Daniel 5
1 Le roi Baltassar fit un grand destin à mille de ses grands, et chacun buvait selon son âge.
[Several years later, ] Belshazzar [became the] king [of Babylon. One day] he invited 1,000 of his officers to a big feast, and he drank [a lot of] wine with them.
2 Il ordonna donc, étant déjà ivre, qu’on apportât les vases d’or et d’argent que Nabuchodonosor son père avait emportés du temple qui fut à Jérusalem, afin que le roi, et ses grands, et ses épouses, et ses concubines y bussent.
While he was drinking, he commanded [his servants] bring to him the gold and silver cups that the previous king, Nebuchadnezzar, had taken from the temple in Jerusalem. [He did that] because he wanted himself and his officials, his wives, and [even] his (concubines/slave wives) to drink from them, [making fun of the god that we Israelis worshiped].
3 Alors furent apportés les vases d’or et d’argent, qu’il avait transportés du temple qui avait été à Jérusalem; et le roi, et ses grands, et ses épouses et ses concubines y burent.
So his servants brought in [all] those gold cups, that had been taken [many years previously] from the temple of [the true] God in Jerusalem. Then the king and his officials and his wives and his slave wives drank [wine] from those cups.
4 Ils buvaient du vin, et louaient leurs dieux d’or, et d’argent, et d’airain, et de fer, et de bois, et de pierre.
They drank to praise/honor their idols that were made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, and [even] wood and stone.
5 À la même heure apparurent des doigts, comme d’une main d’homme écrivant vis-à-vis du candélabre, sur la surface de la muraille du palais du roi, et le roi regardait les doigts de la main qui écrivait.
Suddenly they saw a man’s hand writing on the plaster of the wall opposite the lampstand. The king also saw the hand as it was writing.
6 Alors le visage du roi changea, et ses pensées le troublaient; et les jointures de ses reins se brisaient, et ses genoux se heurtaient l’un contre l’autre.
He became very frightened, and his face became pale/white. His knees started shaking, and his legs became very weak, with the result that he could not stand up.
7 C’est pourquoi le roi s’écria d’une voix forte qu’on introduisît les mages, les Chaldéens et les augures. Et élevant la voix, le roi dit aux sages de Babylone: Quiconque lira cette écriture et m’en donnera une interprétation manifeste sera revêtu de pourpre, et aura un collier d’or au cou, et sera le troisième dans mon royaume.
[Then] he shouted to summon the men who worked magic, the men who studied the stars, and the fortune-tellers. He said, “I will [greatly honor] any one of them who can read this writing and tell me what it means. I will give him a purple [robe like I wear because I am the king], and I will put a gold chain around his neck. He will become a very important official in my kingdom; there will be only two others who will be more important than he will be.”
8 Alors tous les sages du roi entrèrent, et ils ne purent lire l’écriture, ni en donner l’interprétation au roi.
But when all those wise men came in, none of them could read the writing, or tell him what it meant.
9 D’où le roi Baltassar fut extrêmement troublé, et son visage changea, mais ses grands aussi étaient troublés.
So King Belshazzar became more afraid. His face became [even] paler/whiter. And [all] his officials [who were there at the feast] did not know what to do.
10 Or la reine, à cause de ce qui était arrivé au roi et à ses grands, entra dans la maison du festin, et, élevant la voix, elle dit: Roi, vivez à jamais, que vos pensées ne vous troublent pas, et que votre visage ne change point.
But when the mother of the king (OR, of the previous king) heard the king and his officials talking [loudly about what had happened], she entered the room where they were having the feast. She said [to Belshazzar], “(Your majesty/O King), I hope you will live for a long time! But do not be pale and afraid about this.
