Daniel 6
1 Darius trouva bon d’établir sur le royaume cent vingt satrapes, qui devaient être dans tout le royaume.
King Darius decided to divide his kingdom into 120 provinces. He appointed a governor to rule each province.
2 Il mit à leur tête trois chefs, au nombre desquels était Daniel, afin que ces satrapes leur rendissent compte, et que le roi ne souffrît aucun dommage.
He also appointed me and two other men to be administrators, to supervise the governors and to be sure that they did the king’s work [properly], in order that the king would not have to worry about anything.
3 Daniel surpassait les chefs et les satrapes, parce qu’il y avait en lui un esprit supérieur; et le roi pensait à l’établir sur tout le royaume.
I soon showed that I was (more capable/able to do the work better) than all the other administrators and the governors. Because of that, the king planned to appoint me to be in charge of the entire empire.
4 Alors les chefs et les satrapes cherchèrent une occasion d’accuser Daniel en ce qui concernait les affaires du royaume. Mais ils ne purent trouver aucune occasion, ni aucune chose à reprendre, parce qu’il était fidèle, et qu’on n’apercevait chez lui ni faute, ni rien de mauvais.
Then, the [other] administrators and the governors [became jealous. So they began to] try to find something that they could criticize about the way I was working for the king. But I always did my work faithfully and honestly, and was never lazy. So they could not find anything to criticize.
5 Et ces hommes dirent: Nous ne trouverons aucune occasion contre ce Daniel, à moins que nous n’en trouvions une dans la loi de son Dieu.
They concluded, “The only way we can find something for which we can criticize Daniel will be something concerning the laws that his god [his given him].”
6 Puis ces chefs et ces satrapes se rendirent tumultueusement auprès du roi, et lui parlèrent ainsi: Roi Darius, vis éternellement!
So the administrators and governors went as one group to the king and said, “(Your Majesty/O king), we wish that you will live a long time!
7 Tous les chefs du royaume, les intendants, les satrapes, les conseillers, et les gouverneurs sont d’avis qu’il soit publié un édit royal, avec une défense sévère, portant que quiconque, dans l’espace de trente jours, adressera des prières à quelque dieu ou à quelque homme, excepté à toi, ô roi, sera jeté dans la fosse aux lions.
[We] administrators and governors and district governors and advisors and other officials have all agreed that you should make a law that everyone must obey. We want you to command that for the next thirty days people may pray only to you. If anyone prays to anyone else, either to a human or to a god, he must be thrown into [a pit of] lions.
8 Maintenant, ô roi, confirme la défense, et écris le décret, afin qu’il soit irrévocable, selon la loi des Mèdes et des Perses, qui est immuable.
And because laws made by [our governments of] Media and Persia cannot be changed, [we want] you, [the head of our government], to sign it.”
9 Là-dessus le roi Darius écrivit le décret et la défense.
So King Darius [wrote] the law and signed it.
10 Lorsque Daniel sut que le décret était écrit, il se retira dans sa maison, où les fenêtres de la chambre supérieure étaient ouvertes dans la direction de Jérusalem; et trois fois le jour il se mettait à genoux, il priait, et il louait son Dieu, comme il le faisait auparavant.
But when I found out that [the king] had [written and] signed that law, I went home. I knelt down in my upstairs room and prayed. I looked toward Jerusalem, and the windows were open [with the result that everyone could see me while I was praying]. I prayed three times each day, just as I always did, thanking God.
11 Alors ces hommes entrèrent tumultueusement, et ils trouvèrent Daniel qui priait et invoquait son Dieu.
The officials went together [to my house] and they saw me praying and requesting God to help me.
12 Puis ils se présentèrent devant le roi, et lui dirent au sujet de la défense royale: N’as-tu pas écrit une défense portant que quiconque dans l’espace de trente jours adresserait des prières à quelque dieu ou à quelque homme, excepté à toi, ô roi, serait jeté dans la fosse aux lions? Le roi répondit: La chose est certaine, selon la loi des Mèdes et des Perses, qui est immuable.
So they returned to the king and said to him, “[Do you remember] that you wrote a law stating that for the next thirty days people may pray only to you, and if anyone prays to anyone else, either to a human or to a god, he will be thrown into [a pit of] lions?” The king replied, “[Yes, that is the law that I wrote]. It is a law of [our governments of] Media and Persia, which cannot be canceled.”
13 Ils prirent de nouveau la parole et dirent au roi: Daniel, l’un des captifs de Juda, n’a tenu aucun compte de toi, ô roi, ni de la défense que tu as écrite, et il fait sa prière trois fois le jour.
Then they said to the king, “Well, that [man] Daniel, one of the men who were brought from Judah, is not paying any attention to you or the law that you [signed]. He prays [to his god] three times each day!”
14 Le roi fut très affligé quand il entendit cela; il prit à cœur de délivrer Daniel, et jusqu’au coucher du soleil il s’efforça de le sauver.
When the king heard that, he was very distressed. He tried to find a way to save me. All the rest of that day he tried to think of a way to rescue me.
