Numbers 24
1 And when Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he went not, as at the other times, to meet with enchantments, but he set his face toward the wilderness.
Et Balaam voyant qu'il plaisait à l'Éternel de bénir Israël, n'alla point cette fois, comme la première, à la recherche des enchantements, mais il tourna sa face du côté du 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.
Et Balaam levant les yeux vit Israël campé par tribus; alors vint sur lui l'esprit de Dieu.
3 And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor saith, And the man whose eye was closed saith:
Et il prononça son oracle et dit: Ainsi parle Balaam, fils de Behor, ainsi parle l'homme dont l'œil est ouvert,
4 He saith, which heareth the words of God, Which seeth the vision of the Almighty, Falling down, and having his eyes open:
ainsi parle l'auditeur des paroles de Dieu, qui voit les visions du Tout-Puissant, qui se prosterne et a les yeux dessillés:
5 How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, Thy tabernacles, O Israel!
Que tes tentes sont belles, ô Jacob! tes demeures, ô Israël! Elles s'étendent comme des vallées,
6 As valleys are they spread forth, As gardens by the river side, As lign-aloes which the LORD hath planted, As cedar trees beside the waters.
comme des jardins le long d'un fleuve, comme des aloès que planta l'Éternel, comme des cèdres le long des eaux.
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.
Des ondes s'épanchent de son seau, et sa race, en flots abondants. Au-dessus d'Agag s'élève son Roi, et son royaume a la prééminence.
8 God bringeth him forth out of Egypt; He hath 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 retira de l'Egypte, et il a la vélocité du buffle. Il dévore les peuples, ses adversaires, ronge leurs os, et fracasse leurs flèches.
9 He couched, he lay down as a lion, And as a lioness; who shall rouse him up? Blessed be every one that blesseth thee, And cursed be every one that curseth thee.
Il se couche, il repose, pareil au lion ou à la lionne: Qui le fera lever? Qui te bénira, sera béni, et qui te maudira, sera maudit.
10 And Balak’s anger was kindled against Balaam, and he smote his hands together: and Balak said unto Balaam, I called thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast altogether blessed them these three times.
Alors la colère de Balak s'enflamma contre Balaam, et frappant ses mains l'une contre l'autre Balak dit à Balaam: Je t'ai mandé pour maudire mes ennemis, et voilà que tu as béni, béni déjà par trois fois.
11 Therefore now flee thou to thy place: I thought to promote thee unto great honour; but, lo, the LORD hath kept thee back from honour.
Fuis donc maintenant et va-t'en chez toi! Je disais: Je t'accorderai des honneurs, mais voilà que l'Éternel t'empêche de les recevoir.
12 And Balaam said unto Balak, Spake I not also to thy messengers which thou sentest unto me, saying,
Et Balaam dit à Balak: Même aux messagers que tu m'as envoyés, n'ai-je pas dit en propres termes:
13 If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the LORD, to do either good or bad of mine own mind; what the LORD speaketh, that will I speak?
Quand Balak me donnerait sa maison pleine d'argent et d'or, je ne pourrais transgresser l'ordre de l'Éternel en faisant de par moi du bien ou du mal! ce que l'Éternel dira, c'est ce que je répéterai.
14 And now, behold, I go unto my people: come, [and] I will advertise thee what this people shall do to thy people in the latter days.
Et maintenant, voici, je reprends le chemin de mon peuple. Mais viens! je veux t'avertir de ce que ce peuple fera à ton peuple dans la suite des temps.
15 And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor saith, And the man whose eye was closed saith:
Puis Balaam prononça son oracle et dit: Ainsi parle Balaam, fils de Behor, ainsi parle l'homme dont l'œil est ouvert,
16 He saith, which heareth the words of God, And knoweth the knowledge of the Most High, Which seeth the vision of the Almighty, Falling down, and having his eyes open:
ainsi parle l'auditeur des paroles de Dieu, qui connaît les vues du Très-Haut, qui voit les visions du Tout-Puissant, qui se prosterne et a les yeux dessillés:
17 I see him, but not now: I behold him, but not nigh: There shall come forth a star out of Jacob, And a sceptre shall rise out of Israel, And shall smite through the corners of Moab, And break down all the sons of tumult.
Je le vois, quoique non présent, Je le vois, mais dans le lointain… Un astre surgit de Jacob, et un sceptre s'élève d'Israël; il ébranle Moab de fond en comble, et extermine tous les fils de Seth,
18 And Edom shall be a possession, Seir also shall be a possession, [which were] his enemies; While Israel doeth valiantly.
et Edom devient sa conquête, et Séïr la conquête de ses ennemis, et Israël fait des actes de vaillance.
19 And out of Jacob shall one have dominion, And shall destroy the remnant from the city.
Issu de Jacob il aura l'empire, et fera périr les réchappés des villes.
20 And he looked on Amalek, and took up his parable, and said, Amalek was the first of the nations; But his latter end shall come to destruction.
Et à la vue d'Amalek, il prononça son oracle et dit: Amalek est en tête des peuples, mais son avenir aboutit à la ruine.
21 And he looked on the Kenite, and took up his parable, and said, Strong is thy dwelling place, And thy nest is set in the rock.
Et à la vue des Kénites, il prononça son oracle et dit: Que ta demeure soit permanente, et place ton aire sur le rocher!
22 Nevertheless Kain shall be wasted, Until Asshur shall carry thee away captive.
Mais Kain est voué à la ruine: Quelle sera sa durée? Assur te fera prisonnier.
23 And he took up his parable, and said, Alas, who shall live when God doeth this?
Et il prononça son oracle et dit: Hélas! qui vivra, quand Il fera ces choses?…
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.
Et des navires partis de la côte de Kittim humilieront Assur, humilieront Eber, lui aussi est voué à la ruine.
25 And Balaam rose up, and went and returned to his place: and Balak also went his way.
Et Balaam se leva, et partit et retourna chez lui; de même Balak s'en alla de son côté.
