Isaïe 47
1 Descends, et assieds-toi dans la poussière, vierge, fille de Babylone; assieds-toi par terre, il n’y a pas de trône, fille des Chaldéens; car tu ne seras plus appelée tendre et délicate.
[Yahweh also says], “You people of Babylon, you should go and sit in the dust/dirt [to show that you are mourning], because your time to rule [MTY] [other countries] is almost ended. People will never again say that Babylonia is beautiful [like] a very attractive/beautiful young woman.
2 Prends les meules et mouds de la farine; ôte ton voile, relève ta robe, découvre ta jambe, traverse les fleuves:
[You will be slaves, so] take heavy stones and grind grain [like slave women do]. Take off your [beautiful] veils and take off your robes [as you prepare to cross streams to go where you will be forced to go].
3 ta nudité sera découverte; oui, ta honte sera vue. Je tirerai vengeance, et je ne rencontrerai personne [qui m’arrête]…
You will be naked and [very] ashamed. I will get vengeance on you and not pity you.”
4 Notre rédempteur, son nom est l’Éternel des armées, le Saint d’Israël…
The one who frees us [people of Judah], whom we call ‘the Commander of the armies of angels’, is the Holy One of Israel.
5 Assieds-toi dans le silence, et entre dans les ténèbres, fille des Chaldéens; car tu ne seras plus appelée maîtresse des royaumes.
[Yahweh says], “You people of Babylon, sit silently in the darkness, because people will never again say that your city is [like] [MET] a queen that rules many kingdoms.
6 J’ai été courroucé contre mon peuple, j’ai profané mon héritage, et je les ai livrés en ta main: tu n’as usé d’aucune miséricorde envers eux; sur l’ancien tu as fort appesanti ton joug;
I was angry with the people whom I chose [to belong to me], and I punished them. I allowed you [people of Babylon] to conquer them. But [when you conquered them], you did not have mercy on them. You (oppressed/treated cruelly) [MET] even the old people.
7 et tu as dit: Je serai maîtresse pour toujours, … jusqu’à ne point prendre ces choses à cœur: tu ne t’es pas souvenue de ce qui en serait la fin.
You said, ‘We will rule [other nations] forever; [it is as though our city] will be the queen [of the world] forever!’ But you did not think about the things [that you were doing], or think about what would result.
8 Et maintenant, écoute ceci, voluptueuse, qui habites en sécurité, qui dis en ton cœur: C’est moi, et il n’y en a pas d’autre; je ne serai pas assise en veuve, et je ne saurai pas ce que c’est que d’être privée d’enfants.
You people [of Babylon] who enjoy pleasure and sex, listen to this: You enjoy a luxurious life and you feel secure. You say, ‘We are [like gods], and there are no others like us. Our women will never become widows, and our children will never be killed [in wars].’
9 Ces deux choses t’arriveront en un instant, en un seul jour, la privation d’enfants et le veuvage; elles viendront sur toi en plein, malgré la multitude de tes sorcelleries, malgré le grand nombre de tes sortilèges.
But both of those things will happen to you suddenly: Many of your women will become widows and many of your children will die, even though you perform much sorcery and many kinds of magic [to prevent bad things from happening to you].
10 Et tu as eu confiance en ton iniquité; tu as dit: Personne ne me voit. Ta sagesse et ta connaissance, c’est ce qui t’a fait errer; et tu as dit en ton cœur: C’est moi, et il n’y en a pas d’autre!
You felt protected even though you were doing many wicked things, and you said, ‘No one will see what we [are doing]!’ [You thought that] you were very wise and knew many things, and you said, ‘We are gods, and there are no others like us,’ but you deceived yourselves.
11 Mais un mal viendra sur toi, dont tu ne connaîtras pas l’aube; et un malheur tombera sur toi, que tu ne pourras pas éviter, et une désolation que tu n’as pas soupçonnée viendra sur toi subitement.
So you will experience terrible things, and you will not be able to prevent them by working magic. You will experience disasters, and you will not be able to pay anyone to prevent those things from happening. (A catastrophe/Something terrible) will happen to you suddenly, something that you will not realize [is about to happen].
12 Tiens-toi là avec tes sortilèges, et avec la multitude de tes sorcelleries, dont tu t’es fatiguée dès ta jeunesse; peut-être pourras-tu en tirer profit, peut-être effraieras-tu?
So you can continue to perform all your magic spells [IRO]! You can perform the many kinds of sorcery that you have practiced for many years! Perhaps [doing those things will enable you to] be successful; perhaps you will be able to cause your enemies to be afraid of you!
13 Tu es devenue lasse par la multitude de tes conseils. Qu’ils se tiennent là et te sauvent, les interprétateurs des cieux, les observateurs des étoiles, ceux qui, d’après les nouvelles lunes, donnent la connaissance des choses qui viendront sur toi!
But [all that has resulted from your] doing all the things that the magicians have told you to do is that you have become tired! The men who look at the stars every month and predict what will happen should come forward and rescue you [from the disasters that you are about to experience].
14 Voici, ils seront comme du chaume, le feu les brûlera; ils ne délivreront pas leur âme de la force de la flamme: il ne [restera] ni charbon pour se chauffer, ni feu pour s’asseoir devant.
But [they cannot do that, because] they are like [SIM] straw that is burning in a fire; they cannot save themselves from being burned up in the flames. Those men are unable to help you [MET]; they are as useless as stubble [that burns quickly and produces no heat] for you.
15 Ainsi seront pour toi ceux avec lesquels tu t’es lassée, avec lesquels tu as trafiqué dès ta jeunesse. Ils erreront chacun de son côté; il n’y a personne qui te sauve.
The people whom you have associated with and worked with since you were young [will not help you], because they will just continue doing their own foolish things, and they will not pay any attention to you [when you cry out for help].”
