Nombres 24
1 Or lorsque Balaam eut vu qu’il plaisait au Seigneur qu’il bénît Israël, il n’alla nullement comme il était allé auparavant, pour chercher un augure; mais tournant son visage vers le désert,
Balaam now realized that Yahweh wanted to bless the Israeli people, [not curse them]. So he did not use magic/divination [like a shaman would do] to find out what Yahweh wanted, as he often did. Instead, he turned toward the desert.
2 Et levant les yeux, il vit Israël dans les tentes, campé selon ses tribus: et l’esprit de Dieu s’emparant de lui,
He saw the Israeli people camped there [in their tents], with each tribe gathered in its own group. Then the Spirit of God took control of him,
3 Et lui, employant sa parabole, s’écria: Il a dit, Balaam, fils de Béor; il a dit, l’homme dont l’œil fut fermé;
and enabled him to give this prophetic message to Balak: “I, Balaam, the son of Beor, am giving this prophecy; I am speaking as a man who sees [what will happen in the future] clearly speaks.
4 Il a dit, celui qui entend les paroles de Dieu, qui a contemplé la vision du Tout-Puissant, qui tombe, et ainsi ses yeux sont ouverts:
I hear this message from God; I see a vision from him who is all-powerful. My eyes are open as I prostrate myself in front of him.
5 Que tes tabernacles sont beaux, ô Jacob! et tes tentes, ô Israël!
You descendants of Jacob, your tents are very beautiful; they are truly lovely!
6 Elles sont comme des vallées bien boisées, comme des jardins arrosés d’eaux le long des fleuves, comme des tabernacles qu’a dressés le Seigneur, comme des cèdres près des eaux.
Your tents are spread out [in front of me like groves of palm trees in] valleys, like gardens alongside a river. They are like strong aloe trees/plants that Yahweh has planted, like [strong] cedar trees [that grow] along the rivers.
7 L’eau coulera de son sceau, et sa postérité se répandra comme des eaux abondantes. Son roi sera rejeté, à cause d’Agag, et son royaume lui sera enlevé.
Your water buckets will always be full; the seeds [that you plant] will always have plenty of water [to make them grow]. The Israelis’ king will be greater than [King] Agag; the kingdom that he rules will be honored.
8 Dieu l’a retiré de l’Egypte, lui dont la force est semblable à celle du rhinocéros. Ils dévoreront les peuples leurs ennemis, ils briseront leurs os, et ils les perceront de flèches.
God brought the Israelis out of Egypt, [leading them along] with his great power [MTY] like a wild ox has. He devastates all the nations that oppose him; he breaks all those people’s bones into pieces, and shoots them with his arrows.
9 Se couchant, il a dormi comme un lion, et comme une lionne que nul n’osera éveiller. Celui qui te bénira, sera aussi lui-même béni: celui qui te maudira sera compris dans la malédiction.
The Israelis are like lions that crouch and lie down, [ready to pounce on their prey] [SIM]. They are like lionesses [that are resting, but ready to attack]; no one [RHQ] would dare to arouse them! [God] will bless everyone who blesses you Israelis, and he will curse everyone who curses you.”
10 Or, Balac irrité contre Balaam, et frappant des mains, dit: C’est pour maudire mes ennemis que je t’ai appelé, et au contraire tu les a bénis trois fois.
Then King Balak was extremely angry with Balaam. He showed with his hands that he was very angry, and he [shouted at Balaam], “I summoned you here to curse my enemies! Instead, you have (blessed/asked God to bless) them three times!
11 Retourne en ton lieu. J’avais résolu de t’honorer magnifiquement; mais le Seigneur t’a privé de l’honneur préparé.
So now, get out of here! Go back home! I said that I would pay you a lot of money [if you cursed them], but Yahweh has prevented you from getting any pay!”
