Ézéchiel 19
1 Or toi, entonne une complainte sur les princes d’Israël:
Sing this funeral song for the princes of Israel
2 Tu diras: Comme ta mère était une lionne, accroupie parmi des lions! Au milieu des lionceaux elle élevait ses petits.
with these words: “What was your mother? She was a lioness among the lions! She lay down in her place among the young lions and reared her cubs.
3 Elle donna la primauté à un de ses petits; il devint un lionceau; Il apprit à déchirer la proie, il dévora des hommes.
She raised one of her cubs, and he grew up to be young lion. Once he had learned how to tear up his prey, he started eating people.
4 Les nations connurent sa renommée: il fut pris dans leurs fosses, et ils l’amenèrent au moyen de crochets au pays d’Egypte.
But when the nations heard about him, he was caught in their trap. They used hooks to drag him away to Egypt.
5 Lorsqu’elle vit son espoir évanoui, perdu, elle prit un autre de ses petits, elle en fit un lionceau.
When she realized that the hope she had been waiting for was gone, she made another of her cubs into a young lion.
6 Il circula au milieu des lions, devint un jeune lion; il apprit à déchirer la proie, dévora des hommes.
He went around with the other lions, and became strong. Once he had learned how to tear up his prey, he started eating people.
7 Il envahit leurs palais et dévasta leurs villes, et le pays avec tout ce qu’il contient fut atterré au bruit de ses rugissements.
He tore down their fortresses and destroyed their towns. All the people living in the country were appalled when they heard him roaring.
8 Des provinces, tout autour, les nations donnèrent contre lui, et elles étendirent sur lui leurs filets; il fut pris dans leurs fosses.
Then the people of the countries all around attacked him. They threw their net over him; he was caught in their trap.
9 Au moyen de crochets ils l’entraînèrent dans une cage et on l’amena au roi de Babel; on le conduisit dans des forteresses, pour que sa voix cessât de se faire entendre sur les montagnes d’Israël.
They used hooks to put him in a cage and took him to the king of Babylon. They led him away and imprisoned him so his roar wasn't heard any more in Israel's mountains.
10 Ta mère, quand tu fus dans ta sève, a été comme une vigne, plantée près des eaux; elle est devenue florissante et touffue grâce aux eaux abondantes.
Your mother was like a vine planted in your vineyard at the waterside. It produced a lot of fruit and had many branches because it had plenty of water.
11 Elle eut des rameaux vigoureux, dignes d’être des sceptres de souverains; sa stature s’éleva au-dessus des branches épaisses; elle fut imposante par sa hauteur, par l’abondance de ses ceps.
Its branches were strong like rulers' scepters. It grew high above the tree canopy. People could see how tall and full of leaves it was.
12 Mais elle fut déracinée avec fureur, jetée à terre, et le vent d’est dessécha son fruit; ses rameaux vigoureux furent arrachés et desséchés, le feu les a consumés.
But it was uprooted in anger and thrown down on the ground. The east wind blew and dried up its fruit. Its strong branches were stripped of leaves and they withered. Then they were burned up in the fire.
13 Et maintenant elle est plantée dans le désert, dans un pays aride et altéré.
Now the vine has been replanted in the desert, in a dry and waterless land.
14 Un feu a jailli de son tronc aux nombreuses branches, a consumé son fruit, et elle n’eut plus de rameau vigoureux, de sceptre pour régner: c’est une complainte, et c’est devenu une complainte."
A fire blazed out from its main trunk and burned up its fruit. None of its branches that were once like a ruler's scepter are strong any more.” This is a funeral song and is to be used for mourning.
