2 Rois 4
1 Une femme d’entre les femmes des fils des prophètes cria à Élisée, en disant: Ton serviteur mon mari est mort, et tu sais que ton serviteur craignait l’Éternel; or le créancier est venu pour prendre mes deux enfants et en faire ses esclaves.
One day the widow of one of [Yahweh’s] prophets came to Elisha and cried out to him, “My husband, who worked with you, is dead. You know that he revered Yahweh [very much]. But now a man to whom he owed a lot of money has come to me. [And because I cannot pay back the money, he is threatening] to take away my two sons to be his slaves [as payment for what I owe him]!”
2 Élisée lui dit: Que puis-je faire pour toi? Dis-moi, qu’as-tu à la maison? Elle répondit: Ta servante n’a rien du tout à la maison qu’un vase d’huile.
Elisha replied, “What can I do to help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?” She replied, “We have only a container of [olive] oil; we have nothing else.”
3 Et il dit: Va demander au-dehors des vases chez tous tes voisins, des vases vides, et n’en demande pas un petit nombre.
Elisha said, “Go to your neighbors and borrow from them as many empty jars as you can.
4 Quand tu seras rentrée, tu fermeras la porte sur toi et sur tes enfants; tu verseras dans tous ces vases, et tu mettras de côté ceux qui seront pleins.
Then take the jars into your house with your sons. Shut the door. Then pour olive oil from your container into the other jars. When each jar is full, set it aside [and fill another jar. Keep doing that until all the jars are full].”
5 Alors elle le quitta. Elle ferma la porte sur elle et sur ses enfants; ils lui présentaient les vases, et elle versait.
[So she did what Elisha told her to do]. Her sons kept bringing jars to her, and she kept filling them.
6 Lorsque les vases furent pleins, elle dit à son fils: Présente-moi encore un vase. Mais il lui répondit: Il n’y a plus de vase. Et l’huile s’arrêta.
Soon all the jars were full. So she said to one of her sons, “Bring me another jar!” But he replied, “There are no more jars!” And then the olive oil stopped flowing.
7 Elle alla le rapporter à l’homme de Dieu, et il dit: Va vendre l’huile, et paie ta dette; et tu vivras, toi et tes fils, de ce qui restera.
When she told Elijah [what had happened], he said to her, “Now sell the jars of oil. And [with the money you get, ] pay what you owe, and there will be enough extra money to keep buying food for yourself and your sons.” [So she did that].
8 Un jour Élisée passait par Sunem. Il y avait là une femme de distinction, qui le pressa d’accepter à manger. Et toutes les fois qu’il passait, il se rendait chez elle pour manger.
One day Elisha went to Shunem [town]. There was a wealthy woman who lived there [with her husband]. One day she invited Elisha to her house for a meal. [Elisha went there and] from then on, every time Elisha was in Shunem, he went to their house to eat a meal.
9 Elle dit à son mari: Voici, je sais que cet homme qui passe toujours chez nous est un saint homme de Dieu.
One day the woman said to her husband, “I am sure that this man who often comes here is a prophet [who brings messages] from God.
10 Faisons une petite chambre haute avec des murs, et mettons-y pour lui un lit, une table, un siège et un chandelier, afin qu’il s’y retire quand il viendra chez nous.
I think we should make a small room for him on our [flat] roof, and put a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp in it. If we do that, whenever he comes here, he will have a place to stay.” [So they did that].
11 Élisée, étant revenu à Sunem, se retira dans la chambre haute et y coucha.
One day Elisha returned to Shunem, and he went up to that room to rest.
12 Il dit à Guéhazi, son serviteur: Appelle cette Sunamite. Guéhazi l’appela, et elle se présenta devant lui.
He said to his servant Gehazi, “Tell the woman that I want to speak to her.” [So the servant went and told her]. When she came [to the doorway of Elisha’s room],
13 Et Élisée dit à Guéhazi: Dis-lui: Voici, tu nous as montré tout cet empressement; que peut-on faire pour toi? Faut-il parler pour toi au roi ou au chef de l’armée? Elle répondit: J’habite au milieu de mon peuple.
Elisha said to Gehazi, “Tell her that we both appreciate all the kind things that she has done for us. Then ask her what we can do for her. Ask, ‘Do you want [me to go to] the king or the army commander, to request something for you?’” [Gehazi told her, ] and she replied, “No, [he does not need to do that, because] my family/relatives are able to give me what I need.”
14 Et il dit: Que faire pour elle? Guéhazi répondit: Mais, elle n’a point de fils, et son mari est vieux.
[Later, ] Elisha asked Gehazi, “What do you think that we can do for that woman?” He replied, “She does not have a son, and her husband is an old man. [So maybe we should ask Yahweh to enable her to have a son].”
15 Et il dit: Appelle-la. Guéhazi l’appela, et elle se présenta à la porte.
Elisha told Gehazi, “Call her back again.” [So Gehazi went and called her]. And when the woman returned, as she stood in the doorway,
16 Élisée lui dit: A cette même époque, l’année prochaine, tu embrasseras un fils. Et elle dit: Non! Mon seigneur, homme de Dieu, ne trompe pas ta servante!
