Job 34
1 Élihu reprit et dit:
Then Elihu continued:
2 Sages, écoutez mes discours! Vous qui êtes intelligents, prêtez-moi l’oreille!
“You [three] men who [think that you] [SAR] are very wise, hear me; listen to what I am saying, you men who [say that you] know so much.
3 Car l’oreille discerne les paroles, Comme le palais savoure les aliments.
When we [SYN] hear what other people [like you] say, we [RHQ] think carefully about what they say [to determine what is good and what is bad], like we [SYN] taste food [to determine what is good].
4 Choisissons ce qui est juste, Voyons entre nous ce qui est bon.
We need to decide [who is saying] what is right and to determine among ourselves what is good/best.
5 Job dit: Je suis innocent, Et Dieu me refuse justice;
Job has said, ‘I am innocent, but God has refused to judge me fairly/justly.
6 J’ai raison, et je passe pour menteur; Ma plaie est douloureuse, et je suis sans péché.
Even though I have always done what is right, he is lying about me. Even though I have not done what is wrong, he has caused me to suffer, and I will certainly die.’
7 Y a-t-il un homme semblable à Job, Buvant la raillerie comme l’eau,
(Is there any person like Job, who insults others as easily as people accept a drink of water?/There is no person like Job, who insults others as easily as people accept a drink of water.) [RHQ]
8 Marchant en société de ceux qui font le mal, Cheminant de pair avec les impies?
He habitually associates with people who do what is evil and spends time with wicked people.
9 Car il a dit: Il est inutile à l’homme De mettre son plaisir en Dieu.
He has said, ‘It is useless for people to try to please God.’
10 Écoutez-moi donc, hommes de sens! Loin de Dieu l’injustice, Loin du Tout-Puissant l’iniquité!
“So, you men who [claim that you] understand everything, listen to me! Almighty God would never consider doing anything that is wicked or wrong [DOU]!
11 Il rend à l’homme selon ses œuvres, Il rétribue chacun selon ses voies.
He (pays back/punishes) people for what they have done; he gives them what they deserve for the way that they have conducted their lives.
12 Non certes, Dieu ne commet pas l’iniquité; Le Tout-Puissant ne viole pas la justice.
Truly, Almighty God never does what is wicked; he always [LIT] does what is fair/just.
13 Qui l’a chargé de gouverner la terre? Qui a confié l’univers à ses soins?
The authority that he has to rule everything on the earth, no one [RHQ] gave it to him; no one [RHQ] put him in control of the whole world. [He has always had that authority].
14 S’il ne pensait qu’à lui-même, S’il retirait à lui son esprit et son souffle,
If he would take his spirit back to himself,
15 Toute chair périrait soudain, Et l’homme rentrerait dans la poussière.
everyone would die [immediately], and their corpses would soon become dirt again.
16 Si tu as de l’intelligence, écoute ceci, Prête l’oreille au son de mes paroles!
“So, [Job], if [you say that you] understand everything, listen to what I am saying.
17 Un ennemi de la justice régnerait-il? Et condamneras-tu le juste, le puissant,
God could certainly not [RHQ] govern the world if he hated doing what is fair/just. So, will you condemn God, who is righteous and powerful, [saying that what he has done is wrong]?
18 Qui proclame la méchanceté des rois Et l’iniquité des princes,
He tells [some] kings that they are worthless, and he says to [some] officials that they are wicked.
19 Qui n’a point égard à l’apparence des grands Et ne distingue pas le riche du pauvre, Parce que tous sont l’ouvrage de ses mains?
He does not favor rulers [more than he favors others]; he does not favor rich people more than poor people, because he created all of them.
20 En un instant, ils perdent la vie; Au milieu de la nuit, un peuple chancelle et périt; Le puissant disparaît, sans la main d’aucun homme.
People [often] die suddenly; he strikes them at midnight and they die; he even gets rid of mighty people without the help of any humans [SYN].
21 Car Dieu voit la conduite de tous, Il a les regards sur les pas de chacun.
“He sees [MTY] everything that people do; [when we walk, ] he watches every step that we take.
22 Il n’y a ni ténèbres ni ombre de la mort, Où puissent se cacher ceux qui commettent l’iniquité.
There is no gloom or darkness [DOU] that is so dark that sinners can hide [from him] in that darkness.
23 Dieu n’a pas besoin d’observer longtemps, Pour qu’un homme entre en jugement avec lui;
God does not [need to] set a time when we will stand in front of him in order that he may judge us. [He can judge us whenever he wants to].
24 Il brise les grands sans information, Et il met d’autres à leur place;
He destroys mighty people without [needing to] investigate [what they have done], and he appoints others to take their places.
25 Car il connaît leurs œuvres. Il les renverse de nuit, et ils sont écrasés;
Because he [already] knows what they have done, he removes them at night and gets rid of them.
26 Il les frappe comme des impies, A la face de tous les regards.
Where [many] people can see it, he strikes/punishes them because of the wicked things that they have done;
27 En se détournant de lui, En abandonnant toutes ses voies,
he strikes them because they turned away from doing what he wanted them to do and did not pay attention to any of his commands.
28 Ils ont fait monter à Dieu le cri du pauvre, Ils l’ont rendu attentif aux cris des malheureux.
They [mistreated] the poor people, with the result that those poor people cried out to God [for help], and he heard those afflicted people when they cried out [to him].
29 S’il donne le repos, qui répandra le trouble? S’il cache sa face, qui pourra le voir? Il traite à l’égal soit une nation, soit un homme,
But if God decides to do nothing [to punish wicked people], no one can criticize/condemn him. If a godless/wicked man rules a nation, a man who tricks/deceives the people,
30 Afin que l’impie ne domine plus, Et qu’il ne soit plus un piège pour le peuple.
and if [God] hides his face [with the result that he does not see that ruler or punish him], no one will be able to prevent that ruler [from doing those things].
31 Car a-t-il jamais dit à Dieu: J’ai été châtié, je ne pécherai plus;
“Job, have you or anyone else ever said to God, ‘I have been punished [for my sins], and I will not sin any more;
32 Montre-moi ce que je ne vois pas; Si j’ai commis des injustices, je n’en commettrai plus?
so teach/show me what [sins I have committed]; if I have done anything that is evil, I will not do it any more’?
33 Est-ce d’après toi que Dieu rendra la justice? C’est toi qui rejettes, qui choisis, mais non pas moi; Ce que tu sais, dis-le donc!
[Job, ] you object to what God has done to you, but do you think that he will do what you want him to do? It is you who must choose [what you say to God], not I; so tell me what you are thinking about this.
34 Les hommes de sens seront de mon avis, Le sage qui m’écoute pensera comme moi.
“People who have good sense, those who are wise and who listen to what I say, will say to me,
35 Job parle sans intelligence, Et ses discours manquent de raison.
‘Job is speaking ignorantly; what he says is nonsense.’
36 Qu’il continue donc à être éprouvé, Puisqu’il répond comme font les méchants!
I think that Job should be taken to a court and (put on trial/judged), because he answers [us his friends] like wicked men would answer.
37 Car il ajoute à ses fautes de nouveaux péchés; Il bat des mains au milieu de nous, Il multiplie ses paroles contre Dieu.
To add to the [other] sins that he has committed, he is rebelling [against God]; he shows us that he does not respect God [IDM], making long speeches [saying that God has punished him unjustly].”
