2 Chroniques 10
1 Roboam se rendit à Sichem, car tout Israël était venu à Sichem pour le faire roi.
All the people of Israel went to Shechem [city] in order to appoint Rehoboam to be their king. So Rehoboam also went there.
2 Lorsque Jéroboam, fils de Nebath, eut des nouvelles, il était en Égypte, où il s’était enfui loin du roi Salomon, et il revint d’Égypte.
Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, had fled to Egypt [to escape] from King Solomon. But when he heard [about the people wanting to appoint Rehoboam to be their king], he returned [to Israel] from Egypt
3 On l’envoya appeler. Alors Jéroboam et tout Israël vinrent vers Roboam et lui parlèrent ainsi:
So the [leaders of the northern tribes] summoned him, and he went with them [to talk] to Rehoboam. They said to Rehoboam,
4 Ton père a rendu notre joug dur; maintenant allège cette rude servitude et le joug pesant que nous a imposé ton père. Et nous te servirons.
“Your father [Solomon] forced us to work very hard for him. If you do not force us to work that hard, and if you charge us less taxes than we were paying to him, we will serve you [faithfully].”
5 Il leur dit: Revenez vers moi dans trois jours. Et le peuple s’en alla.
He replied, “Come back three days from now [and I will give you my answer].” So those leaders [and Jeroboam] left.
6 Le roi Roboam consulta les vieillards qui avaient été auprès de Salomon, son père, pendant sa vie, et il dit: Que conseillez-vous de répondre à ce peuple?
Then King Rehoboam consulted his older men who had advised his father Solomon while he was still alive. He asked them, “What shall I say to answer these men?”
7 Et voici ce qu’ils lui dirent: Si tu es bon envers ce peuple, si tu les reçois favorablement, et si tu leur parles avec bienveillance, ils seront pour toujours tes serviteurs.
They replied, “If you will be kind to these people and do things that will please them, and if you say kind things to them when you answer them, they will always serve you.”
8 Mais Roboam laissa le conseil que lui donnaient les vieillards, et il consulta les jeunes gens qui avaient grandi avec lui et qui l’entouraient.
But he ignored what the older men advised him to do. Instead, he consulted the younger men who had grown up with him, who were now his advisors.
9 Il leur dit: Que conseillez-vous de répondre à ce peuple qui me tient ce langage: Allège le joug que nous a imposé ton père?
He said to them, “How should I answer the men who are asking me to reduce the [work and taxes] that my father required from them?”
10 Et voici ce que lui dirent les jeunes gens qui avaient grandi avec lui: Tu parleras ainsi à ce peuple qui t’a tenu ce langage: Ton père a rendu notre joug pesant, et toi, allège-le-nous! Tu leur parleras ainsi: Mon petit doigt est plus gros que les reins de mon père.
The young men who had grown up with him replied, “[Those men] have said that your father forced them to work very hard for him, so they want you to reduce the [work and taxes] that your father required from them. But this is what you should tell them: ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist.
11 Maintenant, mon père vous a chargés d’un joug pesant, et moi je vous le rendrai plus pesant; mon père vous a châtiés avec des fouets, et moi je vous châtierai avec des scorpions.
What I mean is that my father required you to [work hard and pay high taxes]. But I will make those loads heavier. [It was as though] my father whipped you, but I will whip you with whips that have pieces of metal in them.’”
12 Jéroboam et tout le peuple vinrent à Roboam le troisième jour, suivant ce qu’avait dit le roi: Revenez vers moi dans trois jours.
Three days later, Jeroboam and all the leaders came to King Rehoboam again, which is what he had told them to do.
13 Le roi leur répondit durement. Le roi Roboam laissa le conseil des vieillards,
The king ignored the advice of the older men and spoke harshly to the Israeli leaders.
14 et leur parla ainsi d’après le conseil des jeunes gens: Mon père a rendu votre joug pesant, et moi je le rendrai plus pesant; mon père vous a châtiés avec des fouets, et moi je vous châtierai avec des scorpions.
[He told them what the younger men had advised.] He said, “My father put heavy burdens [of work and taxes] on you, but I will put heavier burdens on you. [It was as though] he beat you with whips, but I will beat you with whips that have pieces of metal in them!”
15 Ainsi le roi n’écouta point le peuple; car cela fut dirigé par Dieu, en vue de l’accomplissement de la parole que l’Éternel avait dite par Achija de Silo à Jéroboam, fils de Nebath.
So the king did not pay any attention to the Israeli leaders. But this happened in order that what Yahweh had told the prophet Ahijah about Jeroboam would happen.
16 Lorsque tout Israël vit que le roi ne l’écoutait pas, le peuple répondit au roi: Quelle part avons-nous avec David? Nous n’avons point d’héritage avec le fils d’Isaï! A tes tentes, Israël! Maintenant, pourvois à ta maison, David! Et tout Israël s’en alla dans ses tentes.
When the Israeli leaders realized that the king did not pay any attention to what they said, they shouted, “We do not want anything to do with this descendant of King David! We will not pay attention to what this grandson of Jesse says! You people of Israel, let’s go home! As for this descendant of David, he can rule his own kingdom!” So the Israeli leaders returned to their homes.
17 Les enfants d’Israël qui habitaient les villes de Juda furent les seuls sur qui régna Roboam.
And [after that, the only Israeli] people whom Rehoboam ruled over were those who lived in the territory of [the tribes of] Judah [and Benjamin].
18 Alors le roi Roboam envoya Hadoram, qui était préposé aux impôts. Mais Hadoram fut lapidé par les enfants d’Israël, et il mourut. Et le roi Roboam se hâta de monter sur un char, pour s’enfuir à Jérusalem.
Then King Rehoboam went with Adoniram [to talk to the Israeli people]. Adoniram was the man who supervised [all the men who were] forced to work [for Rehoboam]. But the Israeli people killed him by throwing stones at him. When that happened, King Rehoboam quickly got in his chariot and escaped to Jerusalem.
19 C’est ainsi qu’Israël s’est détaché de la maison de David jusqu’à ce jour.
Ever since that time, [the people of the northern tribes of] Israel have been rebelling against the descendants of [King] David.
