Genèse 43
1 Cependant la famine pesai! violemment sur toute la terre.
The famine in Canaan got worse.
2 Et les vivres qu’ils avaient apportés de l’Égypte, étant consommés, Jacob dit à ses fils: Retournez, et achetez-nous quelques provisions.
Finally, when Jacob and his family had eaten all the grain they had brought from Egypt, Jacob said to them, “Go back to Egypt and buy some more grain for us!”
3 Juda répondit: Cet homme nous a fait une déclaration sous le sceau du serment, disant: Vous ne verrez point ma face si vous n’amenez votre frère le plus jeune avec vous.
But Judah said to him, “The man who sold us the grain warned us sternly, ‘I will not let you see me [SYN] again if you come and your younger brother is not with you.’
4 Si donc vous voulez l’envoyer avec nous, nous irons ensemble, et nous achèterons ce qui vous est nécessaire.
So, if you will send our younger brother with us, we will go down to Egypt and buy some grain for you.
5 Mais si vous ne voulez pas, nous n’irons pas; car cet homme, comme souvent nous l’avons dit, nous a fait une déclaration, disant: Vous ne verrez point ma face, sans votre frère le plus jeune.
But if you will not send him, we will not go down there, because that man said to us, ‘I will not let you see me again if your younger brother is not with you.’”
6 Israël leur dit: Pour mon malheur vous avez fait de manière que vous lui avez indiqué que vous aviez encore un frère.
Jacob asked, “Why did you cause me to have this trouble by telling the man that you had a younger brother?”
7 Mais eux répondirent: Cet homme nous a interrogés par ordre sur notre famille: si notre père vivait, si nous avions un autre frère; et nous lui avons répondu conséquemment, selon ce qu’il avait demandé; est-ce que nous pouvions savoir qu’il dirait: Amenez votre frère avec vous?
One of them replied, “The man asked about us and about our family. He said, ‘Is your father still living? Do you have another brother?’ We had to answer his questions. (We could not know that he would say, ‘The next time that you come down here, bring your brother with you!’/How could we know that he would say, ‘The next time that you come down here, bring your brother with you!’)” [RHQ]
8 Juda aussi dit à son père: Envoyez l’enfant avec moi, afin que nous partions et que nous puissions vivre, et que nous ne mourions pas, nous et nos petits enfants.
Then Judah said to his father Jacob, “Send the boy with me, and we will go immediately, in order that we and you and our children may get grain and not die from hunger.
9 C’est moi qui me charge de l’enfant; c’est à ma main que vous le redemanderez; si je ne le ramène, et si je ne vous le rends, je serai coupable envers vous à jamais.
I myself will guarantee that he will return. You can require me to do what I am promising [IDM]. If I do not bring him back to you safely, you can say forever that (I am to blame/it was my fault [that he did not return to you)].
10 S’il n’était pas intervenu de délai, nous serions déjà revenus une seconde fois.
If we had not (wasted so much time/waited so long), by now we could have gone there and returned two times!”
11 Ainsi Israël leur père leur dit: S’il le faut ainsi, faites ce que vous voudrez; prenez des meilleurs fruits de ce pays-ci dans vos vases, et portez à cet homme en présent un peu de résine, de miel, de storax, de stacté, de térébinthe et d’amandes.
Then their father Jacob said to them, “If there is no other way, do this: Put in your sacks some of the best things that are grown in this land, and take them down to the man as a gift. Take some balm/perfume and honey and spices and myrrh/ointment, some pistachio nuts, and almonds.
12 Portez aussi avec vous le double d’argent; et celui que vous avez trouvé dans vos sacs, reportez-le, de peur que cela n’ait été fait par méprise.
Take twice as much money as you took the previous time, because you must return the silver that someone put in the tops of your sacks. Perhaps it was a mistake that it was put in your sacks.
13 Mais prenez aussi votre frère et allez vers cet homme.
Take your younger brother and go back to that man.
14 Que mon Dieu tout-puissant vous le rende favorable, afin qu’il renvoie avec vous votre frère qu’il retient, et ce Benjamin; et moi, je serai comme privé d’enfants.
I will pray that God Almighty will cause that man to act mercifully toward you, so that he will let your other brother, as well as Benjamin, come back here with you. But as for me, if my sons are taken from me, then I will not have my sons!”
15 Ceux-ci prirent donc avec eux les présents, le double d’argent et Benjamin, et ils descendirent en Égypte et se présentèrent devant Joseph.
So the men took the gifts that Jacob said that they should take, and twice the amount of money that the grain would cost, and they also took Benjamin. They went down quickly to Egypt, and they stood in front of Joseph.
16 Lorsque Joseph les vit et Benjamin avec eux, il commanda à l’intendant de sa maison, disant: Fais entrer ces hommes dans la maison; tue des victimes, et apprête un festin; parce que c’est avec moi qu’ils doivent manger à midi.
When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the man who (was in charge of/supervised) things in his house, “Take these men to my house. Slaughter an animal and prepare a meal, because I want them to eat with me at noon.” [And he told him in what order they were to be seated].
17 Celui-ci fit ce qui lui avait été commandé, et il introduisit ces hommes dans la maison.
The man did as Joseph said. And he took them to Joseph’s house.
