Job 8
1 Alors Baldad de Suhé prit la parole et dit:
Then Bildad the Shuhite spoke up and said,
2 Jusques à quand tiendras-tu ces discours, et tes paroles seront-elles comme un souffle de tempête?
“How much longer will you go on talking like this? The words coming out of your mouth are a lot of hot air!
3 Est-ce que Dieu fait fléchir le droit, ou bien le Tout-Puissant renverse-t-il la justice?
Does God pervert justice? Does the Almighty pervert what is right?
4 Si tes fils ont péché contre lui, il les a livrés aux mains de leur iniquité.
Your children must have sinned against him, and so they deserved the punishment he inflicted on them.
5 Pour toi, si tu as recours à Dieu, si tu implores le Tout-Puissant,
But if you pray to God and ask for his help,
6 si tu es droit et pur, alors il veillera sur toi, il rendra le bonheur à la demeure de ta justice;
if you live a clean life and do what is right, then he would act to make things right for you in your home.
7 ton premier état semblera peu de chose, tant le second sera florissant.
Though you began with next to nothing, you will end up with so much!
8 Interroge les générations passées, sois attentif à l’expérience des pères: —
Why don't you ask what previous generations discovered, examine what our ancestors found out? We were born yesterday and don't know anything!
9 car nous sommes d’hier, et nous ne savons rien, nos jours sur la terre passent comme l’ombre; —
Our days on earth fade as quickly as a passing shadow.
10 ne vont-ils pas t’enseigner, te parler, et de leur cœur tirer des sentences:
Won't they teach you and explain what they know?
11 « Le papyrus croît-il en dehors des marais? Le jonc s’élève-t-il sans eau?
Can papyrus grow where there is no marsh? Can reeds grow without water?
12 Encore tendre, sans qu’on le coupe, il sèche avant toute herbe.
Even without being cut, while they are still flowering, they wither faster than grass.
13 Telles sont les voies de tous ceux qui oublient Dieu; l’espérance de l’impie périra.
This is what happens to everyone who forgets God. The hopes of those who live without God come to nothing.
14 Sa confiance sera brisée; son assurance ressemble à la toile de l’araignée.
Their confidence is like holding on to a flimsy spider's web.
15 Il s’appuie sur sa maison, et elle ne tient pas; il s’y attache, et elle ne reste pas debout.
They look to their home to provide security, but it provides no support. They try to hang onto it, but it doesn't last.
16 Il est plein de vigueur, au soleil, ses rameaux s’étendent sur son jardin,
Those who live without God are like a luxuriant plant growing in the sun, spreading its shoots all over the garden.
17 ses racines s’entrelacent parmi les pierres, il plonge jusqu’aux profondeurs du roc.
It twists its roots down through the stones, and holds on to rock.
18 Si Dieu l’arrache de sa place, sa place le renie: Je ne t’ai jamais vu.
But when it's cut down, the place where it was disowns it, saying, ‘I never even saw you.’
19 C’est là que sa joie se termine, et du même sol d’autres s’élèveront après lui. »
Its life is over, and others spring up from the earth to take its place.
20 Non, Dieu ne rejette pas l’innocent, il ne prend pas la main des malfaiteurs.
Look, God doesn't reject someone who is innocent, and he doesn't support those who are guilty.
21 Il remplira ta bouche d’éclats de rire, et mettra sur tes lèvres des chants d’allégresse.
He can make you laugh with happiness again and shout for joy.
22 Tes ennemis seront couverts de honte, et la tente des méchants disparaîtra.
Those who hate you will be put to shame, and the place where the wicked live will be destroyed.”
