Genèse 37
1 Jacob demeura dans le pays de Canaan, où avait séjourné son père.
Now Jacob lived in the land of Canaan, where his father sojourned.
2 Voici la postérité de Jacob. Joseph, âgé de dix-sept ans, faisait paître le troupeau avec ses frères; cet enfant était auprès des fils de Bilha et des fils de Zilpa, femmes de son père. Et Joseph rapportait à leur père leurs mauvais propos.
And these are his generations. Joseph, when he was sixteen years old, was pasturing the flock with his brothers, when he was still a boy. And he was with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, the wives of his father. And he accused his brothers to their father of a most sinful crime.
3 Israël aimait Joseph plus que tous ses autres fils, parce qu’il l’avait eu dans sa vieillesse; et il lui fit une tunique de plusieurs couleurs.
Now Israel loved Joseph above all his sons, because he had conceived him in his old age. And he made him a tunic, woven of many colors.
4 Ses frères virent que leur père l’aimait plus qu’eux tous, et ils le prirent en haine. Ils ne pouvaient lui parler avec amitié.
Then his brothers, seeing that he was loved by his father more than all his other sons, hated him, and they were not able to say anything peacefully to him.
5 Joseph eut un songe, et il le raconta à ses frères, qui le haïrent encore davantage.
Then it also happened that he recounted the vision of a dream to his brothers, for which reason a greater hatred began to be nurtured.
6 Il leur dit: Écoutez donc ce songe que j’ai eu!
And he said to them, “Listen to my dream that I saw.
7 Nous étions à lier des gerbes au milieu des champs; et voici, ma gerbe se leva et se tint debout, et vos gerbes l’entourèrent et se prosternèrent devant elle.
I thought we were binding sheaves in the field. And my sheaf seemed to rise up and stand, and your sheaves, standing in a circle, reverenced my sheaf.”
8 Ses frères lui dirent: Est-ce que tu régneras sur nous? Est-ce que tu nous gouverneras? Et ils le haïrent encore davantage, à cause de ses songes et à cause de ses paroles.
His brothers responded: “Would you be our king? Or will we be subject to your dominion?” Therefore, this matter of his dreams and words provided kindling to their envy and hatred.
9 Il eut encore un autre songe, et il le raconta à ses frères. Il dit: J’ai eu encore un songe! Et voici, le soleil, la lune et onze étoiles se prosternaient devant moi.
Likewise, he saw another dream, which he explained to his brothers, saying, “I saw by a dream, as if the sun, and the moon, and eleven stars were reverencing me.”
10 Il le raconta à son père et à ses frères. Son père le réprimanda, et lui dit: Que signifie ce songe que tu as eu? Faut-il que nous venions, moi, ta mère et tes frères, nous prosterner en terre devant toi?
And when he had related this to his father and brothers, his father rebuked him, and he said: “What does it mean to you, this dream that you have seen? Should I, and your mother, and your brothers reverence you upon the earth?”
11 Ses frères eurent de l’envie contre lui, mais son père garda le souvenir de ces choses.
Therefore, his brothers were envious of him. Yet truly, his father considered the matter silently.
12 Les frères de Joseph étant allés à Sichem, pour faire paître le troupeau de leur père,
And while his brothers were lodging at Shechem, pasturing their father’s flocks,
13 Israël dit à Joseph: Tes frères ne font-ils pas paître le troupeau à Sichem? Viens, je veux t’envoyer vers eux. Et il répondit: Me voici!
Israel said to him: “Your brothers are pasturing the sheep at Shechem. Come, I will send you to them.” And when he answered,
14 Israël lui dit: Va, je te prie, et vois si tes frères sont en bonne santé et si le troupeau est en bon état; et tu m’en rapporteras des nouvelles. Il l’envoya ainsi de la vallée d’Hébron; et Joseph alla à Sichem.
“I am ready,” he said to him, “Go, and see if everything is prospering with your brothers and the cattle, and report to me what is happening.” So, having been sent from the valley of Hebron, he arrived at Shechem.
15 Un homme le rencontra, comme il errait dans les champs. Il le questionna, en disant: Que cherches-tu?
And a man found him wandering in a field, and he asked him what he was seeking.
16 Joseph répondit: Je cherche mes frères; dis-moi, je te prie, où ils font paître leur troupeau.
So he responded: “I seek my brothers. Tell me where they pasture the flocks.”
17 Et l’homme dit: Ils sont partis d’ici; car je les ai entendus dire: Allons à Dothan. Joseph alla après ses frères, et il les trouva à Dothan.
And the man said to him: “They have withdrawn from this place. But I heard them saying, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’” Therefore, Joseph continued on after his brothers, and he found them at Dothan.
18 Ils le virent de loin; et, avant qu’il fût près d’eux, ils complotèrent de le faire mourir.
And, when they had seen him from afar, before he approached them, they decided to kill him.
