Matthieu 3
1 Or, en ces jours-là vient Jean le baptiseur, prêchant dans le désert de la Judée,
While [Jesus was still in Nazareth town], John, [whom the people called] the Baptizer, went to a desolate place in Judea [district].
2 et disant: Repentez-vous, car le royaume des cieux s’est approché.
He was preaching [to the people who came there]. He kept saying, “[You need to] turn away from your sinful behavior, because God [MET] will soon begin to rule [over people, and he will reject you if you do not turn away from your sinful life].”
3 Car c’est ici celui dont il a été parlé par Ésaïe le prophète, disant: « Voix de celui qui crie dans le désert: Préparez le chemin du Seigneur, faites droits ses sentiers ».
John was the person who [fulfilled] what was said by Isaiah the prophet {what Isaiah the prophet [predicted] when he said}, long ago: In a desolate area ([people will hear someone/someone will be heard]) shouting [to the people who pass by], Prepare [yourselves to receive] the Lord when he comes! [Make yourselves ready so that you will be prepared when he comes] [MET, DOU], just like people [improve and] straighten out the road [for an important official!]
4 Or Jean lui-même avait son vêtement de poil de chameau et une ceinture de cuir autour de ses reins; et sa nourriture était des sauterelles et du miel sauvage.
John wore [coarse] clothing made from camel’s hair. And [as the prophet Elijah did long ago], he wore a leather belt around his waist. His food was [only] grasshoppers and honey [that he found] in that desolate area.
5 Alors Jérusalem, et toute la Judée, et tout le pays des environs du Jourdain, sortaient vers lui;
[People who lived in] Jerusalem [city] [MTY], many [HYP] [people who lived in other places in] Judea [district] [MTY], and many [HYP] [people who lived in] the area around the Jordan [River] [MTY] came to John [to hear him preach].
6 et ils étaient baptisés par lui dans le Jourdain, confessant leurs péchés.
After [they heard him tell them to turn away from their sinful behavior], they [openly] confessed their sins, and as a result they were baptized by John {John baptized them} in the Jordan River.
7 Et voyant plusieurs des pharisiens et des sadducéens venir à son baptême, il leur dit: Race de vipères, qui vous a avertis de fuir la colère qui vient?
After John noted that many men of the Pharisee [religious group] and of the Sadducee [religious group] were coming [to him] to be baptized {in order that he would baptize them}, he said to them, “You people are [evil like poisonous] snakes [MET]! I warn you that God will some day punish [MTY] everyone who sins. (And do not think that you can escape from his punishing you [MTY] [if you do not turn from your sinful behavior]!/Did someone tell you that you can escape from his punishing you [MTY] [if you do not turn from your sinful behavior]?) [RHQ]
8 Produisez donc du fruit qui convienne à la repentance;
Do what is appropriate [IDM] for people who have truly turned away from their sinful behavior [before you come to me in order to be baptized] {[that I baptize you]}.
9 et ne pensez pas de dire en vous-mêmes: Nous avons Abraham pour père; car je vous dis que Dieu peut, de ces pierres, susciter des enfants à Abraham.
[God promised to give Abraham many descendants. In order to fulfill that promise], God [does not need you! I] tell you that he can change these stones to make them descendants of Abraham. So do not start to say to yourselves, ‘Since we are descendants of [our ancestor] Abraham, [God will not punish us even though we have sinned].’
10 Et déjà la cognée est mise à la racine des arbres; tout arbre donc qui ne produit pas de bon fruit est coupé et jeté au feu.
[God is] ready [to punish you if you do not turn away from your sinful behavior, just like] a man who lays his axe at the roots of a [fruit] tree [in order to] chop it down and throw it into the fire if it does not produce good fruit [MET].”
11 Moi, je vous baptise d’eau pour la repentance; mais celui qui vient après moi est plus puissant que moi, et je ne suis pas digne de porter ses sandales: lui vous baptisera de l’Esprit Saint et de feu.
“As for me, I [am not very important, because] I baptize you [only] with water. I [baptize you] because of your feeling sorry that you have sinned. But someone else will come soon who is very great; [he will do powerful deeds] (OR, [act powerfully]). [Because he is] superior to me, I am not worthy [even to do a menial task for him, such as] to carry his sandals. He will put [his] Holy Spirit [within] you [to truly change] the way you live [MET], and [he will judge others of you and punish you in] the fire [in hell]. (questioned)
12 Il a son van dans sa main, et il nettoiera entièrement son aire et assemblera son froment dans le grenier; mais il brûlera la balle au feu inextinguible.
[He is like a farmer who wants to clear away the grain that is on the ground where it has been threshed] {[they have threshed it]}. [That farmer uses a] huge fork to throw the grain into the air [to separate the wheat from the chaff] [MET], and then he cleans up the threshing area. [Similarly], God will [separate righteous people from the evil people like a farmer who] gathers the wheat into his storage area, and then [God] will burn the [people who are like] chaff with a fire that will never be put out [MET].”
13 Alors Jésus vient de Galilée au Jourdain auprès de Jean, pour être baptisé par lui;
During that time, Jesus went from Galilee [District] to the Jordan [River], where John was. [He did that] in order to be baptized by John {in order to ask that John would baptize him}.
14 mais Jean l’en empêchait fort, disant: Moi, j’ai besoin d’être baptisé par toi, et toi, tu viens à moi!
[When Jesus asked John to baptize him], John objected, saying, “I need to be baptized by you {you to baptize me} [because you are superior to me. Since you are not a sinner], ([you(sg)] should not come to me [to be baptized by me] {[to ask that I baptize you(sg)]}!/why do you come to me [to be baptized by me] {[ask that I baptize you(sg)]} [RHQ]?)”
15 Et Jésus, répondant, lui dit: Laisse faire maintenant, car ainsi il nous est convenable d’accomplir toute justice. Alors il le laissa faire.
But Jesus said to him, “Baptize me at this time, because in this way we [two] will do [everything that God] requires.” Then John consented to baptize him.
16 Et Jésus, ayant été baptisé, remonta aussitôt de l’eau; et voici, les cieux lui furent ouverts, et il vit l’Esprit de Dieu descendre comme une colombe, et venir sur lui.
After he was baptized {John baptized Jesus}, Jesus immediately came up out of the water. Just then, [it was as though] the sky was opened {split apart}. Then [Jesus] saw God’s Spirit coming down upon him. He came in the form of a dove.
17 Et voici une voix qui venait des cieux, disant: Celui-ci est mon Fils bien-aimé, en qui j’ai trouvé mon plaisir.
Then [God] [SYN] spoke from heaven, saying, “This is my Son. I love him. I am very pleased with him.”
