Psaumes 78
1 Cantique d’Asaph. Ecoute, ô mon peuple, mon enseignement; prête l’oreille aux paroles de ma bouche.
Maschil. Of Asaph. Give ear, O my people, to my law; let your ears be bent down to the words of my mouth.
2 Je vais ouvrir ma bouche pour dire des sentences, je publierai les mystères des temps anciens.
Opening my mouth I will give out a story, even the dark sayings of old times;
3 Ce que nous avons entendu, ce que nous avons appris, ce que nos pères nous ont raconté,
Which have come to our hearing and our knowledge, as they were given to us by our fathers.
4 nous ne le cacherons pas à leurs enfants; nous dirons à la génération future les louanges de Yahweh, et sa puissance, et les prodiges qu’il a opérés.
We will not keep them secret from our children; we will make clear to the coming generation the praises of the Lord and his strength, and the great works of wonder which he has done.
5 Il a mis une règle en Jacob, il a établi une loi en Israël, qu’il a enjoint à nos pères d’apprendre à leurs enfants,
He put up a witness in Jacob, and made a law in Israel; which he gave to our fathers so that they might give knowledge of them to their children;
6 pour qu’elles soient connues des générations suivantes, des enfants qui naîtraient et qui se lèveraient, pour les raconter à leur tour à leurs enfants.
So that the generation to come might have knowledge of them, even the children of the future, who would give word of them to their children;
7 Ainsi ils mettraient en Dieu leur confiance, ils n’oublieraient pas les œuvres de Dieu, et ils observeraient ses préceptes;
So that they might put their hope in God, and not let God's works go out of their minds, but keep his laws;
8 ils ne seraient point, comme leurs pères, une race indocile et rebelle, une race au cœur volage, dont l’esprit n’est pas fidèle à Dieu.
And not be like their fathers, a stiff-necked and uncontrolled generation; a generation whose heart was hard, whose spirit was not true to God.
9 Les fils d’Ephraïm, archers habiles à tirer de l’arc, ont tourné le dos au jour du combat;
The children of Ephraim, armed with bows, were turned back on the day of the fight.
10 ils n’ont pas gardé l’alliance de Dieu, ils ont refusé de marcher selon sa loi;
They were not ruled by God's word, and they would not go in the way of his law;
11 ils ont mis en oubli ses grandes œuvres, et les merveilles qu’il leur avait montrées.
They let his works go out of their memory, and the wonders which he had made them see.
12 Devant leurs pères, il avait fait des prodiges, au pays de l’Égypte, dans les campagnes de Tanis.
He did great works before the eyes of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the fields of Zoan.
13 Il ouvrit la mer pour les faire passer; Il retint les eaux dressées comme un monceau
The sea was cut in two so that they might go through; the waters were massed together on this side and on that.
14 Il les conduisit le jour par la nuée, et toute la nuit par un feu brillant.
In the daytime he was guiding them in the cloud, and all through the night with a light of fire.
15 Il fendit les rochers dans le désert, et il donna à boire comme des flots abondants.
The rocks of the waste land were broken by his power, and he gave them drink as out of the deep waters.
16 Du rocher il fit jaillir des ruisseaux, et couler l’eau par torrents.
He made streams come out of the rock; and waters came flowing down like rivers.
17 Mais ils continuèrent de pécher contre lui, de se révolter contre le Très-Haut dans le désert.
And they went on sinning against him even more, turning away from the Most High in the waste land;
18 Ils tentèrent Dieu dans leur cœur, en demandant de la nourriture selon leur convoitise.
Testing God in their hearts, requesting meat for their desire.
19 Ils parlèrent contre Dieu et dirent: « Dieu pourra-t-il dresser une table dans le désert?
They said bitter words against God, saying, Is God able to make ready a table in the waste land?
20 Voici qu’il a frappé le rocher, et des eaux ont coulé, et des torrents se sont répandus; pourra-t-il aussi nous donner du pain ou bien procurer de la viande à son peuple? »
See, the rock was cut open by his power, so that the water came rushing out, and overflowing streams; is he able to give us bread? is he able to get meat for his people?
21 Yahweh entendit et il fut irrité, un feu s’alluma contre Jacob, et la colère s’éleva contre Israël,
So these things came to the Lord's ears, and he was angry; and a fire was lighted against Jacob, and wrath came up against Israel;
22 parce qu’ils n’avaient pas eu foi en Dieu et n’avaient pas espéré en son secours.
