Nahum 3
1 Terrible things will happen to [Nineveh], that city [that is full of people who] murder [MTY] and lie. [The city is] full of things that were seized [from other countries by their soldiers]; [their armies] continually [LIT] have acted brutally towards people whom they conquered.
Malheur à la cité sanguinaire, toute pleine de fraude, de violence, qui ne renonce pas à la rapine!
2 But [now listen to the enemy soldiers coming to attack Nineveh]; [listen to them] cracking their whips, and [listen to the] rattle of [their chariot] wheels! [Listen to] their galloping horses and their chariots as they bounce along!
Entendez les fouets, et entendez le roulement des roues et les chevaux galopant et les chars bondissant.
3 [Look at their] flashing swords and glittering spears as the horsemen race forward! Many [people of Nineveh will be] killed; [there will be] piles of corpses, [with the result that] people will stumble over them.
La cavalerie est en course, l'épée jette des flammes et la lance l'éclair; c'est une masse de tués et une foule de morts et une infinité de cadavres, on heurte contre des cadavres.
4 All [that will happen] because [Nineveh is like] [MET] a beautiful prostitute [who lures men to where they will be ruined]; [Nineveh is a beautiful city] which has attracted/enticed [people of] other nations [to come there]. [The people of Nineveh] taught those people [of other nations rituals of] magic, and caused them to become their slaves.
C'est à cause des nombreuses prostitutions de la prostituée attrayante, enchanteresse, qui vendait les peuples par ses prostitutions et les familles par ses enchantements.
5 [So] the Commander of the armies of angels says to [the people of Nineveh]: “I am your enemy, and I will [cause the people in other] nations to see you [completely] humiliated like [MET] [women who have committed adultery are humiliated by] having their skirts lifted high, [with the result that] people can see their naked [bodies].
Voici, j'en veux à toi, dit l'Éternel des armées, je retrousserai les pans de ta robe par-dessus ton visage, et ferai voir aux peuples ta nudité et aux royaumes ton ignominie;
6 I will cause rubbish/garbage to be thrown at you; I will show [others] that I despise you very much, and I will cause you to be publicly ridiculed.
et je jetterai sur toi des ordures et te ferai honte et t'exposerai en spectacle.
7 All those who see you will turn their backs to you and say, ‘Nineveh is ruined, but absolutely no one [RHQ] will mourn for it.’ No one will regret Nineveh being destroyed!”
Et qui te verra, te fuira et dira: « Ninive est détruite; qui la plaindrait? Où te chercherai-je des consolateurs? »
8 Your city is certainly [RHQ] no safer than Thebes [city] was. [Thebes was an important city] beside the Nile [River]; the river was [like] [SIM] a wall that protected the city [DOU].
Es-tu meilleure que No-Ammon qui était assise sur le fleuve, que les eaux entouraient, dont une mer était le fossé et une mer la muraille?
9 [The rulers of] Ethiopia and Egypt helped Thebes; there was no limit to their power. [The governments of the nearby countries of] Put and Libya were also allies of Thebes.
L'Ethiopie était sa force, avec les innombrables Égyptiens; les Phytes et les Libyens étaient tes auxiliaires.
10 But Thebes was captured, and [its people were] (exiled/forced to go to other countries). Their babies were dashed to pieces in the streets [of the city]. [Enemy soldiers] (cast lots/threw small marked stones) to decide who would get each official in Thebes [to become his slave]. All the leaders of Thebes were fastened/tied by chains.
Elle aussi s'en est allée captive en exil; ses enfants aussi furent écrasés à tous les carrefours; et on tira ses nobles au sort, et tous ses grands furent liés de chaînes.
11 You [people of Nineveh] will similarly become dazed and drunk, and you will search for places to hide [to escape] from your enemies.
Toi aussi tu boiras ton soûl [du calice], tu. te cacheras, toi aussi tu chercheras un abri contre l'ennemi.
12 [Your enemies will cause] the walls around your city to fall down like [SIM] the first figs that fall from fig trees [each year]. [Your city will be captured easily, like] [MET] [figs that fall] into the mouths [HYP] of those who shake the fig trees.
Tous tes remparts sont des figuiers portant des primeurs; les secoue-t-on, elles tombent dans la bouche de qui veut en manger.
13 Look at your soldiers! They will be [as weak/helpless as] [MET] women! The gates of your city will be opened wide [to allow] your enemies [to enter them], [and then] the bars of those gates will be burned.
Voici, tes armées seront des femmes au milieu de toi, à tes ennemis s'ouvrent les portes de ton pays, et le feu dévore tes verrous.
14 Store up water [now to use when] your enemies surround the city! Repair the forts! Dig up clay and trample it [to make it soft], and put it into molds to make bricks [to repair the walls]!
Fais ta provision d'eau pour le siège, fortifie tes remparts, broie la glaise et foule l'argile, répare les fours à briques!
15 [Nevertheless, your enemies] will burn your [city]; they will kill you with their swords; they will kill you like [SIM] locusts [destroy crops].
Là le feu te dévorera, l'épée te détruira, te dévorera comme l'attelabe, quand tu serais nombreuse comme l'attelabe, nombreuse comme la sauterelle.
16 In your [city] there are now very many merchants; [it seems that] there are more of them than there are stars. But [when your city is being destroyed, those merchants will take the valuable things and disappear] [like] [SIM] locusts that strip the leaves from plants and [then] fly away.
Tu as plus de marchands qu'il n'y a d'étoiles au ciel; l'attelabe déploie ses ailes et prend son vol.
17 Your leaders are [also] like a swarm of [SIM] locusts [DOU] that crowd together on the stone fences/walls on a cold day, and [then] fly away when the sun comes up, and no one knows where they have gone.
Tes princes sont nombreux comme les sauterelles, et tes chefs comme les locustes qui se posent sur les murailles au temps froid: le soleil se lève-t-il, elles fuient, et on ignore le lieu où elles sont.
18 O King of Assyria, your officials will [all] be dead [EUP]; your important people will lie down and rest [forever]. Your people will be scattered over the mountains, and there will no one to gather them [together].
Tes bergers sommeillent, roi d'Assur, tes généraux reposent; ton peuple est disséminé sur les montagnes, et nul ne le rassemble.
19 You [are like someone who] has a wound that cannot be healed; [it will be] a wound that causes him to die. And all those who hear about what has happened to you will clap their hands [joyfully]. [They will say, ] “Everyone has [RHQ] suffered because he continually was [very] cruel to us.”
Point de remède à ta blessure! ta plaie est incurable. Tous ceux qui ouïront parler de toi, battront des mains sur toi; car sur qui ne s'est pas étendue ta méchanceté incessamment?
