Nombres 23
1 Balaam dit à Balac: Elève-moi ici sept autels, et prépare ici sept bœufs et sept béliers.
Balaam said to King Balak, “Build seven altars for me here. Then kill seven young bulls and seven rams [for a sacrifice].”
2 Balac fit comme avait dit Balaam, et il sacrifia un bœuf et un bélier par autel.
So Balak did that. And then he and Balaam each burned a young bull and a ram [as a sacrifice] on each altar.
3 Balaam dit encore à Balac: Reste auprès de tes victimes, et j'irai voir si Dieu se manifeste à moi; ce qu'il m'apprendra, je te le répèterai. Et Balac resta près des victimes.
Then Balaam said to Balak, “You stand here close to your burned offerings, and I will go and ask Yahweh if he has something else to tell me. Then I will tell you what he says to me.” Then Balaam went by himself to the top of a hill,
4 Balaam alla donc interroger Dieu; il marcha droit devant lui, et Dieu lui apparut; Balaam dit à Dieu: J'ai préparé sept autels, et j'ai placé sur chaque autel un bœuf et un bélier.
and God appeared to him there. Balaam said to him, “We have built seven altars, and I have killed and burned a young bull and a ram [as a sacrifice to you] on each altar.”
5 Alors, Dieu mit sa parole en la bouche de Balaam, et il lui dit: Quand tu seras de retour auprès de Balac, Voici ce que tu lui diras.
Then Yahweh gave Balaam a message to give to King Balak. Then he said, “Go back and tell him what I told you.”
6 Balaam retourna ensuite vers Balac; or, celui-ci se tenait auprès de ses holocaustes, avec tous les princes de Moab; et l'Esprit de Dieu vint en Balaam.
When Balaam returned to Balak, Balak was standing with the leaders from Moab beside the offerings he had burned [on the altar].
7 Et Balaam, commençant son discours prophétique, dit: Balac, roi de Moab, m'a fait venir de la Mésopotamie et des montagnes de l'orient, et il m'a dit: Viens, fais des imprécations contre Jacob; maudis Israël.
This is the message that Balaam told them: “Balak, the King of Moab, summoned me to come here from Syria; he brought me here from the hills at the eastern side of Syria. He said, ‘Come and curse the descendants of Jacob for me, saying that bad things will happen to these Israeli people!’
8 Pourquoi ferais-je des imprécations contre celui à qui le Seigneur ne veut point de mal? Pourquoi maudirais-je celui que Dieu ne maudit point?
But (how can I curse people whom God has not cursed?/I certainly cannot curse people whom God has not cursed!) [RHQ] (How can I condemn people whom Yahweh has not condemned?/I cannot condemn people whom Yahweh has not condemned!) [RHQ]
9 Je le vois de ces montagnes, je l'aperçois du haut de ces collines: voici un peuple qui demeurera isolé, il ne sera point compté parmi les nations.
I have seen them from the tops of the rocky peaks. I see that they are a group of people who live by themselves; they have separated themselves from other nations.
10 Qui connaîtra la race de Jacob, et qui énumèrera les tribus d'Israël? Puisse mon âme mourir avec les âmes justes; puisse ma race être comme celle-là!
(Who can count the descendants of Jacob; they are as numerous as particles of (dust/dirt)?/No one can count the descendants of Jacob; they are as numerous as particles of (dust/dirt)!) [RHQ] (Who can count even a quarter of the Israeli people?/No one can count even a quarter of the Israeli people!) [RHQ] I wish/hope that I will die like righteous people die; I hope that I will die [peacefully] like they will die.”
11 Balac dit alors à Balaam: Qu'as-tu fait? Je t'ai appelé pour que tu maudisses mes ennemis, et voilà que tu les bénis!
Then Balak said, “What have you done to me [RHQ]? I brought you here to curse my enemies, but instead you have (blessed them/asked Yahweh to bless them)!”
12 Balaam répondit à Balac: Ne dois-je pas fidèlement répéter les paroles que Dieu a mises dans ma bouche?
But Balaam replied, “I can [RHQ] say only what Yahweh tells me to say. I cannot say anything else.”
13 Balac répartit: Viens avec moi en un autre lieu d'où tu ne pourras voir tout ce peuple; tu en verras une part sans le voir tout entier; maudis-le de cet endroit.
Then King Balak told Balaam, “Come with me to another place. There you will see only part of the Israeli people, and you will be able to curse those people for me.”