Because they had no faith in God, and no hope in his salvation.
23 Cependant il commanda aux nuées d’en haut, et il ouvrit les portes du ciel;
And he gave orders to the clouds on high, and the doors of heaven were open;
24 il fit pleuvoir sur eux la manne pour les nourrir, et leur donna le froment du ciel.
And he sent down manna like rain for their food, and gave them the grain of heaven.
25 Chacun mangea le pain des forts, Il leur envoya de la nourriture à satiété.
Man took part in the food of strong ones; he sent them meat in full measure.
26 Il fit souffler dans le ciel le vent d’orient, il amena par sa puissance le vent du midi;
He sent an east wind from heaven, driving on the south wind by his power.
27 il fit pleuvoir sur eux la viande comme de la poussière, et les oiseaux ailés comme le sable des mers.
He sent down meat on them like dust, and feathered birds like the sand of the sea,
28 Il les fit tomber au milieu de leur camp, autour de leurs tentes.
And he let it come down into their resting-place, round about their tents.
29 Ils mangèrent et se rassasièrent à l’excès; Dieu leur donna ce qu’ils avaient désiré.
So they had food and were full; for he gave them their desire;
30 Ils n’avaient pas encore satisfait leur convoitise, et leur nourriture était encore à leur bouche,
But they were not turned from their desires; and while the food was still in their mouths,
31 quand la colère de Dieu s’éleva contre eux; il frappa de mort les mieux repus, il abattit les jeunes hommes d’Israël.
The wrath of God came on them, and put to death the fattest of them, and put an end to the young men of Israel.
32 Après tout cela, ils péchèrent encore, et n’eurent pas foi dans ses prodiges.
For all this they went on sinning even more, and had no faith in his great wonders.
33 Alors il dissipa leurs jours comme un souffle, et leurs années par une fin soudaine.
So their days were wasted like a breath, and their years in trouble.
34 Quand il les frappait de mort, ils le cherchaient, ils revenaient, empressés à retrouver Dieu,
When he sent death on them, then they made search for him; turning to him and looking for him with care;
35 ils se rappelaient que Dieu était leur rocher, et le Dieu Très-Haut leur libérateur.
In the memory that God was their Rock, and the Most High God their saviour.
36 Mais ils le trompaient par leurs paroles, et leur langue lui mentait;
But their lips were false to him, and their tongues were untrue to him;
37 leur cœur n’était pas ferme avec lui, ils n’étaient pas fidèles à son alliance.
And their hearts were not right with him, and they did not keep their agreement with him.
38 Mais lui est miséricordieux: il pardonne le péché et ne détruit pas; souvent il retint sa colère, et ne se livra pas à toute sa fureur.
But he, being full of pity, has forgiveness for sin, and does not put an end to man: frequently turning back his wrath, and not being violently angry.
39 Il se souvenait qu’ils n’étaient que chair, un souffle qui s’en va et ne revient plus.
So he kept in mind that they were only flesh; a breath which is quickly gone, and will not come again.
40 Que de fois ils se révoltèrent contre lui dans le désert, ils l’irritèrent dans la solitude!
How frequently did they go against him in the waste land, and give him cause for grief in the dry places!
41 Ils ne cessèrent de tenter Dieu et de provoquer le Saint d’Israël.
Again they put God to the test, and gave pain to the Holy One of Israel.
42 Ils ne se souvinrent plus de sa puissance, du jour où il les délivra de l’oppresseur,
They did not keep in mind the work of his hand, or the day when he took them from the power of their haters;
43 où il montra ses prodiges en Égypte, ses actions merveilleuses dans les campagnes de Tanis.
How he had done his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Zoan;
44 Il changea leurs fleuves en sang, et ils ne purent boire à leurs ruisseaux.
So that their rivers were turned to blood, and they were not able to get drink from their streams.
45 Il envoya contre eux le moucheron qui les dévora, et la grenouille qui les fit périr.
He sent different sorts of flies among them, poisoning their flesh; and frogs for their destruction.
46 Il livra leurs récoltes à la sauterelle, le produit de leur travail à ses essaims.
He gave the increase of their fields to worms, the fruits of their industry to the locusts.
47 Il détruisit leurs vignes par la grêle, et leurs sycomores par les grêlons.
He sent ice for the destruction of their vines; their trees were damaged by the bitter cold.
