Jérémie 51
1 Parole qui vint à Jérémie sur tous les Juifs demeurant en la terre d'Égypte; sur ceux établis à Magdolos et à Taphnès, et en la terre de Pathurès, disant:
This is what the Lord says: Look! I'm going to stir up a destructive wind against Babylon and against the people of Babylonia.
2 Voici ce que dit le Seigneur Dieu d'Israël: Vous avez vu tous les maux que j'ai amenés sur Jérusalem et sur les villes de Juda; et voilà qu'elles sont vides de leurs habitants,
I will send foreign soldiers to attack Babylon to winnow her and turn her country into a wasteland—they will attack her from all directions when her time of trouble comes.
3 Parce qu'ils m'ont exaspéré de leur méchanceté en allant brûler de l'encens pour d'autres dieux, que jadis vous ne connaissiez pas.
The archer doesn't need to use his bow; the infantryman doesn't need to put on his armor. Don't spare her young soldiers; set apart her whole army for destruction!
4 Et je vous ai envoyé de bonne heure mes serviteurs les prophètes, disant: Ne faites point cette œuvre de souillure que je hais.
They will fall down wounded in her streets, killed in the country of Babylonia.
5 Mais ils ne m'ont point écouté, et ils ne m'ont point prêté l'oreille pour se détourner du mal, et cesser de brûler de l'encens pour d'autres dieux.
Israel and Judah have not been deserted by their God, the Lord Almighty, even though they sinned against the Holy One of Israel everywhere in their country.
6 Et ma colère est tombée sur eux; elle s'est enflammée contre les portes de Juda et dans les rues de Jérusalem; et elles sont devenues désertes et inhabitables, comme elles le sont encore.
Escape from Babylon! Run for your lives! Don't get caught up in her punishment and die, for this is the time when the Lord pays her back for her sins.
7 Et aujourd'hui voici ce que dit le Seigneur tout-puissant: Pourquoi faites-vous un si grand mal à vos âmes? C'est donc pour faire périr, au milieu de Juda, homme, femme, adolescent, enfant à la mamelle; pour qu'il ne reste plus rien de vous;
Once Babylon was a golden cup the Lord held in his hand. She made the whole earth drunk. The nations drank her wine which is why they went mad.
8 Pour que vous m'irritiez par les œuvres de vos mains, par l'encens brûlé à des dieux étrangers en la terre d'Égypte, où vous êtes allés demeurer; pour que vous mouriez, maudits et outragés parmi toutes les nations de la terre?
Now, all of a sudden, Babylon has fallen. She has been smashed to pieces. Weep for her; get her some treatment for her pain. Maybe she can be healed.
9 Avez-vous oublié les péchés de vos pères, les péchés des rois de Juda, les péchés de vos princes et les péchés de vos femmes, qui ont été commis dans la terre de Juda et dans les rues de Jérusalem?
“We tried to heal her, but she couldn't be helped. So give up on her! All of us should go home to where we came from. The news of her punishment has reached everywhere, all the way to heaven.
10 Et jusqu'à ce jour ils n'ont point cessé de pécher et ils n'ont point gardé mes commandements, que j'avais donnés à leurs pères.
The Lord has encouraged and supported us. Come on, let's tell people here in Jerusalem what the Lord has done for us!”
11 A cause de cela, ainsi parle le Seigneur: Voilà que je tourne ma face contre vous,
Sharpen the arrows! Pick up the shields! The Lord has encouraged the kings of the Medes, because his plan is directed at the destruction of Babylon. The Lord is paying them back for what happened to his Temple.
12 Pour détruire tous ces restes qui sont en Égypte; et ils tomberont par le glaive et par la faim, et ils périront du petit au grand, et ils seront outragés, et perdus, et maudits.
Raise the signal flag to attack the walls of Babylon; strengthen the guard; have the watchmen take their places; get the ambush ready. The Lord planned and carried out his threats against the people of Babylon.
