2 Rois 4

1 La femme de l’un des jeunes prophètes vint se plaindre à Elisée, disant: "Ton serviteur, mon époux, est mort: tu sais que ton serviteur révérait l’Eternel. Or, le créancier est venu prendre mes deux jeunes enfants pour en faire ses esclaves."

The wife of one of the sons of the prophets appealed to Elisha, “My husband, your servant, is dead, and you know that he honored the Lord. But now to pay his debts his creditor is coming to take my two sons as his slaves!”

2 Elisée lui répondit: "Que puis-je faire pour toi? Dis-moi ce que tu possèdes dans ta demeure. Ta servante, répondit-elle, ne possède rien de plus, dans sa demeure, qu’un vase d’huile."

“What can I do to help you?” asked Elisha. “Tell me, what do you have in your house?” “I, your servant, don't have anything in my house except a jar of olive oil,” she replied.

3 Il reprit: "Va emprunter des vases au dehors, chez tous tes voisins, des vases vides, mais pas en petit nombre.

“Go and borrow empty jars from your neighbors—as many as possible, not just a few,” Elisha told her.

4 A ton retour, tu fermeras la porte sur toi et sur tes fils, tu rempliras tous ces vases, et à mesure qu’ils seront pleins; tu les mettras à part."

“Then go inside, shut the door behind you and your sons, and start pouring olive oil into all these jars, placing the full jars to one side.”

5 Elle le quitta. Elle ferma la porte sur elle et sur ses fils: ils lui présentèrent les vases, et elle y versa l’huile.

She left Elisha, went home, and shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her and she kept on pouring.

6 Puis, lorsque les vases furent remplis, elle dit à son fils: "Avance-moi encore un vase! Il n’y a plus de vase," répondit-il. Et l’huile tarit.

When all the jars were full, she told her son, “Bring me another one.” But he replied, “There aren't any jars left.” Then the olive oil stopped flowing.

7 Elle vint l’annoncer à l’homme de Dieu qui dit: "Va vendre cette huile, et paie ta dette; puis, toi et tes fils, vous vivrez avec le surplus."

She went and told the man of God what had happened, and he said, “Go and sell the olive oil and pay your debts, and you and your sons can live on what's left.”

8 Il arriva, un jour, qu’Elisée se rendit à Sunâm. Là vivait une femme de distinction, qui le pressa de manger chez elle. Depuis, chaque fois qu’il passait par cette ville, c’est là qu’il entrait pour manger.

One day as Elisha was passing through Shunem, a wealthy woman who lived there convinced him to have a meal. After that, whenever he was passing by he would stop there to eat.

9 Elle dit à son époux: "Certes, je sais que c’est un homme de Dieu, un saint, cet homme qui nous visite toujours.

She told her husband, “I'm sure that this man who regularly visits us is a holy man of God.

10 Préparons, je te prie, une petite cellule avec des murs, et plaçons-y, pour son usage, lit, table, siège et flambeau; lorsqu’il viendra chez nous, il pourra s’y retirer."

Please let's make a small room on the roof, We can put a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp in it for him. Then he can stay there whenever he visits us.”

11 Or, un jour, passant par là, il se retira dans la cellule et y coucha.

One day Elisha arrived and went up to his room and lay down.

12 Et il dit à Ghéhazi, son serviteur: "Appelle cette Sunamite." Il l’appela, et elle se présenta devant lui.

He said to his servant Gehazi, “Ask the Shunammite woman to come here.” Gehazi called her and she came to see Elisha.

13 Il lui avait dit: "Parle ainsi à cette femme: Puisque tu t’es donné pour nous tout ce trouble, que faut-il faire en ta faveur? Y a-t-il à s’employer pour toi auprès du roi ou du général d’armée?" Elle répondit "Je vis tranquille au milieu de mes concitoyens."

Elisha said to Gehazi, “Please tell her, ‘You have gone to a lot of trouble on our behalf. Now what can we do for you? Do you want us to speak for you to the king or the army commander?’” “I live with my own people,” she replied.

14 Il reprit "Que faire pour elle?" Ghéhazi repartit: "Eh mais! Elle n’a point de fils, et son époux est un vieillard."

After she had left, Elisha asked, “What can we do for her?” “She doesn't have a son, and her husband is old,” Gehazi replied.

15 Il dit "Appelle-la." Il l’appela, et elle se présenta sur le seuil.

Elisha said, “Ask her to come back.” So Gehazi called her, and she came stood by the door.

