Psalms 78
1 My friends, listen to what I am going to teach you; pay careful attention [IDM] to what I say.
Maskîl d’Assaph. Ecoute, ô mon peuple, mon enseignement, prête l’oreille aux paroles de ma bouche.
2 I am going to give you some sayings that wise people have said. They will be sayings about things that happened long ago, things that were difficult to understand [MET],
J’Ouvre les lèvres pour des sentences poétiques, j’énonce des aphorismes venant des temps anciens.
3 things that we have heard and known previously, things that our parents and grandparents told us.
Ce que nous connaissons pour l’avoir entendu, ce que nos pères nous ont raconté,
4 We will tell these things to our children [LIT], and we will also tell to our grandchildren [about] Yahweh’s power and the glorious/great things that he has done.
nous ne le laissons pas ignorer à leurs descendants; à la génération la plus reculée nous voulons raconter les œuvres glorieuses de l’Eternel, sa puissance et les merveilles qu’il a accomplies.
5 He gave laws and commandments to the Israeli people, [those who are the descendants of] Jacob [DOU], and he told our ancestors to teach them to their children
Il a établi un code dans Jacob, institué une loi en Israël; et il ordonna à nos pères de les enseigner à leurs enfants,
6 in order that their children would [also] know them and then they would teach them to their children.
pour que la génération future soit mise au courant, pour que les enfants qui viendraient à naître se lèvent et à leur tour en instruisent leurs fils.
7 In that way, they also would trust in God, and not forget the things that he has done; instead, they would obey his commandments.
Qu’ils mettent donc leur confiance en Dieu, se gardent d’oublier les hauts faits du Tout-Puissant, et observent ses prescriptions!
8 They would not be like their ancestors, who were very stubborn and kept rebelling [against God]; they did not continue firmly trusting in God, and they did not worship only him.
Et qu’ils ne soient pas, comme leurs ancêtres, une génération insoumise et rebelle, une génération au cœur inconstant et à l’esprit non sincèrement fidèle à Dieu.
9 [The soldiers of] the tribe of Ephraim had bows [and arrows] but they ran away [from their enemies] on the day that they fought a battle with their enemies.
Les fils d’Ephraïm, armés de l’arc, habiles tireurs, ont tourné le dos au jour du combat!
10 They did not do what they had agreed with God that they would do; they refused to obey his laws.
Ils ont répudié l’alliance de Dieu et refusé de suivre sa loi.
11 They forgot what he had done; they forgot about the miracles that they had seen him perform.
Ils ont oublié ses grandes œuvres et ses merveilles, dont il les avait rendus témoins.
12 While our ancestors were watching, God performed miracles in the area around Zoan [city] in Egypt.
Sous les yeux de leurs pères il accomplit des prodiges, sur la terre d’Egypte, dans les champs de Çoân.
13 [Then] he caused the [Red] Sea to divide, causing the water [on each side] to pile up like a wall, with the result that [our ancestors] walked through it [on dry ground].
Il fendit la mer pour leur ouvrir un passage, fit se dresser les ondes comme une digue.
14 He led them by a [bright] cloud during the day and by a fiery light during the night.
Le jour, il les dirigeait au moyen de la nuée, et toute la nuit, par l’éclat du feu.
15 He split rocks open in the desert, giving to our ancestors plenty of water from deep inside the earth.
Il entrouvrit des roches dans le désert, et offrit à leur soif des flots abondants.
16 He caused a stream of water to flow from the rock; the water flowed like a river [DOU].
Il fit jaillir des torrents du granit et couler les eaux comme des fleuves.
17 But [our ancestors] continued to sin against God; in the desert they rebelled against the one who is greater than any other god.
Mais ils continuèrent à pécher contre lui, à s’insurger contre le Très-Haut dans ces régions arides.
18 By demanding that God give them the food that they desired, they tried to find out if he would always do what they requested him to do.
Au fond de leur cœur, ils mirent Dieu à l’épreuve, en demandant une nourriture selon leur goût.
