Job 30
1 Mais, maintenant, des hommes plus jeunes que moi se moquent de moi, des hommes dont je n'aurais pas daigné mettre les pères avec les chiens de mon troupeau.
“But now men who are younger than I am make fun of me— men whose fathers I greatly despised, with the result that I would not even have allowed them to help my dogs guard my sheep.
2 Et qu'aurais-je pu faire de la force de leurs mains? En eux avait péri toute vigueur.
They were men who were old and (weak/worn out); so (what could I gain from them working for me?/I would have gained nothing from them working for me.) [RHQ]
3 Exténués par la disette et la faim, ils broutent les lieux arides, depuis longtemps désolés et déserts.
They were very poor and hungry, with the result that they chewed on roots [at night] in dry and desolate places.
4 Ils cueillent l'herbe sauvage près des buissons, et la racine des genêts est leur nourriture.
They pulled up plants in the desert [and ate them] and warmed themselves by [burning] the roots of broom trees.
5 On les chasse du milieu des hommes; on crie après eux comme après un larron;
Everyone shouted at them as though they were thieves and expelled them [from their areas].
6 Ils habitent dans des torrents affreux, dans les trous de la terre, et parmi les rochers.
They were forced to live in caves in the hills, in holes in the ground, and in the sides of cliffs.
7 On les entend braire dans les buissons, ils s'étendent pêle-mêle sous les chardons;
In the bushes they howled [like animals because they were hungry], and they huddled together under thornbushes.
8 Race impie, race sans nom, qui avait été chassée du pays!
They were people without good sense, whose names no one knows; they have been expelled from the land [where they were born].
9 Et maintenant je suis le sujet de leurs chansons, et je fais la matière de leurs propos.
“And now their [children] sing songs to make fun of me. They tell jokes about me.
10 Ils m'ont en horreur, ils s'éloignent de moi; ils ne craignent pas de me cracher au visage.
They are disgusted with me, and they [usually] stay away from me, [but when they see me, ] they are happy to spit in my face.
11 Parce que Dieu a détendu la corde de mon arc et m'a humilié, ils ont secoué tout frein devant moi.
Because [it is as though] [MET] God has cut my bowstring, [he has caused me to be unable to defend myself, ] and he has humbled me, and my enemies have done to me whatever they wanted.
12 Cette engeance se lève à ma droite; ils poussent mes pieds; ils construisent contre moi des routes pour me nuire;
(Gangs/Groups of violent youths) attack me and force me to run away; they prepare to destroy me.
13 Ils rompent mon chemin, ils aident à ma ruine, eux à qui personne ne porterait secours.
They prevent me from escaping, and they [do] not [need] anyone to help them (OR, there is no one to help me).
14 Ils arrivent comme par une large brèche, ils se précipitent au milieu du fracas.
[It is as though I am a city wall and] [SIM] they have broken through the wall, and they have come crashing down on me.
15 Toutes les terreurs se tournent contre moi, elles poursuivent ma prospérité comme le vent, et mon bonheur a passé comme un nuage!
I am very terrified; My dignity/honor has been taken away as though [SIM] [it has been] blown away by the wind, and my prosperity has disappeared like [SIM] clouds disappear.
16 Et maintenant mon âme se fond en moi, les jours d'affliction m'ont atteint;
“And now I [SYN] am about to die [IDM]; I suffer every day.
17 La nuit perce mes os et les détache, et ceux qui me rongent ne dorment pas.
My bones ache during the night, and the pain that torments me never stops.
18 Par la violence extrême de mon mal, mon vêtement se déforme; il me serre comme le col de ma tunique.
[It is as though God] seizes my clothes and chokes me with the collar of my coat.
19 Dieu m'a jeté dans la boue, et je ressemble à la poussière et à la cendre.
He has thrown me into the mud; I am [not worth anything more than] dust and ashes.
20 Je crie vers toi, et tu ne me réponds pas; je me tiens debout devant toi, et tu me considères!
“I cry out to God, but he does not answer/help me; I stand up [and pray], but he does not pay any attention.
21 Tu es devenu cruel pour moi; tu t'opposes à moi avec toute la force de ton bras.
He acts very cruelly toward me; with all of his power [MTY] he causes me to suffer.
22 Tu m'enlèves, tu me fais chevaucher sur le vent, et tu me fais fondre au bruit de la tempête.
He [allows] the wind to lift me up and blow me away, and he tosses me up and down in a violent storm.
23 Oui, je sais bien que tu m'amènes à la mort, et dans la demeure, rendez-vous de tous les vivants.
I know that he will cause me to die, which is what happens to everyone [MTY] who is alive.
24 Seulement, n'étendrait-on pas la main au milieu de la ruine? Et, dans sa calamité, ne serait-il donc pas permis de pousser un cri?
“When people experience disasters, and they sit on a pile of ruins and cry out for help, others surely [RHQ] reach out their hand to help them.
25 Ne pleurais-je pas sur l'homme qui passait de mauvais jours? Mon âme n'était-elle pas affligée à cause du pauvre
[That is what I did previously]. I wept for people who were experiencing troubles, and I felt sorry for poor/needy people.
26 J'ai attendu le bonheur, et le malheur est arrivé. J'espérais la lumière, et les ténèbres sont venues.
But when I expected good things [to happen to me], evil things happened; when I waited for light/happiness, all I experienced was darkness/unhappiness [MET].
27 Mes entrailles bouillonnent sans repos; les jours d'affliction m'ont assailli.
I am very distressed [IDM], all the time; I suffer every day.
28 Je marche tout noirci, et non par le soleil. Je me lève dans l'assemblée, et je crie.
I go about very discouraged; I stand up and plead for people to help me.
29 Je suis devenu le frère des chacals, et le compagnon des autruches.
My wailing sounds as sad as [MET] the cries of jackals/foxes and ostriches.
30 Ma peau se noircit et tombe. Mes os sont brûlés par la fièvre.
My skin has become dark/black and is peeling off, and I have a fever [which causes my body to feel like it is] burning.
31 Ma harpe s'est changée en deuil, et mon luth en voix de pleurs.
Previously, I played joyful music on my harp and with my flute, but now I play only the sad music of those who mourn.”
