Daniel 6
1 Il plut à Darius d’établir sur le royaume cent vingt satrapes; afin qu’il y en eût dans tout son royaume;
King Darius decided to divide his kingdom into 120 provinces. He appointed a governor to rule each province.
2 Et au-dessus d’eux, trois princes, dont un était Daniel; afin que les satrapes leur rendissent compte, et que le roi n’eût aucune peine.
He also appointed me and two other men to be administrators, to supervise the governors and to be sure that they did the king’s work [properly], in order that the king would not have to worry about anything.
3 Ainsi Daniel était au-dessus de tous les princes et satrapes, parce que l’esprit de Dieu était plus abondant en lui.
I soon showed that I was (more capable/able to do the work better) than all the other administrators and the governors. Because of that, the king planned to appoint me to be in charge of the entire empire.
4 Or le roi pensait à l’établir sur tout le royaume; d’où les princes et les satrapes cherchaient à trouver un moyen d’accusation contre Daniel du côté du roi; et ils ne purent découvrir aucune cause de suspicion, parce qu’il était fidèle, et qu’aucune faute et aucun soupçon ne se trouvaient en lui.
Then, the [other] administrators and the governors [became jealous. So they began to] try to find something that they could criticize about the way I was working for the king. But I always did my work faithfully and honestly, and was never lazy. So they could not find anything to criticize.
5 Ces hommes dirent donc: Nous ne trouverons contre ce Daniel aucun moyen d’accusation, si ce n’est dans la loi de son Dieu.
They concluded, “The only way we can find something for which we can criticize Daniel will be something concerning the laws that his god [his given him].”
6 Alors les princes et les satrapes surprirent le roi, et lui parlèrent ainsi: Darius, roi, vivez à jamais.
So the administrators and governors went as one group to the king and said, “(Your Majesty/O king), we wish that you will live a long time!
7 Tous les princes de votre royaume, les magistrats et les satrapes, les sénateurs et les juges, sont d’avis qu’un décret impérial paraisse, et un édit: Que quiconque fera quelque demande à quelque dieu ou à quelque homme que ce soit d’ici à trente jours, sinon à vous, ô roi, qu’il soit jeté dans la fosse aux lions.
[We] administrators and governors and district governors and advisors and other officials have all agreed that you should make a law that everyone must obey. We want you to command that for the next thirty days people may pray only to you. If anyone prays to anyone else, either to a human or to a god, he must be thrown into [a pit of] lions.
8 Maintenant donc, ô roi, confirmez cet avis, et écrivez le décret, afin que ce qui a été statué par les Mèdes et par les Perses ne soit pas changé, et qu’il ne soit permis à personne de le transgresser.
And because laws made by [our governments of] Media and Persia cannot be changed, [we want] you, [the head of our government], to sign it.”
9 Or le roi Darius proposa l’édit, et le publia.
So King Darius [wrote] the law and signed it.
10 Lorsque Daniel eut appris cela, c’est-à-dire la loi portée, il entra dans sa maison; et, les fenêtres ouvertes, il fléchissait les genoux dans sa chambre haute trois fois le jour, tourné vers Jérusalem, et il adorait, et rendait grâce devant son Dieu, comme il avait accoutumé de faire auparavant.
But when I found out that [the king] had [written and] signed that law, I went home. I knelt down in my upstairs room and prayed. I looked toward Jerusalem, and the windows were open [with the result that everyone could see me while I was praying]. I prayed three times each day, just as I always did, thanking God.
11 Ces hommes donc, épiant très soigneusement, trouvèrent Daniel priant et suppliant son Dieu.
The officials went together [to my house] and they saw me praying and requesting God to help me.
12 Et, venant auprès du roi, ils lui dirent touchant l’édit: Ô roi, est-ce que vous n’avez pas décidé que tout homme qui jusqu’après trente jours prierait quelqu’un des dieux ou des hommes, sinon vous, ô roi, serait jeté dans la fosse aux lions? Le roi, leur répondant, dit: Cette parole est véritable, selon le décret des Mèdes et des Perses, qu’il n’est pas permis de transgresser.
So they returned to the king and said to him, “[Do you remember] that you wrote a law stating that for the next thirty days people may pray only to you, and if anyone prays to anyone else, either to a human or to a god, he will be thrown into [a pit of] lions?” The king replied, “[Yes, that is the law that I wrote]. It is a law of [our governments of] Media and Persia, which cannot be canceled.”
13 Alors, répondant, ils dirent au roi: Daniel, un des enfants de la captivité de Juda, n’a tenu aucun compte de votre loi et de l’édit que vous avez porté; mais trois fois par jour il fait sa prière accoutumée.
Then they said to the king, “Well, that [man] Daniel, one of the men who were brought from Judah, is not paying any attention to you or the law that you [signed]. He prays [to his god] three times each day!”
14 Lorsque le roi eut entendu cette parole, il fut extrêmement contristé, et il appliqua son cœur à délivrer Daniel, et jusqu’au coucher du soleil il travaillait à le sauver.
When the king heard that, he was very distressed. He tried to find a way to save me. All the rest of that day he tried to think of a way to rescue me.
