Genesis 49
1 And Jacob sent for his sons, and said, Come together, all of you, so that I may give you news of your fate in future times.
Jacob fit venir ses fils et il dit: "Rassemblez-vous, je veux vous révéler ce qui vous arrivera dans la suite des jours.
2 Come near, O sons of Jacob, and give ear to the words of Israel your father.
Pressez-vous pour écouter, enfants de Jacob, pour écouter Israël votre Père.
3 Reuben, you are my oldest son, the first-fruit of my strength, first in pride and first in power:
Ruben! Tu fus mon premier-né, mon orgueil et les prémices de ma vigueur: le premier en dignité, le premier en puissance.
4 But because you were uncontrolled, the first place will not be yours; for you went up to your father's bed, even his bride-bed, and made it unclean.
Impétueux comme l’onde, tu as perdu ta noblesse! Car tu as attenté au lit paternel, tu as flétri l’honneur de ma couche.
5 Simeon and Levi are brothers; deceit and force are their secret designs.
Siméon et Lévi! Digne couple de frères; leurs armes sont des instruments de violence.
6 Take no part in their secrets, O my soul; keep far away, O my heart, from their meetings; for in their wrath they put men to death, and for their pleasure even oxen were wounded.
Ne t’associe point à leurs desseins, ô mon âme! Mon honneur, ne sois pas complice de leur alliance! Car, dans leur colère, ils ont immolé des hommes et pour leur passion ils ont frappé des taureaux.
7 A curse on their passion for it was bitter; and on their wrath for it was cruel. I will let their heritage in Jacob be broken up, driving them from their places in Israel.
Maudite soit leur colère, car elle fut malfaisante et leur indignation, car elle a été funeste! Je veux les séparer dans Jacob, les disperser en Israël.
8 To you, Judah, will your brothers give praise: your hand will be on the neck of your haters; your father's sons will go down to the earth before you.
Pour toi, Juda, tes frères te rendront hommage; ta main fera ployer le cou de tes ennemis; les enfants de ton père s’inclineront devant toi!
9 Judah is a young lion; like a lion full of meat you have become great, my son; now he takes his rest like a lion stretched out and like an old lion; by whom will his sleep be broken?
Tu es un jeune lion, Juda, quand tu reviens, ô mon fils, avec ta capture! II se couche; c’est le repos du lion et du léopard; qui oserait le réveiller?
10 The rod of authority will not be taken from Judah, and he will not be without a law-giver, till he comes who has the right to it, and the peoples will put themselves under his rule.
Le sceptre n’échappera point à Juda, ni l’autorité à sa descendance, jusqu’à l’avènement du Pacifique auquel obéiront les peuples.
11 Knotting his ass's cord to the vine, and his young ass to the best vine; washing his robe in wine, and his clothing in the blood of grapes:
Alors on attachera son ânon à la vigne, et à la treille le fils de son ânesse: on lavera son vêtement dans le vin, et dans le sang des raisins sa tunique;
12 His eyes will be dark with wine, and his teeth white with milk.
les yeux seront pétillants de vin et les dents toutes blanches de lait.
13 The resting-place of Zebulun will be by the sea, and he will be a harbour for ships; the edge of his land will be by Zidon.
Zabulon occupera le littoral des mers; il offrira des ports aux vaisseaux et sa plage atteindra Sidon.
14 Issachar is a strong ass stretched out among the flocks:
Issachar est un âne musculeux qui se couche entre les collines.
15 And he saw that rest was good and the land was pleasing; so he let them put weights on his back and became a servant.
II a goûté le charme du repos et les délices du pâturage; et iI a livré son épaule au joug et iI est devenu tributaire.
16 Dan will be the judge of his people, as one of the tribes of Israel.
Dan sera l’arbitre de son peuple, sous lui se grouperont les tribus d’Israël.
17 May Dan be a snake in the way, a horned snake by the road, biting the horse's foot so that the horseman has a fall.
II sera, Dan, un serpent sur le chemin, un aspic dans le sentier: il pique le pied du cheval et le cavalier tombe renversé.