13 Et je visiterai ceux qui sont établis en la terre d'Égypte, comme j'ai visité Jérusalem, avec le glaive et la famine.
You people who live beside by many waters, and have so much wealth, this is the time of your end—your life will be cut short.
14 Et nul ne sera sauvé des restes de Juda qui sont comme passagers en Égypte; et nul ne reviendra en la terre de Juda, où en leur âme ils espéraient revenir; ils n'en reviendront pas, sauf ceux qui déjà se sont échappés.
The Lord Almighty vowed by his own life, saying, I'm going to make sure to fill you with so many enemy soldiers they'll be like locusts. They will shout as they celebrate their victory over you.
15 Alors tous les hommes qui savaient que leurs femmes brûlaient de l'encens, toutes ces femmes en grand nombre et tout le peuple établi à Pathurès en la terre d'Égypte, répondirent à Jérémie, disant:
It was God who made the earth by his power. He created the world by his wisdom and by his understanding he put the heavens in place.
16 Quant aux paroles que tu nous dis au nom du Seigneur, nous ne t'écouterons pas;
The waters of the heavens rain down with a roar at his command. He makes the clouds to rise all over the earth. He makes lightning to accompany rain, and sends the wind from his storehouses.
17 Car nous ferons et nous accomplirons toute parole sortie de notre bouche, en brûlant de l'encens à la reine du ciel, et en lui offrant des libations, comme nous avons fait, comme ont fait nos pères, nos rois et nos princes dans les villes de Juda et dans les rues à Jérusalem. Aujourd'hui nous nous rassasions de pain, et nous sommes heureux, et nous n'avons point vu de malheurs:
Everyone is stupid; they don't know anything. Every metalworker is embarrassed by the idols they make. For their images made of molten metal are fraudulent—they're not alive!
18 Et dès que nous avons cessé de brûler de l'encens la reine du ciel, nous avons été tous amoindris, et nous avons péri par le glaive et la famine.
They are useless, an object to be laughed at. They will be destroyed at the time of their punishment.
19 Et si nous avons brûlé de l'encens à la reine du ciel, si nous lui avons offert des libations, est-ce que nous préparions pour elle, sans le consentement de nos maris, des gâteaux et des libations?
The God of Jacob is not like these idols, for he is the creator of everything, including his own people that are special to him. The Lord Almighty is his name.
20 Et Jérémie dit à tout le peuple, aux hommes dans la force de l'âge, et aux femmes, et à tout le peuple qui lui répondait de la sorte:
You are my war club, the weapon I use in battle. I use you to destroy nations; I use you to destroy kingdoms.
21 Le Seigneur ne s'est-il point souvenu de l'encens que vous brûliez dans les villes de Juda et dans les rues de Jérusalem, vous et vos pères, et vos rois, et vos princes, et tout le peuple de la terre? Et ces péchés ne sont-ils pas montés jusqu'à son cœur?
I use you to destroy horses and their riders; I use you to destroy chariots and their drivers.
22 Et le Seigneur n'a pu vous supporter à cause de la malice de vos œuvres, et des abominations que vous commettiez. Et votre terre est devenue déserte, sans chemin, sans bénédiction, telle qu'elle est encore aujourd'hui,
I use you to destroy men and women; I use you to destroy old men and youths; I use you to destroy young men and girls.
23 En punition de ce que vous avez brûlé de l'encens et péché contre le Seigneur. Et vous n'avez point écouté la voix du Seigneur, et vous n'avez point marché en ses commandements, en sa loi, en ses témoignages; et ces malheurs vous sont arrivés.
I use you to destroy shepherds and their flocks; I use you to destroy farmers and their cattle; I use you to destroy rulers and state officials.
24 Et Jérémie dit encore au peuple et aux femmes: Écoutez la parole du Seigneur:
Right in front of you I'm going to pay back Babylon and everyone who live in Babylonia for all the evil they did to Jerusalem, declares the Lord.
