Numbers 24
1 And when Balaam saw that it pleased Jehovah to bless Israel, he did not go, as at the other times, to meet with omens, but he set his face toward the wilderness.
Lorsque Balaam vit qu'il plaisait à Yahvé de bénir Israël, il n'alla pas, comme les autres fois, recourir à la divination, mais il tourna son visage vers le désert.
2 And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel dwelling according to their tribes, and the Spirit of God came upon him.
Balaam leva les yeux, et il vit Israël habitant selon ses tribus; et l'Esprit de Dieu vint sur lui.
3 And he took up his oracle, and said, Balaam the son of Beor says, and the man whose eye was closed says,
Il reprit sa parabole, et dit, « Balaam, fils de Beor, dit, l'homme dont les yeux sont ouverts dit;
4 he says who hears the words of God, who sees the vision of the Almighty, falling down, and having his eyes open,
dit-il, qui entend les paroles de Dieu, qui voit la vision du Tout-Puissant, en tombant, et en ayant les yeux ouverts:
5 How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, thy tabernacles, O Israel!
Que tes tentes sont belles, Jacob! et tes habitations, Israël!
6 As valleys they are spread forth, as gardens by the river-side, as aloes which Jehovah has planted, as cedar trees beside the waters.
Ils s'étendent comme des vallées, comme des jardins au bord de la rivière, comme des aloès que Yahvé a plantés, comme des cèdres au bord de l'eau.
7 Water shall flow from his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters, and his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted.
L'eau coulera de ses seaux. Sa semence sera dans de nombreuses eaux. Son roi sera plus haut qu'Agag. Son royaume sera exalté.
8 God brings him forth out of Egypt. He has as it were the strength of the wild-ox. He shall eat up the nations his adversaries, and shall break their bones in pieces, and smite them through with his arrows.
Dieu le fait sortir d'Égypte. Il a pour ainsi dire la force du bœuf sauvage. Il consumera les nations, ses adversaires, brisera leurs os en morceaux, et les transpercer de ses flèches.
9 He couched, he lay down as a lion, and as a lioness. Who shall rouse him up? He who blesses thee is blessed, And he who curses thee is cursed.
Il s'est couché, il s'est couché comme un lion, comme une lionne; qui le réveillera? Tous ceux qui vous bénissent sont bénis. Tous ceux qui te maudissent sont maudits. »
10 And Balak's anger was kindled against Balaam, and he struck his hands together. And Balak said to Balaam, I called thee to curse my enemies, and, behold, thou have altogether blessed them these three times.
La colère de Balak s'enflamma contre Balaam, et il frappa ses mains l'une contre l'autre. Balak dit à Balaam: « Je t'ai appelé pour que tu maudisses mes ennemis, et voici que tu les as tous bénis ces trois fois.
11 Therefore now flee thou to thy place. I thought to promote thee to great honor, but, lo, Jehovah has kept thee back from honor.
C'est pourquoi, fuis à ta place, maintenant! Je pensais te promouvoir à de grands honneurs, mais voici que Yahvé t'en a empêché. »
12 And Balaam said to Balak, Did I not also speak to thy messengers that thou sent to me, saying,
Balaam dit à Balak: « N'ai-je pas dit à tes messagers que tu m'as envoyés:
13 If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of Jehovah, to do either good or bad of my own mind. What Jehovah speaks, that I will speak?
« Si Balak me donne sa maison pleine d'argent et d'or, je ne peux pas aller au-delà de la parole de Yahvé, pour faire du bien ou du mal de mon propre chef. Je dirai ce que dit l'Éternel »?
14 And now, behold, I go to my people. Come, I will advise thee what this people shall do to thy people in the latter days.
Maintenant, voici que je vais vers mon peuple. Viens, je vais t'informer de ce que ce peuple fera à ton peuple dans la suite des temps. »
15 And he took up his oracle, and said, Balaam the son of Beor says, and the man whose eye was closed says,
Il reprit sa parabole, et dit, « Balaam, fils de Beor, dit, l'homme dont les yeux sont ouverts dit;
16 he says who hears the words of God, and knows the knowledge of the Most High, who sees the vision of the Almighty, falling down, and having his eyes open:
il dit, qui entend les paroles de Dieu, connaît la connaissance du Très-Haut, et qui voit la vision du Tout-Puissant, en tombant, et en ayant les yeux ouverts:
17 I see him, but not now. I behold him, but not near. There shall come forth a star out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite through the corners of Moab, and break down all the sons of tumult.
Je le vois, mais pas maintenant. Je le vois, mais pas près. Une étoile sortira de Jacob. Un sceptre s'élèvera d'Israël, et il frappera les coins de Moab, et écraser tous les fils de Sheth.
18 And Edom shall be a possession, Seir also shall be a possession, who were his enemies, while Israel does valiantly.
Edom sera une possession. Séir, son ennemi, sera aussi une possession, alors qu'Israël le fait vaillamment.
19 And out of Jacob shall come he who shall have dominion, and shall destroy the remnant from the city.
De Jacob, un seul dominera, et détruira le reste de la ville. »
20 And he looked on Amalek, and took up his oracle, and said, Amalek was the first of the nations, but his latter end shall come to destruction.
Il regarda Amalek, et reprit sa parabole, et dit, « Amalek était la première des nations, mais sa finalité sera la destruction. »
21 And he looked on the Kenite, and took up his oracle, and said, Strong is thy dwelling-place, and thy nest is set in the rock.
Il regarda le Kenite, et reprit sa parabole, et dit, « Ta demeure est forte. Votre nid est fixé dans la roche.
22 Nevertheless Kain shall be wasted, until Asshur shall carry thee away captive.
Cependant, Kain sera perdue, jusqu'à ce qu'Asshur vous emmène en captivité. »
23 And he took up his oracle, and said, Alas, who shall live when God does this?
Il reprit sa parabole, et dit, « Hélas, qui vivra quand Dieu fera cela?
24 But ships shall come from the coast of Kittim, and they shall afflict Asshur, and shall afflict Eber, and he also shall come to destruction.
Mais des navires viendront de la côte de Kittim. Ils feront souffrir Asshur, et ils feront souffrir Eber. Lui aussi viendra à la destruction. »
25 And Balaam rose up, and went and returned to his place, and Balak also went his way.
Balaam se leva, et s'en alla et retourna à sa place; et Balak aussi s'en alla.
