Job 39
1 Sais-tu le temps où les chamois mettent bas? As-tu observé quand les biches faonnent?
Have you knowledge of the rock-goats? or do you see the roes giving birth to their young?
2 As-tu compté les mois de leur portée, et sais-tu le temps où elles mettent bas?
Is the number of their months fixed by you? or is the time when they give birth ordered by you?
3 Elles se courbent, elles font sortir leurs petits, et se délivrent de leurs douleurs;
They are bent down, they give birth to their young, they let loose the fruit of their body.
4 Leurs petits se fortifient, ils croissent en plein air, ils s'en vont et ne reviennent plus vers elles.
Their young ones are strong, living in the open country; they go out and do not come back again.
5 Qui a lâché l'onagre en liberté, et qui a délié les liens de cet animal farouche,
Who has let the ass of the fields go free? or made loose the bands of the loud-voiced beast?
6 A qui j'ai donné la steppe pour demeure, et la terre salée pour habitation?
To whom I have given the waste land for a heritage, and the salt land as a living-place.
7 Il se rit du bruit de la ville; il n'entend pas les clameurs de l'ânier.
He makes sport of the noise of the town; the voice of the driver does not come to his ears;
8 Il parcourt les montagnes qui sont ses pâturages, il cherche partout de la verdure.
He goes looking for his grass-lands in the mountains, searching out every green thing.
9 Le buffle veut-il te servir? Passe-t-il la nuit auprès de ta crèche?
Will the ox of the mountains be your servant? or is his night's resting-place by your food-store?
10 Attaches-tu le buffle par la corde au sillon? Herse-t-il tes champs en te suivant?
Will he be pulling your plough with cords, turning up the valleys after you?
11 Te fies-tu à lui parce que sa force est grande, et lui abandonnes-tu ton travail?
Will you put your faith in him, because his strength is great? will you give the fruit of your work into his care?
12 Comptes-tu sur lui pour rentrer ton grain, et pour l'amasser sur ton aire?
Will you be looking for him to come back, and get in your seed to the crushing-floor?
13 L'aile de l'autruche s'agite joyeusement; est-ce l'aile et la plume de la cigogne?
Is the wing of the ostrich feeble, or is it because she has no feathers,
14 Non, car elle abandonne ses œufs à terre, elle les fait couver sur la poussière;
That she puts her eggs on the earth, warming them in the dust,
15 Elle oublie qu'un pied peut les fouler, une bête des champs les écraser.
Without a thought that they may be crushed by the foot, and broken by the beasts of the field?
16 Elle est dure envers ses petits, comme s'ils n'étaient pas siens. Son travail est vain, elle ne s'en inquiète pas.
She is cruel to her young ones, as if they were not hers; her work is to no purpose; she has no fear.
17 Car Dieu l'a privée de sagesse, et ne lui a point départi d'intelligence.
For God has taken wisdom from her mind, and given her no measure of knowledge.
18 Quand elle se lève, et bat des ailes, elle se moque du cheval et de son cavalier.
When she is shaking her wings on high, she makes sport of the horse and of him who is seated on him.
19 As-tu donné au cheval sa vigueur? As-tu revêtu son cou de la crinière frémissante?
Do you give strength to the horse? is it by your hand that his neck is clothed with power?
20 Le fais-tu bondir comme la sauterelle? Son fier hennissement donne la terreur.
Is it through you that he is shaking like a locust, in the pride of his loud-sounding breath?
21 De son pied il creuse la terre; il se réjouit en sa force; il va à la rencontre de l'homme armé;
He is stamping with joy in the valley; he makes sport of fear.
22 Il se rit de la crainte, il n'a peur de rien; il ne recule point devant l'épée.
In his strength he goes out against the arms of war, turning not away from the sword.
23 Sur lui retentit le carquois, la lance étincelante et le javelot.
The bow is sounding against him; he sees the shining point of spear and arrow.
24 Bondissant et frémissant, il dévore l'espace; il ne peut se contenir dès que la trompette sonne;
Shaking with passion, he is biting the earth; he is not able to keep quiet at the sound of the horn;
25 Dès qu'il entend la trompette, il hennit; il sent de loin la bataille, la voix tonnante des chefs et les clameurs des guerriers.
When it comes to his ears he says, Aha! He is smelling the fight from far off, and hearing the thunder of the captains, and the war-cries.
26 Est-ce par ta sagesse que l'épervier prend son vol, et déploie ses ailes vers le Midi?
Is it through your knowledge that the hawk takes his flight, stretching out his wings to the south?
27 Est-ce sur ton ordre que l'aigle s'élève, et qu'il place son aire sur les hauteurs?
Or is it by your orders that the eagle goes up, and makes his resting-place on high?
28 Il habite sur les rochers, il se tient sur la dent des rochers, sur les lieux inaccessibles.
On the rock is his house, and on the mountain-top his strong place.
29 De là, il découvre sa proie; ses yeux la voient de loin.
From there he is watching for food; his eye sees it far off.
30 Ses petits sucent le sang, et partout où il y a des corps morts, il s'y trouve.
His young have blood for their drink, and where the dead bodies are, there is he to be seen.
