Jérémie 46
1 La parole de l’Éternel qui fut adressée à Jérémie, le prophète, sur les nations.
These are messages that Yahweh gave to the prophet Jeremiah about [other] nations.
2 Sur l’Égypte. Sur l’armée de Pharaon Neco, roi d’Égypte, qui était près du fleuve de l’Euphrate, à Carkemisch, et qui fut battue par Nebucadnetsar, roi de Babylone, la quatrième année de Jojakim, fils de Josias, roi de Juda.
After Jehoiakim, son of King Josiah, had been ruling Judah for almost four years, this message about Egypt was given [by Yahweh]. It was when the army of King Neco of Egypt was defeated by the army of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon along the Euphrates River. [This is what Yahweh said: “The officers of the army of Egypt are saying to their troops],
3 Préparez le petit et le grand bouclier, Et marchez au combat!
‘Prepare your shields and march out to fight the battle!
4 Attelez les chevaux, Montez, cavaliers! Paraissez avec vos casques, Polissez vos lances, Revêtez la cuirasse!…
Put harnesses on your horses, and get on their backs. (Get into your positions/Line up) [for the battle]; put on your helmets. Sharpen your spears, and put on your armor!’
5 Que vois-je? Ils ont peur, ils reculent; Leurs vaillants hommes sont battus; Ils fuient sans se retourner… L’épouvante est de toutes parts, dit l’Éternel.
But what [RHQ] do I see? I see that the soldiers of Egypt will be terrified and will be fleeing. [Even] the bravest of their soldiers will be running away, without [even] looking backward! [I, ] Yahweh, say that [their soldiers] will be terrified on all sides!
6 Que le plus léger ne trouve aucun salut dans la fuite, Que le plus vaillant n’échappe pas! Au septentrion, sur les rives de l’Euphrate, Ils chancellent, ils tombent.
[Even] the fastest [runners] will try to run away, but [even the greatest of] their warriors will not escape. In the north, by the Euphrates [River], they will stumble and fall.
7 Qui est celui qui s’avance comme le Nil, Et dont les eaux sont agitées comme les torrents?
What group is this that will be covering the land like the water of the Nile [River] covers the land when it floods?
8 C’est l’Égypte. Elle s’avance comme le Nil, Et ses eaux sont agitées comme les torrents. Elle dit: Je monterai, je couvrirai la terre, Je détruirai les villes et leurs habitants.
[It is the army of] Egypt that will be covering the land like a surging/huge flood, and they will boast that they will cover the earth and will destroy cities and the people [who live in them].
9 Montez, chevaux! Précipitez-vous, chars! Qu’ils se montrent, les vaillants hommes, Ceux d’Éthiopie et de Puth qui portent le bouclier, Et ceux de Lud qui manient et tendent l’arc!
You [riders of] horses, charge/rush [into the battle]! You [drivers of] chariots, drive furiously! [All] you warriors from Ethiopia and Libya who carry your shields, you warriors from Lydia who shoot arrows, you come!
10 Ce jour est au Seigneur, à l’Éternel des armées; C’est un jour de vengeance, où il se venge de ses ennemis. L’épée dévore, elle se rassasie, Elle s’enivre de leur sang. Car il y a des victimes du Seigneur, de l’Éternel des armées, Au pays du septentrion, sur les rives de l’Euphrate.
But, [you need to know that] this is the day when [I], Yahweh, the Commander of the armies of angels, will get revenge on my enemies. With my sword [PRS] I will kill [my enemies] until I am satisfied; my sword will [be like a monster that] [MET, PRS] drinks the blood [of the animals it kills] until it is no longer thirsty. [The enemy soldiers who will be killed] in the north beside the Euphrates River [will be like] [MET] a sacrifice to [me], the Commander of the armies of angels.
11 Monte en Galaad, prends du baume, Vierge, fille de l’Égypte! En vain tu multiplies les remèdes, Il n’y a point de guérison pour toi.
You people [IDM] of Egypt, go up to the Gilead [region] to obtain medicine; but it will be useless to take all those medicines; you will not be healed.
12 Les nations apprennent ta honte, Et tes cris remplissent la terre, Car les guerriers chancellent l’un sur l’autre, Ils tombent tous ensemble.
[People in] the [other] nations will hear how you were humiliated. [People] all over the earth will hear you wailing. [Your mighty] warriors will stumble over each other and they will all fall down together.”
13 La parole qui fut adressée par l’Éternel à Jérémie, le prophète, sur l’arrivée de Nebucadnetsar, roi de Babylone, qui voulait frapper le pays d’Égypte.
[Then] Yahweh gave me this message about King Nebuchadnezzar when he planned to attack Egypt [with his army]:
14 Annoncez-le en Égypte, Publiez-le à Migdol, Publiez-le à Noph et à Tachpanès! Dites: Lève-toi, prépare-toi, Car l’épée dévore autour de toi!
“Shout [this message] throughout Egypt! Proclaim it in Migdol, Memphis, and Tahpenes [cities]! ‘(Get into your positions/Line up) [for the battle]; Prepare to defend yourselves, because [everyone] around you will be killed.’ [PRS, MTY]
15 Pourquoi tes vaillants hommes sont-ils emportés? Ils ne tiennent pas ferme, car l’Éternel les renverse.
Your god is a bull; Why does he fall down? He will not be able to stand up, because Yahweh will knock him down.