19 Ils se dirent l’un à l’autre: Voici le faiseur de songes qui arrive.
And they said one to another: “Behold, the dreamer approaches.
20 Venez maintenant, tuons-le, et jetons-le dans une des citernes; nous dirons qu’une bête féroce l’a dévoré, et nous verrons ce que deviendront ses songes.
Come, let us kill him and cast him into the old cistern. And let us say: ‘an evil wild beast has devoured him.’ And then it will become apparent what his dreams will do for him.”
21 Ruben entendit cela, et il le délivra de leurs mains. Il dit: Ne lui ôtons pas la vie.
But Reuben, on hearing this, strove to free him from their hands, and he said:
22 Ruben leur dit: Ne répandez point de sang; jetez-le dans cette citerne qui est au désert, et ne mettez pas la main sur lui. Il avait dessein de le délivrer de leurs mains pour le faire retourner vers son père.
“Do not take away his life, nor shed blood. But throw him into this cistern, which is in the wilderness, and so keep your hands harmless.” But he said this, wanting to rescue him from their hands, so as to return him to his father.
23 Lorsque Joseph fut arrivé auprès de ses frères, ils le dépouillèrent de sa tunique, de la tunique de plusieurs couleurs, qu’il avait sur lui.
And so, as soon as he came to his brothers, they very quickly stripped him of his tunic, which was ankle-length and woven of many colors,
24 Ils le prirent, et le jetèrent dans la citerne. Cette citerne était vide; il n’y avait point d’eau.
and they cast him into an old cistern, which held no water.
25 Ils s’assirent ensuite pour manger. Ayant levé les yeux, ils virent une caravane d’Ismaélites venant de Galaad; leurs chameaux étaient chargés d’aromates, de baume et de myrrhe, qu’ils transportaient en Égypte.
And sitting down to eat bread, they saw some Ishmaelites, travelers coming from Gilead, with their camels, carrying spices, and resin, and oil of myrrh into Egypt.
26 Alors Juda dit à ses frères: Que gagnerons-nous à tuer notre frère et à cacher son sang?
Therefore, Judah said to his brothers: “What will it profit us, if we kill our brother and conceal his blood?
27 Venez, vendons-le aux Ismaélites, et ne mettons pas la main sur lui, car il est notre frère, notre chair. Et ses frères l’écoutèrent.
It is better that he be sold to the Ishmaelites, and then our hands will not be defiled. For he is our brother and our flesh.” His brothers agreed to his words.
28 Au passage des marchands madianites, ils tirèrent et firent remonter Joseph hors de la citerne; et ils le vendirent pour vingt sicles d’argent aux Ismaélites, qui l’emmenèrent en Égypte.
And when the Midianite merchants were passing by, they drew him from the cistern, and they sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. And these led him into Egypt.
29 Ruben revint à la citerne; et voici, Joseph n’était plus dans la citerne. Il déchira ses vêtements,
And Reuben, returning to the cistern, did not find the boy.
30 retourna vers ses frères, et dit: L’enfant n’y est plus! Et moi, où irai-je?
And rending his garments, he went to his brothers and said, “The boy is not present, and so where shall I go?”
31 Ils prirent alors la tunique de Joseph; et, ayant tué un bouc, ils plongèrent la tunique dans le sang.
Then they took his tunic, and they dipped it in the blood of a young goat, which they had killed,
32 Ils envoyèrent à leur père la tunique de plusieurs couleurs, en lui faisant dire: Voici ce que nous avons trouvé! Reconnais si c’est la tunique de ton fils, ou non.
sending those who carried it to their father, and they said: “We found this. See whether it is the tunic of your son or not.”
33 Jacob la reconnut, et dit: C’est la tunique de mon fils! une bête féroce l’a dévoré! Joseph a été mis en pièces!
And when the father acknowledged it, he said: “It is the tunic of my son. An evil wild beast has eaten him; a beast has devoured Joseph.”
34 Et il déchira ses vêtements, il mit un sac sur ses reins, et il porta longtemps le deuil de son fils.
And tearing his garments, he was clothed in haircloth, mourning his son for a long time.
35 Tous ses fils et toutes ses filles vinrent pour le consoler; mais il ne voulut recevoir aucune consolation. Il disait: C’est en pleurant que je descendrai vers mon fils au séjour des morts! Et il pleurait son fils. (Sheol h7585)
Then, when all of his sons gathered together to ease their father’s sorrow, he was not willing to accept consolation, but he said: “I will descend in mourning to my son in the underworld.” And while he persevered in weeping, (Sheol h7585)
36 Les Madianites le vendirent en Égypte à Potiphar, officier de Pharaon, chef des gardes.
the Midianites in Egypt sold Joseph to Potiphar, a eunuch of Pharaoh, instructor of the soldiers.