25 Voici ce que dit le Seigneur Dieu d'Israël: Vous femmes, vous avez parlé de votre propre bouche, et vous avez agi de vos propres mains, disant: Nous remplirons publiquement nos vœux en brûlant de l'encens à la reine du ciel, et en lui offrant des libations.
Watch out, because I am against you, you destructive monster who devastates the whole world, declares the Lord. I will reach out to attack you; I will roll you down the cliffs; I will turn you into a mountain of ash.
26 A cause de cela, écoutez la parole du Seigneur: O vous, vous hommes de Juda établis en Égypte, voilà que j'ai juré par mon nom très grand, dit le Seigneur, que mon nom ne sera plus en la bouche d'aucun homme de Juda pour qu'il dise: Vive le Seigneur! en toute la terre d'Égypte.
Nobody will be even able to find themselves a cornerstone or a foundation stone among your ruins, because you will be so utterly destroyed, declares the Lord.
27 J'ai veillé sur eux pour les affliger, non pour leur faire du bien; et tous les hommes de Juda demeurant en la terre d'Égypte périront par le glaive et la famine, jusqu'à qu'ils aient tous disparu.
Raise a signal flag in the country! Blow the trumpet call to war among the nations! Get the nations ready to attack her; Summon the kingdoms to march against her: Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz. Choose a commander to lead the armies to attack her; send into battle cavalry like a swarm of locusts.
28 Et ceux qui auront échappé au glaive, c'est qu'ils seront retournés en la terre de Juda; il y en aura un très petit nombre; mais le reste de Juda, établi en la terre d'Égypte pour y demeurer, connaîtra quel est celui dont la parole est stable.
Have the armies of the nations prepare for battle against her. This applies to the kings of the Medes, their leaders and all their officers, and every country they rule.
29 Et tel est pour vous un signe que je vous visiterai pour votre malheur:
The earth quakes and trembles because the Lord is determined to carry out what he threatened against Babylon—to turn Babylonia into a wasteland where no one lives.
30 Ainsi dit le Seigneur: Voilà que je livre Vaphrès, roi d'Égypte, aux mains de son ennemi et aux mains de celui qui en veut à sa vie; de même que j'ai livré Sédécias, roi de Juda, aux mains de Nabuchodonosor, roi de Babylone, son ennemi, qui en voulait à sa vie.
Babylon's defenders have given up fighting—they're just sitting in their fortresses. They're worn out; they've become like frightened women. Babylon's houses are burning; the bars securing her gates have been smashed.
31 Parole que Jérémie le prophète dit à Baruch, fils de Nérias, lorsqu'il écrivit ces paroles, en un livre, de la bouche de Jérémie, la quatrième année du règne de Joakim, fils de Josias, roi de Juda.
A runner hands his message over to another to carry; one messenger follows another messenger, all of them alerting the king of Babylon to the news that his city has been completely conquered,
32 Voici ce que le Seigneur dit sur toi, Baruch:
the river crossings have been captured, the marshlands set on fire and his soldiers are panicking.
33 Parce que tu as dit: Hélas! hélas! le Seigneur m'envoie douleur sur douleur; je me suis couché gémissant, et je n'ai point trouvé de repos;
This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: The people of Babylon are like a threshing floor when the grain is trampled out. Her time of harvest will come very soon.
34 Dis-lui: Ainsi parle le Seigneur: Voilà que je vais abattre ceux que j'ai édifiés; et ceux que j'ai plantés je les arracherai.
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon chewed me up and sucked me dry, making me as empty as a jar with nothing in it. He swallowed me down as if he were some monster, filling himself with the tastiest parts of me and throwing the rest away.
35 Après cela, demanderas-tu beaucoup pour toi? Ne demande rien; car j'amène des maux sur toute chair, dit le Seigneur; mais à toi je te donnerai la vie, et ce sera pour toi comme un butin en tout lieu où tu iras.
