Nahum 2
1 [You people of] [APO] Nineveh, your enemies are coming to attack you. [So] place guards on the tops of the walls around the city! Guard the roads [into the city]! Get ready to fight! Gather your troops/soldiers [MTY] together!
Le destructeur marche contre toi. Garde la forteresse! Veille sur la route! Affermis tes reins! Recueille toute ta force!…
2 Even though enemy soldiers have destroyed the descendants of [MTY] Jacob, Yahweh will cause them to be honored again. Israel is like a grapevine that has been ruined, but Israel will prosper again.
Car l’Éternel rétablit la gloire de Jacob Et la gloire d’Israël, Parce que les pillards les ont pillés Et ont détruit leurs ceps…
3 The shields of the enemy soldiers [who are coming to attack you] will shine red [as the sun shines on them], and they will wear bright red uniforms. The metal of their chariot [wheels] will flash when they line up [before the battle], and their soldiers will lift up their cypress/pine spears and wave them.
Les boucliers de ses héros sont rouges, Les guerriers sont vêtus de pourpre; Avec le fer qui étincelle apparaissent les chars, Au jour qu’il a fixé pour la bataille, Et les lances sont agitées.
4 Their chariots will dash through the streets [of Nineveh] and rush furiously through the plazas. Going as quick as lightning, they will resemble flaming torches.
Les chars s’élancent dans la campagne, Se précipitent sur les places; A les voir, on dirait des flambeaux, Ils courent comme des éclairs…
5 [Meanwhile], your king will summon his officers who will stumble as they [try to] come [quickly]. They will dash to the [city] wall, holding their shields to protect themselves.
Il se souvient de ses vaillants hommes, Mais ils chancellent dans leur marche; On se hâte vers les murs, Et l’on se prépare à la défense…
6 But, the gates [of the dams] on the rivers will be thrown open [by enemy soldiers], and [the flood will cause] the palace to collapse.
Les portes des fleuves sont ouvertes, Et le palais s’écroule!…
7 The queen will have her clothes stripped off her [by enemy soldiers], and her slave girls will moan like doves and beat their breasts [to show that they are very sad].
C’en est fait: elle est mise à nu, elle est emmenée; Ses servantes gémissent comme des colombes, Et se frappent la poitrine.
8 [The people will rush from] Nineveh like [SIM] water rushes from a broken dam. [The officials] will shout, “Stop! Stop!” but the people will not even look back [as they run away].
Ninive était jadis comme un réservoir plein d’eau… Les voilà qui fuient… Arrêtez! Arrêtez!… Mais nul ne se retourne…
9 [The enemy attackers say to each other, ] “Seize the silver! Grab the gold! There is a huge amount of very valuable things in this city, more valuable things than anyone can count!”
Pillez l’argent! Pillez l’or! Il y a des trésors sans fin, Des richesses en objets précieux de toute espèce.
10 [Soon everything valuable in the city] will be seized or ruined. People will be trembling, with the result that they will not be able to fight. Their faces will all become pale.
On pille, on dévaste, on ravage! Et les cœurs sont abattus, Les genoux chancellent, Tous les reins souffrent, Tous les visages pâlissent.
11 [After that happens, people will say, ] “What happened to [RHQ] that [great city of Nineveh]? [It was like] [MET] a den [full] of young lions, where the male and female lions lived and fed the young ones.
Qu’est devenu ce repaire de lions, Ce pâturage des lionceaux, Où se retiraient le lion, la lionne, le petit du lion, Sans qu’il y eût personne pour les troubler?
12 [The soldiers in Nineveh were like] [MET] lions that killed or strangled [other animals] [and brought the meat] to their dens.”
Le lion déchirait pour ses petits, Etranglait pour ses lionnes; Il remplissait de proie ses antres, De dépouilles ses repaires.
13 The Commander of the armies of angels says [to the people of Nineveh], “I am opposed to you; I will cause your chariots to [be burned in fires and] go up in smoke. Your young men will be killed with swords. [Your soldiers] will never again conquer [other nations] and seize their valuable possessions. Your messengers will never again take messages [to other nations, demanding that their armies surrender to them].”
Voici, j’en veux à toi, dit l’Éternel des armées; Je réduirai tes chars en fumée, L’épée dévorera tes lionceaux, J’arracherai du pays ta proie, Et l’on n’entendra plus la voix de tes messagers.
