Psaumes 78
1 Cantique d’Asaph. Mon peuple, écoute mes instructions! Prêtez l’oreille aux paroles de ma bouche!
Understanding for Asaph. Attend, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
2 J’ouvre la bouche par des sentences, Je publie la sagesse des temps anciens.
I will open my mouth in parables: I will utter propositions from the beginning.
3 Ce que nous avons entendu, ce que nous savons, Ce que nos pères nous ont raconté,
How great things have we heard and known, and our fathers have told us.
4 Nous ne le cacherons point à leurs enfants; Nous dirons à la génération future les louanges de l’Éternel, Et sa puissance, et les prodiges qu’il a opérés.
They have not been hidden from their children, in another generation. Declaring the praises of the Lord, and his powers, and his wonders which he hath done.
5 Il a établi un témoignage en Jacob, Il a mis une loi en Israël, Et il a ordonné à nos pères de l’enseigner à leurs enfants,
And he set up a testimony in Jacob: and made a law in Israel. How great things he commanded our fathers, that they should make the same known to their children:
6 Pour qu’elle fût connue de la génération future, Des enfants qui naîtraient, Et que, devenus grands, ils en parlassent à leurs enfants,
That another generation might know them. The children that should be born and should rise up, and declare them to their children.
7 Afin qu’ils missent en Dieu leur confiance, Qu’ils n’oubliassent pas les œuvres de Dieu, Et qu’ils observassent ses commandements,
That they may put their hope in God and may not forget the works of God: and may seek his commandments.
8 Afin qu’ils ne fussent pas, comme leurs pères, Une race indocile et rebelle, Une race dont le cœur n’était pas ferme, Et dont l’esprit n’était pas fidèle à Dieu.
That they may not become like their fathers, a perverse and exasperating generation. A generation that set not their heart aright: and whose spirit was not faithful to God.
9 Les fils d’Éphraïm, armés et tirant de l’arc, Tournèrent le dos le jour du combat.
The sons of Ephraim who bend and shoot with the bow: they have turned back in the day of battle.
10 Ils ne gardèrent point l’alliance de Dieu, Et ils refusèrent de marcher selon sa loi.
They kept not the covenant of God: and in his law they would not walk.
11 Ils mirent en oubli ses œuvres, Ses merveilles qu’il leur avait fait voir.
And they forgot his benefits, and his wonders that he had shewn them.
12 Devant leurs pères il avait fait des prodiges, Au pays d’Égypte, dans les campagnes de Tsoan.
Wonderful things did he do in the sight of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Tanis.
13 Il fendit la mer et leur ouvrit un passage, Il fit dresser les eaux comme une muraille.
He divided the sea and brought them through: and he made the waters to stand as in a vessel.
14 Il les conduisit le jour par la nuée, Et toute la nuit par un feu éclatant.
And he conducted them with a cloud by day: and all the night with a light of fire.
15 Il fendit des rochers dans le désert, Et il donna à boire comme des flots abondants;
He struck the rock in the wilderness: and gave them to drink, as out of the great deep.
16 Du rocher il fit jaillir des sources, Et couler des eaux comme des fleuves.
He brought forth water out of the rock: and made streams run down as rivers.
17 Mais ils continuèrent à pécher contre lui, A se révolter contre le Très-Haut dans le désert.
And they added yet more sin against him: they provoked the most High to wrath in the place without water.
18 Ils tentèrent Dieu dans leur cœur, En demandant de la nourriture selon leur désir.
And they tempted God in their hearts, by asking meat for their desires.
19 Ils parlèrent contre Dieu, Ils dirent: Dieu pourrait-il Dresser une table dans le désert?
And they spoke ill of God: they said: Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?
20 Voici, il a frappé le rocher, et des eaux ont coulé, Et des torrents se sont répandus; Pourra-t-il aussi donner du pain, Ou fournir de la viande à son peuple?
Because he struck the rock, and the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed. Can he also give bread, or provide a table for his people?
21 L’Éternel entendit, et il fut irrité; Un feu s’alluma contre Jacob, Et la colère s’éleva contre Israël,
Therefore the Lord heard, and was angry: and a fire was kindled against Jacob, and wrath came up against Israel.
22 Parce qu’ils ne crurent pas en Dieu, Parce qu’ils n’eurent pas confiance dans son secours.
Because they believed not in God: and trusted not in his salvation.
