1 Samuel 30
1 Or, lorsque David et ses hommes arrivèrent à Ciklag le troisième jour, les Amalécites avaient envahi le Midi et cette ville, l’avaient saccagée et livrée aux flammes.
Now when David and his men were come to Siceleg on the third day, the Amalecites had made an invasion on the south side upon Siceleg, and had smitten Siceleg, and burnt it with fire.
2 Ils avaient capturé les femmes qui s’y trouvaient, sans tuer personne, petit ou grand, mais avaient emmené leur prise et étaient repartis.
And had taken the women captives that were in it, both little and great: and they had not killed any person, but had carried them with them, and went on their way.
3 David et ses hommes, en arrivant dans la ville, la trouvèrent incendiée, leurs femmes et leurs enfants emmenés captifs.
So when David and his men came to the city, and found it burnt with fire, and that their wives and their sons, and their daughters were taken captives,
4 Alors David et ceux qui l’accompagnaient, élevant la voix, pleurèrent aussi longtemps qu’ils en eurent la force.
David and the people that were with him, lifted up their voices, and wept till they had no more tears.
5 Les deux femmes de David étaient également prisonnières, Ahinoam la Jezreélite et Abigaïl, la veuve de Nabal le Carmélite.
For the two wives also of David were taken captives, Achinoam the Jezrahelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal of Carmel.
6 David éprouva une grande angoisse, car le peuple voulait le lapider, chacun étant exaspéré de la perte de ses fils et de ses filles. Cependant David puisa des forces dans la pensée du Seigneur, son Dieu.
And David was greatly afflicted: for the people had a mind to stone him, for the soul of every man was bitterly grieved for his sons, and daughters: but David took courage in the Lord his God.
7 Il dit au prêtre Ebiatar, fils d’Ahimélec: "Fais-moi, je te prie, avancer l’éphod." Ebiatar présenta l’éphod à David,
And he said to Abiathar the priest the son of Achimelech: Bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought the ephod to David.
8 et David consulta le Seigneur, en disant: "Dois-je poursuivre cette troupe? L’Atteindrai-je? Poursuis, répondit-il, car tu l’atteindras et tu reprendras sa capture."
And David consulted the Lord, saying: Shall I pursue after these robbers, and shall I overtake them, or not? And the Lord said to him: Pursue after them: for thou shalt surely overtake them and recover the prey.
9 David marcha avec ses six cents compagnons; parvenus au torrent de Bessor, plusieurs d’entre eux s’arrêtèrent
So David went, he and the six hundred men that were with him, and they came to the torrent Besor: and some being weary stayed there.
10 David continua la poursuite avec quatre cents hommes, laissant en arrière deux cents hommes, trop fatigués pour traverser le torrent de Bessor.
But David pursued, he and four hundred men: for two hundred stayed, who being weary could not go over the torrent Besor.
11 On rencontra dans les champs un Egyptien, qu’on amena à David. On lui donna du pain à manger, on lui fit boire de l’eau,
And they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David: and they gave him bread to eat, and water to drink,
12 on lui fit manger une tranche de gâteau de figues et deux grappes de raisins secs, ce qui le ranima; car il n’avait point mangé de pain ni bu d’eau, pendant trois jours et trois nuits.
As also a piece of a cake of figs, and two bunches of raisins. And when he had eaten them his spirit returned, and he was refreshed: for he had not eaten bread, nor drunk water three days, and three nights.
13 David lui dit: "A qui appartiens-tu et d’où es-tu?" Il répondit: "Je suis un jeune Egyptien, esclave d’un Amalécite; mon maître m’a abandonné, malade que j’étais, il y a trois jours.
And David said to him: To whom dost thou belong? or whence dost thou come? and whither art thou going? He said: I am a young man of Egypt, the servant of an Amalecite, and my master left me, because I began to be sick three days ago.
14 Nous avons envahi le côté méridional des Kerêthites, le territoire de Juda, le midi de la terre de Caleb, et nous avons incendié Ciklag."
For we made an invasion on the south side of Cerethi, and upon Juda, and upon the south of Caleb, and we burnt Siceleg with fire.
15 David lui dit: "Veux-tu nous conduire vers cette troupe?" Il répondit: "Jure-moi par le Seigneur que tu ne me feras pas mourir et que tu ne me livreras pas à mon maître, et je te conduirai vers cette troupe."
And David said to him: Canst thou bring me to this company? And he said: Swear to me by God, that thou wilt not kill me, nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will bring thee to this company. And David swore to him.