16 Il en fait chanceler un grand nombre; Ils tombent l’un sur l’autre, et ils disent: Allons, retournons vers notre peuple, Dans notre pays natal, Loin du glaive destructeur!
The soldiers from other countries will stumble and fall over each other, and [then] they will say to each other, ‘Let’s get up and go back to our own people, to our own land. Let’s get away from the swords of our enemies!’
17 Là, on s’écrie: Pharaon, roi d’Égypte, Ce n’est qu’un bruit; il a laissé passer le moment.
There [in Egypt] they will say, ‘The king of Egypt talks loudly, but when our [army] had an opportunity [to defeat our enemies], they failed.’
18 Je suis vivant! Dit le roi, Dont l’Éternel des armées est le nom, Comme le Thabor parmi les montagnes, Comme le Carmel qui s’avance dans la mer, il viendra.
[I, ] the King, who am called the Commander of the armies of angels, say this: ‘As [surely as] I live, someone’s army will be coming [to fight against the army of Egypt]. They will be [extremely powerful], [as though they were as tall] as Tabor Hill, or [as high] as Carmel [Mountain] close to the [Mediterranean] Sea.
19 Fais ton bagage pour la captivité, Habitante, fille de l’Egypte! Car Noph deviendra un désert, Elle sera ravagée, elle n’aura plus d’habitants.
[All] you people who live in Egypt, pack your possessions/clothes and prepare to be exiled. Memphis [city] will be destroyed; it will become a ruin, and no one will be living there.
20 L’Égypte est une très belle génisse… Le destructeur vient du septentrion, il arrive…
Egypt is [like] [SIM] a beautiful young cow, but [the army of a powerful king] from the northeast will come to attack it [like] a horsefly [MET] [bites a cow].
21 Ses mercenaires aussi sont au milieu d’elle comme des veaux engraissés. Et eux aussi, ils tournent le dos, ils fuient tous sans résister. Car le jour de leur malheur fond sur eux, Le temps de leur châtiment.
The (mercenaries/soldiers [from other countries] who have been hired) will become like [SIM] fat calves; but they also will turn around and run away; they will not stand [there and fight], because it will be a day when there will be a [great] disaster in Egypt, a day when their people will be [greatly] punished.
22 Sa voix se fait entendre comme celle du serpent; Car ils s’avancent avec une armée, Ils marchent contre elle avec des haches, Pareils à des bûcherons.
[The soldiers of] Egypt will run away, as silently as a snake scurries/crawls away. [The army of] the enemy will advance; they will march along carrying their axes like [SIM] men who cut down trees.
23 Ils abattent sa forêt, dit l’Éternel, Bien qu’elle soit impénétrable; Car ils sont plus nombreux que les sauterelles, On ne pourrait les compter.
[I, ] Yahweh, say that they will kill the soldiers [of Egypt] as though [SIM] they were a forest of trees, because the enemy soldiers will be as numerous as [a swarm of] locusts.
24 La fille de l’Égypte est confuse, Elle est livrée entre les mains du peuple du septentrion.
The people of Egypt will be humiliated; they will be conquered by people from the northeast.’
25 L’Éternel des armées, le Dieu d’Israël, dit: Voici, je vais châtier Amon de No, Pharaon, l’Égypte, ses dieux et ses rois, Pharaon et ceux qui se confient en lui.
[I, ] the Commander of the armies of angels, the God whom the Israelis [worship], say, ‘I will punish Amon, [the god whom the people] of Thebes [city] worship, and [all] the [other] gods in Egypt. [I will punish] the King of Egypt and [all] those who trust in him.
26 Je les livrerai entre les mains de ceux qui en veulent à leur vie, Entre les mains de Nebucadnetsar, roi de Babylone, Et entre les mains de ses serviteurs; Et après cela, l’Égypte sera habitée comme aux jours d’autrefois, Dit l’Éternel.
I will cause them to be captured by those who want to kill them—Nebuchadnezzar the King of Babylon, and his army officers. But many years later, people will live in Egypt again. [That will surely happen because] I, Yahweh, have said it.’
27 Et toi, mon serviteur Jacob, ne crains pas; Ne t’effraie pas, Israël! Car je te délivrerai de la terre lointaine, Je délivrerai ta postérité du pays où elle est captive; Jacob reviendra, il jouira du repos et de la tranquillité, Et il n’y aura personne pour le troubler.
But you people of Israel who serve me, do not be at all dismayed [DOU] now, because some day I will bring you back from distant places; I will bring your descendants from the land to which they were exiled. [Then you] Israeli people will again live peacefully and safely, and there will not be any [nation] to cause you to be terrified.
28 Toi, mon serviteur Jacob, ne crains pas! Dit l’Éternel; Car je suis avec toi. J’anéantirai toutes les nations parmi lesquelles je t’ai dispersé, Mais toi, je ne t’anéantirai pas; Je te châtierai avec équité, Je ne puis pas te laisser impuni.
[I, ] Yahweh, say to you people of Israel who serve me, ‘Do not be afraid, because I will be with you. I will completely destroy the nations among whom I have scattered you, but I will not completely get rid of you. I will punish you, but I will punish you only as severely as you deserve: It would be wrong if I did not punish you at all.’”