23 Il commanda aux nuages d’en haut, Et il ouvrit les portes des cieux;
And he had commanded the clouds from above, and had opened the doors of heaven.
24 Il fit pleuvoir sur eux la manne pour nourriture, Il leur donna le blé du ciel.
And had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them the bread of heaven.
25 Ils mangèrent tous le pain des grands, Il leur envoya de la nourriture à satiété.
Man ate the bread of angels: he sent them provisions in abundance.
26 Il fit souffler dans les cieux le vent d’orient, Et il amena par sa puissance le vent du midi;
He removed the south wind from heaven: and by his power brought in the southwest wind.
27 Il fit pleuvoir sur eux la viande comme de la poussière, Et comme le sable des mers les oiseaux ailés;
And he rained upon them flesh as dust: and feathered fowls like as the sand of the sea.
28 Il les fit tomber au milieu de leur camp, Tout autour de leurs demeures.
And they fell in the midst of their camp, round about their pavilions.
29 Ils mangèrent et se rassasièrent abondamment: Dieu leur donna ce qu’ils avaient désiré.
So they did eat, and were filled exceedingly, and he gave them their desire:
30 Ils n’avaient pas satisfait leur désir, Ils avaient encore leur nourriture dans la bouche,
They were not defrauded of that which they craved. As yet their meat was in their mouth:
31 Lorsque la colère de Dieu s’éleva contre eux; Il frappa de mort les plus vigoureux, Il abattit les jeunes hommes d’Israël.
And the wrath of God came upon them. And he slew the fat ones amongst them, and brought down the chosen men of Israel.
32 Malgré tout cela, ils continuèrent à pécher, Et ne crurent point à ses prodiges.
In all these things they sinned still: and they believed not for his wondrous works.
33 Il consuma leurs jours par la vanité, Et leurs années par une fin soudaine.
And their days were consumed in vanity, and their years in haste.
34 Quand il les frappait de mort, ils le cherchaient, Ils revenaient et se tournaient vers Dieu;
When he slew them, then they sought him: and they returned, and came to him early in the morning.
35 Ils se souvenaient que Dieu était leur rocher, Que le Dieu Très-Haut était leur libérateur.
And they remembered that God was their helper: and the most high God their redeemer.
36 Mais ils le trompaient de la bouche, Et ils lui mentaient de la langue;
And they loved him with their mouth: and with their tongue they lied unto him:
37 Leur cœur n’était pas ferme envers lui, Et ils n’étaient pas fidèles à son alliance.
But their heart was not right with him: nor were they counted faithful in his covenant.
38 Toutefois, dans sa miséricorde, il pardonne l’iniquité et ne détruit pas; Il retient souvent sa colère et ne se livre pas à toute sa fureur.
But he is merciful, and will forgive their sins: and will not destroy them. And many a time did he turn away his anger: and did not kindle all his wrath.
39 Il se souvint qu’ils n’étaient que chair, Un souffle qui s’en va et ne revient pas.
And he remembered that they are flesh: a wind that goeth and returneth not.
40 Que de fois ils se révoltèrent contre lui dans le désert! Que de fois ils l’irritèrent dans la solitude!
How often did they provoke him in the desert: and move him to wrath in the place without water?
41 Ils ne cessèrent de tenter Dieu, Et de provoquer le Saint d’Israël.
And they turned back and tempted God: and grieved the holy one of Israel.
42 Ils ne se souvinrent pas de sa puissance, Du jour où il les délivra de l’ennemi,
They remembered not his hand, in the day that he redeemed them from the hand of him that afflicted them:
43 Des miracles qu’il accomplit en Égypte, Et de ses prodiges dans les campagnes de Tsoan.
How he wrought his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Tanis.
44 Il changea leurs fleuves en sang, Et ils ne purent en boire les eaux.
And he turned their rivers into blood, and their showers that they might, not drink.
45 Il envoya contre eux des mouches venimeuses qui les dévorèrent, Et des grenouilles qui les détruisirent.
He sent amongst them divers sores of flies, which devoured them: and frogs which destroyed them.
46 Il livra leurs récoltes aux sauterelles, Le produit de leur travail aux sauterelles.
And he gave up their fruits to the blast, and their labours to the locust.
47 Il fit périr leurs vignes par la grêle, Et leurs sycomores par la gelée.
And he destroyed their vineyards with hail, and their mulberry trees with hoarfrost.
48 Il abandonna leur bétail à la grêle, Et leurs troupeaux au feu du ciel.
And he gave up their cattle to the hail, and their stock to the fire.