Elisha said to her, “About this time next year you will be holding your [infant] son in your arms.” But she protested, “O, sir, you are a prophet [who brings messages] from God, so please do not deceive/lie to me by saying things like that!”
17 Cette femme devint enceinte, et elle enfanta un fils à la même époque, l’année suivante, comme Élisée lui avait dit.
But a few months later, the woman became pregnant, and she gave birth to a son at that time the following year, just like Elisha had predicted.
18 L’enfant grandit. Et un jour qu’il était allé trouver son père vers les moissonneurs,
When the child was older, one day he went out to the fields to see his father, who was [working] with the men who were harvesting [grain].
19 il dit à son père: Ma tête! Ma tête! Le père dit à son serviteur: Porte-le à sa mère.
[Suddenly] the boy exclaimed, “My head [hurts]! My head [hurts a lot]!” His father said to one of the servants, “Carry him home to his mother!”
20 Le serviteur l’emporta et l’amena à sa mère. Et l’enfant resta sur les genoux de sa mère jusqu’à midi, puis il mourut.
So the servant carried him home, and his mother held him on her lap. But at noontime the boy died.
21 Elle monta, le coucha sur le lit de l’homme de Dieu, ferma la porte sur lui, et sortit.
She carried him up [the steps] to the prophet’s room and laid him on the bed. She left him there and went out and shut the door.
22 Elle appela son mari, et dit: Envoie-moi, je te prie, un des serviteurs et une des ânesses; je veux aller en hâte vers l’homme de Dieu, et je reviendrai.
She then called out to her husband, saying, “Send to me one of the servants and a donkey, so that I can ride [on it] quickly to the prophet, and then come back!” [But she did not tell her husband that their son had died].
23 Et il dit: Pourquoi veux-tu aller aujourd’hui vers lui? Ce n’est ni nouvelle lune ni sabbat. Elle répondit: Tout va bien.
Her husband [called out to her and] said, “Why [do you want to go] today? This is not the day when we celebrate the Festival of the New Moon, and it is not a Sabbath day!” But she only replied, “[Just do what I requested and] everything will be all right.”
24 Puis elle fit seller l’ânesse, et dit à son serviteur: Mène et pars; ne m’arrête pas en route sans que je te le dise.
So she [told the servant to] put saddles on [two] donkeys, and as they left, she said, “Hurry! Do not slow down unless t tell you to do that!”
25 Elle partit donc et se rendit vers l’homme de Dieu sur la montagne du Carmel. L’homme de Dieu, l’ayant aperçue de loin, dit à Guéhazi, son serviteur: Voici cette Sunamite!
As they approached Carmel Mountain, where Elisha was, Elisha saw her in the distance. He said to Gehazi, “Look, the woman from Shunem is coming!
26 Maintenant, cours donc à sa rencontre, et dis-lui: Te portes-tu bien? Ton mari et ton enfant se portent-ils bien? Elle répondit: Bien.
Run to her, and ask her if everything is all right with her and her husband and with her child!” [So Gehazi ran to her and asked her, but she did not tell Gehazi anything.] She only said, “Yes, everything is fine.”
27 Et dès qu’elle fut arrivée auprès de l’homme de Dieu sur la montagne, elle embrassa ses pieds. Guéhazi s’approcha pour la repousser. Mais l’homme de Dieu dit: Laisse-la, car son âme est dans l’amertume, et l’Éternel me l’a caché et ne me l’a point fait connaître.
But when she came to where Elisha was, she [prostrated herself on the ground in front of Elisha and] took hold of his feet. Gehazi started to push her away, but Elisha said, “(Do not push her away/Leave her alone)! Something is troubling her very much, but Yahweh has not told me what it is.”
28 Alors elle dit: Ai-je demandé un fils à mon seigneur? N’ai-je pas dit: Ne me trompe pas?
Then she said to Elisha, “O, sir, I did not ask you to enable me to give birth to a son [RHQ]. And I told you not to lie to me about that!” [RHQ]
29 Et Élisée dit à Guéhazi: Ceins tes reins, prends mon bâton dans ta main, et pars. Si tu rencontres quelqu’un, ne le salue pas; et si quelqu’un te salue, ne lui réponds pas. Tu mettras mon bâton sur le visage de l’enfant.
Then Elisha [realized that something must have happened to her son. So he] said to Gehazi, “Get ready [to leave immediately]. Take my staff/walking stick and go [to her home]. Do not [stop to] talk to anyone on the way. Go quickly [to where her son is] and lay the staff on the child’s face. [If you do that, perhaps Yahweh will enable him to be well].”
30 La mère de l’enfant dit: L’Éternel est vivant et ton âme est vivante! Je ne te quitterai point. Et il se leva et la suivit.
But the boy’s mother said, “Just [as certain] as Yahweh lives and you live, I will not go home if you do not go with me.” So Elisha returned with her [to her home].
