Job 39
1 Sais-tu le temps où la gazelle des rochers met bas? As-tu observé les biches dans les douleurs de l'enfantement?
“[Job], do you know at what time/season [of the year] the female mountain goats give birth? Have you watched the wild deer while their fawns were being born?
2 As-tu compté les mois de leur portée? les as-tu délivrées dans les maux?
Do you know how many months pass from the time they become pregnant until their fawns are born?
3 Est-ce grâce à toi qu'elles nourrissent leurs petits sans crainte? as-tu effacé toutes leurs douleurs?
[When they give birth, ] they crouch down so that the fawns do not [get hurt by] falling to the ground when they are born.
4 Leurs petits les abandonneront; ils multiplieront leur espèce; ils s'éloigneront et ne reviendront jamais.
The young fawns grow up in the open fields, and then they leave their mothers and do not return to them again.
5 De qui l'âne sauvage tient-il sa liberté? Qui a détaché ses liens?
“Who allows the wild donkeys to go wherever they want [DOU]?
6 J'ai préparé sa nourriture dans le désert, et sa demeure dans la contrée saumâtre et stérile.
I am the one who put them in the desert, in places where grass does not grow.
7 Il se raille de la foule qui peuple les cités; il n'entend jamais les reproches du collecteur.
They do not like the noise in the cities; [in the desert] they do not have to listen to the shouts of those who force donkeys to work.
8 Il met tous ses soins à examiner les pâturages des montagnes, et il vit de toutes sortes d'herbes.
They go to the hills to find food; there they search for grass to eat.
9 La licorne se prêtera-t-elle à te servir; couchera-t-elle jamais en ton étable?
:Will a wild ox agree to work for you? Will it allow you to keep it penned up at night in the place where you put feed for your animals?
10 Pourras-tu l'attacher au joug et lui faire creuser les sillons de tes champs?
And can you fasten it with a rope so that it will plow furrows/trenches in your fields?
11 Te fieras-tu à elle à cause de sa force, et la chargeras-tu de tes travaux?
Since it is very strong, can you trust it to work for you? Can you go away after you tell it what work it should do [and assume that it will do that work]?
12 Croiras-tu qu'elle te rende tes semailles; les fera-t-elle rentrer en ton aire?
Can you rely on it to come back [from the field], bringing your grain to the place where you thresh it?
13 La plume naissante de l'autruche ramassera-t-elle du limon comme celle du canard?
“[Think also about] the ostriches. [They] joyfully flap their wings, but they do not have wing feathers [that enable them to fly] like storks do.
14 Elle pond dans le sable, et ne couve pas ses œufs autrement qu'en les couvrant d'une motte de terre
Ostriches lay their eggs on top of the ground [and then walk away], leaving the eggs to be warmed in the sand.
15 Elle oublie que le passant les dispersera et que les bêtes fauves les fouleront aux pieds.
Ostriches do not worry that some wild animal may step on the eggs and crush them [DOU].
16 Elle traite durement ses petits comme s'ils ne lui appartenaient pas; elle a souffert vainement sans regret ni crainte,
Ostriches act cruelly towards their chicks; they act as though the chicks belonged to some other ostrich. They are not concerned if [their chicks die], [and so] the laying of the eggs was in vain.
17 Parce que Dieu chez elle a fait taire la sagesse, et ne lui a pas accordé sa part d'intelligence.
That is because I did not allow ostriches to be wise. I did not enable them to be intelligent.
18 A l'occasion elle prendra son essor; elle raillera le cheval et le cavalier.
But, when they get up and begin to run, they scornfully laugh at horses with their riders [because the horses cannot run as fast as the ostriches!]
19 Est-ce toi qui as donné au cheval sa vigueur; est-ce par toi que sa crinière effraye
And [think about] horses. [Job], are you the one who caused horses to be strong? Are you the one who put flowing (manes/long hair) on their necks?
20 L'as-tu armé de ses moyens de défense; as-tu fait naître l'audace en son sein?
Are you the one who enabled them to leap forward like locusts? When they (snort/blow loudly through their noses), they cause people to be afraid.
21 Il imprime son sabot dans le sol et s'enorgueillit; il s'élance en sa force à travers la campagne.
They paw the ground, rejoicing about being very strong, as they prepare to rush into a battle.
22 La lutte avec un roi le réjouit; il ne se détourne pas du fer.
[It is as if] they laugh at the thought of being afraid. They are not afraid of anything! They do not run away when [the soldiers in the battle are fighting each other with] swords.
23 L'arc et l'épée se glorifient s'ils l'atteignent.
The quivers containing the riders’ arrows rattle against the horses’ sides, and the spears and javelins flash [in the light of the sun].
24 En son courroux il détruirait la terre, et il n'est docile qu'au signal de la trompette.
The horses paw the ground fiercely/excitedly, [wanting the battle to begin, ] and they rush into the battle when the trumpet is blown.
25 S'il l'entend, il dit: Bien; il flaire de loin la bataille, et il le fait voir par ses courbettes et ses hennissements.
They neigh [joyfully] when they hear someone blowing the trumpet. They can smell a battle even when they are far away, and they understand what it means when the commanders shout their commands [to their soldiers].
26 Est-ce ta science qui a dressé l'épervier? Lui as-tu appris à déployer ses ailes, à se balancer immobile et à regarder le midi?
“[And think about big birds.] Are you the one who enabled hawks to spread their wings and fly to the south [for the winter]?
27 Est-ce à ton commandement que l'aigle élève son vol, et que le vautour passe la nuit perché au-dessus de ses petits,
Do eagles fly high up [into the cliffs] to make their nests because you commanded them to do that?
28 Sur la pointe d'une roche, au fond de sa retraite?
They live in [holes in] those cliffs. They are safe in those high pointed rocks [because no animals can reach them there].
29 En s'y tenant il cherche sa pâture; ses yeux voient au loin.
As they watch carefully from there, they see far away the animals that they can kill (OR, dead bodies of animals).
30 Il souille de sang sa couvée, et, partout où il y a des cadavres, il les découvre.
After an eagle kills an animal, the baby eagles drink the blood of that animal.”
