Nombres 22
1 Et étant partis, ils campèrent dans les plaines de Moab, vis-à-vis de l’endroit où est situé Jéricho, au-delà du Jourdain.
Then the Israelis traveled west to the area of Moab that was in the valley of the Jordan [River], across the river from Jericho [city].
2 Or, Balac, fils de Séphor, voyant tout ce qu’avait fait Israël à l’Amorrhéen:
But King Balak, the son of Zippor, who ruled Moab, found out what the Israelis had done to the Amor people-group.
3 Que les Moabites le craignaient extrêmement, et qu’ils ne pourraient en soutenir l’attaque,
[When he saw that] the Israelis were very numerous, he and his people became terrified.
4 Dit aux enfants de Madian: Ce peuple détruira tous ceux qui demeurent à nos confins, de la même manière que le bœuf broute les herbes jusqu’aux racines. C’est lui qui était en ce temps-là roi de Moab.
So the king of Moab [went to] the leaders of the Midian people-group and said to them, “This huge group [of Israelis] will (wipe out/destroy) everything around them, like an ox devours grass!” Balak was the king of Moab.
5 Il envoya donc des messagers à Balaam, fils de Béor, devin, qui habitait sur le fleuve du pays des enfants d’Ammon, pour l’appeler et lui dire: Voilà qu’un peuple est sorti de l’Egypte; il a couvert la surface de la terre, campé vis-à-vis de moi.
He sent messengers to [a prophet named] Balaam, who was living in his own area, in Pethor [town], near the [Euphrates] River. He sent this message to request that Balaam would come [to help him]: “A huge group of people has arrived here from Egypt. [It looks like] they are covering the entire land! And they have begun to live close to us.
6 Viens donc, et maudis ce peuple, parce qu’il est plus fort que moi: si par quelque moyen je pourrais le battre et le chasser de ma terre: car je sais que sera béni celui que tu béniras, et maudit celui sur qui tu accumuleras les malédictions.
Because they are very powerful/numerous, [we are afraid of them. So] please come and curse them for me. Then my army may be able to defeat them and expel them from the land [where they are now living]. I know that good things will happen to the people whom you bless, and disasters will happen to the people whom you curse.”
7 Ainsi, les vieillards de Moab et les anciens de Madian allèrent, ayant le prix de la divination dans leurs mains. Or, lorsqu’ils furent venus auprès de Balaam, et qu’ils lui eurent raconté toutes les paroles de Balac,
[Balak’s messengers, who were] leaders of both the Moab and Midian people-groups, took money with them to pay Balaam in order that he would [come and] curse the Israelis. They went to Balaam and told him what Balak had said.
8 Balaam répondit: Demeurez ici cette nuit, et je vous répondrai tout ce que m’aura dit le Seigneur. Ceux-ci demeurant chez Balaam and no_verset=Dieu vint et lui dit:
Balaam said, “Stay here tonight. [Tomorrow morning] I will tell you whatever Yahweh tells me that I should say to you.” So the leaders from Moab stayed there that night.
9 Que signifient ces hommes chez toi?
During the night, God appeared to Balaam and asked him, “(Who are/Tell me about) these men who are staying with you.”
10 Il répondit: Balac, fils de Séphor, roi des Moabites, a envoyé vers moi,
Balaam replied, “Balak, the king of Moab, sent these men to tell me this:
11 Disant: Voilà qu’un peuple, qui est sorti de l’Egypte, a couvert la surface de la terre: viens et maudis-le: si par quelque moyen je pouvais, en le combattant, le chasser.
‘A huge group of people has come from Egypt, and they have spread all over this area. Please come immediately to curse them. Then I may be able to defeat them and expel them [from this area].’”
12 Et Dieu dit à Balaam: Ne va pas avec eux, et ne maudis pas ce peuple, parce qu’il est béni,
God replied to Balaam, “Do not go with them! I have blessed those people, so you must not curse them!”
13 Balaam s’étant levé le matin, dit aux princes: Allez en votre terre, parce que le Seigneur m’a défendu d’aller avec vous.
The next morning, Balaam got up and told Balak’s men, “Go back home. [But go by yourselves, because] Yahweh is not allowing me to go with you.”
