Nehemiah 4

1 But it came to pass, when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, it angered him, and he was greatly displeased, —and mocked the Jews;

Or, lorsque Sanaballat apprit que nous relevions les remparts, il le trouva mauvais, s'en courrouça grandement, et se moqua fort des Juifs.

2 and spake before his brethren, and the army of Samaria, and said, What are, these feeble Jews, doing? will they fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they bring to life the stones out of the heaps of dust, when, they, have been burned up?

Et il dit devant ses frères (c'est-à-dire devant l'armée samaritaine): Il est donc vrai que les Juifs réédifient leur ville?

3 Now, Tobiah the Ammonite, was beside him, —so he said, Even that which they are building, if a fox should go up, he would break down their stone wall!

Et Tobias l'Ammonite s'approcha de lui, et il dit à la multitude: Est-ce qu'ils sacrifieront et mangeront en ce lieu? Est-ce qu'un renard en sautant ne renversera pas leur muraille de pierres?

4 Hear, O our God, for we have become a contempt, and turn thou back their reproach upon their own head, —and give them up as a prey, in the land of captivity;

Écoutez, ô notre Dieu, car nous sommes un sujet de raillerie; faites retomber ces outrages sur leurs têtes, et qu'eux-mêmes soient un sujet de raillerie en la terre où nous avons été captifs.

5 and do not cover their iniquity, and, their sin before thee, let it not be blotted out, —for they have caused vexation before them who are building.

Ne couvrez pas leur iniquité.

6 So we built the wall, and all the wall was finished unto the half thereof, —and the people had a mind to work.

Cependant, nous continuâmes à rebâtir le mur; et lorsque tout le mur fut bouché jusqu’à mi-hauteur, le peuple eut de nouveau du cœur à l’ouvrage.

7 But it came to pass, when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabians and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the repair of the walls of Jerusalem had gone up, that the breaches began to be stopped, that it angered them exceedingly;

Or, lorsque Sanaballat, et Tobias, et les Arabes et les Ammonites, apprirent que les murs de Jérusalem reprenaient leur forme, et que leurs brèches commençaient à se fermer, ils le trouvèrent fort mauvais.

8 and they conspired, all of them together, to come, to fight against Jerusalem, —and to cause it harm;

Et ils se réunirent tous ensemble pour marcher contre Jérusalem, et la faire disparaître.

9 howbeit we prayed unto our God, —and set a watch against them, day and night, because of them.

Alors, nous priâmes notre Dieu, et nous mîmes, nuit et jour, des gardes, à cause d'eux.

10 Then said Judah, The strength of the burden-bearer faileth, and, the rubbish, aboundeth, —and, we, are not able to build at the wall;

Et Juda dit: La force des ennemis est brisée; mais le monceau de ruines est énorme, et nous ne pourrons bâtir les remparts.

11 and our adversaries have said, They shall not know, neither shall they see, until we come into their midst, and slay them, —so shall we cause the work to cease.

Et nos oppresseurs dirent: Ils ne sauront, ils ne verront que lorsque nous arriverons au milieu d'eux, et nous les massacrerons, et nous ferons cesser l'œuvre.

12 But it came to pass, when the Jews dwelling near them came in, then said they unto us, ten times, From all places whither ye shall turn, [they will be] upon us!

Et les Juifs qui habitaient dans le voisinage, vinrent, et nous dirent: Ils arrivent de toutes parts contre nous.

13 So I set—on the lower slopes of the place behind the wall in the waste grounds, —yea I set the people, by their families, with their swords, their spears and their bows.

Alors, je plaçai tout le peuple en bas, au pied des remparts, sous des abris, par familles, avec leurs épées, leurs javelines et leurs arcs.

14 Then I looked and rose up, and said—unto the nobles and unto the deputies and unto the rest of the people, Do not ye fear because of them, —the great and fearful Lord, remember ye, so shall ye fight for your brethren, your sons and your daughters, your wives, and your houses.

Et je regardai, me levai, et dis aux nobles, aux capitaines, à tout le reste du peuple: Ne craignez point leur face; souvenez-vous de notre Dieu grand et redoutable; combattez pour vos frères, vos fils, vos filles, vos femmes et vos foyers.

15 And it came to pass, when our enemies heard that it was known to us, and that God had overturned their counsel, then returned we, all of us, unto the wall, every man unto his work.

Et aussitôt que nos ennemis apprirent qu'ils nous avaient été signalés, Dieu dissipa leurs conseils, et nous retournâmes aux remparts, chacun à son ouvrage.

16 And it came to pass, from that day, the half of my young men, were working in the work, and, the half of them, were grasping the spears, the bucklers, and the bows, and the coats of mail, —but, the rulers, were behind all the house of Judah.

Et, à partir de ce jour, la moitié de ceux que j'avais attirés fit l'œuvre; l'autre moitié se rangea derrière les remparts avec des javelines, des boucliers, des arcs et des cuirasses; leurs chefs se tenant derrière toute la maison de Juda,

17 They who were building at the wall and they who were carrying burdens, they who were lifting, [each man], with his one hand, was working at the work, and, with the other, was grasping the weapon.

Et derrière ceux qui bâtissaient; ceux qui transportaient les matériaux ne quittaient point leurs armes; d'une main ils faisaient leur tâche, de l'autre ils tenaient un trait.

18 Even they who were building, every man, had his sword girded upon his loins, and so was building, —and, he that sounded the horn, was by my side.

Et chaque travailleur avait autour des reins son épée, et ils édifiaient, et celui qui sonnait de la trompette était auprès d'eux.

19 So I said unto the nobles and unto the deputies, and unto the rest of the people, The work, is great and large, —and, we, are separated upon the wall, far away, each man from his brother:

Et je dis aux nobles, aux capitaines et au reste du peuple: L'œuvre est grande et de longue étendue, et nous, sommes dispersés sur le rempart, chacun loin de son frère.

20 In what place soever ye shall hear the sound of the horn, thither, gather yourselves unto us, —our God, will fight for us.

N'importe où vous entendrez la trompette, accourez tous en ce lieu, et notre Dieu combattra avec nous.

21 So, we, were working at the work, —one half of them, grasping the spears, from the uprisings of the dawn, until the coming out of the stars.

Ainsi, nous continuâmes nos travaux; la moitié de nous ne quitta point ses javelines, depuis les premières lueurs du jour jusqu'au lever des étoiles.

22 Moreover, at that time, I said to the people, Let, every one with his young man, lodge for the night in the midst of Jerusalem, —so shall they serve us, in the night, as a watch, and, the day, for work.

Et, en ce temps-là, je dis au peuple: Que chacun, avec son serviteur, demeure au milieu de Jérusalem; la nuit on veillera, le jour on se mettra au travail.

23 So neither I, nor my brethren, nor my young men, nor the men of the watch that followed me, none of us, put off our clothes, —every one [went] with his weapon to the water.

Et j'étais là, et les hommes de garde se tenaient derrière moi, et nul de nous n'ôtait ses vêtements.