Numbers 23
1 Balaam said to King Balak, “Build seven altars for me here. Then kill seven young bulls and seven rams [for a sacrifice].”
Et Balaam dit à Balac: Bâtis-moi ici sept autels, et prépare-moi ici sept veaux et sept béliers.
2 So Balak did that. And then he and Balaam each burned a young bull and a ram [as a sacrifice] on each altar.
Et Balac fit comme Balaam avait dit; et Balac offrit avec Balaam un veau et un bélier sur chaque autel.
3 Then Balaam said to Balak, “You stand here close to your burned offerings, and I will go and ask Yahweh if he has something else to tell me. Then I will tell you what he says to me.” Then Balaam went by himself to the top of a hill,
Puis Balaam dit à Balac: Tiens-toi auprès de ton holocauste, et je m'en irai; peut-être que l'Eternel viendra à ma rencontre, et je te rapporterai tout ce qu'il m'aura fait voir; ainsi il se retira à l'écart.
4 and God appeared to him there. Balaam said to him, “We have built seven altars, and I have killed and burned a young bull and a ram [as a sacrifice to you] on each altar.”
Et Dieu vint au-devant de Balaam, et [Balaam] lui dit: J'ai dressé sept autels, et j'ai sacrifié un veau et un bélier sur chaque autel.
5 Then Yahweh gave Balaam a message to give to King Balak. Then he said, “Go back and tell him what I told you.”
Et l'Eternel mit la parole en la bouche de Balaam, et lui dit: Retourne à Balac, et lui parle ainsi.
6 When Balaam returned to Balak, Balak was standing with the leaders from Moab beside the offerings he had burned [on the altar].
Il s'en retourna donc vers lui; et voici, il se tenait auprès de son holocauste, tant lui que tous les Seigneurs de Moab.
7 This is the message that Balaam told them: “Balak, the King of Moab, summoned me to come here from Syria; he brought me here from the hills at the eastern side of Syria. He said, ‘Come and curse the descendants of Jacob for me, saying that bad things will happen to these Israeli people!’
Alors [Balaam] proféra son discours sentencieux, et dit: Balac, Roi de Moab, m'a fait venir d'Aram, des montagnes d'Orient, [en me disant]: Viens, maudis-moi Jacob; viens, [dis-je], déteste Israël.
8 But (how can I curse people whom God has not cursed?/I certainly cannot curse people whom God has not cursed!) [RHQ] (How can I condemn people whom Yahweh has not condemned?/I cannot condemn people whom Yahweh has not condemned!) [RHQ]
[Mais] comment le maudirai-je? le [Dieu] Fort ne l'a point maudit; et comment le détesterai-je? l'Eternel ne l'a point détesté.
9 I have seen them from the tops of the rocky peaks. I see that they are a group of people who live by themselves; they have separated themselves from other nations.
Car je le regarderai du sommet des rochers, et je le contemplerai des coteaux. Voilà, ce peuple habitera à part, et il ne sera point mis entre les nations.
10 (Who can count the descendants of Jacob; they are as numerous as particles of (dust/dirt)?/No one can count the descendants of Jacob; they are as numerous as particles of (dust/dirt)!) [RHQ] (Who can count even a quarter of the Israeli people?/No one can count even a quarter of the Israeli people!) [RHQ] I wish/hope that I will die like righteous people die; I hope that I will die [peacefully] like they will die.”
Qui est-ce qui comptera la poudre de Jacob, et le nombre de la quatrième partie d'Israël? Que je meure de la mort des justes, et que ma fin soit semblable à la leur!
11 Then Balak said, “What have you done to me [RHQ]? I brought you here to curse my enemies, but instead you have (blessed them/asked Yahweh to bless them)!”
Alors Balac dit à Balaam: Que m'as-tu fait? Je t'avais pris pour maudire mes ennemis, et voici, tu les as bénis très-expressément.
12 But Balaam replied, “I can [RHQ] say only what Yahweh tells me to say. I cannot say anything else.”
Et il répondit, et dit: Ne prendrais-je pas garde de dire ce que l'Eternel aura mis en ma bouche?
13 Then King Balak told Balaam, “Come with me to another place. There you will see only part of the Israeli people, and you will be able to curse those people for me.”
Alors Balac lui dit: Viens, je te prie, avec moi en un autre lieu d'où tu le puisses voir, [car] tu en voyais seulement une extrémité, et tu ne le voyais pas tout entier; maudis-le moi de là.
14 So Balak took Balaam to a field on the top of Pisgah [Mountain]. There, again he built seven altars and offered a young bull and a ram [as a sacrifice] on each altar.
