Lamentations 3
1 Je suis l’homme qui ai vu l’affliction par la verge de sa fureur.
I [, the one who am writing this, ] am a man who has been afflicted/punished [MTY] by Yahweh because he was angry.
2 Il m’a conduit et amené dans les ténèbres, et non dans la lumière.
[It was as though] he caused me to walk in a very dark place without any light [at all].
3 Certes c’est contre moi qu’il a tout le jour tourné et retourné sa main.
He has punished [IDM] me many times, all day, [every] day.
4 Il a fait vieillir ma chair et ma peau; il a brisé mes os.
He has caused my skin and my flesh to become old. He has broken my bones.
5 Il a bâti contre moi, et m’a environné de fiel et de peine.
He has surrounded me [DOU] with bitterness and suffering.
6 Il m’a fait habiter dans des lieux ténébreux, comme ceux qui sont morts depuis longtemps.
[It is as though] he has buried me in a dark place like [SIM] [the graves of] those who have been dead for a long time.
7 Il a fait une clôture autour de moi, afin que je ne sorte point; il a appesanti mes chaînes.
[It is as though] [MET] he has built a wall around me, and fastened/tied me with heavy chains, and I cannot escape.
8 Même quand je crie et que j’élève ma voix, il ferme l’accès à ma prière.
Although I call out and cry out for him to help me, he does not pay attention to my prayers.
9 Il a barré mes chemins avec des pierres de taille; il a bouleversé mes sentiers.
[It is as though] he has blocked my path with a [high] stone [wall] and has caused my path to become crooked.
10 Il a été pour moi un ours aux embûches, un lion dans les lieux cachés.
He has waited to attack me like [SIM] a bear or a lion hides and waits [to attack other animals].
11 Il a fait dévier mes chemins et m’a déchiré; il m’a rendu désolé.
[It is as though] he has dragged me off the path and (mauled me/torn me into pieces), and left me without help.
12 Il a bandé son arc, et m’a placé comme un but pour la flèche.
[It is as though] [MET] he bent his bow and caused me to become the target [at which he shot] his arrows.
13 Il a fait entrer dans mes reins les flèches de son carquois.
[It is as though] he shot his arrows deep into my body.
14 Je suis la risée de tout mon peuple, leur chanson tout le jour.
All my relatives laugh at me; all day, [every] day they sing songs that make fun of me.
15 Il m’a rassasié d’amertumes, il m’a abreuvé d’absinthe.
He has filled me with (bitterness/great suffering), [like] [MET] someone who drinks a very bitter liquid suffers.
16 Il m’a brisé les dents avec du gravier; il m’a couvert de cendre.
[It is as though] he has caused me to chew gravel that broke my teeth, and he has trampled me in the dirt.
17 Et tu as rejeté mon âme loin de la paix, j’ai oublié le bonheur;
Things no longer go well for me; I no longer remember being prosperous.
18 et j’ai dit: Ma confiance est périe, et mon espérance en l’Éternel.
I [continued to] say [to myself], “I no longer expect to live much longer; I no longer confidently expect [to receive good things] from Yahweh!”
19 Souviens-toi de mon affliction, et de mon bannissement, de l’absinthe et du fiel.
When I think about my suffering and my wandering [away from home], [it is like drinking] a very bitter [DOU] liquid.
20 Mon âme s’en souvient sans cesse, et elle est abattue au-dedans de moi. –
I will never forget this time when I feel very depressed/discouraged [IDM].
21 Je rappelle ceci à mon cœur, c’est pourquoi j’ai espérance:
However, I confidently expect [Yahweh to do good things for me again] when I think about this:
22 Ce sont les bontés de l’Éternel que nous ne sommes pas consumés, car ses compassions ne cessent pas;
Yahweh never stops faithfully loving [us], and he never stops being kind to us.
23 elles sont nouvelles chaque matin; grande est ta fidélité!
[He is the one whom we can] always trust/lean on. Every morning he is merciful [to us again].
24 L’Éternel est ma portion, dit mon âme; c’est pourquoi j’espérerai en lui.
[So] I say to myself, “Yahweh is all that I need; so I will confidently wait for him [to do good things for me].”
25 L’Éternel est bon pour ceux qui s’attendent à lui, pour l’âme qui le cherche.
Yahweh is good to [all] those who depend on him, to those who seek his [help].
26 C’est une chose bonne qu’on attende, et dans le silence, le salut de l’Éternel.
[So] it is good for us to wait quietly for Yahweh to save/rescue [us].
27 Il est bon à l’homme de porter le joug dans sa jeunesse:
And it is good for us to [patiently] endure [suffering] while we are young.
28 Il est assis solitaire, et se tait, parce qu’il l’a pris sur lui;
Those [who seek his help] should sit by themselves, silently, [knowing that] it is Yahweh who has allowed/caused them to suffer.
29 il met sa bouche dans la poussière: peut-être y aura-t-il quelque espoir.
They should lie in the dirt, with their faces on the ground, [because] they can still hope [that Yahweh will help them].
30 Il présente la joue à celui qui le frappe, il est rassasié d’opprobres.
If someone strikes us on one cheek, we should turn the other cheek toward that person [in order that he may strike it, too], and accept/endure it when we are insulted.
31 Car le Seigneur ne rejette pas pour toujours;
Yahweh does not abandon [us his people] forever.
32 mais, s’il afflige, il a aussi compassion, selon la grandeur de ses bontés;
Sometimes he causes us to suffer, but sometimes he is kind [to us] because he continually and faithfully loves [us].
33 car ce n’est pas volontiers qu’il afflige et contriste les fils des hommes.
