1 Samuel 7
1 Les hommes de Cariathiarim vinrent donc, ramenèrent l’arche du Seigneur, et la transportèrent dans la maison d’Abinadad à Gabaa: mais ils sanctifièrent Eléazar, son fils, afin qu’il gardât l’arche du Seigneur.
[When] the men of Kiriath-Jearim [received that message, they] came to Beth-Shemesh and took the sacred chest of Yahweh. They took it to the house of Abinadab, which was on a hillside. They appointed Abinadab’s son Eleazar to take care of the chest.
2 Et il arriva que depuis le jour où l’arche du Seigneur demeura à Cariathiarim, les jours se multiplièrent (car c’était déjà la vingtième année); et toute la maison d’Israël se reposa à l’abri du Seigneur.
The sacred chest stayed in Kiriath-Jearim for a long time—a total of 20 years. During that time all the people of Israel mourned [because it seemed that] Yahweh [had abandoned them] (OR, [and then they asked] Yahweh [to help them]).
3 Et Samuel s’adressa à toute la maison d’Israël, disant: Si c’est en tout votre cœur que vous revenez au Seigneur, ôtez d’au milieu de vous les dieux étrangers, les Baalim et les Astaroth, et préparez vos cœurs pour le Seigneur, ne servez que lui, et il vous délivrera de la main des Philistins.
Then Samuel said to all the Israeli people, “If you truly [IDM] want to act like Yahweh’s people should, you must get rid of your statues of [the goddess] Astarte and the idols/statues of all the other foreign gods. You must decide to serve/worship only Yahweh. If you do that, he will rescue you from [the power of] [MTY] the Philistia people.”
4 Les enfants d’Israël enlevèrent donc les Baalim et les Astaroth, et ne servirent que le Seigneur.
So the Israelis got rid of all their statues of the gods Baal and Astarte, and they worshiped only Yahweh.
5 Or Samuel dit: Rassemblez tout Israël à Masphath, afin que je prie pour vous le Seigneur.
Then Samuel told them, “All you Israeli people must gather with me at Mizpah. Then I will pray to Yahweh for you.”
6 Et ils s’assemblèrent à Masphath; ils puisèrent de l’eau, et la répandirent en la présence du Seigneur; ils jeûnèrent aussi en ce jour, et ils dirent là: Nous avons péché contre le Seigneur. Et Samuel jugea les enfants d’Israël à Masphath.
So they gathered at Mizpah, which was the town where Samuel previously was the leader of the Israeli people. They had a big ceremony there. They drew water [from a well], and poured the water on the ground while Yahweh watched. [To show that they were sorry for having worshiped idols], they did not eat any food on that day, and they confessed that they had sinned against Yahweh.
7 Cependant les Philistins apprirent que les enfants d’Israël s’étaient assemblés à Masphath, et les satrapes des Philistins montèrent vers Israël. Ce qu’ayant appris les enfants d’Israël, ils craignirent à l’aspect des Philistins.
When the kings of the Philistia area heard that the Israeli people had gathered at Mizpah, they led their armies there to attack the Israelis. When the Israelis found out that the Philistia army was approaching them, they became very afraid.
8 Et ils dirent à Samuel: Ne cessez point de crier pour nous vers le Seigneur notre Dieu, afin qu’il nous sauve de la main des Philistins.
They told Samuel, “Pray to Yahweh to rescue us from the Philistia army [MTY], and do not stop pleading!”
9 Samuel prit donc un agneau encore à la mamelle, et l’offrit tout entier en holocauste au Seigneur, et Samuel cria vers le Seigneur pour Israël, et le Seigneur l’exauça.
So Samuel took a very young lamb [and killed it] and offered it to Yahweh to be a sacrifice that was completely burned [on the altar]. Then he prayed and pleaded that Yahweh [would help] the Israelis, and Yahweh did help them.
10 Or, il arriva que, tandis que Samuel offrait l’holocauste, les Philistins engagèrent la bataille contre Israël; mais le Seigneur tonna avec un grand éclat ce jour-là sur les Philistins, et les épouvanta, et ils furent taillés en pièces à la face d’Israël.
While Samuel was burning the offering, the Philistia army came near to attack the Israelis. But Yahweh caused it to thunder very loudly. The soldiers of the Philistia army became very frightened, and then they (became confused/did not know what to do). So the Israelis were able to defeat them.
11 Et les hommes d’Israël, étant sortis de Masphath, poursuivirent les Philistins, et ils les battirent jusqu’au lieu qui était au-dessous de Bethchar.
The Israeli men ran out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistia soldiers almost to Beth-Car [town], and killed many Philistia soldiers while they were trying to run away.
12 Or, Samuel prit une pierre, et la posa entre Masphath et entre Sen; et il appela ce lieu du nom de Pierre du secours, et il dit: C’est jusqu’ici que le Seigneur nous a secourus.
After that happened, Samuel took a large stone and set it up between Mizpah and Jeshanah [towns]. He named the stone ‘Ebenezer’, [which means ‘stone of help’], because he said “Yahweh has helped us until the present time.”
13 Ainsi, les Philistins furent humiliés, et ils n’entreprirent plus de venir sur les frontières d’Israël. C’est pourquoi la main du Seigneur fut sur les Philistins, pendant tous les jours de Samuel.
So the Philistia people were defeated, and for a long time they did not enter the Israeli land [to attack them] again. During the time that Samuel was alive, Yahweh powerfully protected [MTY] [the Israeli people] from [being attacked by] the Philistia army.
14 Et les villes que les Philistins avaient enlevées à Israël, furent rendues à Israël, depuis Accaron jusqu’à Geth, de même que leurs confins: ainsi il délivra Israël de la main des Philistins; et la paix était entre Israël et l’Amorrhéen.
The Israeli army was able to capture again the Israeli villages between Ekron and Gath that the Philistia army had captured before. The Israelis were also able to take again the other areas around those cities that the Philistia army had taken [from the Israelis] previously. And there was peace between the Israelis and the Amor people-group.
15 Samuel jugeait aussi Israël pendant tous les jours de sa vie;
Samuel continued to be the leader of the Israeli people until he died.
16 Et il s’en allait chaque année parcourant Béthel, Galgala et Masphath, et il jugeait Israël dans les susdits lieux.
As long as he was alive, every year he traveled back and forth between Bethel and Gilgal and Mizpah [cities]. In those cities he listened to disputes between people and made decisions about them.
17 Il retournait ensuite à Ramatha, car là, était sa maison, et là il jugeait Israël; il bâtit là aussi un autel au Seigneur.
After he listened to disputes and made decisions in each of those towns, he returned to his home at Ramah, and he would listen to people’s disputes there, also, [and make decisions about them]. And he built an altar at Ramah [to offer sacrifices] to Yahweh.