16 Il lui dit: "A pareille époque, au retour de cette saison, tu presseras un fils dans tes bras." Elle répondit: "Ah! Mon seigneur, homme de Dieu, ne trompe pas ta servante!"

Elisha told her, “Around this time next year, you will be holding a son in your arms.” “No, my lord!” she responded. “Man of God, don't tell your servant lies!”

17 Cette femme conçut, et elle mit au monde un fils à pareille époque, au retour de la même saison, ainsi que l’avait dit Elisée.

But the woman did indeed become pregnant, and the next year around that same time she gave birth to a son, just as Elisha had promised her.

18 L’Enfant grandit. Or, un jour, il était allé trouver son père, auprès des moissonneurs;

The child grew up, but one day he when went out to see his father who was with the reapers,

19 il cria à son père: "Ma tête! Ma tête!" Celui-ci dit au serviteur: "Porte-le chez sa mère."

he complained to his father, “My head hurts! My head hurts!” His father told one of his servants, “Carry him back to his mother.”

20 Il l’emporta et le remit à sa mère; il resta dans son giron jusqu’à midi, et mourut.

The servant picked him up and took him back to his mother. The boy sat on her lap until noon, and then he died.

21 Alors elle monta, le plaça sur le lit de l’homme de Dieu, ferma sur lui la porte, et sortit.

She went upstairs and laid him on the bed of the man of God. Then she shut the door behind her and left.

22 Elle manda son époux et lui dit: "Envoie-moi, je te prie, un serviteur avec une ânesse; je cours chez l’homme de Dieu et je reviens."

She called her husband and said, “Please send me one of the servants and a donkey so I can run to the man of God and come back.”

23 Il répondit: "Pourquoi vas-tu chez lui aujourd’hui? Il n’y a point de néoménie, point de fête." Elle repartit: "Sois tranquille."

“Why do you need to go and see him today?” he asked. “It's not the New Moon or the Sabbath.” “Don't worry about it,” she replied.

24 Elle sella l’ânesse et dit à son serviteur: "Conduis toujours, et n’arrête ma course que lorsque je te l’ordonnerai."

She put the saddle on the donkey and told her servant, “Let's go quickly! Don't slow down for me unless I tell you to!”

25 Elle voyagea ainsi, et parvint jusqu’à l’homme de Dieu, au mont Carmel. L’Apercevant de loin, l’homme de Dieu dit à Ghéhazi, son serviteur: "Voici la Sunamite!

So she set off, and went to the man of God who was at Mount Carmel. When he saw her way in the distance, the man of God told his servant Gehazi, “Look! There's the Shunammite woman!

26 Or çà, cours à sa, rencontre, et dis-lui: Es-tu en paix? Ton époux est-il en paix? en paix, l’enfant?" Elle répondit "En paix."

Please run to meet her and ask her, ‘Is everything fine with you, your husband, and your boy?’” “Everything's fine,” she replied.

27 Arrivée près de l’homme de Dieu, sur la montagne, elle embrassa ses pieds. Ghéhazi se disposait à la repousser; mais l’homme de Dieu dit: "Laisse-la, car son âme est contristée; l’Eternel m’en a caché la cause, il ne me l’a pas révélée."

But when she got to the man of God at the mountain, she grabbed hold of his feet. Gehazi came over to push her away, but the man of God said, “Leave her alone, for she's in terrible misery, but the Lord has hidden it from me and has not explained it to me.”

28 Elle dit: "Est-ce que j’avais demandé un fils à mon seigneur? N’Ai-je pas dit: Ne m’abuse point?"

“Did I ask you for a son, my lord?” she asked. “Didn't I tell you, ‘Don't tell me lies’?”

29 Il dit à Ghéhazi: "Ceins tes reins, prends mon bâton dans ta main et pars. Si tu rencontres quelqu’un, ne le salue pas; si quelqu’un te salue, ne lui réponds point. Tu poseras mon bâton sur la face de l’enfant."

Elisha said to Gehazi, “Put your cloak in your belt, pick up my staff, and go! Don't even say hello to anyone you meet, and if anyone says hello you, don't reply. Place my staff on the boy's face.”

30 La mère de l’enfant s’écria: "Par l’Eternel et par ta propre vie si je te quitte!" Il se leva et la suivit.

But the boy's mother said, “As the Lord lives and as you live, I'm not leaving without you!” So he got up and went with her.