18 I have been waiting for your salvation, O Lord.
J’Espère en ton assistance, Seigneur.
19 Gad, an army will come against him, but he will come down on them in their flight.
Gad sera assailli d’ennemis, mais il les assaillira à son tour.
20 Asher's bread is fat; he gives delicate food for kings.
Pour Asher, sa production sera abondante; c’est lui qui pourvoira aux jouissances des rois.
21 Naphtali is a roe let loose, giving fair young ones.
Nephtali est une biche qui s’élance; il apporte d’heureux messages.
22 Joseph is a young ox, whose steps are turned to the fountain;
C’Est un rameau fertile que Joseph, un rameau fertile au bord d’une fontaine; il dépasse les autres rameaux le long de la muraille.
23 He was troubled by the archers; they sent out their arrows against him, cruelly wounding him:
Ils l’ont exaspéré et frappé de leurs flèches; ils l’ont pris en haine, les fiers archers:
24 But their bows were broken by a strong one, and the cords of their arms were cut by the Strength of Jacob, by the name of the Stone of Israel:
mais son arc est resté plein de vigueur et les muscles de ses bras sont demeurés fermes grâce au Protecteur de Jacob, qui par là préparait la vie au rocher d’Israël;
25 Even by the God of your father, who will be your help, and by the Ruler of all, who will make you full with blessings from heaven on high, blessings of the deep stretched out under the earth, blessings of the breasts and of the fertile body:
grâce au Dieu de ton père, qui sera ton appui et au Tout-Puissant, qui te bénira des bénédictions supérieures du ciel, des bénédictions souterraines de l’abîme, des bénédictions des mamelles et des entrailles! Les vœux de ton père,
26 Blessings of sons, old and young, to the father: blessings of the oldest mountains and the fruit of the eternal hills: let them come on the head of Joseph, on the crown of him who was separate from his brothers.
surpassant ceux de mes ancêtres, atteignent la limite des montagnes éternelles; ils s’accompliront sur la tête de Joseph, sur le front de l’Élu de ses frères!
27 Benjamin is a wolf, searching for meat: in the morning he takes his food, and in the evening he makes division of what he has taken.
Benjamin est un loup ravisseur: le matin il s’assouvit de carnage, le soir il partagera le butin."
28 These are the twelve tribes of Israel: and these are the words their father said to them, blessing them; to every one he gave his blessing.
Tous ceux-là sont les douze tribus d’Israël; et c’est ainsi que leur père leur parla et les bénit, dispensant à chacun sa bénédiction propre.
29 And he gave orders to them, saying, Put me to rest with my people and with my fathers, in the hollow of the rock in the field of Ephron the Hittite,
Et il leur donna ses ordres en disant: "Je vais être réuni à mon peuple; ensevelissez-moi auprès de mes pères dans le caveau qui fait partie du domaine d’Éfrôn le Héthéen;
30 In the rock in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre in the land of Canaan, which Abraham got from Ephron the Hittite, to be his resting-place.
dans ce caveau qui appartient au territoire de Makhpêla, en face de Mamré, dans le pays de Canaan, territoire qu’Abraham acheta d’Éfrôn le Héthéen, comme sépulture héréditaire.
31 There Abraham and Sarah his wife were put to rest, and there they put Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I put Leah to rest.
Là furent enterrés Abraham et Sara son épouse; là furent enterrés Isaac et Rébecca son épouse et là j’ai enterré Léa.
32 In the rock in the field which was got for a price from the people of Heth.
L’Acquisition de ce territoire et du caveau qui s’y trouve a été faite chez les Héthéens."
33 And when Jacob had come to the end of these words to his sons, stretching himself on his bed, he gave up his spirit, and went the way of his people.
Jacob, ayant dicté à ses fils ses volontés dernières, ramena ses pieds dans sa couche; il expira et rejoignit ses pères.
