Job 39
1 Connais-tu le temps où les chèvres sauvages font leurs petits? As-tu observé les biches quand elles mettent bas?
“[Job], do you know at what time/season [of the year] the female mountain goats give birth? Have you watched the wild deer while their fawns were being born?
2 As-tu compté les mois de leur portée, et connais-tu l’époque de leur délivrance?
Do you know how many months pass from the time they become pregnant until their fawns are born?
3 Elles se mettent à genoux, déposent leurs petits, et sont quittes de leurs douleurs.
[When they give birth, ] they crouch down so that the fawns do not [get hurt by] falling to the ground when they are born.
4 Leurs faons se fortifient et grandissent dans les champs; ils s’en vont, et ne reviennent plus.
The young fawns grow up in the open fields, and then they leave their mothers and do not return to them again.
5 Qui a lâché l’onagre en liberté, qui a brisé les liens de l’âne sauvage,
“Who allows the wild donkeys to go wherever they want [DOU]?
6 à qui j’ai donné le désert pour maison, pour demeure la plaine salée?
I am the one who put them in the desert, in places where grass does not grow.
7 Il méprise le tumulte des villes, il n’entend pas les cris d’un maître.
They do not like the noise in the cities; [in the desert] they do not have to listen to the shouts of those who force donkeys to work.
8 Il parcourt les montagnes pour trouver sa pâture, il y poursuit les moindres traces de verdure.
They go to the hills to find food; there they search for grass to eat.
9 Le buffle voudra-t-il te servir, ou bien passera-t-il la nuit dans son étable?
:Will a wild ox agree to work for you? Will it allow you to keep it penned up at night in the place where you put feed for your animals?
10 L’attacheras-tu avec une corde au sillon, ou bien hersera-t-il derrière toi dans les vallées?
And can you fasten it with a rope so that it will plow furrows/trenches in your fields?
11 Te fieras-tu à lui parce qu’il est très fort, lui laisseras-tu faire tes travaux?
Since it is very strong, can you trust it to work for you? Can you go away after you tell it what work it should do [and assume that it will do that work]?
12 Compteras-tu sur lui pour rentrer ta moisson, pour recueillir le blé dans ton aire?
Can you rely on it to come back [from the field], bringing your grain to the place where you thresh it?
13 L’aile de l’autruche bat joyeusement; elle n’a ni l’aile pieuse ni le plumage de la cigogne.
“[Think also about] the ostriches. [They] joyfully flap their wings, but they do not have wing feathers [that enable them to fly] like storks do.
14 Elle abandonne ses œufs à la terre, et les laisse chauffer sur le sable.
Ostriches lay their eggs on top of the ground [and then walk away], leaving the eggs to be warmed in the sand.
15 Elle oublie que le pied peut les fouler, la bête des champs les écraser.
Ostriches do not worry that some wild animal may step on the eggs and crush them [DOU].
16 Elle est dure pour ses petits, comme s’ils n’étaient pas siens; que son travail soit vain, elle ne s’en inquiète pas.
Ostriches act cruelly towards their chicks; they act as though the chicks belonged to some other ostrich. They are not concerned if [their chicks die], [and so] the laying of the eggs was in vain.
17 Car Dieu lui a refusé la sagesse, et ne lui a pas départi l’intelligence.
That is because I did not allow ostriches to be wise. I did not enable them to be intelligent.
18 Mais quand elle se bat les flancs et prend son essor, elle se rit du cheval et du cavalier.
But, when they get up and begin to run, they scornfully laugh at horses with their riders [because the horses cannot run as fast as the ostriches!]
19 Est-ce toi qui donnes au cheval la vigueur, qui revêts son cou d’une crinière flottante,
And [think about] horses. [Job], are you the one who caused horses to be strong? Are you the one who put flowing (manes/long hair) on their necks?
20 qui le fais bondir comme la sauterelle? Son fier hennissement répand la terreur.
Are you the one who enabled them to leap forward like locusts? When they (snort/blow loudly through their noses), they cause people to be afraid.
21 Il creuse du pied la terre, il est fier de sa force, il s’élance au-devant du combat.
They paw the ground, rejoicing about being very strong, as they prepare to rush into a battle.
22 Il se rit de la peur; rien ne l’effraie; il ne recule pas devant l’épée.
[It is as if] they laugh at the thought of being afraid. They are not afraid of anything! They do not run away when [the soldiers in the battle are fighting each other with] swords.
23 Sur lui résonne le carquois, la lance étincelante et le javelot.
The quivers containing the riders’ arrows rattle against the horses’ sides, and the spears and javelins flash [in the light of the sun].
24 Il frémit, il s’agite, il dévore le sol; il ne se contient plus quand la trompette sonne.
The horses paw the ground fiercely/excitedly, [wanting the battle to begin, ] and they rush into the battle when the trumpet is blown.
25 Au bruit de la trompette, il dit: « Allons! » De loin il flaire la bataille, la voix tonnante des chefs et les cris des guerriers.
They neigh [joyfully] when they hear someone blowing the trumpet. They can smell a battle even when they are far away, and they understand what it means when the commanders shout their commands [to their soldiers].
26 Est-ce par ta sagesse que l’épervier prend son vol et déploie ses ailes vers le midi?
“[And think about big birds.] Are you the one who enabled hawks to spread their wings and fly to the south [for the winter]?
27 Est-ce à ton ordre que l’aigle s’élève, et fait son nid sur les hauteurs?
Do eagles fly high up [into the cliffs] to make their nests because you commanded them to do that?
28 Il habite les rochers, il fixe sa demeure dans les dents de la pierre, sur les sommets.
They live in [holes in] those cliffs. They are safe in those high pointed rocks [because no animals can reach them there].
29 De là, il guette sa proie, son regard perce au loin.
As they watch carefully from there, they see far away the animals that they can kill (OR, dead bodies of animals).
30 Ses petits s’abreuvent de sang; partout où il y a des cadavres, on le trouve.
After an eagle kills an animal, the baby eagles drink the blood of that animal.”