31 Ghéhazi les avait devancés; il avait posé le bâton sur le visage de l’enfant, mais pas un souffle, pas un mouvement. Il retourna à la rencontre du prophète et lui dit: "L’Enfant n’est pas revenu à lui."

Gehazi ran on ahead and placed the staff on the boy's face, but there was no sound or sign of life. So Gehazi went back to meet Elisha and told him, “The boy hasn't woken up.”

32 Elisée entra dans la chambre, et il vit l’enfant inanimé, étendu sur son lit.

When Elisha got to the house, there was the boy, lying dead on his bed.

33 Il alla fermer la porte sur eux deux, puis invoqua le Seigneur.

He went in, shut the door behind them both, and prayed to the Lord.

34 Il monta sur le lit, se coucha sur l’enfant, appliqua sa bouche sur sa bouche, ses yeux sur ses yeux, ses mains sur les siennes, et resta étendu sur lui; la chaleur revint dans les membres de l’enfant.

Then he got on the bed and lay on top of the boy, and put his mouth on the boy's mouth, his eyes on the boy's eyes, his hands on the boy's hands. As he stretched out on him, the boy's body warmed up.

35 Elisée quitta le lit, parcourut la chambre en long et en large, s’étendit de nouveau sur l’enfant; celui-ci éternua par sept fois et rouvrit les yeux.

Elisha got up, walked back and forth once in the room, and then got back on the bed and stretched out on him again. The boy sneezed seven times and then opened his eyes.

36 Le prophète appela Ghéhazi et dit: "Appelle cette Sunamite." Il l’appela, elle vint à lui, et il dit: "Emporte ton fils!"

Elisha called Gehazi and said, “Ask the Shunammite woman to come.” So he did. When she arrived, Elisha said to her, “Here's your son. You can pick him up.”

37 Elle vint tomber à ses pieds et se prosterna contre terre; puis elle prit son fils et se retira.

She came in, fell at his feet, and bowed to the ground. Then she picked up her son and left.

38 Elisée était revenu à Ghilgal. Or, la famine régnait dans le pays, et les jeunes prophètes assiégeaient leur maître. Celui-ci dit à son serviteur: "Mets le grand pot et fais cuire un potage pour les disciples."

When Elisha went back to Gilgal, there was a famine in that area. The sons of the prophets were sitting at his feet, and he said to his servant, “Use the large pot and boil some stew for the sons of the prophets.”

39 Cependant, un d’entre eux alla aux champs pour cueillir des herbes. Il trouva une vigne sauvage, en cueillit des coloquintes plein son vêtement, et, à son retour, il les coupa en morceaux dans le potage, sans savoir ce que c’était.

One of them went out into the countryside to pick herbs. He found a wild vine and picked as many wild gourds as his cloak could hold. Then he came back and chopped them up into the pot of stew. But nobody knew they were dangerous to eat.

40 On versa à ces hommes le potage à manger, mais ils en avaient à peine goûté qu’ils s’écrièrent "Homme de Dieu, il y a du poison dans le potage!" C’Était immangeable.

They served it to the men to eat, but when they tasted the stew they shouted, “There's death in the pot, man of God!” They couldn't eat it.

41 Il dit: "Qu’on m’apporte de la farine!" Il la jeta dans le pot et dit: "Verse à tout ce monde, et qu’on mange!" Toute chose nuisible avait disparu du potage.

Elisha said, “Get some flour.” He threw it into the pot, and said, “Serve it to the people to eat.” There was nothing bad to eat in the pot.

42 Un homme, venant de Baal-Chalicha, apporta un jour à l’homme de Dieu, comme pain de prémices, vingt pains d’orge et du gruau dans sa panetière. Elisée dit: "Donne cela au peuple et qu’il mange!"

A man from Baal-shalishah came to the man of God with a sack of firstfruits—the first grain of the year, along with twenty loaves of barley bread. “Give it to the people to eat,” said Elisha.

43 Son serviteur répondit: "Comment donnerais-je ceci à cent hommes?" Mais il répéta: "Donne-le au peuple et qu’il mange, car voici ce qu’a dit l’Eternel: On mangera, et il en restera encore."

“How can I serve just twenty loaves to a hundred men?” his servant asked. “Give it to the people to eat,” said Elisha, “for this is what the Lord says: ‘They will eat and there will still be some left over.’”

44 On les servit, ils mangèrent et en eurent de reste, selon la parole de l’Eternel.

So he served the bread to them. They ate, and had some left over, just as the Lord had said.