Néhémie 4

1 Or, lorsque Sanaballat apprit que nous relevions les remparts, il le trouva mauvais, s'en courrouça grandement, et se moqua fort des Juifs.

But it came to pass that, when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews.

2 Et il dit devant ses frères (c'est-à-dire devant l'armée samaritaine): Il est donc vrai que les Juifs réédifient leur ville?

And he spoke before his brothers and the army of Samaria, and said, What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they fortify themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they finish in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, seeing they are burnt?

3 Et Tobias l'Ammonite s'approcha de lui, et il dit à la multitude: Est-ce qu'ils sacrifieront et mangeront en ce lieu? Est-ce qu'un renard en sautant ne renversera pas leur muraille de pierres?

Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, Even that which they are building, if a fox goes up he shall break down their stone wall.

4 Écoutez, ô notre Dieu, car nous sommes un sujet de raillerie; faites retomber ces outrages sur leurs têtes, et qu'eux-mêmes soient un sujet de raillerie en la terre où nous avons été captifs.

Hear, O our God, for we are despised, and so turn back their reproach upon their own head, and give them up for a spoil in a land of captivity,

5 Ne couvrez pas leur iniquité.

and do not cover their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before thee, for they have provoked thee to anger before the builders.

6 Cependant, nous continuâmes à rebâtir le mur; et lorsque tout le mur fut bouché jusqu’à mi-hauteur, le peuple eut de nouveau du cœur à l’ouvrage.

So we built the wall, and all the wall was joined together to half the height of it, for the people had a mind to work.

7 Or, lorsque Sanaballat, et Tobias, et les Arabes et les Ammonites, apprirent que les murs de Jérusalem reprenaient leur forme, et que leurs brèches commençaient à se fermer, ils le trouvèrent fort mauvais.

But it came to pass that, when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem went forward, and that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very angry,

8 Et ils se réunirent tous ensemble pour marcher contre Jérusalem, et la faire disparaître.

and all of them together conspired to come and fight against Jerusalem, and to cause confusion therein.

9 Alors, nous priâmes notre Dieu, et nous mîmes, nuit et jour, des gardes, à cause d'eux.

But we made our prayer to our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them.

10 Et Juda dit: La force des ennemis est brisée; mais le monceau de ruines est énorme, et nous ne pourrons bâtir les remparts.

And Judah said, The strength of the bearers of burdens has become feeble, and there is much rubbish, so that we are not able to build the wall.

11 Et nos oppresseurs dirent: Ils ne sauront, ils ne verront que lorsque nous arriverons au milieu d'eux, et nous les massacrerons, et nous ferons cesser l'œuvre.

And our adversaries said, They shall not know, neither see, till we come into the midst of them, and kill them, and cause the work to cease.

12 Et les Juifs qui habitaient dans le voisinage, vinrent, et nous dirent: Ils arrivent de toutes parts contre nous.

And it came to pass that, when the Jews who dwelt by them came, they said to us ten times, From all places from where ye shall return to us they will be upon you.

13 Alors, je plaçai tout le peuple en bas, au pied des remparts, sous des abris, par familles, avec leurs épées, leurs javelines et leurs arcs.

Therefore I set in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in the open places, I set there the people after their families with their swords, their spears, and their bows.

14 Et je regardai, me levai, et dis aux nobles, aux capitaines, à tout le reste du peuple: Ne craignez point leur face; souvenez-vous de notre Dieu grand et redoutable; combattez pour vos frères, vos fils, vos filles, vos femmes et vos foyers.

And I looked, and rose up, and said to the ranking men, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, Be not ye afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses.

15 Et aussitôt que nos ennemis apprirent qu'ils nous avaient été signalés, Dieu dissipa leurs conseils, et nous retournâmes aux remparts, chacun à son ouvrage.

And it came to pass, when our enemies heard that it was known to us, and God had brought their counsel to naught, that we returned all of us to the wall, every man to his work.

16 Et, à partir de ce jour, la moitié de ceux que j'avais attirés fit l'œuvre; l'autre moitié se rangea derrière les remparts avec des javelines, des boucliers, des arcs et des cuirasses; leurs chefs se tenant derrière toute la maison de Juda,

And it came to pass from that time forth, that half of my servants labored in the work, and half of them held the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the coats of mail. And the rulers were behind all the house of Judah.

17 Et derrière ceux qui bâtissaient; ceux qui transportaient les matériaux ne quittaient point leurs armes; d'une main ils faisaient leur tâche, de l'autre ils tenaient un trait.

They all built the wall, and those who bore burdens loaded themselves, every man with one of his hands labored in the work, and with the other held his weapon,

18 Et chaque travailleur avait autour des reins son épée, et ils édifiaient, et celui qui sonnait de la trompette était auprès d'eux.

and the builders, every man had his sword girded by his side, and so built. And he who sounded the trumpet was by me.

19 Et je dis aux nobles, aux capitaines et au reste du peuple: L'œuvre est grande et de longue étendue, et nous, sommes dispersés sur le rempart, chacun loin de son frère.

And I said to the ranking men, and to the rulers and to the rest of the people, The work is great and large, and we are separated upon the wall, one far from another.

20 N'importe où vous entendrez la trompette, accourez tous en ce lieu, et notre Dieu combattra avec nous.

In whatever place ye hear the sound of the trumpet, gather ye there to us, our God will fight for us.

21 Ainsi, nous continuâmes nos travaux; la moitié de nous ne quitta point ses javelines, depuis les premières lueurs du jour jusqu'au lever des étoiles.

So we labored in the work, and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared.

22 Et, en ce temps-là, je dis au peuple: Que chacun, avec son serviteur, demeure au milieu de Jérusalem; la nuit on veillera, le jour on se mettra au travail.

Likewise at the same time I said to the people, Let each with his servant lodge within Jerusalem that in the night they may be a guard to us, and may labor in the day.

23 Et j'étais là, et les hommes de garde se tenaient derrière moi, et nul de nous n'ôtait ses vêtements.

So neither I, nor my brothers, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us put off our clothes, everyone went with his weapon to the water.