'a dit tout son cœur. » Les princes des Philistins montèrent vers elle et apportèrent l'argent en main.
19 Again she lulled Samson to sleep, with his head in her lap. Then she called one of the Philistine men to come and shave off Samson’s hair. As he did that, Samson began to get weaker. And finally his strength was all gone.
Elle le fit dormir sur ses genoux; elle appela un homme et lui rasa les sept boucles de la tête; elle commença à le tourmenter, et sa force le quitta.
20 Then [after she tied him up], she called out, “Samson! The Philistines have come to capture you!” He woke up and thought, “I will do as I did before. I will shake [these ropes] off myself and be free!” But he did not realize that Yahweh had left him.
Elle dit: « Les Philistins sont sur toi, Samson! » Il se réveilla de son sommeil, et dit: « Je sortirai comme les autres fois, et je me secouerai pour me libérer. » Mais il ne savait pas que Yahvé s'était éloigné de lui.
21 So the Philistine men seized him and gouged out his eyes. Then they took him to Gaza. There they put him in prison and bound him with bronze chains. They made him [turn a millstone to] grind grain [every day].
Les Philistins le saisirent et lui crevèrent les yeux; ils le firent descendre à Gaza et le lièrent avec des chaînes d'airain; et il moulait au moulin dans la prison.
22 But his hair started to grow again.
Cependant, les cheveux de sa tête se remirent à pousser après qu'il eut été rasé.
23 [Several months later] the Philistine leaders celebrated a big festival. During the festival they offered sacrifices to their god Dagon. They praised him, saying, “Our god has enabled us to defeat our great enemy Samson!”
Les princes des Philistins s'assemblèrent pour offrir un grand sacrifice à Dagon, leur dieu, et pour se réjouir, car ils disaient: « Notre dieu a livré entre nos mains Samson, notre ennemi. »
24 And when the other people saw Samson, they also praised their god Dagon, saying, “Samson ruined our crops and killed many of our people, but our god has put our enemy into our hands. Our god helped us to capture the one who has killed so many of us!”
Quand le peuple le vit, il loua son dieu, car il dit: « Notre dieu a livré entre nos mains notre ennemi et le destructeur de notre pays, qui a tué beaucoup d'entre nous. »
25 By that time the people were half-drunk. They shouted, “Bring Samson out of the prison! Bring him here so that he can entertain us!” So they brought Samson from the prison and made fun of him. Then they made him stand in the center of the temple. They made him stand between the two pillars that held up the roof.
Lorsque leurs cœurs furent joyeux, ils dirent: « Appelez Samson, qu'il nous divertisse. » Ils appelèrent Samson hors de la prison, et il se produisit devant eux. Ils le placèrent entre les piliers,
26 Samson said to the servant who was leading him by his hand, “Place my hands against the two pillars. I want to rest against them.”
et Samson dit au garçon qui le tenait par la main: « Permets-moi de toucher les piliers sur lesquels repose la maison, afin que je puisse m'appuyer dessus. »
27 At that time the temple was full of men and women. All the Philistine leaders were also there. And there were about 3,000 people on the roof, watching Samson and making fun of him.
Or, la maison était pleine d'hommes et de femmes, et tous les princes des Philistins étaient là; et il y avait sur le toit environ trois mille hommes et femmes, qui voyaient pendant que Samson exécutait.
28 Then Samson prayed, saying, “Yahweh, my Lord, think about me again! Please give me strength one more time, so that I may get revenge on the Philistines for gouging out my eyes!”
Samson invoqua Yahvé et dit: « Seigneur Yahvé, souviens-toi de moi, s'il te plaît, et fortifie-moi, s'il te plaît, seulement cette fois, Dieu, afin que je sois immédiatement vengé des Philistins pour mes deux yeux. »
29 Then Samson put his hands on the two center pillars of the temple. He put his right hand on one pillar and his left hand on the other pillar.
Samson saisit les deux piliers centraux sur lesquels reposait la maison et s'y appuya, l'un de la main droite et l'autre de la main gauche.
30 Then he shouted [to God], “Let me die with the Philistines!”, and he pushed with all his strength. [The pillars collapsed], and the temple crashed down on the Philistine leaders and all the other Philistine people, [and they all died]. So Samson killed more people when he died than he had killed all during his life.
Samson dit: « Que je meure avec les Philistins! » Il s'inclina de toutes ses forces, et la maison tomba sur les seigneurs et sur tout le peuple qui s'y trouvait. Ainsi les morts qu'il tua à sa mort furent plus nombreux que ceux qu'il tua de son vivant.
31 Later his brothers and their relatives went down [from Zorah to Gaza] to get his body. They took it back home and buried it between Zorah and Eshtaol, at the place where Samson’s father Manoah was buried. Samson had been Israel’s leader for 20 years.
Alors ses frères et toute la maison de son père descendirent et le prirent, le firent monter et l'enterrèrent entre Zorah et Eshtaol, dans la sépulture de Manoah, son père. Il fut juge en Israël pendant vingt ans.