19 They insulted God by saying, “We don’t think he can supply food for us [here] in this desert!
Ils tinrent des propos contre Dieu, disant:
20 [It is true that] he struck the rock, with the result that water gushed/flowed out, [but] (can he also provide bread and meat for [us], his people?/we doubt that he can also provide bread and meat for us, his people.)” [RHQ]
"Dieu pourra-t-il dresser une table dans le désert? Sans doute il a frappé un rocher, et les eaux ont jailli, des torrents se sont précipités: pourra-t-il aussi donner du pain? Sera-t-il capable d’apprêter de la viande à son peuple?"
21 So, when Yahweh heard that, he became very angry, and he sent a fire to burn up [some of] his Israeli [people]. [MTY, DOU]
C’Est pourquoi l’Eternel, les ayant entendus, s’irrita; un feu s’alluma contre Jacob, et sa colère s’éleva contre Israël,
22 [He did that] because they did not trust in him, and they did not believe that he would rescue them.
parce qu’ils n’avaient pas eu foi en Dieu, ni témoigné de leur confiance en son secours.
23 But God spoke to the sky above them; he commanded it to open [like] a door,
Il commanda aux nuages d’en haut, et ouvrit les portes du ciel.
24 and [then food] fell down like rain, [food which they named] ‘manna’; God gave them grain from (heaven/the sky).
Il fit pleuvoir sur eux de la manne comme nourriture, et leur octroya du blé céleste.
25 [So] the people ate the food that angels eat, [and] God gave to them all the manna that they wanted.
Tous eurent à manger de ce pain de délices: il leur avait envoyé des vivres à satiété.
26 [Later], he caused the wind to blow from the east, and by his power he also sent wind from the south,
Puis il abattit le vent d’Est sous les cieux, et sa puissance déchaîna le vent du Midi.
27 and the wind brought birds which were as numerous as the grains of sand on the seashore.
Il fit pleuvoir sur eux de la viande dru comme la poussière, des oiseaux ailés nombreux comme le sable de la mer;
28 God caused those birds to fall [dead] in the middle of (their camp)/the area where the people had put up their tents. [There were dead birds] all around their tents.
il les fit tomber au milieu de leur camp, tout autour de leurs tentes.
29 [So] the people [cooked the birds and] ate the meat and their stomachs were full, because God had given them what they wanted.
Ils mangèrent et furent pleinement rassasiés: il leur accorda l’objet de leur convoitise.
30 But before they had eaten all that they wanted, and while they were still eating it,
Eux n’avaient pas encore assouvi leur désir, la nourriture était encore dans leur bouche,
31 God was [still] very angry with them, and he caused their strongest men to die; he got rid of [many of] the finest [young] Israeli men.
que la colère de Dieu s’éleva contre eux; il en décima les plus vigoureux et coucha à terre les gens d’élite en Israël.
32 In spite of all that, the people continued to sin; in spite of all the miracles that God had performed, they still did not trust that he [would take care of them].
Malgré cela ils péchèrent encore, et n’ajoutèrent point foi à ses merveilles.
33 So, he caused their lives to end as quickly as a puff of wind ends; they died when disasters suddenly struck them.
Il mit donc fin à leurs jours par un souffle, à leurs années par des coups soudains.
34 When God caused [some of] them to die, [the others] turned to God; they repented and earnestly asked God [to save them].
Quand il les faisait ainsi périr, ils le recherchaient; venant à résipiscence, ils se mettaient en quête de Dieu.
35 They remembered that God is [like] a huge rock ledge [under which they would be safe] [MET], and that he, who was greater than any other god, is the one who protected/rescued them.
Alors ils se souvenaient que Dieu était leur rocher, le Dieu suprême leur libérateur.
36 But they [tried to] deceive God by what they said [MTY]; their words [MTY] were [all] lies.
Ils l’amadouaient avec leur bouche, en paroles ils lui offraient des hommages menteurs,
37 They were not loyal to him; they disregarded/ignored the agreement that he had made with them.
mais leur cœur n’était pas de bonne foi à son égard; ils n’étaient pas sincèrement attachés à son alliance.
