< Juges 15 >

1 Mais au bout de quelque temps, au moment de la moisson des blés, Samson rendit visite à sa femme avec un chevreau. Il dit: « Je vais entrer dans la chambre de ma femme. » Mais son père ne lui permit pas d'entrer.
And a while after, when the days of the wheat harvest were at hand, Samson came, meaning to visit his wife, and he brought her a kid of the flock. And when he would have gone into her chamber as usual, her father would not suffer him, saying:
2 Son père dit: « J'ai bien cru que tu la détestais; c'est pourquoi je l'ai donnée à ton compagnon. Sa jeune sœur n'est-elle pas plus belle qu'elle? S'il te plaît, prends-la à sa place. »
I thought thou hadst hated her, and therefore I gave her to thy friend: but she hath a sister, who is younger and fairer than she, take her to wife instead of her.
3 Samson leur dit: « Cette fois, je serai irréprochable à l'égard des Philistins quand je leur ferai du mal. »
And Samson answered him: From this day I shall be blameless in what I do against the Philistines: for I will do you evils.
4 Samson alla attraper trois cents renards, prit des torches, tourna la queue contre la queue et mit une torche au milieu entre deux queues.
And he went and caught three hundred foxes, and coupled them tail to tail, and fastened torches between the tails.
5 Quand il eut mis le feu aux torches, il les lança dans le blé sur pied des Philistins, et brûla tant les chocs que le blé sur pied, et aussi les oliviers.
And setting them on fire he let the foxes go, that they might run about hither and thither. And they presently went into the standing corn of the Philistines. Which being set on fire, both the corn that was already carried together, and that which was yet standing, was all burnt, insomuch, that the flame consumed also the vineyards and the oliveyards.
6 Alors les Philistins dirent: « Qui a fait cela? » Ils dirent: « Samson, le gendre du Timnite, car il a pris sa femme et l'a donnée à son compagnon. » Les Philistins montèrent, et la brûlèrent au feu, elle et son père.
Then the Philistines said: Who hath done this thing? And it was answered: Samson the son in law of the Thamnathite, because he took away his wife, and gave her to another, hath done these things. And the Philistines went up and burnt both the woman and her father.
7 Samson leur dit: « Si vous vous comportez ainsi, je me vengerai de vous, et après cela je cesserai. »
But Samson said to them: Although you have done this, yet will I be revenged of you, and then I will be quiet.
8 Il les frappa de la hanche et de la cuisse avec un grand coup de massue; puis il descendit et habita dans la caverne du rocher d'Etam.
And he made a great slaughter of them, so that in astonishment they laid the calf of the leg upon the thigh. And going down he dwelt in a cavern of the rock Etam.
9 Et les Philistins montèrent, campèrent en Juda, et se répandirent à Léhi.
Then the Philistines going up into the land of Juda, camped in the place which afterwards was called Lechi, that is, the Jawbone, where their army was spread.
10 Les hommes de Juda dirent: « Pourquoi êtes-vous venus contre nous? » Ils ont dit: « Nous sommes montés pour lier Samson, pour lui faire ce qu'il nous a fait. »
And the men of the tribe of Juda said to them: Why are you come up against us? They answered: We are come to bind Samson, and to pay him for what he hath done against us.
11 Et trois mille hommes de Juda descendirent à la grotte du rocher d'Etam et dirent à Samson: « Ne sais-tu pas que les Philistins nous dominent? Qu'est-ce donc que tu nous as fait? » Il leur a dit: « Ce qu'ils m'ont fait, je le leur ai fait. »
Wherefore three thousand men of Juda, went down to the cave of the rock Etam, and said to Samson: Knowest thou not that the Philistines rule over us? Why wouldst thou do thus? And he said to them: As they did to me, so have I done to them.
12 Ils lui dirent: « Nous sommes descendus pour te lier, afin de te livrer entre les mains des Philistins. » Samson leur a dit: « Jurez-moi que vous ne m'attaquerez pas vous-mêmes. »
And they said to him, We are come to bind thee and to deliver thee into the hands of the Philistines. And Samson said to them: Swear to me, and promise me, that you will not kill me.
13 Ils lui dirent: « Non, mais nous te lierons solidement et nous te livrerons entre leurs mains; mais sûrement nous ne te tuerons pas. » Ils le lièrent avec deux cordes neuves, et le firent remonter du rocher.
They said: We will not kill thee: but we will deliver thee up bound. And they bound him with two new cords, and brought him from the rock Etam.
14 Lorsqu'il arriva à Léhi, les Philistins poussèrent des cris de joie en le rencontrant. Alors l'Esprit de Yahvé vint puissamment sur lui, et les cordes qui étaient à ses bras devinrent comme du lin brûlé au feu, et ses ceintures tombèrent de ses mains.
Now when he was come to the place of the Jawbone, and the Philistines shouting went to meet him, the spirit of the Lord came strongly upon him: and as the flax is wont to be consumed at the approach of fire, so the bands with which he was bound were broken and loosed.
15 Il trouva une mâchoire fraîche d'un âne, étendit la main, la prit et en frappa mille hommes.
And finding a jawbone, even the jawbone of an ass which lay there, catching it up, be slew therewith a thousand men.
16 Samson dit: « Avec la mâchoire d'un âne, des monceaux de monceaux, avec la mâchoire d'un âne, j'ai frappé mille hommes. »
And he said: With the jawbone of an ass, with the jaw of the colt of asses I have destroyed them, and have slain a thousand men.
17 Quand il eut fini de parler, il jeta la mâchoire de sa main; et ce lieu fut appelé Ramath Léhi.
And when he had ended these words singing, he threw the jawbone out of his hand, and called the name of that place Ramathlechi, which is interpreted the lifting up of the jawbone.
18 Il avait très soif, et il invoqua Yahvé en disant: « Tu as accordé cette grande délivrance par la main de ton serviteur; et maintenant, vais-je mourir de soif, et tomber entre les mains des incirconcis? »
Arid being very thirsty, he cried to the Lord, and said: Thou hast given this very great deliverance and victory into the hand of thy servant: and behold I die for thirst, and shall fall into the hands of the uncircumcised.
19 Mais Dieu fendit le creux qui est à Léhi, et il en sortit de l'eau. Quand il eut bu, son esprit revint, et il revint à la vie. C'est pourquoi on l'a appelé jusqu'à ce jour En Hakkore, qui est à Léhi.
Then the Lord opened a great tooth in the jaw of the ass, and waters issued out of it. And when he had drank them he refreshed his spirit, and recovered his strength. Therefore the name of that place was called, The Spring of him that invoked from the jawbone, until this present day.
20 Il jugea Israël pendant vingt ans, au temps des Philistins.
And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years.

< Juges 15 >