Lamentations 4
1 Eh quoi! L’or a perdu son éclat! L’or pur est altéré! Les pierres du sanctuaire sont dispersées Aux coins de toutes les rues!
[Previously our people were like] [MET] pure gold, but now they are worthless. [Like] [MET] the sacred stones in the temple have been scattered, [our young men have been scattered].
2 Les nobles fils de Sion, Estimés à l’égal de l’or pur, Sont regardés, hélas! Comme des vases de terre, Ouvrage des mains du potier!
The young men of Jerusalem were as valuable as [MET] large amounts of gold, but now people consider that they are as worthless as [ordinary] clay pots.
3 Les chacals mêmes présentent la mamelle, Et allaitent leurs petits; Mais la fille de mon peuple est devenue cruelle Comme les autruches du désert.
Even the [female] jackals/wolves feed their pups, but my people act cruelly [toward their children]; they are like [SIM] ostriches in the desert [that abandon their eggs].
4 La langue du nourrisson s’attache à son palais, Desséchée par la soif; Les enfants demandent du pain, Et personne ne leur en donne.
[My people’s] infants’ tongues cling to the roofs/tops of their mouths because they are [extremely] thirsty; the children plead for some food, but no one gives them [any].
5 Ceux qui se nourrissaient de mets délicats Périssent dans les rues; Ceux qui étaient élevés dans la pourpre Embrassent les fumiers.
People who [previously] ate fine food are [now] starving in the streets; those who previously lived luxuriously [MTY] [now] paw/dig through rubbish heaps [to find some food].
6 Le châtiment de la fille de mon peuple est plus grand Que celui de Sodome, Détruite en un instant, Sans que personne ait porté la main sur elle.
[The people of] Sodom were struck with a disaster very suddenly, and there was no one to rescue them; but my people have been punished more severely than [the people of] Sodom were punished.
7 Ses princes étaient plus éclatants que la neige, Plus blancs que le lait; Ils avaient le teint plus vermeil que le corail; Leur figure était comme le saphir.
Our leaders’ [behavior] was [previously] very pure, whiter [and brighter] than snow and milk; their bodies were redder than [red] coral/stones; they were very strong and healthy [MET].
8 Leur aspect est plus sombre que le noir; On ne les reconnaît pas dans les rues; Ils ont la peau collée sur les os, Sèche comme du bois.
But now their faces are blacker than soot, and no one recognizes them in the streets. Their skin has shriveled on their bones, and it has become as dry as [SIM] a wooden [stick].
9 Ceux qui périssent par l’épée sont plus heureux Que ceux qui périssent par la faim, Qui tombent exténués, Privés du fruit des champs.
It is better to die in a battle [MTY] than to die of hunger. There was no food to harvest in the fields, so the people slowly starved until they died.
10 Les femmes, malgré leur tendresse, Font cuire leurs enfants; Ils leur servent de nourriture, Au milieu du désastre de la fille de mon peuple.
Women who [usually/previously] were very kind have [killed and] cooked their own children; they ate them [when there was no other food], when Jerusalem was surrounded [by enemy soldiers].
11 L’Éternel a épuisé sa fureur, Il a répandu son ardente colère; Il a allumé dans Sion un feu Qui en dévore les fondements.
Yahweh has shown that he was extremely angry; [it is as though] he started/ignited a fire in Jerusalem that burned everything to ashes.
12 Les rois de la terre n’auraient pas cru, Aucun des habitants du monde n’aurait cru Que l’adversaire, que l’ennemi entrerait Dans les portes de Jérusalem.
None of the kings on the earth or anyone else believed that any of our enemies could enter the gates of Jerusalem.
13 Voilà le fruit des péchés de ses prophètes, Des iniquités de ses sacrificateurs, Qui ont répandu dans son sein Le sang des justes!
[But that is what happened]; it happened because the prophets sinned; and the priests [also] sinned by causing innocent people to be executed [MTY].
14 Ils erraient en aveugles dans les rues, Souillés de sang; On ne pouvait Toucher leurs vêtements.
The prophets and priests wandered through the streets [as though they were] blind. No one would touch them because their clothes were stained with the blood [of people who had been killed].
15 Éloignez-vous, impurs! Leur criait-on, Éloignez-vous, éloignez-vous, ne nous touchez pas! Ils sont en fuite, ils errent çà et là; On dit parmi les nations: Ils n’auront plus leur demeure!
The people [who were alive] shouted, “Stay away [from us] [DOU]! You are defiled/untouchable! Do not touch us!” So the prophets and priests fled [from Israel], and they wandered around from one country to another, because people [in each country] kept saying to them, “You cannot stay here!”
16 L’Éternel les a dispersés dans sa colère, Il ne tourne plus les regards vers eux; On n’a eu ni respect pour les sacrificateurs, Ni pitié pour les vieillards.
It is Yahweh himself who has scattered them; he no longer is concerned about them. People do not respect [our] priests or leaders.
17 Nos yeux se consumaient encore, Et nous attendions vainement du secours; Nos regards se portaient avec espérance Vers une nation qui ne nous a pas délivrés.
We [SYN] continued to look for someone to help [us], but it was useless. We continued to watch to see if one of our allies would save us, but none of the nations that we were waiting for could help [us].
18 On épiait nos pas, Pour nous empêcher d’aller sur nos places; Notre fin s’approchait, nos jours étaient accomplis… Notre fin est arrivée!
[Our] enemies were hunting for us, so we could not [even] walk in our streets [lest they seize us]. We were about to be captured; it was time for us to be killed.
19 Nos persécuteurs étaient plus légers Que les aigles du ciel; Ils nous ont poursuivis sur les montagnes, Ils nous ont dressé des embûches dans le désert.
Those who pursued us were faster than eagles [flying] in the sky. Even if we fled to the mountains or hid in the desert, they [went there ahead of us and] waited [to attack] us.
20 Celui qui nous faisait respirer, l’oint de l’Éternel, A été pris dans leurs fosses, Lui de qui nous disions: Nous vivrons sous son ombre parmi les nations.
[Our king, ] whom Yahweh appointed, was the one who enabled us to remain alive [MTY]; he was the one whom we trusted to protect us [IDM] from [the armies of] other nations. But he was [captured] [like animals are] [MET] caught in a pit.
21 Réjouis-toi, tressaille d’allégresse, fille d’Édom, Habitante du pays d’Uts! Vers toi aussi passera la coupe; Tu t’enivreras, et tu seras mise à nu.
You people of [IDM] Edom and Uz, [you may] be happy [about what is happening to us now], but [Yahweh] will be punishing [MTY] you [also]. You will become drunk and will be ashamed [because your enemies] will have stripped off your clothes.
22 Fille de Sion, ton iniquité est expiée; Il ne t’enverra plus en captivité. Fille d’Édom, il châtiera ton iniquité, Il mettra tes péchés à découvert.
You [people of] [APO] Jerusalem, the time of your being punished will end; Yahweh will not allow you to continue to live in (exile/foreign countries). But [you people of] [APO] Edom, Yahweh will punish [you]; he will reveal the wicked things that you have done.