15 Mais ces hommes insistèrent auprès du roi, et lui dirent: Sache, ô roi, que la loi des Mèdes et des Perses exige que toute défense ou tout décret confirmé par le roi soit irrévocable.
[In the evening, many of] [HYP] the officials went together to the king and said, “(Your Majesty/O king), you know that [our governments of] Media and Persia have declared that no law that the king signs can be canceled/changed. [So Daniel must be thrown to the lions!]”
16 Alors le roi donna l’ordre qu’on amenât Daniel, et qu’on le jetât dans la fosse aux lions. Le roi prit la parole et dit à Daniel: Puisse ton Dieu, que tu sers avec persévérance, te délivrer!
So the king gave the order, and his servants brought me and threw me into a pit where the lions [were]. [Before they threw me in], the king said to me, “I hope/wish that your God, whom you worship regularly, will rescue you!”
17 On apporta une pierre, et on la mit sur l’ouverture de la fosse; le roi la scella de son anneau et de l’anneau de ses grands, afin que rien ne fût changé à l’égard de Daniel.
They rolled a huge stone across the entrance to the pit. Then the king [fastened a string across the entrance and put wax at each end, and stamped the wax with] the seal from his [ring] and the seals [of the rings] of his officials, in order that no one could [secretly] rescue me.
18 Le roi se rendit ensuite dans son palais; il passa la nuit à jeun, il ne fit point venir de concubine auprès de lui, et il ne put se livrer au sommeil.
Then the king returned to his palace. That night he refused to eat any food. He would not allow anyone to entertain him [because he did not want to be happy, with the result that he would forget about me. And that night] he was unable to sleep [because he was worried about me].
19 Le roi se leva au point du jour, avec l’aurore, et il alla précipitamment à la fosse aux lions.
At dawn the next morning, the king got up and went quickly to the pit where the lions were.
20 En s’approchant de la fosse, il appela Daniel d’une voix triste. Le roi prit la parole et dit à Daniel: Daniel, serviteur du Dieu vivant, ton Dieu, que tu sers avec persévérance, a-t-il pu te délivrer des lions?
When he came near it, he was very worried. He called out, “Daniel, you who serve the all-powerful God! Was your God, whom you worship regularly, able to save you from the lions?”
21 Et Daniel dit au roi: Roi, vis éternellement?
I answered, “(Your Majesty/O king), I hope that you will live a long time!
22 Mon Dieu a envoyé son ange et fermé la gueule des lions, qui ne m’ont fait aucun mal, parce que j’ai été trouvé innocent devant lui; et devant toi non plus, ô roi, je n’ai rien fait de mauvais.
[Yes], my God sent his angel to shut the lions’ mouths, in order that they would not harm me! [He did that] because [he knows that] I have done nothing that he thinks is wrong. And, (Your Majesty/O king), I never did anything wrong to you!”
23 Alors le roi fut très joyeux, et il ordonna qu’on fît sortir Daniel de la fosse. Daniel fut retiré de la fosse, et on ne trouva sur lui aucune blessure, parce qu’il avait eu confiance en son Dieu.
The king was extremely happy, and he commanded [his servants] to lift me out of the pit. [When they did that, they] saw that the lions had not wounded me at all. [God had protected me] because I trusted in him.
24 Le roi ordonna que ces hommes qui avaient accusé Daniel fussent amenés et jetés dans la fosse aux lions, eux, leurs enfants et leurs femmes; et avant qu’ils fussent parvenus au fond de la fosse, les lions les saisirent et brisèrent tous leurs os.
Then the king commanded that the men who had accused me should be seized and be thrown, along with their wives and children, into the pit where the lions were. [When they were thrown into the pit], the lions leaped on them and crushed their bones before they fell onto the bottom of the pit!
25 Après cela, le roi Darius écrivit à tous les peuples, à toutes les nations, aux hommes de toutes langues, qui habitaient sur toute la terre: Que la paix vous soit donnée avec abondance!
Then King Darius wrote [this message and sent it throughout his kingdom] to the people of every people-group and nation and from all language groups: “I wish/hope that everything is going very well with you!
26 J’ordonne que, dans toute l’étendue de mon royaume, on ait de la crainte et de la frayeur pour le Dieu de Daniel. Car il est le Dieu vivant, et il subsiste éternellement; son royaume ne sera jamais détruit, et sa domination durera jusqu’à la fin.
I command that everyone in my kingdom should fear and revere the God that Daniel [worships]. He is the all-powerful God, and he will live forever. His kingdom will never be destroyed; he will rule forever.
27 C’est lui qui délivre et qui sauve, qui opère des signes et des prodiges dans les cieux et sur la terre. C’est lui qui a délivré Daniel de la puissance des lions.
He rescues and saves [his people]. He performs all kinds of miracles in heaven and on the earth. He rescued Daniel from the power of the lions!”
28 Daniel prospéra sous le règne de Darius, et sous le règne de Cyrus, le Perse.
So I was successful [all] during the time that Darius ruled and during the time that Cyrus, [the King] of Persia, ruled.