14 Etant retournés, les princes dirent à Balac: Balaam n’a pas voulu venir avec nous.
So the men from Moab returned to King Balak and they reported to him, “Balaam refused to come with us.”
15 Balac envoya de nouveau des messagers beaucoup plus nombreux et plus nobles que ceux qu’il avait d’abord envoyés.
But Balak sent another [group of] leaders to Balaam. It was a group that was larger and they were more important [than the men in the first group].
16 Lorsqu’ils furent venus chez Balaam, ils dirent: Ainsi dit Balac, fils de Séphor: Ne tarde pas à venir vers moi;
They went to Balaam and told him this: “This is what King Balak says: ‘Please do not allow anything to hinder you from coming here.
17 Je suis prêt à t’honorer, et tout ce que tu voudras, je te le donnerai; viens, et maudis ce peuple.
I will pay you (a lot of money/very well) [if you come], and I will do anything that you ask me to do. Just come and curse these [Israeli] people for me!’”
18 Balaam répondit: Si Balac me donnait sa maison pleine d’argent et d’or, je ne pourrais changer la parole du Seigneur mon Dieu, pour dire plus ou moins.
But Balaam answered them, “Even if Balak would give me a palace filled with silver and gold, I would not do anything to disobey Yahweh, (my God/the God whom I [worship]).
19 Je demande instamment que vous demeuriez ici encore cette nuit, et que je puisse savoir ce que le Seigneur me répondra de nouveau.
But stay here one more night, like the other messengers did, and I will find out if Yahweh has anything more to say to me.”
20 Dieu vint donc vers Balaam pendant la nuit, et lui dit: Si ces hommes sont venus t’appeler, lève-toi, et va avec eux, en sorte seulement que tu fasses ce que je t’ordonnerai.
That night God appeared to Balaam again and said to him, “These men have come to request that you go back with them, so you may go with them, but do only what I tell you [to do]!”
21 Balaam se leva le matin, et, son ânesse préparée, il partit avec eux.
So the next morning, Balaam put a saddle on his donkey and he departed [with two of his servants] along with the men from Moab.
22 Alors Dieu fut irrité; et l’ange du Seigneur se tint sur la voie en face de Balaam, qui était monté sur son ânesse, et avait deux serviteurs avec lui.
[Even though God had given Balaam permission to go, he was still angry]. So he sent one of his angels to Balaam. This angel stood in the road to block Balaam’s path. As Balaam and the two servants were riding on their donkeys,
23 L ânesse voyant l’ange qui se tenait sur la voie, son épée tirée du fourreau, se détourna du chemin, et elle allait à travers les champs. Comme Balaam la frappait, et voulait la ramener dans le sentier,
Balaam’s donkey saw the angel. The angel was standing in the road and was holding a sword in his hand, [but Balaam did not see him]. Balaam’s donkey turned off the road into a field. So Balaam struck the donkey and forced it to go back onto the road.
24 L’ange se tint dans le défilé de deux murailles, dont les vignes étaient entourées.
Then the angel stood in a place where the road was very narrow, between two vineyards, with walls on each side of the road.
25 L’ânesse le voyant, se pressa contre le mur, et froissa le pied de celui qui la montait. Mais Balaam la frappait de nouveau;
When the donkey saw the angel standing there, it walked very close to the wall [to try to get past the angel]. As a result, it bashed Balaam’s foot against the wall. So Balaam struck the donkey again.
26 Et néanmoins l’ange, passant dans un lieu plus étroit, où elle ne pouvait dévier ni à droite, ni à gauche, s’arrêta à sa rencontre.
Then the angel went further along the road and stood at a place that was extremely narrow, with the result that the donkey could not get past at all.
27 Or, lorsque l’ânesse vit l’ange arrêté, elle tomba sous les pieds de celui qui la montait; Balaam irrité, lui frappait plus fort les flancs avec son bâton.
This time, when the donkey saw the angel, it lay down [on the ground] with Balaam sitting on top of it. Balaam became extremely angry, and he struck the donkey again with his walking stick.
28 Alors le Seigneur ouvrit la bouche de l’ânesse, et elle dit: Que vous ai-je fait? Pourquoi me frappez-vous? Voilà déjà trois fois!
