Job 39
1 Sais-tu le temps où mettent bas les bouquetins des rochers? As-tu observé les douleurs des biches?
Have you knowledge of the rock-goats? or do you see the roes giving birth to their young?
2 As-tu compté les mois qu’elles accomplissent, et connais-tu le temps où elles mettent bas?
Is the number of their months fixed by you? or is the time when they give birth ordered by you?
3 Elles se courbent, elles enfantent leur portée, elles se délivrent de leurs douleurs.
They are bent down, they give birth to their young, they let loose the fruit of their body.
4 Leurs petits deviennent forts, ils grandissent dans les champs, ils s’en vont et ne reviennent pas à elles.
Their young ones are strong, living in the open country; they go out and do not come back again.
5 Qui a lâché l’âne sauvage? qui a délié les liens de l’onagre,
Who has let the ass of the fields go free? or made loose the bands of the loud-voiced beast?
6 Auquel j’ai donné le désert pour maison, et la terre salée pour demeure?
To whom I have given the waste land for a heritage, and the salt land as a living-place.
7 Il se rit du tumulte de la ville, il n’entend pas le cri du conducteur.
He makes sport of the noise of the town; the voice of the driver does not come to his ears;
8 Il parcourt les montagnes pour trouver sa pâture, et il est en quête de tout ce qui est vert.
He goes looking for his grass-lands in the mountains, searching out every green thing.
9 Le buffle voudra-t-il être à ton service? Passera-t-il la nuit auprès de ta crèche?
Will the ox of the mountains be your servant? or is his night's resting-place by your food-store?
10 Attacheras-tu le buffle par sa corde dans le sillon? Hersera-t-il les vallées après toi?
Will he be pulling your plough with cords, turning up the valleys after you?
11 Auras-tu confiance en lui, parce que sa force est grande, et lui abandonneras-tu ton labeur?
Will you put your faith in him, because his strength is great? will you give the fruit of your work into his care?
12 Te fieras-tu à lui pour rentrer ce que tu as semé, et rassemblera-t-il [le blé] dans ton aire?
Will you be looking for him to come back, and get in your seed to the crushing-floor?
13 L’aile de l’autruche bat joyeusement: ce sont les plumes et le plumage de la cigogne;
Is the wing of the ostrich feeble, or is it because she has no feathers,
14 Toutefois elle abandonne ses œufs à la terre et les chauffe sur la poussière,
That she puts her eggs on the earth, warming them in the dust,
15 Et elle oublie que le pied peut les écraser et la bête des champs les fouler;
Without a thought that they may be crushed by the foot, and broken by the beasts of the field?
16 Elle est dure avec ses petits comme s’ils n’étaient pas à elle; son labeur est vain, sans qu’elle s’en émeuve.
She is cruel to her young ones, as if they were not hers; her work is to no purpose; she has no fear.
17 Car Dieu l’a privée de sagesse, et ne lui a pas départi l’intelligence.
For God has taken wisdom from her mind, and given her no measure of knowledge.
18 Quand elle s’enlève, elle se moque du cheval et de celui qui le monte.
When she is shaking her wings on high, she makes sport of the horse and of him who is seated on him.
19 Est-ce toi qui as donné au cheval sa force? Est-ce toi qui as revêtu son cou d’une crinière flottante?
Do you give strength to the horse? is it by your hand that his neck is clothed with power?
20 Est-ce toi qui le fais bondir comme la sauterelle? Son ronflement magnifique est terrible.
Is it through you that he is shaking like a locust, in the pride of his loud-sounding breath?
21 Il creuse [le sol] dans la plaine et se réjouit de sa force; il sort à la rencontre des armes;
He is stamping with joy in the valley; he makes sport of fear.
22 Il se rit de la frayeur et ne s’épouvante pas, et il ne se tourne pas devant l’épée.
In his strength he goes out against the arms of war, turning not away from the sword.
23 Sur lui retentit le carquois, brillent la lance et le javelot.
The bow is sounding against him; he sees the shining point of spear and arrow.
24 Frémissant et agité, il dévore le sol, et ne peut se contenir quand sonne la trompette.
Shaking with passion, he is biting the earth; he is not able to keep quiet at the sound of the horn;
25 Au bruit de la trompette, il dit: Ha! ha! et de loin il flaire la bataille, le tonnerre des chefs et le tumulte.
When it comes to his ears he says, Aha! He is smelling the fight from far off, and hearing the thunder of the captains, and the war-cries.
26 Est-ce par ton intelligence que l’épervier prend son essor et qu’il étend ses ailes vers le midi?
Is it through your knowledge that the hawk takes his flight, stretching out his wings to the south?
27 Est-ce à ta parole que l’aigle s’élève et qu’il bâtit haut son aire?
Or is it by your orders that the eagle goes up, and makes his resting-place on high?
28 Il demeure dans les rochers et y fait son habitation, sur la dent du rocher et sur les hautes cimes.
On the rock is his house, and on the mountain-top his strong place.
29 De là il épie sa nourriture, ses yeux regardent dans le lointain.
From there he is watching for food; his eye sees it far off.
30 Ses petits sucent le sang, et là où sont les tués, là il est.
His young have blood for their drink, and where the dead bodies are, there is he to be seen.