18 Et là, épouvantés, ils se dirent mutuellement: C’est à cause de l’argent que nous avons rapporté précédemment dans nos sacs qu’il nous a fait entrer ici, pour déverser sur nous une fausse accusation, et nous réduire violemment en servitude, nous et nos ânes.
But they were afraid because he was taking them to Joseph’s house. They were thinking, “He is taking us here because of the silver that was put in our sacks the first time that we came here. While we are eating, he will have his servants attack us and seize us and cause us to become his slaves, and also take our donkeys.”
19 C’est pourquoi, à la porte même, s’approchant de l’intendant de la maison,
They went with the man who was in charge of things in Joseph’s house. When they arrived at the entrance of the house,
20 Ils dirent: Nous vous prions, seigneur, de nous écouter. Nous sommes déjà venus ici pour acheter des vivres;
one of them said to him, “Please, sir, listen to me. We came down here previously and bought some grain.
21 Lesquels achetés, quand nous fûmes arrivés à l’hôtellerie, nous ouvrîmes nos sacs, et nous trouvâmes l’argent à l’entrée des sacs: nous l’avons rapporté maintenant dans tout son poids.
But at the place where we stopped for the night as we were returning home, we opened our sacks. We were astonished to see that in the top of each of our sacks was the exact amount of silver that we had paid for the grain! So we have brought it back with us.
22 Mais nous avons rapporté aussi d’autre argent pour acheter ce qui nous est nécessaire. Nous ne savons pas qui a mis cet argent dans nos bourses.
We have also brought more silver with us to buy more grain. We do not know who put the silver in our sacks.”
23 Mais lui répondit: Paix avec vous! ne craignez point: votre Dieu et le Dieu de votre père vous a mis des trésors dans vos sacs, car l’argent que vous m’avez donné, c’est moi qui l’ai en bonne monnaie. Et il leur amena Siméon.
The man replied, [“Relax]! Do not worry about it! I received the silver that you brought. Your God, the God your father worships, must have put it in your sacks.” And then he brought Simeon to them from the prison.
24 Et les ayant introduits dans la maison, il leur apporta de l’eau, et ils lavèrent leurs pieds, et il donna à manger à leurs ânes.
Then he took them into Joseph’s house. He gave them water to wash their feet and gave them food for the donkeys.
25 Or eux préparaient leurs présents, attendant que Joseph entrât sur le midi; car ils avaient appris que c’était là qu’ils devaient manger du pain.
He told them that they were going to eat with Joseph at noon. So the men prepared their gifts to give to Joseph when he arrived.
26 Joseph donc entra dans sa maison, et ils lui offrirent les présents qu’ils tenaient en leurs mains, et ils se prosternèrent, inclinés vers la terre.
When Joseph came home, they presented to him the gifts that they had brought into the house. Then they bowed down to the ground in front of him.
27 Mais Joseph, leur ayant rendu leur salut avec bonté, les interrogea, disant: Se porte-t-il bien, votre vieux père dont vous m’aviez parlé? vit-il encore?
He asked them if they were (well/in good health), and then he asked, “How is the health of your old father, the one that you told me about? Is he still living?”
28 Ceux-ci répondirent: Il se porte bien, votre serviteur notre père, il vit encore. Et s’étant profondément inclinés, ils se prosternèrent devant lui.
One of them replied, “Yes, our father, [who is willing to be] your servant, is still alive, and he is well.” Then again they bowed down in front of him.
29 Or Joseph, levant les yeux, vit Benjamin son frère utérin, et dit: Celui-ci est votre jeune frère dont vous m’aviez parlé? Et de nouveau: Dieu, dit-il, te soit miséricordieux, mon fils!
Then he saw his [younger] brother Benjamin, his own mother’s other son. He asked them, “Is this your youngest brother, the one whom you told me about?” After they said “Yes,” he said to Benjamin, “Young man, I pray that God will act kindly toward you.”
30 Et il se retira précipitamment, car ses entrailles s’étaient émues sur son frère, et des larmes s’échappaient de ses yeux: entrant donc dans sa chambre il pleura.
Joseph quickly left the room. He realized that he was about to cry because he (was full of emotion about his younger brother/loved his younger brother so much). He went into his private room and cried there.
31 Puis, sortant de nouveau, le visage lavé, il se contint et dit: Servez des pains.
Then, after he washed the tears from his face, he came out, and controlling his emotions, he said to the servants, “Serve the food!”
32 Les pains servis à part pour Joseph, à part pour ses frères, et à part pour les Égyptiens qui mangeaient ensemble (car il n’est pas permis aux Égyptiens démanger avec les Hébreux, et ils regardent comme profane un semblable repas),
The people of Egypt considered that it was disgraceful for them to eat with Hebrews, so the servants served food to Joseph by himself, and served the other people of Egypt who ate with him by themselves, and they served Joseph’s older brothers and younger brother by themselves.
33 Ils s’assirent devant lui, le premier-né, selon son droit d’aînesse, et le plus jeune, selon son âge. Or ils étaient extrêmement surpris,
His brothers were astonished to see that their seats were arranged according to their ages, from the oldest to the youngest!
34 En prenant les parts qu’ils avaient reçues de lui; car une part d’autant plus grande vint à Benjamin, qu’elle surpassait cinq autres parts. Ils burent donc et firent grande chère avec lui.
And when their portions of food were served to them from Joseph’s table, Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as anyone else’s portion! So they ate food and drank wine with Joseph and became very cheerful.