31 Guéhazi les avait devancés, et il avait mis le bâton sur le visage de l’enfant; mais il n’y eut ni voix ni signe d’attention. Il s’en retourna à la rencontre d’Élisée, et lui rapporta la chose, en disant: L’enfant ne s’est pas réveillé.
Gehazi hurried quickly, and [when he got to the woman’s home, ] he laid the staff/walking stick on the child’s face, but the child did not move or say anything. So Gehazi returned to meet Elisha [along the road], and told him, “The child is still dead.”
32 Lorsque Élisée arriva dans la maison, voici, l’enfant était mort, couché sur son lit.
When Elisha reached the house, he saw that the boy was lying dead on his bed.
33 Élisée entra et ferma la porte sur eux deux, et il pria l’Éternel.
Elisha went into the room by himself and shut the door and prayed to Yahweh.
34 Il monta, et se coucha sur l’enfant; il mit sa bouche sur sa bouche, ses yeux sur ses yeux, ses mains sur ses mains, et il s’étendit sur lui. Et la chair de l’enfant se réchauffa.
Then he lay down on the boy’s body, and put his mouth on the boy’s mouth, and put his eyes on the boy’s eyes, and put his hands on the boy’s hands. Then the boy’s body started to become warm!
35 Élisée s’éloigna, alla çà et là par la maison, puis remonta et s’étendit sur l’enfant. Et l’enfant éternua sept fois, et il ouvrit les yeux.
Elisha got up and walked back and forth in the room [several times]. Then he stretched his body on the boy’s body again. The boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes!
36 Élisée appela Guéhazi, et dit: Appelle cette Sunamite. Guéhazi l’appela, et elle vint vers Élisée, qui dit: Prends ton fils!
Then Elisha summoned Gehazi. He said, “Call the boy’s mother!” [So Gehazi went and called her, ] and when she came in, Elisha said, “Here, take your son!”
37 Elle alla se jeter à ses pieds, et se prosterna contre terre. Et elle prit son fils, et sortit.
She [gratefully] prostrated herself at Elisha’s feet. Then she picked up her son and carried him downstairs.
38 Élisée revint à Guilgal, et il y avait une famine dans le pays. Comme les fils des prophètes étaient assis devant lui, il dit à son serviteur: Mets le grand pot, et fais cuire un potage pour les fils des prophètes.
Then Elisha returned to Gilgal. But at that time there was (a famine/very little food) in that area. One day as the group of prophets was sitting in front of Elisha [listening to what he was teaching], he said to his servant, “Put a large pot on [the stove] and make some stew for these men.”
39 L’un d’eux sortit dans les champs pour cueillir des herbes; il trouva de la vigne sauvage et il y cueillit des coloquintes sauvages, plein son vêtement. Quand il rentra, il les coupa en morceaux dans le pot où était le potage, car on ne les connaissait pas.
One of the prophets went out to the fields to gather some vegetables. But he gathered [only] some wild gourds and put them in his cloak and brought them back. He shredded them and put them in the pot, but he did not know that the gourds were poisonous.
40 On servit à manger à ces hommes; mais dès qu’ils eurent mangé du potage, ils s’écrièrent: La mort est dans le pot, homme de Dieu! Et ils ne purent manger.
He served the stew to the prophets, but after the men had eaten only a couple bites, they cried out, “Elisha, there is something in the pot that will kill us!” So they would not eat it.
41 Élisée dit: Prenez de la farine. Il en jeta dans le pot, et dit: Sers à ces gens, et qu’ils mangent. Et il n’y avait plus rien de mauvais dans le pot.
Elisha said, “Bring me some flour.” [They brought him some, and] he threw it in the pot and he said, “It is all right now. You can eat it.” And they ate it, and it did not harm them.
42 Un homme arriva de Baal-Schalischa. Il apporta du pain des prémices à l’homme de Dieu, vingt pains d’orge, et des épis nouveaux dans son sac. Élisée dit: Donne à ces gens, et qu’ils mangent.
One day a man from Baal-Shalishah [town] brought to Elisha a sack of freshly cut grain and 20 loaves of barley bread, made from the first grain that they harvested [that year]. Elisha said [to his servant], “Give it to the group of prophets, so that they can eat it.”
43 Son serviteur répondit: Comment pourrais-je en donner à cent personnes? Mais Élisée dit: Donne à ces gens, et qu’ils mangent; car ainsi parle l’Éternel: On mangera, et on en aura de reste.
But his servant exclaimed, “Do you think that we can feed 100 of us prophets with only that much?” [RHQ] But Elisha replied, “Give it to the prophets so that they can eat it, because Yahweh says that there will be plenty for all of them, and there will be some left over!”
44 Il mit alors les pains devant eux; et ils mangèrent et en eurent de reste, selon la parole de l’Éternel.
After his servant gave it to the prophets, they ate [all that they wanted], and there was food left over, just as Yahweh had promised.