Then Yahweh enabled the donkey to speak! It said to Balaam, “What bad thing have I done to you that caused you to strike me three times?”
29 Balaam répondit: Parce que tu l’as mérité, et que tu t’es jouée de moi: plût à Dieu que j’eusse un glaive, pour te frapper!
Balaam shouted, “I struck you because you have caused me to appear to be foolish! If I had a sword with me, I would kill you!”
30 L’ânesse répliqua: Ne suis-je pas votre animal, sur lequel vous avez toujours accoutumé de monter jusqu’au présent jour? dites si je vous ai jamais fait quelque chose de semblable; or Balaam répondit: Jamais.
But the donkey answered, “I am your own donkey [RHQ], the one that you have always ridden! Have I ever done anything like this previously?” Balaam said, “No.”
31 Aussitôt Dieu ouvrit les yeux de Balaam, et il vit l’ange qui se tenait sur la voie, son épée tirée du fourreau, et il l’adora incliné vers la terre.
Then Yahweh enabled Balaam to see the angel standing on the road, holding a sword in his hand. Balaam [realized that it was an angel and] prostrated himself on the ground in front of the angel.
32 Et l’ange à Balaam: Pourquoi, dit-il, as-tu frappé trois fois ton ânesse? Moi, je suis venu pour m’opposer à toi, parce que ta voie est perverse, et qu’elle m’est contraire:
The angel asked him, ‘(Why did you strike your donkey three times?/ You should certainly not have struck the donkey three times! [RHQ] I have come to block your path because what you are planning to do is wrong.
33 Et si l’ânesse ne se fût détournée, cédant la place à celui qui lui résistait, je t’aurais tué, et elle, elle vivrait.
Three times your donkey saw me and turned away from me. If it had not done that, I would certainly have killed you already, but I would have allowed the donkey to live.”
34 Balaam répondit: J’ai péché, ne sachant pas que c’était vous qui vous teniez là contre moi: mais maintenant, s’il vous déplait que j’aille, je retournerai.
Then Balaam said to the angel, “I have sinned. But I did not realize that you were standing there, trying to block my path. So if you do not want me to continue going, I will return home.”
35 L’ange reprit: Va avec eux, et prends garde de dire autre chose que ce que je t’ordonnerai. Il alla donc avec les princes.
But the angel replied, “I will allow you to go with these men, but you must say only what I tell you to say!” So Balaam went on with the leaders whom Balak [had sent].
36 Ce que Balac ayant appris, il sortit à sa rencontre jusqu’à une ville des Moabites qui est située aux derniers confins d’Arnon.
When King Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went to meet him at a Moab town alongside the Arnon [River] that was at the border of his own land.
37 Et il dit à Balaam: J’ai envoyé des messagers, pour t’appeler; pourquoi n’es-tu pas venu aussitôt vers moi? Est-ce parce que je ne puis pas donner une récompense à ton arrivée?
[When he arrived where] Balaam was, he said to him, “I sent you [RHQ] a message saying that you should come immediately [RHQ]! Why did you not come immediately? [Did you think that] I was not able to pay you a lot of money for coming?”
38 Balaam lui répondit: Me voici: est-ce que je pourrai dire autre chose que ce que Dieu mettra en ma bouche?
Balaam replied, “I have come here now, but I am not able to say anything [that I want to]. I will say only the words that God tells me to say [MTY].”
39 Ils s’en allèrent donc ensemble, et ils vinrent dans une ville qui était aux derniers confins de son royaume.
Then Balaam went with Balak to Kiriath-Huzoth [town].
40 Or, lorsque Balac eut tué des bœufs et des brebis, il envoya à Balaam et aux princes qui étaient avec lui des présents.
There Balak killed some cattle and sheep as sacrifices, and offered [parts of the meat] to Balaam and the leaders who were with him.
41 Mais, le matin venu, il le conduisit sur les hauts lieux de Baal, et Balaam vit la partie du peuple qui était aux extrémités.
[They slept there], and the next morning Balak took Balaam part way up [the mountain] to Bamoth-Baal [village]. From there, they could see some of the Israeli people who were down below.