49 Il lança contre eux son ardente colère, La fureur, la rage et la détresse, Une troupe de messagers de malheur.
And he sent upon them the wrath of his indignation: indignation and wrath and trouble, which he sent by evil angels.
50 Il donna libre cours à sa colère, Il ne sauva pas leur âme de la mort, Il livra leur vie à la mortalité;
He made a way for a path to his anger: he spared not their souls from death, and their cattle he shut up in death.
51 Il frappa tous les premiers-nés en Égypte, Les prémices de la force sous les tentes de Cham.
And he killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt: the firstfruits of all their labour in the tabernacles of Cham.
52 Il fit partir son peuple comme des brebis, Il les conduisit comme un troupeau dans le désert.
And he took away his own people as sheep: and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.
53 Il les dirigea sûrement, pour qu’ils fussent sans crainte, Et la mer couvrit leurs ennemis.
And he brought them out in hope, and they feared not: band the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
54 Il les amena vers sa frontière sainte, Vers cette montagne que sa droite a acquise.
And he brought them into the mountain of his sanctuary: the mountain which his right hand had purchased. And he cast out the Gentiles before them: and by lot divided to them their land by a line of distribution.
55 Il chassa devant eux les nations, Leur distribua le pays en héritage, Et fit habiter dans leurs tentes les tribus d’Israël.
And he made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tabernacles.
56 Mais ils tentèrent le Dieu Très-Haut et se révoltèrent contre lui, Et ils n’observèrent point ses ordonnances.
Yet they tempted, and provoked the most high God: and they kept not his testimonies.
57 Ils s’éloignèrent et furent infidèles, comme leurs pères, Ils tournèrent, comme un arc trompeur.
And they turned away, and kept not the covenant: even like their fathers they were turned aside as a crooked bow.
58 Ils l’irritèrent par leurs hauts lieux, Et ils excitèrent sa jalousie par leurs idoles.
They provoked him to anger on their hills: and moved him to jealousy with their graven things.
59 Dieu entendit, et il fut irrité; Il repoussa fortement Israël.
God heard, and despised them, and he reduced Israel exceedingly as it were to nothing.
60 Il abandonna la demeure de Silo, La tente où il habitait parmi les hommes;
And he put away the tabernacle of Silo, his tabernacle where he dwelt among men.
61 Il livra sa gloire à la captivité, Et sa majesté entre les mains de l’ennemi.
And he delivered their strength into captivity: and their beauty into the hands of the enemy.
62 Il mit son peuple à la merci du glaive, Et il s’indigna contre son héritage.
And he shut up his people under the sword: and he despised his inheritance.
63 Le feu dévora ses jeunes hommes, Et ses vierges ne furent pas célébrées;
Fire consumed their young men: and their maidens were not lamented.
64 Ses sacrificateurs tombèrent par l’épée, Et ses veuves ne pleurèrent pas.
Their priests fell by the sword: and their widows did not mourn.
65 Le Seigneur s’éveilla comme celui qui a dormi, Comme un héros qu’a subjugué le vin.
And the Lord was awaked as one out of sleep, and like a mighty man that hath been surfeited with wine.
66 Il frappa ses adversaires en fuite, Il les couvrit d’un opprobre éternel.
And he smote his enemies on the hinder parts: he put them to an everlasting reproach.
67 Cependant il rejeta la tente de Joseph, Et il ne choisit point la tribu d’Éphraïm;
And he rejected the tabernacle of Joseph: and chose not the tribe of Ephraim:
68 Il préféra la tribu de Juda, La montagne de Sion qu’il aimait.
But he chose the tribe of Juda, mount Sion which he loved.
69 Et il bâtit son sanctuaire comme les lieux élevés, Comme la terre qu’il a fondée pour toujours.
And he built his sanctuary as of unicorns, in the land which he founded for ever.
70 Il choisit David, son serviteur, Et il le tira des bergeries;
And he chose his servant David, and took him from the hocks of sheep: he brought him from following the ewes great with young,
71 Il le prit derrière les brebis qui allaitent, Pour lui faire paître Jacob, son peuple, Et Israël, son héritage.
To feed Jacob his servant, and Israel his inheritance.
72 Et David les dirigea avec un cœur intègre, Et les conduisit avec des mains intelligentes.
And he fed them in the innocence of his heart: and conducted them by the skillfulness of his hands.
