Job 22
1 Éliphaz de Théman prit la parole et dit:
Then Eliphaz replied,
2 Un homme peut-il être utile à Dieu? Non; le sage n’est utile qu’à lui-même.
“(Can anyone be useful to God?/Certainly no one can be useful to God.) [RHQ] Even people who are wise cannot be helpful to God.
3 Si tu es juste, est-ce à l’avantage du Tout-Puissant? Si tu es intègre dans tes voies, qu’y gagne-t-il?
If you were righteous, (would that benefit Almighty [God]?/that certainly would not benefit Almighty [God].) [RHQ] If you had (lived a perfect life/never done anything that is wrong), would that help him?
4 Est-ce par crainte de toi qu’il te châtie, Qu’il entre en jugement avec toi?
“Is it because you have an awesome respect for God that he punishes you? Is that the reason that he puts you on trial?
5 Ta méchanceté n’est-elle pas grande? Tes iniquités ne sont-elles pas infinies?
No, it certainly must be [RHQ] because you are extremely wicked. It must be that the evil things that you have done are so many that no one can count them!
6 Tu enlevais sans motif des gages à tes frères, Tu privais de leurs vêtements ceux qui étaient nus;
You must have lent money to others and wrongly forced them to give you things to guarantee that they would pay that money back to you; you must have taken all their clothes and left them with nothing to wear.
7 Tu ne donnais point d’eau à l’homme altéré, Tu refusais du pain à l’homme affamé.
You must not have given water to those who were thirsty, and you must have refused to give food to those who were hungry.
8 Le pays était au plus fort, Et le puissant s’y établissait.
Because you were very powerful, you [must have] taken over all the people’s land, and then, being very respected, you have begun to live on that land.
9 Tu renvoyais les veuves à vide; Les bras des orphelins étaient brisés.
[When] widows [came to you for help], you [must have] sent [them] away without giving them anything, and you must have oppressed orphans.
10 C’est pour cela que tu es entouré de pièges, Et que la terreur t’a saisi tout à coup.
Because of all that, now there are pits around you for you to fall into, and suddenly there are things that terrify you and cause you to tremble.
11 Ne vois-tu donc pas ces ténèbres, Ces eaux débordées qui t’envahissent?
[It is as though] it has become very dark, with the result that you cannot see anything, and [it is as though] [MET] a flood covers you.
12 Dieu n’est-il pas en haut dans les cieux? Regarde le sommet des étoiles, comme il est élevé!
“[But consider this, Job]: God lives [RHQ] high up in the heavens. From there he [RHQ] looks down on the highest stars.
13 Et tu dis: Qu’est-ce que Dieu sait? Peut-il juger à travers l’obscurité?
So why do you say, ‘What does God know [about what we are doing]? [He is hidden from us by] dark clouds, so ([how] can he judge us?/he certainly cannot judge us.) [RHQ]’
14 Les nuées l’enveloppent, et il ne voit rien; Il ne parcourt que la voûte des cieux.
[Do you think that] while he walks on the dome that covers the sky, there are thick clouds around him, with the result that he cannot see [what we do]?
15 Eh quoi! Tu voudrais prendre l’ancienne route Qu’ont suivie les hommes d’iniquité?
Will you continue to conduct your life the old way that evil people have done [for many years]?
16 Ils ont été emportés avant le temps, Ils ont eu la durée d’un torrent qui s’écoule.
They suddenly died while they were still young; they disappeared [like everything disappears when there is] a flood [MET].
17 Ils disaient à Dieu: Retire-toi de nous; Que peut faire pour nous le Tout-Puissant?
They kept saying to God, ‘Do not bother us,’ and they also said [defiantly], ‘Almighty [God] can do nothing [RHQ] to [harm] us!’
18 Dieu cependant avait rempli de biens leurs maisons. Loin de moi le conseil des méchants!
But it was God who filled their houses with good things, so I cannot at all understand why wicked people think like they do.
19 Les justes, témoins de leur chute, se réjouiront, Et l’innocent se moquera d’eux:
“But when God punishes wicked people, and righteous people see that, they are glad, and they laugh, ridiculing the wicked people.
20 Voilà nos adversaires anéantis! Voilà leurs richesses dévorées par le feu!
They say, ‘Now our enemies have been destroyed, and all [their possessions] that were left have been burned in a fire.’
21 Attache-toi donc à Dieu, et tu auras la paix; Tu jouiras ainsi du bonheur.
“So, [Job, ] be reconciled to God and make peace with him; if you do that, good things will happen to you.
22 Reçois de sa bouche l’instruction, Et mets dans ton cœur ses paroles.
Allow him to teach you, and keep thinking about what he has told you.
23 Tu seras rétabli, si tu reviens au Tout-Puissant, Si tu éloignes l’iniquité de ta tente.
If you humble yourself and return to God, if you stop doing all the evil things that you have been doing in your house,
24 Jette l’or dans la poussière, L’or d’Ophir parmi les cailloux des torrents;
if you throw away your gold, even the fine gold from the dry stream beds in Ophir [land],
25 Et le Tout-Puissant sera ton or, Ton argent, ta richesse.
and if you allow Almighty [God] to be [as precious to you as] your gold and your silver [have been],
26 Alors tu feras du Tout-Puissant tes délices, Tu élèveras vers Dieu ta face;
you will be happy because of your close relationship with God, and you will be able to approach him [IDM] [confidently].
27 Tu le prieras, et il t’exaucera, Et tu accompliras tes vœux.
You will pray to him, and he will do what you request him to do; you will do the things that you promised him that you would do.
28 A tes résolutions répondra le succès; Sur tes sentiers brillera la lumière.
Everything that you decide to do will be successful; [it] will [be as though] a light [is] shining on the road in front of you.
29 Vienne l’humiliation, tu prieras pour ton relèvement: Dieu secourt celui dont le regard est abattu.
God humbles those who are proud, but he saves those who are downcast/discouraged.
30 Il délivrera même le coupable, Qui devra son salut à la pureté de tes mains.
God rescues those who (are innocent/have not done things that are wrong), so he will rescue you if you (start doing things that are right/are not guilty [IDM] of doing things that are wrong).”