15 Mais ces hommes, comprenant le roi, lui dirent: Sachez, ô roi, que c’est une loi des Mèdes et des Perses, que tout décret que le roi a porté ne peut être changé.
[In the evening, many of] [HYP] the officials went together to the king and said, “(Your Majesty/O king), you know that [our governments of] Media and Persia have declared that no law that the king signs can be canceled/changed. [So Daniel must be thrown to the lions!]”
16 Alors le roi ordonna; et ils amenèrent Daniel, et le jetèrent dans la fosse aux lions. Et le roi dit à Daniel: Ton Dieu, que tu adores toujours, c’est lui qui te délivrera.
So the king gave the order, and his servants brought me and threw me into a pit where the lions [were]. [Before they threw me in], the king said to me, “I hope/wish that your God, whom you worship regularly, will rescue you!”
17 Et l’on apporta une pierre, et elle fut placée sur l’ouverture de la fosse, que le roi scella de son anneau et de l’anneau de ses grands, afin qu’il ne fût rien fait contre Daniel.
They rolled a huge stone across the entrance to the pit. Then the king [fastened a string across the entrance and put wax at each end, and stamped the wax with] the seal from his [ring] and the seals [of the rings] of his officials, in order that no one could [secretly] rescue me.
18 Et le roi s’en alla à sa maison, et il se coucha sans avoir soupe; et l’on n’apporta pas de nourriture devant lui; de plus, le sommeil même s’éloigna de lui.
Then the king returned to his palace. That night he refused to eat any food. He would not allow anyone to entertain him [because he did not want to be happy, with the result that he would forget about me. And that night] he was unable to sleep [because he was worried about me].
19 Après cela, le roi, s’étant levé au point du jour, alla en se hâtant à la fosse aux lions;
At dawn the next morning, the king got up and went quickly to the pit where the lions were.
20 Et, s’étant approché de la fosse, il appela Daniel d’une voix mêlée de larmes, et lui parla ainsi: Daniel, serviteur du Dieu vivant, ton Dieu que tu sers toujours a-t-il pu te délivrer des lions?
When he came near it, he was very worried. He called out, “Daniel, you who serve the all-powerful God! Was your God, whom you worship regularly, able to save you from the lions?”
21 Et Daniel, répondant au roi, dit: Ô roi, vivez à jamais;
I answered, “(Your Majesty/O king), I hope that you will live a long time!
22 Mon Dieu a envoyé son ange, et a fermé les gueules des lions, et ils ne m’ont pas fait de mal, parce que devant lui la justice a été trouvée en moi; mais même devant vous, ô roi, je n’ai pas fait de faute.
[Yes], my God sent his angel to shut the lions’ mouths, in order that they would not harm me! [He did that] because [he knows that] I have done nothing that he thinks is wrong. And, (Your Majesty/O king), I never did anything wrong to you!”
23 Alors le roi se réjouit beaucoup à cause de lui, et il ordonna que Daniel fût tiré de la fosse; et Daniel fut tiré de la fosse, et on ne trouva aucune blessure en lui, parce qu’il avait cru en son Dieu.
The king was extremely happy, and he commanded [his servants] to lift me out of the pit. [When they did that, they] saw that the lions had not wounded me at all. [God had protected me] because I trusted in him.
24 Or, le roi ayant commandé, les hommes qui avaient accusé Daniel furent amenés, et jetés dans la fosse aux lions, eux, leurs fils et leurs femmes; et ils n’étaient pas parvenus jusqu’au pavé de la fosse, que les bons les saisirent et brisèrent tous leurs os.
Then the king commanded that the men who had accused me should be seized and be thrown, along with their wives and children, into the pit where the lions were. [When they were thrown into the pit], the lions leaped on them and crushed their bones before they fell onto the bottom of the pit!
25 Alors Darius le roi écrivit à tous les peuples, aux tribus, et aux langues, habitant dans toute la terre: Que la paix se multiplie pour vous.
Then King Darius wrote [this message and sent it throughout his kingdom] to the people of every people-group and nation and from all language groups: “I wish/hope that everything is going very well with you!
26 Par moi est établi le décret, que dans tout mon empire et mon royaume, on tremble et on craigne le Dieu de Daniel, car c’est lui qui est le Dieu vivant et éternel dans les siècles; et son royaume ne sera pas détruit, et sa puissance subsistera éternellement.
I command that everyone in my kingdom should fear and revere the God that Daniel [worships]. He is the all-powerful God, and he will live forever. His kingdom will never be destroyed; he will rule forever.
27 C’est lui qui est le libérateur et le sauveur, faisant des prodiges et des merveilles dans le ciel et sur la terre; lui qui a délivré Daniel de la fosse aux lions.
He rescues and saves [his people]. He performs all kinds of miracles in heaven and on the earth. He rescued Daniel from the power of the lions!”
28 Or Daniel continua d’être en dignité jusqu’au règne de Darius, et au règne de Cyrus, roi de Perse.
So I was successful [all] during the time that Darius ruled and during the time that Cyrus, [the King] of Persia, ruled.
