Job 34
1 Elihou reprit et dit:
Then Elihu continued:
2 Ecoutez, ô sages, mes discours, et vous, hommes instruits, prêtez-moi votre attention.
“You [three] men who [think that you] [SAR] are very wise, hear me; listen to what I am saying, you men who [say that you] know so much.
3 Car l’oreille apprécie les discours comme le palais déguste la nourriture.
When we [SYN] hear what other people [like you] say, we [RHQ] think carefully about what they say [to determine what is good and what is bad], like we [SYN] taste food [to determine what is good].
4 Mettons-nous en quête de ce qui est juste, examinons entre nous ce qui est bon.
We need to decide [who is saying] what is right and to determine among ourselves what is good/best.
5 Car Job a dit: "Je suis innocent, et Dieu m’a refusé justice.
Job has said, ‘I am innocent, but God has refused to judge me fairly/justly.
6 En dépit de mon bon droit, je passe pour menteur; cruel est le coup qui m’a frappé, sans que j’aie failli!"
Even though I have always done what is right, he is lying about me. Even though I have not done what is wrong, he has caused me to suffer, and I will certainly die.’
7 Y a-t-il un homme comme Job, buvant le blasphème comme de l’eau,
(Is there any person like Job, who insults others as easily as people accept a drink of water?/There is no person like Job, who insults others as easily as people accept a drink of water.) [RHQ]
8 faisant cause commune avec les artisans d’iniquité et allant de pair avec les malfaiteurs?
He habitually associates with people who do what is evil and spends time with wicked people.
9 Car il a dit: "L’Homme ne gagne rien à être en bons termes avec Dieu!"
He has said, ‘It is useless for people to try to please God.’
10 C’Est pourquoi, gens d’intelligence, écoutez-moi: loin de Dieu l’iniquité et du Tout-Puissant l’injustice!
“So, you men who [claim that you] understand everything, listen to me! Almighty God would never consider doing anything that is wicked or wrong [DOU]!
11 Car il paie chacun selon ses œuvres et lui assigne le sort mérité par sa conduite.
He (pays back/punishes) people for what they have done; he gives them what they deserve for the way that they have conducted their lives.
12 Non, en vérité, Dieu ne commet pas de mal, le Tout-Puissant ne fausse pas la justice.
Truly, Almighty God never does what is wicked; he always [LIT] does what is fair/just.
13 Qui lui a confié la direction de la terre? Qui a mis tout l’univers entre ses mains?
The authority that he has to rule everything on the earth, no one [RHQ] gave it to him; no one [RHQ] put him in control of the whole world. [He has always had that authority].
14 S’Il n’avait de pensée que pour lui-même, s’il retirait à lui son esprit et son souffle,
If he would take his spirit back to himself,
15 toutes les créatures périraient du coup, et l’homme retournerait à la poussière.
everyone would die [immediately], and their corpses would soon become dirt again.
16 Or, si tu jouis de ton bon sens, écoute ceci, prête l’oreille au son de mes paroles:
“So, [Job], if [you say that you] understand everything, listen to what I am saying.
17 Celui qui hait la justice pourrait-il régner? Oseras-tu incriminer l’Etre infiniment juste?
God could certainly not [RHQ] govern the world if he hated doing what is fair/just. So, will you condemn God, who is righteous and powerful, [saying that what he has done is wrong]?
18 Est-il permis de dire au roi: "scélérat!" et aux princes: "criminels!"
He tells [some] kings that they are worthless, and he says to [some] officials that they are wicked.
19 Eh bien! Lui ne prend pas parti pour les grands, et ne favorise pas le riche contre le pauvre, car ils sont tous l’œuvre de sa main.
He does not favor rulers [more than he favors others]; he does not favor rich people more than poor people, because he created all of them.
20 En un clin d’œil, ils meurent, et au milieu de la nuit, le peuple s’agite et ils disparaissent; on supprime les puissants, sans qu’une main se lève.
People [often] die suddenly; he strikes them at midnight and they die; he even gets rid of mighty people without the help of any humans [SYN].
21 C’Est que ses yeux sont ouverts sur les voies de l’homme, il observe chacun de ses pas.
“He sees [MTY] everything that people do; [when we walk, ] he watches every step that we take.
22 Point de ténèbres, point d’ombre si profonde où puissent se cacher les malfaiteurs.
There is no gloom or darkness [DOU] that is so dark that sinners can hide [from him] in that darkness.
23 Car Dieu n’a pas besoin de surveiller longuement un homme, pour le faire comparaître en justice.
God does not [need to] set a time when we will stand in front of him in order that he may judge us. [He can judge us whenever he wants to].
24 Il brise les puissants sans long examen et met d’autres à leur place.
He destroys mighty people without [needing to] investigate [what they have done], and he appoints others to take their places.
25 C’Est parce qu’il connaît leurs œuvres, qu’il les renverse de nuit et les écrase.
Because he [already] knows what they have done, he removes them at night and gets rid of them.
26 En qualité d’impies, il les frappe aux yeux de nombreux spectateurs,
Where [many] people can see it, he strikes/punishes them because of the wicked things that they have done;
27 les punissant de s’être détournés de lui, d’avoir méconnu toutes ses voies,
he strikes them because they turned away from doing what he wanted them to do and did not pay attention to any of his commands.
28 d’avoir fait monter jusqu’à lui les cris du faible, et retentir à ses oreilles la protestation des miséreux.
They [mistreated] the poor people, with the result that those poor people cried out to God [for help], and he heard those afflicted people when they cried out [to him].
29 Et s’il fait l’apaisement, qui le lui reprochera? Quand il cache sa face, qui pourra le voir? II domine et sur les nations et sur les individus,
But if God decides to do nothing [to punish wicked people], no one can criticize/condemn him. If a godless/wicked man rules a nation, a man who tricks/deceives the people,
30 ne voulant pas du règne des hommes pervers, de ceux qui sont un piège pour les peuples.
and if [God] hides his face [with the result that he does not see that ruler or punish him], no one will be able to prevent that ruler [from doing those things].
31 Se peut-il qu’on dise à Dieu: "J’Ai expié sans être coupable.
“Job, have you or anyone else ever said to God, ‘I have been punished [for my sins], and I will not sin any more;
32 Ce qu’il m’est impossible de voir, apprends-le moi toi-même; si j’ai commis des injustices, je ne récidiverai pas?"
so teach/show me what [sins I have committed]; if I have done anything that is evil, I will not do it any more’?
33 Est-ce sous ton inspiration qu’Il doit rémunérer, parce que tu exprimes ton dédain ou que tu manifestes tes préférences, toi et non moi? Ce que tu sais, expose-le donc.
[Job, ] you object to what God has done to you, but do you think that he will do what you want him to do? It is you who must choose [what you say to God], not I; so tell me what you are thinking about this.
34 Les gens sensés me le diront, les hommes sages qui m’écoutent:
“People who have good sense, those who are wise and who listen to what I say, will say to me,
35 "Job ne discourt pas en connaissance de cause, ses paroles ne sont pas raisonnables.
‘Job is speaking ignorantly; what he says is nonsense.’
36 Mon souhait serait que Job fût éprouvé encore longtemps, à cause de ses réponses dignes d’hommes iniques;
I think that Job should be taken to a court and (put on trial/judged), because he answers [us his friends] like wicked men would answer.
37 car à son péché il ajoute une faute plus grave: il pense triompher au milieu de nous et prodigue ses propos contre Dieu."
To add to the [other] sins that he has committed, he is rebelling [against God]; he shows us that he does not respect God [IDM], making long speeches [saying that God has punished him unjustly].”