14 Et il l'emmena au plus haut du champ, sur le plateau d'un rocher, et il y éleva sept autels, et il plaça sur chaque autel un bœuf et un bélier.
So Balak took Balaam to a field on the top of Pisgah [Mountain]. There, again he built seven altars and offered a young bull and a ram [as a sacrifice] on each altar.
15 Balaam dit à Balac: Reste auprès de tes victimes, je vais interroger Dieu.
Then Balaam said to the king, “Stand here close to your burned offerings, while I go and talk with Yahweh.”
16 Et Dieu vint à la rencontre de Balaam; il lui mit sa parole dans la bouche, et il lui dit: Retourne auprès de Balac; voici ce que tu lui diras.
So Balaam did that, and Yahweh appeared to Balaam again and gave him another message. Then he said, “Go back to Balak and tell him that message.”
17 Et Balaam retourna vers Balac, qui se tenait près de ses holocaustes, avec tous les princes de Moab. Balac lui dit: Que t'a dit le Seigneur?
So Balaam returned to where the king and the leaders from Moab were standing, next to the altar where Balak had burned the sacrifices. Balak asked him, “What did Yahweh say?”
18 Et Balaam, commençant son discours prophétique, dit: Lève-toi, Balac, et écoute; écoute comme témoin, fils de Séphor:
Then Balaam told him this message: “Balak, listen carefully; hear what I have to say, you son of Zippor [DOU]!
19 On ne tient pas Dieu en suspens comme l'homme; on ne le menace pas comme les fils de l'homme; lui qui a dit, ne fera-t-il pas? Il parlera: sa parole ne subsistera-t-elle pas?
God is not a human being. Humans lie, but God never lies. He never changes his mind/thoughts, as humans do. Whatever he has said that he will do, he does.
20 Quant à moi, il m'a choisi pour bénir, et je bénirai; rien ne m'en détournera.
He commanded me [to request him] to bless [the Israelis], So he has blessed them, and I cannot change that.
21 Il n'y aura point de souffrance en Jacob, on ne verra point de douleur en Israël. Le Seigneur son Dieu est avec lui, la gloire de ses princes est en lui.
Yahweh their God is with/helping them; they have declared that he is their true king. So the descendants of Jacob will not be harmed; they will not have any troubles [DOU].
22 C'est Dieu qui l'a tiré d'Egypte; sa gloire est comme celle de la licorne.
God brought them out of Egypt [where they were slaves]; he is as strong as a wild ox.
23 Il n'y a point d'augures en Jacob, il n'y a point d'art divinatoire en Israël; au temps voulu Jacob entendra la parole, Israël entendra ce que Dieu doit accomplir.
When people curse [PRS] the descendants of Jacob, they will not be harmed; when people work sorcery on them, it will have no power. So now people will say about the descendants of Jacob, ‘God has done wonderful things for the Israelis!’
24 Son peuple se lèvera comme un lionceau; il s'exaltera comme un lion; il ne dormira point qu'il n'ait dévoré sa proie et bu le sang du carnage.
They are very strong, like lionesses that are ready to attack [other animals]; they stand firm like lions. The lions refuse to rest until they have [killed and] eaten their prey, and drunk the blood of the animals they slaughtered.”
25 Et Balac dit à Balaam: Si tu n'as pu les maudire, du moins ne les bénis pas.
Then Balak said to Balaam, “If you will not curse them, then [I certainly] do not [want you to] bless them!”
26 Balaam répondit à Balac: Ne t'ai-je point dit: La parole que me dira le Seigneur, je la répèterai?
But Balaam replied, “I told you that I must do only what Yahweh tells me to do!”
27 Et Balac dit à Balaam: Viens, je vais t'emmener ailleurs, pour voir si la du moins il plaira à Dieu que tu les maudisses.
Then King Balak said to Balaam, “Come with me; I will take you to another place. Perhaps it will please God to allow you to curse them from that place.”
28 Balac emmena Balaam sur la cime de Phégor, qui s'étend vers le désert.
So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor [Mountain] where they could look down [and see the Israelis in] the desert.
29 Et Balaam dit à Balac: Elève-moi ici sept autels, et prépare-moi sept bœufs et sept béliers.
Balaam again told Balak, “Build me seven altars again and kill seven young bulls and seven rams [for a sacrifice].”
30 Balac fit comme avait dit Balaam, et il sacrifia un bœuf et un bélier par autel.
So Balak did what Balaam told him to do. He burned a young bull and a ram on each altar as sacrifices.