38 But God was merciful to his people. He forgave them for having sinned and did not get rid of them. Many times he refrained from becoming angry [with them] and restrained from furiously/severely [punishing them] [MTY].
Mais lui, plein de miséricorde, pardonne les fautes, pour ne pas consommer des ruines; bien souvent il laisse sa colère s’apaiser, et n’a garde de déchaîner tout son courroux.
39 He remembered/considered that they were only humans who die; they [disappear quickly] [SIM], like a wind that blows by and then is gone.
Il se souvint donc que c’étaient de faibles créatures, un souffle qui s’évanouit sans retour.
40 Many times our ancestors rebelled against God in the desert and caused him to become very sad.
Que de fois ils s’insurgèrent contre lui dans le désert et l’offensèrent dans ces lieux solitaires!
41 Many times they did evil things, to find out [if they could do those things without God punishing them]. They frequently caused the holy God of Israel to become disgusted/sad.
Ils revenaient sans cesse à la charge, mettant à l’épreuve le Tout-Puissant, et défiant le Saint d’Israël.
42 They forgot about his [great] power, and they (forgot/did not think) about the time when he rescued them from their enemies.
Ils étaient oublieux de sa puissance, oublieux du jour où il les délivra de l’ennemi;
43 They forgot about when he performed many miracles in the area near Zoan [city] in Egypt.
car il fit éclater ses prodiges en Egypte, et ses miracles dans les champs de Çoân.
44 He caused the [Nile] River (OR, their sources of water) to become [red like] blood, with the result that the people of Egypt had no water to drink.
Il changea en sang leurs fleuves, et leurs cours d’eau ne furent plus potables.
45 He sent among the people of Egypt swarms of flies that bit them, and he sent frogs that ate up everything.
Il lança contre eux des bêtes malfaisantes pour les dévorer, des grenouilles pour les ruiner.
46 He sent locusts to eat their crops and the other things that grew in their fields.
Il livra leurs plantations aux locustes, et le produit de leur travail aux sauterelles.
47 He sent hail that destroyed the grapevines, and sent frost that ruined the figs.
Par la grêle il fit périr leurs vignes, et leurs sycomores par les giboulées.
48 He sent hail that killed their cattle and sent lightning that killed their sheep and cows.
Il abandonna leur bétail en proie à la grêle, et leurs troupeaux aux ravages de la foudre.
49 Because God was fiercely angry with the people of Egypt, he caused them to be very distressed. The disasters that struck them were like a group of angels that destroyed [everything].
Il lâcha sur eux le feu de sa colère, courroux, malédiction et fléaux, tout un essaim d’anges malfaisants.
50 He did not lessen his being angry [with them], and he did not (spare their lives/prevent them from dying); he sent a (plague/serious illness) that killed [many of] them.
Il donna libre cours à sa colère, ne les préserva pas eux-mêmes de la mort, mais les fit succomber, victimes de la peste.
51 He also caused all the firstborn sons of the people of Egypt to die.
Il frappa tout premier-né en Egypte, les prémices de leur vigueur dans les tentes de Cham.
52 Then he led his people out [of Egypt] like [a shepherd leads] his sheep [SIM], and he guided them [while they walked] through the desert.
Il mit en marche son peuple comme des brebis, et les conduisit comme un troupeau dans le désert.
53 He led them safely, and they were not afraid, but their enemies were drowned in the sea.
Il les fit avancer en sécurité, sans qu’ils eussent rien à craindre, alors que la mer s’était refermée sur leurs ennemis.
54 [Later] he brought them to [Canaan], his sacred land, to [Zion] Hill (OR, the hilly area) and by his power [MTY] he enabled them to conquer [the people who were living there].
Il les amena sur son saint territoire, sur cette montagne acquise par sa droite.