And he is not happy about causing human beings to suffer or to be sad.
34 Qu’on écrase sous les pieds tous les prisonniers de la terre,
If people (mistreat all the prisoners/crush all the prisoners under their feet)
35 qu’on fasse fléchir le droit d’un homme devant la face du Très-haut,
or if they rebel against God by refusing to give to people the things that it is right for them [to receive],
36 qu’on fasse tort à un homme dans sa cause, le Seigneur ne le voit-il point?
or if they cause judges to decide matters unjustly, (does Yahweh not see all those things?/Yahweh certainly sees all those things!) [RHQ]
37 Qui est-ce qui dit une chose, et elle arrive, quand le Seigneur ne l’a point commandée?
No one can [RHQ] command something to happen [and then cause it to happen] if Yahweh has not already decided that it should happen.
38 N’est-ce pas de la bouche du Très-haut que viennent les maux et les biens?
God in heaven [MTY] is [RHQ] the one who causes disasters to happen, and he [also] causes good things to happen.
39 Pourquoi un homme vivant se plaindrait-il, un homme, à cause de la peine de ses péchés?
[So] it is certainly not [RHQ] right for us, who are only humans, to complain when he punishes us for the sins that we have committed.
40 Recherchons nos voies, et scrutons-les, et retournons jusqu’à l’Éternel.
Instead, we should (examine/think carefully about) our behavior; we should turn back to Yahweh.
41 Élevons nos cœurs avec nos mains vers Dieu dans les cieux.
We should pray [IDM] sincerely and lift up our arms toward God in heaven, [and say, ]
42 Nous avons désobéi et nous avons été rebelles; tu n’as pas pardonné.
“We have sinned and rebelled [against you], and you have not forgiven [us].
43 Tu t’es enveloppé de colère et tu nous as poursuivis; tu as tué, tu n’as point épargné.
You have surrounded us with your anger and pursued us; you have slaughtered [us] without pitying us.
44 Tu t’es enveloppé d’un nuage, de manière à ce que la prière ne passe point.
You have hidden yourself in a cloud, with the result that you do not hear [us] when we pray.
45 Tu nous as faits la balayure et le rebut au milieu des peuples.
You have caused [the people of other] nations to consider us to be only garbage [DOU].
46 Tous nos ennemis ont ouvert la bouche sur nous.
All our enemies have insulted us.
47 La frayeur et la fosse sont venues sur nous, la destruction et la ruine.
We are constantly afraid [DOU], [because] we have experienced disasters and ruin [DOU].”
48 Des ruisseaux d’eaux coulent de mes yeux à cause de la ruine de la fille de mon peuple.
I cry a lot because my people have been destroyed.
49 Mon œil se fond en eau, il ne cesse pas et n’a point de relâche,
My tears continually flow; they will not stop
50 jusqu’à ce que l’Éternel regarde et voie des cieux.
until Yahweh looks down from heaven and sees [us].
51 Mon œil afflige mon âme à cause de toutes les filles de ma ville.
I am very grieved because of [what has happened to] the women of my city.
52 Ceux qui sont mes ennemis sans cause m’ont donné la chasse comme à l’oiseau.
Those who are my enemies hunted for me like [SIM] [people hunt for] a bird [to kill it] [even though] there was no reason [for them to do that].
53 Ils m’ont ôté la vie dans une fosse, et ont jeté des pierres sur moi.
They threw me into a pit to kill me, and they threw stones on top of me.
54 Les eaux ont coulé par-dessus ma tête; j’ai dit: Je suis retranché!
The water [in the pit] rose above my head, and I said [to myself], “I am about to die/drown!”
55 J’ai invoqué ton nom, ô Éternel! de la fosse des abîmes.
But from the bottom of the pit I cried out to you [MTY], “Yahweh, [help me]!”
56 Tu as entendu ma voix; ne cache point ton oreille à mon soupir, à mon cri.
I pleaded with you, “Do not refuse to heed [MTY] me while I cry out to you!”
57 Tu t’es approché au jour où je t’ai invoqué; tu as dit: Ne crains pas.
Then you answered me and said, “Do not be afraid!”
58 Seigneur, tu as pris en main la cause de mon âme, tu as racheté ma vie.
Yahweh, you defended me; you did not allow me to die.
59 Tu as vu, Éternel, le tort qu’on me fait; juge ma cause.
[Now], Yahweh, you have seen the evil things that my enemies have done to me, [so] decide my case [and show that I am right]!
60 Tu as vu toute leur vengeance, toutes leurs machinations contre moi.
You know the evil things that they have planned to do to me.
61 Tu as entendu leurs outrages, ô Éternel! toutes leurs machinations contre moi,
Yahweh, you have heard them insult [me] and what they have planned to do to me.
62 les lèvres de ceux qui s’élèvent contre moi, et ce qu’ils se proposent contre moi tout le jour.
Every day they whisper and mutter things about me, all day long.
63 Regarde quand ils s’asseyent et quand ils se lèvent: je suis leur chanson.
Look at them! Whether they are standing or sitting they make fun of me with the songs that they sing.
64 Rends-leur une récompense, ô Éternel! selon l’ouvrage de leurs mains.
Yahweh, cause them to suffer in return for their causing [me] to suffer!
65 Donne-leur un cœur cuirassé; ta malédiction soit sur eux!
Curse them [IDM] [for] their being very stubborn [IDM].
66 Poursuis-les dans ta colère et détruis-les de dessous les cieux de l’Éternel.
Because you are angry with them, pursue them and get rid of them, [until none of them remain] on the earth.