11 Il est un homme dans votre royaume qui a en lui-même l’esprit des dieux saints; et durant les jours de votre père, la science et la sagesse furent trouvées en lui; car même Nabuchodonosor votre père l’établit prince des mages, des enchanteurs, des Chaldéens et des augures; votre père, dis-je, ô roi;
There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods in him. When Nebuchadnezzar was ruling, they discovered that this man understood many things and was wise, just like the gods. The man who was king previously, Nebuchadnezzar, appointed him to be in charge of all the men [in Babylon] who worked magic, the men who worked sorcery, the men who studied the stars, and the fortune-tellers.
12 Parce qu’un esprit plus étendu, et la prudence, et l’intelligence, et l’interprétation des songes, et la manifestation des secrets, et le dénoûment des choses liées furent trouvés en lui, c’est-à-dire en Daniel, à qui le roi donna le nom de Baltassar. Maintenant donc que Daniel soit appelé, et il donnera l’interprétation.
That man’s name is Daniel; the king gave him a [new] name, Belteshazzar. He is very intelligent and is able to know and understand many things. He is [even] able to tell the meaning of dreams, and explain riddles, and explain things that are very difficult to understand. Summon him, and he will tell you what [this writing] means.”
13 Ainsi Daniel fut introduit devant le roi. Le roi, s’étant adressé d’abord à lui, dit: Es-tu Daniel, un des fils de la captivité de Juda, que le roi mon père a amenés de Judée?
So they [went and] brought me in. The king asked me, “You [must] be Daniel [RHQ]! [They told me that you are] one of those who was brought [here] from Judah by the previous king.
14 J’ai ouï dire de toi que tu as l’esprit des dieux, et qu’une science, et une intelligence, et une sagesse plus étendues ont été trouvées en toi.
I have [also] heard that the spirit of the gods is in you, and that you are very wise and understand many things.
15 Et maintenant ont été introduits en ma présence les mages remplis de sagesse, afin de lire cette écriture, et de m’en donner l’interprétation; et ils n’ont pu dire le sens de ces paroles.
My wise men and men who work magic have tried to read the writing on this wall and tell me what it means, but they are not able to do it.
16 Mais moi j’ai ouï dire de toi que tu peux interpréter les choses obscures, et délier les choses liées; si donc tu peux lire cette écriture et m’en donner l’interprétation, tu seras vêtu de pourpre, tu auras un collier d’or autour de ton cou, et tu seras le troisième prince dans royaume.
[Someone] told me that you can tell what dreams mean and explain things that are very difficult to understand. If you can read these words and tell me what they mean, [I] give you a purple robe [like I wear because I am the king], and I will put a gold chain around your neck. You will become a very important official in my kingdom; there will be only two others who will be more important than you will be.”
17 À quoi répondant Daniel, il dit devant le roi: Que vos présents soient pour vous, et donnez les dons de votre maison à un autre; mais je vous lirai l’écriture, ô roi, et je vous montrerai son interprétation.
I replied, “[I do not want] your gifts; keep them, or give them to someone else. But I will read for you the writing [on the wall], and I will tell you what it means.
18 Ô roi, le Dieu Très-Haut donna le royaume et la magnificence, la gloire et l’honneur, à Nabuchodonosor votre père.
(Your Majesty/O king), the Supreme God caused the man who was king before you, Nebuchadnezzar, to become a great ruler, who was greatly praised and honored.
19 Et à cause de la magnificence qu’il lui avait donnée, tous les peuples, les tribus, les langues tremblaient et le craignaient; et il tuait ceux qu’il voulait, et il frappait ceux qu’il voulait, et il exaltait ceux qu’il voulait, et il humiliait ceux qu’il voulait.
Because God caused him to become [very] great, people of many [HYP] people-groups and nations and who spoke many different languages were very much afraid of him. He [commanded his soldiers to] kill those whom he wanted to be killed, and he (spared/allowed to live) those whom he wanted to spare. He honored those whom he wanted to honor, and he caused to be disgraced those whom he wanted to be disgraced.
20 Mais, quand son cœur se fut élevé, et que son esprit se fut affermi dans l’orgueil, il fut dépose du trône, et sa gloire lui fut ôtée.