16 Il l’y conduisit, et on les vit répandus par toute la campagne, célébrant par des festins et des danses le grand butin qu’ils avaient emporté du pays des Philistins et du pays de Juda.
And when he had brought him, behold they were lying spread upon all the ground, eating and drinking, and as it were keeping a festival day, for all the prey, and the spoils which they had taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Juda.
17 David les tailla en pièces depuis le crépuscule jusqu’au soir du lendemain; nul d’entre eux n’échappa, à l’exception de quatre cents jeunes hommes qui s’enfuirent à dos de chameau.
And David slew them from the evening unto the evening of the next day, and there escaped not a man of them, but four hundred young men, who had gotten upon camels, and fled.
18 David reprit tout ce qu’avaient enlevé les Amalécites, y compris ses deux femmes.
So David recovered all that the Amalecites had taken, and he rescued his two wives.
19 Rien n’y manqua, depuis la moindre capture jusqu’à la plus grande, jusqu’aux garçons et aux filles, rien du butin dont ils s’étaient emparés; tout fut ramené par David.
And there was nothing missing small or great, neither of their sons or their daughters, nor of the spoils, and whatsoever they had taken: David recovered all.
20 David prit tout le menu et le gros bétail; on fit marcher devant lui ce bétail, en proclamant: "Ceci est le butin de David!"
And he took all the flocks and the herds, and made them go before him: and they said: This is the prey of David.
21 David arriva près des deux cents hommes qui avaient été trop harassés pour le suivre, et qu’on avait laissés près du torrent de Bessor. Ils s’avancèrent au-devant de David et de la troupe qui l’accompagnait; David s’approcha de ces hommes et s’informa de leur bien-être.
And David came to the two hundred men, who being weary had stayed, and were not able to follow David, and he had ordered them to abide at the torrent Besor: and they came out to meet David, and the people that were with him. And David coming to the people saluted them peaceably.
22 Tous les méchants et mauvais sujets, parmi les hommes qui avaient suivi David, prirent alors la parole et dirent: "Puisqu’ils n’ont pas marché avec nous, nous ne devons rien leur donner du butin que nous avons repris, si ce n’est à chacun sa femme et ses enfants; qu’ils les emmènent et s’en aillent!
Then all the wicked and unjust men that had gone with David answering, said: Because they came not with us, we will not give them any thing of the prey which we have recovered: but let every man take his wife and his children, and be contented with them, and go his way.
23 Ne faites pas cela, mes frères, répondit David, pour la grâce que le Seigneur nous a faite en nous protégeant et en nous livrant la troupe qui était venue contre nous.
But David said: You shall not do so, my brethren, with these things, which the Lord hath given us, who hath kept us, and hath delivered the robbers that invaded us into our hands.
24 Et qui vous céderait en pareille affaire? Non, telle la part de ceux qui sont allés au combat, telle la part de qui est resté aux bagages: ils partageront également."
And no man shall hearken to you in this matter. But equal shall be the portion of him that went down to battle and of him that abode at the baggage, and they shall divide alike.
25 De fait, à partir de ce jour, il en fit pour Israël une loi et une règle, en vigueur encore aujourd’hui.
And this hath been done from that day forward, and since was made a statute, and an ordinance, and as a law in Israel.
26 De retour à Ciklag, David envoya de son butin aux anciens d’Israël, à ses amis, en disant: "C’Est votre profit du butin fait sur les ennemis du Seigneur";
Then David came to Siceleg, and sent presents of the prey to the ancients of Juda his neighbours, saying: Receive a blessing of the prey of the enemies of the Lord.
27 savoir, aux gens de Béthel, à ceux de Ramot-du-Midi, à ceux de Yattir;
To them that were in Bethel, and that were in Ramoth to the south, and to them that were in Jether,
28 à ceux d’Aroêr, à ceux de Sifmot, à ceux d’Echtemoa;
And to them that were in Aroer and that were in Sephamoth, and that were in Esthamo,
29 à ceux de Rakhal, à ceux des villes yerahmeélites, à ceux des villes kênites;
And that were in Rachal, and that were in the cities of Jerameel, and that were in the cities of Ceni,
30 à ceux de Horma, à ceux de Cor-Achân, à ceux d’Atakh;
And that were in Arama, and that were in the lake Asan, and that were in Athach,
31 à ceux d’Hébron, bref, de tous les lieux où David avait séjourné avec ses hommes.
And that were in Hebron, and to the rest that were in those places, in which David had abode with his men.
