Daniel 5
1 Le roi Balthasar donna un grand festin à ses grands, au nombre de mille; et, en présence de ces mille, il buvait du vin.
[Several years later, ] Belshazzar [became the] king [of Babylon. One day] he invited 1,000 of his officers to a big feast, and he drank [a lot of] wine with them.
2 Sous l’influence de la boisson, Balthasar ordonna d’apporter les vases d’or et d’argent, que son père Nabuchodonosor avait enlevés du temple de Jérusalem, afin que le roi, ses grands, ses épouses et ses concubines s’en servissent pour boire.
While he was drinking, he commanded [his servants] bring to him the gold and silver cups that the previous king, Nebuchadnezzar, had taken from the temple in Jerusalem. [He did that] because he wanted himself and his officials, his wives, and [even] his (concubines/slave wives) to drink from them, [making fun of the god that we Israelis worshiped].
3 Aussitôt on apporta les vases d’or qui avaient été enlevés de l’enceinte du temple de Dieu à Jérusalem. Le roi, ses grands, ses épouses et ses concubines s’en servirent pour boire.
So his servants brought in [all] those gold cups, that had been taken [many years previously] from the temple of [the true] God in Jerusalem. Then the king and his officials and his wives and his slave wives drank [wine] from those cups.
4 Ils burent du vin et glorifièrent les Dieux d’or et d’argent, d’airain, de fer, de bois et de pierre.
They drank to praise/honor their idols that were made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, and [even] wood and stone.
5 Au même moment, des doigts d’une main d’homme apparurent et écrivirent, face au candélabre, sur la chaux de la paroi du palais royal, et le roi vit cette main détachée qui écrivait.
Suddenly they saw a man’s hand writing on the plaster of the wall opposite the lampstand. The king also saw the hand as it was writing.
6 Alors le roi changea de couleur, son esprit fut frappé de crainte; les attaches de ses reins se détendirent et ses genoux s’entrechoquèrent.
He became very frightened, and his face became pale/white. His knees started shaking, and his legs became very weak, with the result that he could not stand up.
7 Le roi cria avec force qu’on amenât les sorciers, les astrologues et les augures; puis il prit la parole et dit aux sages de Babylone: "Tout homme qui lira cette inscription et m’en fera connaître le sens sera vêtu de pourpre, portera un collier d’or au cou et gouvernera en tiers le royaume."
[Then] he shouted to summon the men who worked magic, the men who studied the stars, and the fortune-tellers. He said, “I will [greatly honor] any one of them who can read this writing and tell me what it means. I will give him a purple [robe like I wear because I am the king], and I will put a gold chain around his neck. He will become a very important official in my kingdom; there will be only two others who will be more important than he will be.”
8 Tous les sages du roi étaient entrés; mais ils ne purent lire l’inscription ni en faire connaître le sens au roi.
But when all those wise men came in, none of them could read the writing, or tell him what it meant.
9 Le roi Balthasar fut alors extrêmement effrayé, sa figure se décomposa, et ses grands furent bouleversés.
So King Belshazzar became more afraid. His face became [even] paler/whiter. And [all] his officials [who were there at the feast] did not know what to do.
10 La reine, en raison des propos du roi et de ses grands, se rendit dans la salle du festin, elle prit la parole et dit: "Vive le roi à jamais! Que tes pensées cessent de t’épouvanter et que ton visage ne change pas de couleur!
But when the mother of the king (OR, of the previous king) heard the king and his officials talking [loudly about what had happened], she entered the room where they were having the feast. She said [to Belshazzar], “(Your majesty/O King), I hope you will live for a long time! But do not be pale and afraid about this.
11 Il est un homme dans ton royaume, qui est pénétré de l’esprit des Dieux saints, et chez qui, du temps de ton père, se sont rencontrées une perspicacité, une intelligence et une sagesse dignes des Dieux; aussi le roi Nabuchodonosor, ton père, l’a-t-il établi chef des magiciens, des devins, des astrologues et des augures, oui ton propre père, le roi!
