Ézéchiel 31
1 Et la onzième année, le troisième mois, le premier jour du mois, la parole de l'Éternel me fut adressée en ces mots:
Almost eleven years [after we had been taken to Babylonia], on the first day of the third month [of that year], Yahweh gave me another message. He said,
2 Fils de l'homme, dis à Pharaon, roi d'Egypte, et à son peuple: A qui ressembles-tu dans ta grandeur?
“You human, say to the King of Egypt and all of his people, ‘[You think that] there is [RHQ, IRO] no country whose power is as great as the power of your country.
3 Vois, Assur était un cèdre sur le Liban, beau par sa ramure, arbre touffu donnant un ombrage, et d'une tige élevée, et sa cime était entourée de feuillage.
You think that your country is as great as Assyria was: Assyria was previously like [MET] a tall cedar tree in Lebanon; [it was as though] it had big beautiful branches that provided shade for [other trees in] the forest. It was very tall; its top was above the leaves of the other trees.
4 Les eaux le faisaient grandir, et les flots croître en hauteur, dans leurs courants elles embrassaient son sol, et envoyaient leurs canaux à tous les arbres de la campagne.
Water came from deep springs, and as a result that cedar tree grew tall and very green. Then water flowed around the base of the tree into channels that took water to other nearby trees.
5 Aussi sa taille était-elle plus élevée que celle de tous les arbres de la campagne, et dans son développement, ses branches grossirent et ses rameaux s'allongèrent par l'abondance des eaux.
That huge tree grew very tall, higher than all the other trees around it. Its branches grew very thick and long [DOU] because of the abundant water [at the base of the tree].
6 Sur ses branches nichaient tous les oiseaux des Cieux, et sous ses rameaux toutes les bêtes des champs venaient mettre bas, et tous les grands peuples habitaient à son ombre.
Birds built their nests in the branches, and wild animals gave birth to their babies under those branches. [And it was as though people of] all the great nations lived in the shade of that tree.
7 Il était beau dans sa grandeur, dans la longueur de ses branches, car ses racines touchaient aux abondantes eaux.
It was majestic and beautiful; its branches spread out widely because the roots of the tree grew down into the ground where there was a plentiful supply of water.
8 Les autres cèdres ne l'effaçaient point dans le jardin de Dieu; les cyprès n'égalaient point ses rameaux, ni les platanes ses branches; nul arbre dans le jardin de Dieu n'était son pareil en beauté.
The cedar trees in my garden [in Eden] were not as great as that tree, and the branches of the pine/cypress trees were not as long and thick as the branches of that cedar tree. And the branches of the plane trees were not as long and thick, either. No tree in my garden was as beautiful as that cedar tree.
9 Je l'avais embelli par le nombre de ses rameaux, et tous les arbres d'Éden, dans le jardin de Dieu, lui portaient envie.
Because I caused that tree to become very beautiful with its magnificent green branches, [all the leaders of other countries represented by] [MET] those other trees in Eden envied [the country represented by] that tree.’
10 Aussi ainsi parle le Seigneur, l'Éternel: Parce qu'il avait une taille élevée, et qu'il portait sa cime au milieu d'un épais feuillage, et que son cœur s'est enorgueilli de son élévation;
Therefore, this is what I, Yahweh the Lord, say: ‘That tree, which [represents Assyria], grew very tall, and its top was higher than the other trees, and it became very proud because of being very tall.
11 je l'ai livré aux mains du héros des nations pour qu'il le traite [à son gré]: c'est pour son impiété que je l'ai expulsé;
Therefore, I enabled another mighty nation to conquer it and to destroy it as it deserved to be destroyed. I have already discarded it.
12 et il a été arraché par des étrangers les plus violents des peuples, qui l'ont jeté; sur les montagnes et dans toutes les vallées ses rameaux sont tombés, et ses branches ont été mises en pièces dans tous les vallons du pays, et tous les peuples de la terre se sont retirés de son ombrage, et l'ont laissé là.
A foreign army, one that has caused people of other nations to be terrified, cut it down and left it. Its branches fell on the mountains and in the valleys. Some of its branches lay broken in all the ravines in the land. All the people of other nations came out from being under its shade and left it.
13 Sur son tronc mutilé se posent tous les oiseaux des Cieux, et toutes les bêtes des champs sont sur ses branches.
Birds (settled/went to live) on the fallen tree, and wild animals lived among its branches.
14 Et c'est afin que tous les arbres voisins des eaux ne s'enorgueillissent pas de leur taille élevée, et ne dressent pas leur cime au milieu d'un épais feuillage, afin que tous les chênes voisins des eaux ne persistent pas dans leur orgueil, car tous ils sont livrés à la mort pour rejoindre sous la terre parmi les enfants d'Adam ceux qui sont descendus dans la fosse.
The result of what I have done is that no other trees, even if they have plenty of water, will ever grow very high and become proud, and lift their tops above the branches of other trees. I do not want any other tree to grow high like that cedar tree did; trees will all certainly die and decay in the ground, like people die and go down to their graves.’
15 Ainsi parle le Seigneur, l'Éternel: Le jour où il descendit dans les Enfers, je mis l'abîme en deuil, et le couvris d'un voile, et j'arrêtai les fleuves, et le cours des grandes eaux fut suspendu; pour lui je fis prendre le deuil au Liban, et tous les arbres des campagnes à cause de lui furent dans l'abattement. (Sheol h7585)
This is what I, Yahweh the Lord, say: ‘When that great tree was cut down, [it was as though] the springs that watered it mourned for it, because I caused the plentiful water [from the springs] to dry up. I caused [the mountains in] Lebanon to become black, and all the trees there to wither. (Sheol h7585)
16 Du fracas de sa chute j'épouvantai les peuples, quand je le précipitai dans les Enfers vers ceux qui sont descendus dans la fosse; et ce fut sous la terre une consolation pour tous les arbres d'Éden, les plus excellents et les meilleurs du Liban, tous abreuvés par les eaux. (Sheol h7585)
I caused the people of other nations to tremble when they heard that tree fall to the ground. [They realized] that it would decay, like all people who die and are buried decay. And all the [leaders of other countries represented by] other beautiful trees in my garden in Eden and in Lebanon, were like beautiful trees [that were very proud]. They were ones which had roots that grew down deep into the [ground where there was plenty of] water. They were comforted when [the king represented by] [MET] that cedar tree was there with them in the place where the dead people are. (Sheol h7585)
17 Eux aussi descendirent avec lui dans les Enfers près de ceux que l'épée a percés; ils étaient son bras et demeuraient sous son ombre parmi les nations. (Sheol h7585)
The [leaders of other countries represented by] [MET] trees that grew in the shade of the huge tree, [the allies of] the great nation [that the cedar tree represents], had also joined those who had been killed by the sword and gone down to where the dead people are. (Sheol h7585)
18 A qui, [Pharaon, ] ressembles-tu ainsi en gloire et en grandeur parmi les arbres d'Éden? Ainsi tu seras précipité avec les arbres d'Éden sous la terre, tu seras gisant au milieu des incirconcis avec ceux que l'épée a percés. Ainsi en sera-t-il de Pharaon et de tout son peuple, dit le Seigneur, l'Éternel.
[This parable is about you] people of Egypt. [You think that] [RHQ, IRO] there is no other nation that is as great and glorious as yours is. But your nation will also be destroyed, [as Assyria was], along with those other nations. Your people will be there among the other people who are not fit to worship me, people who have been killed by their enemies’ swords. That is what will happen to the king of Egypt and all his people. [That will surely happen because] I, Yahweh, [have predicted it].’”
