Numbers 24
1 And when Balaam saw that it pleased God to bless Israel, he did not go according to his custom to meet the omens, but turned his face toward the wilderness.
Balaam, voyant que l’Éternel se plaisait à bénir Israël, n’eut plus recours, comme précédemment, à des opérations magiques, mais tourna son visage du côté du désert.
2 And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and sees Israel encamped by their tribes; and the Spirit of God came upon him.
En y portant ses regards, Balaam vit Israël, dont les tribus s’y déployaient; et l’esprit divin s’empara de lui;
3 And he took up his parable and said, Balaam son of Beor says, the man who sees truly says,
et il proféra son oracle en ces termes: "Parole de Balaam, fils de Beor, parole de l’homme au clairvoyant regard,
4 he says who hears the oracle of the Mighty One, who saw a vision of God in sleep; his eyes were opened:
de celui qui entend le verbe divin, qui perçoit la vision du Tout-Puissant il fléchit, mais son œil reste ouvert:
5 How goodly [are] your habitations, Jacob, and your tents, Israel!
Qu’elles sont belles tes tentes, ô Jacob! Tes demeures, ô Israël!
6 as shady groves, and as gardens by a river, and as tents which God pitched, and as cedars by the waters.
Elles se développent comme des vallées, comme des vergers le long d’un fleuve; Dieu les a plantées comme des aloès, comme des cèdres au bord des eaux.
7 There shall come a man out of his seed, and he shall rule over many nations; and the kingdom of Gog shall be exalted, and his kingdom shall be increased.
La sève ruisselle de ses branches, et sa graine est abondamment arrosée; son roi est plus grand que n’est Agag, sa royauté est souveraine!
8 God led him out of Egypt; he has as it were the glory of a unicorn: he shall consume the nations of his enemies, and he shall drain their marrow, and with his darts he shall shoot through the enemy.
Quand Dieu le fit sortir de l’Egypte, son élan fut celui du réêm; iI dévore les peuples qui l’attaquent, il brise leurs os, trempe ses flèches dans leur sang.
9 He lay down, he rested as a lion, and as a young lion; who shall stir him up? they that bless you are blessed, and they that curse you are cursed.
Il se couche, il repose comme le lion et le léopard: qui osera le réveiller? Heureux ceux qui te bénissent! Malheur à qui te maudit."
10 And Balac was angry with Balaam, and clapped his hands together; and Balac said to Balaam, I called you to curse my enemy, and behold you have decidedly blessed [him] this third time.
Balak, enflammé de colère contre Balaam, frappa des mains, et il dit à Balaam: "C’Est pour maudire mes ennemis que je t’avais appelé, et tu as persisté à les bénir, par trois fois!
11 Now therefore flee to your place: I said, I will honor you, but now the Lord has deprived you of glory.
Eh bien donc, fuis dans ton pays; je voulais te combler d’honneurs, et voici que l’Éternel t’en a frustré!"
12 And Balaam said to Balac, Did I not speak to your messengers also whom you sent to me, saying,
Balaam repartit à Balak: "N’Avais-je pas déjà, aux messagers que tu m’avais envoyés, répondu en ces termes:
13 If Balac should give me his house full of silver and gold, I shall not be able to transgress the word of the Lord to make it good or bad by myself; whatever things God shall say, them will I speak.
Quand Balak me donnerait de l’argent et de l’or plein son palais, je ne saurais désobéir à la voix de l’Éternel, en agissant bien ou mal de mon chef; ce que dira l’Éternel, je le dirai.
14 And now, behold, I return to my place; come, I will advise you of what this people shall do to your people in the last days.
Et maintenant, je m’en retourne chez mon peuple; mais écoute, je veux t’avertir de ce que ce peuple-ci fera au tien dans la suite des jours."
15 And he took up his parable and said, Balaam the son of Beor says, the man who sees truly says,
Et il proféra son oracle de la sorte: "Parole de Balaam, fils de Beor, parole de l’homme au lucide regard,
16 hearing the oracles of God, receiving knowledge from the Most High, and having seen a vision of God in sleep; his eyes were opened.
de celui qui entend le verbe divin et connaît le secret du Très-Haut qui perçoit la vision du Tout-Puissant, qui fléchit, mais dont l’œil reste ouvert:
17 I will point to him, but not now; I bless him, but he draws not near: a star shall rise out of Jacob, a man shall spring out of Israel; and shall crush the princes of Moab, and shall spoil all the sons of Seth.
je le vois, mais ce n’est pas encore l’heure; je le distingue; mais il n’est pas proche: un astre s’élance de Jacob, et une comète surgit du sein d’Israël, qui écrasera les sommités de Moab et renversera tous les enfants de l’orgueil,
18 And Edom shall be an inheritance, and Esau his enemy shall be an inheritance [of Israel], and Israel wrought valiantly.
fera sa proie de l’Idumée, sa proie de Séir, ses ennemis; et Israël triomphera.
19 And [one] shall arise out of Jacob, and destroy out of the city him that escapes.
Oui, un dominateur naîtra de Jacob, qui balaiera des villes leurs derniers habitants."
20 And having seen Amalec, he took up his parable and said, Amalec [is] the first of the nations; yet his seed shall perish.
Puis il vit Amalec, et il proféra son oracle en disant: "Amalec était le premier des peuples; mais son avenir est voué à la perdition."
21 And having seen the Kenite, he took up his parable and said, your dwelling-place [is] strong; yet though you should put your nest in a rock,
Il vit le Kénéen, et il proféra son oracle en disant: "Fortifie ta demeure! Pose ton nid sur le rocher!
22 and though Beor should have a skillfully contrived hiding-place, the Assyrians shall carry you away captive.
Car, s’il est consumé, ô Kénéen, en combien peu de temps Assur te fera captif!"
23 And he looked upon Og, and took up his parable and said, Oh, oh, who shall live, when God shall do these things?
Il proféra encore son oracle et il dit: "Hélas! Qui peut vivre quand Dieu ne l’a pas voulu?
24 And one shall come forth from the hands of the Citians, and shall afflict Assur, and shall afflict the Hebrews, and they shall perish together.
Des flottes, parties de la côte de Kitttm, subjugueront Assur, subjugueront Héber mais lui aussi est voué à la ruine."
25 And Balaam rose up and departed and returned to his place, and Balac went to his own home.
Alors Balaam se leva et reprit le chemin de son pays; et Balak aussi se remit en route.
