< Jonah 4 >

1 But Jonah was very distressed [that God had not destroyed Nineveh]. He became very angry. [The people of Nineveh were non-Jews, and Jonah did not think that God should act mercifully toward anyone who was not a Jew].
Mais cela déplut à Jonas, il lui déplut extrêmement, et il en fut en colère.
2 He prayed to Yahweh, “O Yahweh, what you have done is what I thought that you would do, before I left home [RHQ]. That is why I [decided] immediately to run away, and go to Tarshish [city], because I knew that you, O God, act very kindly and compassionately [toward all people]. You do not quickly become angry with people who do evil things. You love people very much, and you change your mind about punishing [people who sin].
C'est pourquoi il fit [cette] requête à l'Eternel, et dit: Ô Eternel! je te prie, n'est-ce pas ici ce que je disais, quand j'étais encore en mon pays? C'est pourquoi j'avais voulu m'enfuir en Tarsis; car je connaissais que tu es un [Dieu] Fort, miséricordieux, pitoyable, tardif à colère, abondant en gratuité, et qui te repens du mal [dont tu as menacé].
3 [So] now, O Yahweh, [since you will not destroy Nineveh city as you said you would], allow me to die, because it would be better for me to die than to [continue to] live.”
Maintenant donc, ô Eternel! ôte-moi, je te prie, la vie; car la mort m'est meilleure que la vie.
4 Yahweh replied, “(Why is it right for you to be angry [about my not destroying the city]?/It is not right for you to be angry [about my not destroying the city]!) [RHQ]”
Et l'Eternel dit: Est-ce bien fait à toi de t'être [ainsi] mis en colère?
5 Jonah [did not reply]. He went out of the city to the east [side of it]. He made a small shelter in order that he could sit under it and be protected from the sun. He sat under the shelter and waited to see what would happen to the city.
Et Jonas sortit de la ville, et s'assit du côté de l'Orient de la ville, et se fit là une cabane, et se tint à l'ombre sous elle, jusqu'à ce qu'il vît ce qui arriverait à la ville.
6 Then Yahweh God caused a vine to grow up [immediately] to shade Jonah’s head from the sun and make him [feel] more comfortable. Jonah was very happy about [having] the vine [over his head].
Et l'Eternel Dieu prépara un kikajon, et le fit croître au-dessus de Jonas, afin qu'il lui fît ombre sur sa tête, et qu'il le délivrât de son mal; et Jonas se réjouit extrêmement du kikajon.
7 But before dawn the next day, God sent a worm that chewed the vine, with the result that the vine withered.
Puis Dieu prépara pour le lendemain, lorsque l'aube du jour monterait, un ver qui frappa le kikajon, et il sécha.
8 Then, when the sun rose [high in the sky], God sent a very hot wind from the east, and the sun shone very strongly on Jonah’s head, with the result that he felt faint. He wanted to die, and he said, “It would be better for me to die than to [continue to] live!”
Et il arriva que quand le soleil fut levé Dieu prépara un vent Oriental qu'on n'apercevait point, et le soleil frappa sur la tête de Jonas, en sorte que s'évanouissant il demanda de mourir, et il dit: La mort m'est meilleure que la vie.
9 But God asked Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about [what happened to] the vine?” Jonah replied, “[Yes], it is right! [Now] I am very angry and I want to die!”
Et Dieu dit à Jonas: Est-ce bien fait à toi de t'être ainsi dépité au sujet de ce kikajon? Et il répondit: C'est bien fait à moi que je me sois ainsi dépité, [même] jusqu'à la mort.
10 But Yahweh said [to him], “You have been concerned about my [causing] that vine [to wither], even though you did not take care of it, and you did not make it grow. It just grew up during one night, and it completely withered [at the end of] the next night.
Et l'Eternel dit: [Tu voudrais] qu'on eût épargné le kikajon, pour lequel tu n'as point travaillé, et que tu n'as point fait croître; car il est venu en une nuit, et en une nuit il est péri;
11 But there are more than 120,000 people in Nineveh who [are very young, and because of that], they cannot tell which is their right hand and which is their left hand, and there are also many cattle, [and none of these have done anything to displease me]. So (is it not right for me to be concerned about the people of that huge city, [and not want to destroy them]?/it is certainly right for me to be concerned about the people of that huge city [and not want to destroy them]!) [RHQ]”
Et moi, n'épargnerais-je point Ninive, cette grande ville, dans laquelle il y a plus de six vingt mille créatures humaines qui ne savent point [discerner] entre leur main droite et leur main gauche, et où il y a aussi une grande quantité de bêtes.

< Jonah 4 >