12 Balaam répondit à Balac: N’ai-je pas dit à tes messagers que tu m’as envoyés:
Balaam said to Balak, “[Do you not remember what] [RHQ] I told the messengers that you sent to me? I said,
13 Si Balac me donnait sa maison pleine d’argent et d’or, je ne pourrais aller au-delà de la parole du Seigneur mon Dieu, pour produire de mon propre esprit quelque chose de bien ou de mal; mais tout ce que le Seigneur dira, je le dirai?
‘Even if Balak would give me a palace filled with silver and gold, I would not disobey Yahweh. I cannot do anything bad or anything that is good [that he does not approve of].’ And I told you that I could say only what Yahweh says to me.
14 Cependant, allant vers mon peuple, je donnerai un conseil sur ce que ton peuple doit faire à celui-ci dans le dernier temps.
So yes, I will return to my people, but first, allow me to tell you what will happen to you Moab people in the future.”
15 Employant donc sa parabole, il dit encore: Il a dit, Balaam, fils de Béor; il a dit, l’homme dont l’œil fut fermé;
So Balaam said this [to Balak]: “I, Balaam, son of Beor, am again giving a prophecy, speaking as a man who sees [what will happen in the future] clearly speaks.
16 Il a dit, celui qui entend les paroles de Dieu, qui connaît la doctrine du Très-Haut, et voit les visions du Tout-Puissant, qui, tombant, a les yeux ouverts.
I hear a message from God; I know things that God, who lives in heaven, has [revealed to me]. I see a vision from him who is all-powerful. My eyes are open as I prostrate myself in front of him.
17 Je le verrai, mais non maintenant; je le contemplerai, mais non de près. Il se lèvera une étoile de Jacob; et il s’élèvera une vierge d’Israël; et elle frappera les chefs de Moab et ruinera tous les enfants de Seth.
The things that I see [in the vision] are not [going to happen] now; I see things [that God will cause to happen] in the future. A man who is [a descendant of] Jacob will appear like a star [MET]; a king who holds a scepter will be one of the Israeli people. He will crush the heads of you people of Moab; he will wipe out the descendants of Seth.
18 De plus, l’Idumée sera sa possession; l’héritage de Séir passera à ses ennemis, et Israël agira vaillamment,
The Israelis will occupy Edom, and they will conquer their enemies [who live near] Seir [Mountain]. The Israeli people will be victorious/strong.
19 De Jacob sortira celui qui doit dominer, et perdre les restes de la cité.
A ruler who is a descendant of Jacob will come; he will get rid of the people who still live in the city [where Balaam first met Balak].”
20 Et lorsqu’il eut vu Amalec, employant sa parabole, il dit: Amalec est le commencement des nations; ses derniers moments seront frappés par la destruction.
Then Balaam looked out over where the Amalek people-group [lived], and he prophesied this: “The Amalek people-group were the greatest nation, but they will be wiped out.”
21 Il vit aussi le Cinéen; et employant sa parabole, il dit: Ton habitation, à la vérité, est solide; mais si c’est sur la pierre que tu as posé ton nid,
Then he looked out over the area where the Ken people-group [lived], and he prophesied this: “You [think that] the place where you live is secure/safe like a nest that is made in the cliffs [MET],
22 Et si tu as été choisi de la race de Cin, combien de temps pourras-tu durer? Car Assur te prendra.
but you will be wiped out when the army of Assyria conquers you.”
23 Et employant sa parabole, il dit encore: Hélas! qui vivra, quand Dieu fera ces choses?
Balaam ended his prophecies by saying, “Also, (who can (survive/escape) when God does all these things?/no one will be able to (survive/escape) when God does all these things!) [RHQ]
24 Ils viendront d’Italie dans des trirèmes; ils vaincront les Assyriens; ils ruineront les Hébreux, et à la fin, eux-mêmes aussi périront.
Ships will come from Cyprus [Island], and [the men in those ships] will defeat [the armies of] Assyria and Eber. But God will get rid of those men, too.”
25 Après cela Balaam se leva, et retourna en son lieu; Balac aussi s’en retourna par la même voie qu’il était venu.
Then Balaam and Balak returned to their homes.
