Job 20
1 Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said,
Çophar de Naama prit la parole et dit:
2 “My thoughts make me answer quickly because of the worry that is in me.
Eh bien! Mes réflexions m’incitent à répliquer et aussi les impressions que je ressens.
3 I hear a rebuke that dishonors me, but a spirit from my understanding answers me.
Quand j’entends des reproches qui sont un affront pour moi, ma raison me dicte une réponse.
4 Do you not know this fact from ancient times, when God placed man on earth:
Connais-tu ce fait qui a existé de tout temps, depuis que l’homme est placé sur la terre:
5 the triumph of a wicked man is short, and the joy of a godless man lasts only for a moment?
que le triomphe des méchants est éphémère et que la joie du pervers ne dure qu’un instant?
6 Though his height reaches up to the heavens, and his head reaches to the clouds,
Dût sa stature monter jusqu’au ciel et sa tête atteindre les nuages,
7 yet such a person will perish permanently like his own feces; those who have seen him will say, 'Where is he?'
aussi sûrement que ses excréments, il périra sans retour: ceux qui le voyaient diront: "Où est-il?"
8 He will fly away like a dream and will not be found; indeed, he will be chased away like a vision of the night.
Comme un songe, il s’envole, et l’on perd ses traces; il s’évanouit comme une vision nocturne.
9 The eye that saw him will see him no more; his place will see him no longer.
L’Œil qui l’a contemplé ne le découvre plus; sa demeure n’a plus de regard pour lui.
10 His children will apologize to poor people; his hands will have to give back his wealth.
Ses fils devront solliciter la pitié des pauvres, et ses propres mains restituer la fortune acquise.
11 His bones are full of youthful strength, but it will lie down with him in the dust.
Ses membres, tout pleins encore de vigueur juvénile, se verront couchés dans la poussière.
12 Although wickedness is sweet in his mouth, although he hides it under his tongue,
S’Il arrive que la perversité soit douce à sa bouche, qu’il la fasse glisser sous sa langue;
13 although he holds it there and does not let it go but keeps it still in his mouth—
qu’il la ménage longtemps, ne cessant de la savourer, et la retienne encore au fond de son palais,
14 the food in his intestines turns bitter; it becomes the poison of asps inside him.
alors son aliment se transforme dans ses entrailles et devient dans son sein l’amer venin de l’aspic.
15 He swallows down riches, but he will vomit them up again; God will cast them out of his stomach.
Il a dévoré une fortune et il faut qu’il la rejette: Dieu l’expulsera de ses intestins.
16 He will suck the poison of asps; the viper's tongue will kill him.
C’Est du poison d’aspic qu’il suçait: il périra par la langue de la vipère.
17 He will not enjoy the streams, the torrents of honey and butter.
Qu’il n’espère point se délecter aux flots des ruisseaux de miel, des torrents de lait!
18 He will give back the fruit of his labor and will not be able to eat it; he will not enjoy the wealth earned by his commerce.
Il faut qu’il rende le fruit de son labeur, avant de le consommer; il en sera de même des biens qu’il s’est acquis par ses échanges: il n’en tirera aucun plaisir.
19 For he has oppressed and neglected poor people; he has violently taken away houses that he did not build.
C’Est qu’il a écrasé les faibles et les a abandonnés à eux-mêmes; il a ruiné des maisons par la rapine et ne les a point rebâties.
20 Because he has known no satisfaction himself, he will not be able to save anything in which he takes pleasure.
C’Est qu’il n’a pas connu la paix intérieure: il ne sauvera rien de ses plus chers trésors.
21 There is nothing left that he did not devour; therefore his prosperity will not be permanent.
Rien n’échappait à ses appétits; aussi son bien-être n’aura-t-il aucune durée.
22 In the abundance of his wealth he will fall into trouble; the hand of everyone who is in poverty will come against him.
Alors qu’il regorge de biens, il est dans la gêne; la main de tout misérable s’abattra sur lui.
23 When he is about to fill his stomach, God will throw the fierceness of his wrath on him; God will rain it down on him while he is eating.
Dieu se dispose à lui bourrer le ventre en lâchant contre lui son ardente colère, en la faisant pleuvoir sur lui en guise de nourriture.
24 Although that man will flee from the iron weapon, a bow of bronze will shoot him.
II voudra fuir les armes de fer: il sera transpercé par un arc d’airain.
25 He pulls it out of his back and the gleaming point comes out of his liver. Terrors come over him.
La flèche qui l’atteint, il la retire de son corps; elle sort étincelante du foie qu’elle a percé; l’épouvante le saisit.
26 Complete darkness is reserved for his treasures; a fire not fanned will devour him; it will consume what is left in his tent.
Tous les noirs désastres menacent les trésors qu’il a amassés; un feu que personne n’a attisé le consume et dévore tout ce qui est resté dans sa demeure.
27 The heavens will reveal his iniquity, and the earth will rise up against him as a witness.
Les cieux dénoncent son crime et la terre se soulève contre lui.
28 The wealth of his house will vanish; his goods will flow away on the day of God's wrath.
Les biens de sa maison s’en vont; tout s’écroule au jour de la colère divine.
29 This is the wicked man's portion from God, the heritage reserved for him by God.”
Telle est la part que Dieu réserve à l’homme pervers; tel est l’héritage qui lui est destiné par la parole du Tout-Puissant.