There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods in him. When Nebuchadnezzar was ruling, they discovered that this man understood many things and was wise, just like the gods. The man who was king previously, Nebuchadnezzar, appointed him to be in charge of all the men [in Babylon] who worked magic, the men who worked sorcery, the men who studied the stars, and the fortune-tellers.
12 Parce qu’un esprit supérieur, la science, l’intelligence, l’art d’interpréter les songes, d’éclaircir les énigmes, de résoudre les difficultés se sont rencontrés chez ce Daniel, que le roi avait surnommé Beltchaçar. Que Daniel soit donc mandé, et il dévoilera ce que cela signifie."
That man’s name is Daniel; the king gave him a [new] name, Belteshazzar. He is very intelligent and is able to know and understand many things. He is [even] able to tell the meaning of dreams, and explain riddles, and explain things that are very difficult to understand. Summon him, and he will tell you what [this writing] means.”
13 Aussitôt Daniel fut introduit devant le roi; celui-ci prit la parole et lui dit: "C’Est donc toi ce Daniel, qui fait partie du groupe des exilés de Juda que le roi mon père a emmenés de Judée!
So they [went and] brought me in. The king asked me, “You [must] be Daniel [RHQ]! [They told me that you are] one of those who was brought [here] from Judah by the previous king.
14 J’Ai ouï dire que tu es rempli de l’esprit des Dieux, et qu’il se rencontre chez toi de la perspicacité, de l’intelligence et une sagesse supérieure.
I have [also] heard that the spirit of the gods is in you, and that you are very wise and understand many things.
15 Or, on a amené en ma présence les sages, les devins pour lire cette inscription et m’en faire connaître le sens; mais ils sont incapables de me révéler la signification de la chose.
My wise men and men who work magic have tried to read the writing on this wall and tell me what it means, but they are not able to do it.
16 Mais de toi j’ai ouï dire que tu sais donner des interprétations et résoudre les difficultés. Donc, si tu peux lire cette inscription et m’en faire connaître le sens, tu seras revêtu de pourpre, un collier d’or ornera ton cou, et tu gouverneras en tiers le royaume."
[Someone] told me that you can tell what dreams mean and explain things that are very difficult to understand. If you can read these words and tell me what they mean, [I] give you a purple robe [like I wear because I am the king], and I will put a gold chain around your neck. You will become a very important official in my kingdom; there will be only two others who will be more important than you will be.”
17 Alors Daniel répliqua en disant au roi: "Garde tes dons pour toi, et gratifie d’autres de tes présents; toutefois je lirai l’inscription au roi et je lui en ferai connaître le sens.
I replied, “[I do not want] your gifts; keep them, or give them to someone else. But I will read for you the writing [on the wall], and I will tell you what it means.
18 O roi, le Dieu suprême avait donné à ton père Nabuchodonosor royauté, grandeur, majesté et magnificence.
(Your Majesty/O king), the Supreme God caused the man who was king before you, Nebuchadnezzar, to become a great ruler, who was greatly praised and honored.
19 Et à cause de la grandeur qui lui avait été octroyée, nations, peuples et langues tremblaient tous de peur devant lui: il tuait qui il voulait, laissait vivre qui il voulait, élevait ou abaissait qui il voulait.
Because God caused him to become [very] great, people of many [HYP] people-groups and nations and who spoke many different languages were very much afraid of him. He [commanded his soldiers to] kill those whom he wanted to be killed, and he (spared/allowed to live) those whom he wanted to spare. He honored those whom he wanted to honor, and he caused to be disgraced those whom he wanted to be disgraced.
20 Mais lorsque son cœur s’enorgueillit et que son esprit s’enhardit jusqu’à l’arrogance, il fut précipité de son trône royal et se vit dépouillé de sa majesté.