But when he became very proud and stubborn [IDM], he was removed from being king [MTY]. People did not consider him to be glorious/great any more.
21 Et il fut chassé loin des fils des hommes; mais même son cœur fut mis avec les bêtes, et avec les onagres était sa demeure; il mangeait aussi du foin comme le bœuf, et de la rosée du ciel son corps fut couvert, jusqu’à ce qu’il reconnût que le Très-Haut a pouvoir sur le royaume des hommes, et qu’il y élève celui qu’il veut.
[His officials] sent him away in order that he would not be near [other] people. [God] caused him to have a mind like animals have. He lived among the wild donkeys. He ate grass like cows do, and dew from the sky caused his body to be damp/wet [each morning]. [He was like that] until he learned that the Supreme God is [really the one who] rules the kingdoms of this world, and that he appoints whomever he chooses to rule those kingdoms.
22 Vous aussi, son fils Baltassar, vous n’avez pas humilié votre cœur, lorsque vous saviez toutes ces choses;
Now, Belshazzar, you have become the king. You [also] knew all those things, but you have not made yourself humble.
23 Mais contre le dominateur du ciel vous vous êtes élevé; et les vases de sa maison ont été apportés devant vous; et vous, et vos grands, et vos épouses, et vos concubines, y avez bu du vin; et vous avez loué les dieux d’argent, et d’or, et d’airain, et de fer, et de bois, et de pierre, qui ne voient point, qui n’entendent point, qui ne sentent point; mais le Dieu qui a en sa main votre souffle et toutes vos voies, vous ne l’avez pas glorifié.
You have considered yourself to be greater than [God], the Lord of heaven. [So you have commanded your servants to] bring to you these sacred cups, [which were dedicated to the Supreme God, and which were taken] from his temple [in Jerusalem]. You and your officials and your wives and your (concubines/slave wives) have been drinking wine from these cups, while you have been praising [your own] gods—gods which are made of gold and silver and bronze and iron and wood and stone. [Those are gods] that cannot see, that cannot hear, and that do not know anything! You have not honored the God who gives you breath and who controls everything that happens to you.
24 C’est pour cela qu’a été envoyé par lui le doigt de la main qui a écrit ce qui est tracé.
So God sent that hand to write a message [for you].
25 Or voici l’écriture qui a été tracée: MANÉ, THÉCEL, PHARÈS.
This is the message that it wrote: ‘Mene, mene, tekel, parsin.’
26 Et voici l’interprétation de ces paroles: MANÉ: Dieu a compté les jours de votre règne, et il y a mis fin.
This is what those words mean: Mene [means] ‘numbered/counted’. [That means that] God has been counting the days that you will rule, and he has [now] decided that you will not rule any more.
27 THÉCEL: Vous avez été pesé dans la balance, et vous avez été trouvé ayant trop peu de poids.
Tekel [means ‘weighed’. It is as though God] has weighed you on a scale, and you do not weigh what you should, [which means that you have not been doing what you should; you are not fit to be a king] [MET].
28 PHARÈS: Votre royaume a été divisé, et il a été donné aux Mèdes et aux Perses.
Parsin [means ‘divided’. That means that God] has divided your kingdom. Some of it will be ruled by people from Media and some will be ruled by people from Persia.”
29 Alors, le roi ordonnant, Daniel fut vêtu de pourpre, et un collier d’or fut mis autour de son cou, et on publia à son sujet qu’il serait le troisième ayant la puissance dans son royaume.
Then Belshazzar [did what he had promised]. He put on me a purple robe [like the one he himself wore. He] put a gold chain around my neck. And he proclaimed that there would be only two others who would be more important than me in his kingdom.
30 Dans la même nuit, fut tué Baltassar, roi de Chaldée.
But that same night [soldiers from Media entered the city and] killed Belshazzar, the King of Babylonia.
31 Et Darius le Mède lui succéda au royaume, étant âgé de soixante-deux ans.
Darius, the King of Media, became the King [of Babylonia] when he was 62 years old.