48 Il abandonna leur bétail à la grêle, et leurs troupeaux aux coups de la foudre.
Ice was rained down on their cattle; thunderstorms sent destruction among the flocks.
49 Il déchaîna contre eux le feu de son courroux, la fureur, la rage et la détresse, toute une armée d’anges de malheur.
He sent on them the heat of his wrath, his bitter disgust, letting loose evil angels among them.
50 Il donna libre carrière à sa colère, il ne sauva pas leur âme de la mort, il livra leur vie à la destruction.
He let his wrath have its way; he did not keep back their soul from death, but gave their life to disease.
51 Il frappa tous les premiers-nés en Égypte, les prémices de la force sous les tentes de Cham.
He gave to destruction all the first sons of Egypt; the first-fruits of their strength in the tents of Ham;
52 Il fit partir son peuple comme des brebis, il les mena comme un troupeau dans le désert.
But he took his people out like sheep, guiding them in the waste land like a flock.
53 Il les dirigea sûrement, sans qu’ils eussent rien à craindre, et la mer engloutit leurs ennemis.
He took them on safely so that they had no fear; but their haters were covered by the sea.
54 Il les fit arriver jusqu’à sa frontière sainte, jusqu’à la montagne que sa droite a conquise.
And he was their guide to his holy land, even to the mountain, which his right hand had made his;
55 Il chassa les nations devant eux, leur assigna par le sort leur part d’héritage, et fit habiter dans leurs tentes les tribus d’Israël.
Driving out nations before them, marking out the line of their heritage, and giving the people of Israel their tents for a resting-place.
56 Cependant ils ont encore tenté et provoqué le Dieu Très-Haut, et ils n’ont pas observé ses ordonnances.
But they were bitter against the Most High God, testing him, and not keeping his laws;
57 Ils se sont détournés et ont été infidèles comme leurs pères, ils se sont détournés comme un arc trompeur.
Their hearts were turned back and untrue like their fathers; they were turned to one side like a twisted bow.
58 Ils l’ont irrité par leurs hauts lieux, ils ont excité sa jalousie par leurs idoles.
They made him angry with their high places; moving him to wrath with their images.
59 Dieu entendit et s’indigna, il prit Israël en grande aversion.
When this came to God's ears he was very angry, and gave up Israel completely;
60 Il dédaigna la demeure de Silo, la tente où il habitait parmi les hommes.
So that he went away from the holy place in Shiloh, the tent which he had put among men;
61 Il livra sa force à la captivité, et sa majesté aux mains de l’ennemi.
And he let his strength be taken prisoner, and gave his glory into the hands of his hater.
62 Il abandonna son peuple au glaive, et il s’indigna contre son héritage.
He gave his people up to the sword, and was angry with his heritage.
63 Le feu dévora ses jeunes hommes, et ses vierges n’entendirent pas le chant nuptial.
Their young men were burned in the fire; and their virgins were not praised in the bride-song.
64 Ses prêtres tombèrent par l’épée, et ses veuves ne se lamentèrent point.
Their priests were put to death by the sword, and their widows made no weeping for them.
65 Le Seigneur se réveilla, comme un homme endormi, pareil au guerrier subjugué par le vin.
Then was the Lord like one awaking from sleep, and like a strong man crying out because of wine.
66 Il frappa ses ennemis par derrière, il leur infligea une honte éternelle.
His haters were turned back by his blows and shamed for ever.
67 Mais il prit en aversion la tente de Joseph, et il répudia la tribu d’Ephraïm.
And he put the tent of Joseph on one side, and took not the tribe of Ephraim;
68 Il choisit la tribu de Juda, la montagne de Sion qu’il aimait.
But he took the tribe of Judah for himself, and the mountain of Zion, in which he had pleasure.
69 Et il bâtit son sanctuaire comme les hauteurs du ciel, comme la terre qu’il a fondée pour toujours.
And he made his holy place like the high heaven, like the earth which is fixed by him for ever.
70 Il choisit David, son serviteur, et le tira des bergeries;
He took David to be his servant, taking him from the place of the flocks;
71 Il le prit derrière les brebis mères, pour paître Jacob, son peuple, et Israël, son héritage.
From looking after the sheep which were giving milk, he took him to give food to Jacob his people, and to Israel his heritage.
72 Et David les guida dans la droiture de son cœur, et il les conduisit d’une main habile.
So he gave them food with an upright heart, guiding them by the wisdom of his hands.