55 He expelled the people-groups while his people were advancing; he allotted part of the land for [each tribe] to possess, and he gave to the Israeli people the houses of those people who had been expelled.
Il chassa des peuplades devant eux, leur en distribua le pays par lots héréditaires, et établit dans leurs tentes les tribus d’Israël.
56 However, the Israeli people rebelled against God, who is greater than any other god, and they did many evil things to see if they could do those things without God punishing them, and they did not obey his commandments.
Mais, redevenus rebelles, ils tentèrent le Dieu suprême, et cessèrent d’observer ses statuts.
57 Instead, like their ancestors did, they rebelled against God and (were not loyal to/did not faithfully [obey]) him; they were as [unreliable as] a crooked arrow [that does not go straight] [SIM].
Ils se dévoyèrent, devinrent infidèles comme leurs pères, se retournèrent comme un arc perfide.
58 Because they [worshiped] carved images of their gods on the tops of hills, they caused God to become angry [DOU].
Ils irritèrent Dieu par leurs hauts lieux, et, par leurs images sculptées, allumèrent sa jalousie.
59 He saw what they were doing and became very angry, so he rejected the Israeli people.
Dieu entendit et s’emporta, eut un profond dégoût d’Israël.
60 He no longer appeared to them at Shiloh in the tent where he had lived among them.
Il délaissa la résidence de Silo, le tabernacle qu’il avait établi parmi les hommes.
61 He allowed their enemies to capture [the sacred chest], [which was the symbol of] his power and his glory.
Il laissa s’en aller en captivité sa puissance, et sa gloire tomber entre les mains de l’ennemi.
62 Because he was angry with his people, he allowed them to be killed [MTY] [by their enemies].
Il livra son peuple au glaive, et s’emporta contre son héritage.
63 Young men were killed in battles, with the result that the young women had no one to marry.
Ses jeunes gens, le feu les dévora, ses jeunes filles ne connurent aucun chant d’hyménée.
64 [Many] priests were killed by [their enemies’] swords, and (the people did not allow the priests’ widows/the priests’ widows were not allowed) to mourn.
Ses prêtres tombèrent par l’épée, et ses veuves ne pleurèrent point.
65 Later, [it was as though] the Lord awoke from sleeping; he was like a strong man who (became stimulated/felt that he was strong) by (OR, became sober after) [drinking] a lot of wine [SIM].
Alors le Seigneur se réveilla, tel un homme qui a dormi, tel un guerrier exalté par le vin.
66 He pushed their enemies back and caused them to be [very] ashamed for a long time [HYP] [because they had been defeated].
Ses coups firent reculer ses adversaires: il leur infligea un opprobre éternel.
67 [But] he did not set up his tent where [the people of] the tribe of Ephraim lived; he did not choose their area [to do that].
Mais il rejeta le tabernacle de Joseph, et cessa de préférer la tribu d’Ephraïm.
68 Instead he chose [the area where] the tribe of Judah [lived]; he chose Zion Hill, which he loves.
Il porta son choix sur la tribu de Juda, sur le mont Sion, qu’il avait pris en affection;
69 He [decided to have] his temple built [there], high up, like [his home in] heaven; he caused it to be firm, [and intended that] his temple would last forever, like the earth.
il bâtit son sanctuaire, solide comme les hauteurs célestes, comme la terre qu’il a fondée pour l’éternité.
70 He chose David, who served him [faithfully], and took him from the pastures
Il élut David, son serviteur, et lui fit quitter les parcs des troupeaux.
71 where he was taking care of his [father’s] sheep, and appointed him to be the leader [MET] of the Israeli people, the people who belong to God.
Du milieu des brebis allaitant leurs petits, il l’amena pour être le pasteur de Jacob, son peuple, et d’Israël, son héritage.
72 David took care of the Israeli people sincerely and wholeheartedly, and guided them skillfully/wisely.
Et lui, David, fut leur pasteur selon l’intégrité de son cœur, et les dirigea d’une main habile.