But when he became very proud and stubborn [IDM], he was removed from being king [MTY]. People did not consider him to be glorious/great any more.
21 Il fut chassé de la société des hommes, et son cœur devint semblable à celui des bêtes; sa demeure fut avec les ânes sauvages, on lui donna comme aux bœufs de l’herbe pour nourriture, et son corps fut humecté par la rosée du ciel, jusqu’à ce qu’il reconnût que le Dieu suprême est maître de la royauté des hommes et qu’il y appelle qui lui plaît.
[His officials] sent him away in order that he would not be near [other] people. [God] caused him to have a mind like animals have. He lived among the wild donkeys. He ate grass like cows do, and dew from the sky caused his body to be damp/wet [each morning]. [He was like that] until he learned that the Supreme God is [really the one who] rules the kingdoms of this world, and that he appoints whomever he chooses to rule those kingdoms.
22 Et toi, son fils Balthasar, tu n’as pas humilié ton cœur, bien que tu fusses instruit de tout cela.
Now, Belshazzar, you have become the king. You [also] knew all those things, but you have not made yourself humble.
23 Tu t’es insurgé contre le maître du ciel, en faisant apporter devant toi les vases de son temple pour y boire du vin, toi, tes grands, tes épouses et tes concubines; tu as célébré les Dieux d’argent et d’or, d’airain, de fer, de bois et de pierre, qui ne voient, ni n’entendent, ni ne savent rien. Quant au Dieu qui tient ton âme en ses mains et qui dirige toutes tes voies, tu ne l’as pas honoré.
You have considered yourself to be greater than [God], the Lord of heaven. [So you have commanded your servants to] bring to you these sacred cups, [which were dedicated to the Supreme God, and which were taken] from his temple [in Jerusalem]. You and your officials and your wives and your (concubines/slave wives) have been drinking wine from these cups, while you have been praising [your own] gods—gods which are made of gold and silver and bronze and iron and wood and stone. [Those are gods] that cannot see, that cannot hear, and that do not know anything! You have not honored the God who gives you breath and who controls everything that happens to you.
24 C’Est pourquoi une main détachée a été envoyée par lui, et cette inscription a été tracée.
So God sent that hand to write a message [for you].
25 Or, voici l’inscription qui a été tracée: MENÊ, MENÊ, TEKÊL, OUFARSIN.
This is the message that it wrote: ‘Mene, mene, tekel, parsin.’
26 Et telle est l’explication de ces mots: MENÊ Dieu a compté les jours de ta royauté et en a décidé la fin;
This is what those words mean: Mene [means] ‘numbered/counted’. [That means that] God has been counting the days that you will rule, and he has [now] decided that you will not rule any more.
27 TEKÊL tu as été pesé dans la balance et trouvé trop léger;
Tekel [means ‘weighed’. It is as though God] has weighed you on a scale, and you do not weigh what you should, [which means that you have not been doing what you should; you are not fit to be a king] [MET].
28 PERES ton royaume a été divisé et donné aux Mèdes et aux Perses."
Parsin [means ‘divided’. That means that God] has divided your kingdom. Some of it will be ruled by people from Media and some will be ruled by people from Persia.”
29 Aussitôt Balthasar donna l’ordre de revêtir Daniel de pourpre, de lui mettre un collier d’or au cou et de proclamer qu’il gouvernerait en tiers le royaume.
Then Belshazzar [did what he had promised]. He put on me a purple robe [like the one he himself wore. He] put a gold chain around my neck. And he proclaimed that there would be only two others who would be more important than me in his kingdom.
30 Cette même nuit Balthasar, le roi Chaldéen, fut mis à mort.
But that same night [soldiers from Media entered the city and] killed Belshazzar, the King of Babylonia.
31 Et Darius le Mède reçut la royauté à l’âge de soixante-deux ans.
Darius, the King of Media, became the King [of Babylonia] when he was 62 years old.