“Babylon must bear the responsibility for the violent attacks on us,” say the inhabitants of Zion. “The people of Babylonia must bear the responsibility for the blood shed in my city,” says Jerusalem.
This is what the Lord says: Watch as I present your case for you and make your enemies pay for what they did to you. I'm going to dry up her river and her springs.
Babylon will be turned into a pile of rubble, a home for jackals, a place that horrifies people, a place they jeer at, a place where no one lives.
The Babylonians will roar together like powerful lions and growl like lion cubs.
But while their passions are aroused, I will serve them a banquet and get them drunk. They'll celebrate so much that they'll pass out and won't ever wake up, declares the Lord.
I will take them down like lambs to be slaughtered, like rams and goats.
How could it be? Babylon has fallen! The most famous city in the world has been conquered! What a horrible sight Babylon has become to everyone watching!
It's as if the sea has flooded over Babylon, covering her in crashing waves.
The towns of Babylonia are in ruins, turned into a dry desert wasteland where no one lives—no one even passes by.
I will punish Bel in Babylon. I will force him to spit out what he swallowed. People of other nations won't run to worship him anymore. Even Babylon's wall has fallen.
My people, come out of her! Each one of you, save yourselves from the Lord's furious anger.
Don't lose courage, and don't be afraid when you hear different rumors going around the country. There'll be one rumor one year, and another one the next, talking about violent revolution, of one ruler fighting against another.
Look, the time is coming when I will punish Babylon's idols. The whole country will be humiliated; it will be full of the dead bodies of those who have been killed.
Then everyone in heaven and on earth will celebrate with shouts of joy at what's happened to Babylon, because the destroyers from the north will come and attack her, declares the Lord.
Babylon has to fall because of the Israelites and people of other nations she killed.
Those of you who have managed to escape being killed, leave now! Don't delay! Remember the Lord in this far away place; think about Jerusalem.
“We are embarrassed because we've been mocked, and we held our heads in shame because foreigners went into the holy places of the Lord's Temple,”
So keep watching, declares the Lord, because the time is coming when I will punish her for worshiping idols, and the sound of wounded people moaning will be heard throughout the country.
Even if Babylon could climb up into the sky to strengthen her high fortresses, those I send to attack her will destroy her, declares the Lord.
A cry comes from Babylon; the noise of terrible destruction comes from the country of Babylonia.
For the Lord is going to destroy Babylon; he will put an end to her boastful talk. The waves of attacking army will roar like the crashing sea; the noise of their shouts will echo all around.
A destroyer is coming to attack Babylon. Her soldiers will be taken prisoner, and their bows will be smashed, for the Lord is a God who punishes fairly; he will definitely pay them back.
I will make her leaders and wise men drunk, along with her commanders, officers, and soldiers. Then they will pass out, and won't ever wake up, declares the King, whose name is the Lord Almighty.
This is what the Lord Almighty says: Babylon's massive walls will be knocked down to the ground and her high gates burned. All that the people worked for will be for nothing; other nations who came to help will wear themselves out, only to see what they've done go up in flames.
This is the message that Jeremiah the prophet gave to Seraiah son of Neriah, son of Mahseiah, when he accompanied King Zedekiah of Judah to Babylon in the fourth year of Zedekiah's reign. Seraiah was the king's personal assistant.
Jeremiah had written on a scroll a description of all the disasters that would come to Babylon—all these words written here about Babylon.
Jeremiah told Seraiah, “When you arrive in Babylon, make sure you read out loud everything written here,
and announce, ‘Lord, you have promised to destroy this place so that none will be left—no people or animals. In fact it will be deserted forever.’
After you finish reading this scroll out loud, tie a stone to it and throw it into the Euphrates.
Then say, ‘This is how Babylon will sink and won't ever rise again, because of the disaster I'm bringing down on her. Her people will grow tired.’” This is the end of Jeremiah's messages.