Puis l'ayant conduit au territoire de Tsophim vers le sommet de Pisga, il bâtit sept autels, et offrit un veau et un bélier sur chaque autel.
15 Then Balaam said to the king, “Stand here close to your burned offerings, while I go and talk with Yahweh.”
Alors [Balaam] dit à Balac: Tiens-toi ici auprès de ton holocauste, et je m'en irai à la rencontre de [Dieu], comme [j'ai déjà fait].
16 So Balaam did that, and Yahweh appeared to Balaam again and gave him another message. Then he said, “Go back to Balak and tell him that message.”
L'Eternel donc vint au-devant de Balaam, et mit la parole en sa bouche, et lui dit: Retourne à Balac, et lui parle ainsi.
17 So Balaam returned to where the king and the leaders from Moab were standing, next to the altar where Balak had burned the sacrifices. Balak asked him, “What did Yahweh say?”
Et il vint à Balac, et voici, il se tenait auprès de son holocauste, et les Seigneurs de Moab avec lui. Et Balac lui dit: Qu'est-ce que l'Eternel a prononcé?
18 Then Balaam told him this message: “Balak, listen carefully; hear what I have to say, you son of Zippor [DOU]!
Alors il proféra à haute voix son discours sentencieux, et dit: Lève-toi, Balac, et écoute; fils de Tsippor, prête-moi l'oreille.
19 God is not a human being. Humans lie, but God never lies. He never changes his mind/thoughts, as humans do. Whatever he has said that he will do, he does.
Le [Dieu] Fort n'est point homme pour mentir, ni fils d'homme pour se repentir; il a dit, et ne le fera-t-il point? il a parlé, et ne le ratifiera-t-il point?
20 He commanded me [to request him] to bless [the Israelis], So he has blessed them, and I cannot change that.
Voici, j'ai reçu [la parole] pour bénir; puisqu'il a béni, je ne le révoquerai point.
21 Yahweh their God is with/helping them; they have declared that he is their true king. So the descendants of Jacob will not be harmed; they will not have any troubles [DOU].
Il n'a point aperçu d'iniquité en Jacob, ni vu de perversité en Israël; l'Eternel son Dieu est avec lui, et il y a en lui un chant de triomphe royal.
22 God brought them out of Egypt [where they were slaves]; he is as strong as a wild ox.
Le [Dieu] Fort qui les a tirés d'Egypte, lui est comme les forces de la Licorne.
23 When people curse [PRS] the descendants of Jacob, they will not be harmed; when people work sorcery on them, it will have no power. So now people will say about the descendants of Jacob, ‘God has done wonderful things for the Israelis!’
Car il n'y a point d'enchantements contre Jacob, ni de divinations contre Israël. En pareille saison, il sera dit de Jacob et d'Israël: Qu'est-ce que le [Dieu] Fort a fait?
24 They are very strong, like lionesses that are ready to attack [other animals]; they stand firm like lions. The lions refuse to rest until they have [killed and] eaten their prey, and drunk the blood of the animals they slaughtered.”
Voici, ce peuple se lèvera comme un vieux lion, et se haussera comme un lion qui est dans sa force; il ne se couchera point qu'il n'ait mangé la proie, et bu le sang des blessés à mort.
25 Then Balak said to Balaam, “If you will not curse them, then [I certainly] do not [want you to] bless them!”
Alors Balac dit à Balaam: Et bien, ne le maudis point, mais au moins ne le bénis pas.
26 But Balaam replied, “I told you that I must do only what Yahweh tells me to do!”
Et Balaam répondit à Balac, [et dit]: N'est-ce pas ici ce que je t'ai dit, que tout ce que l'Eternel dirait, je le ferais.
27 Then King Balak said to Balaam, “Come with me; I will take you to another place. Perhaps it will please God to allow you to curse them from that place.”
Balac dit encore à Balaam: Viens maintenant, je te conduirai en un autre lieu; peut-être que Dieu trouvera bon que tu me le maudisses de là.
28 So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor [Mountain] where they could look down [and see the Israelis in] the desert.
Balac conduisit donc Balaam au sommet de Péhor, qui regarde du côté de Jésimon.
29 Balaam again told Balak, “Build me seven altars again and kill seven young bulls and seven rams [for a sacrifice].”
Et Balaam lui dit: Bâtis-moi ici sept autels, et apprête-moi ici sept veaux et sept béliers.
30 So Balak did what Balaam told him to do. He burned a young bull and a ram on each altar as sacrifices.
Balac fit donc comme Balaam lui avait dit; puis il offrit un veau et un bélier sur chaque autel.
