Judges 16
1 Samson went to Gaza and saw a prostitute there, and he went to bed with her.
Samson, étant allé à Gaza, y remarqua une courtisane et se rendit auprès d’elle.
2 The Gazites were told, “Samson has come here.” The Gazites surrounded the place and in secret, they waited for him all night at the city gate. They kept silent all night. They had said, “Let us wait until daylight, and then let us kill him.”
Les gens de Gaza, apprenant que Samson était venu chez eux, passèrent la nuit à faire des rondes et à le guetter aux portes de la ville; ils gardèrent toute la nuit un profond silence, se disant: "D’Ici au point du jour, nous l’aurons tué."
3 Samson lay in bed until midnight. At midnight he got up and he took hold of the city gate and its two posts. He pulled them up out of the ground, bar and all, put them on his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of the hill, in front of Hebron.
Samson resta couché jusqu’à minuit; à minuit il se leva, et, saisissant les battants de la porte de la ville avec les deux poteaux, les arracha en même temps que la barre, mit le tout sur ses épaules et le porta au sommet de la montagne qui regarde Hébron.
4 After this, Samson came to love a woman who lived in the Valley of Sorek. Her name was Delilah.
Plus tard, il s’éprit d’une femme appelée Dalila, dans la vallée de Sorek.
5 The rulers of the Philistines came up to her, and said to her, “Trick Samson to see where his great strength lies, and by what means we may overpower him, that we may bind him in order to humiliate him. Do this, and each one of us will give you 1,100 pieces of silver.”
Les princes des Philistins vinrent la trouver et lui dirent: "Tâche, par tes séductions, de découvrir d’où vient sa grande vigueur et comment nous pouvons le vaincre, le lier et le réduire à l’impuissance. Tu recevras alors de chacun de nous onze cents pièces d’argent."
6 Then Delilah said to Samson, “Please, tell me how is it that you are so strong, and how could anyone bind you, so you might be controlled?”
Dalila dit à Samson: "Apprends-moi donc pourquoi ta force est si grande, et avec quoi il faudrait te lier pour te dompter."
7 Samson said to her, “If they tie me with seven fresh bowstrings that have not been dried, then I will become weak and be like any other man.”
Samson lui répondit: "Si on me liait avec sept cordelettes fraîches et encore humides, je perdrais ma force et deviendrais semblable à un autre homme."
8 Then the rulers of the Philistines brought up to Delilah seven fresh bowstrings that had not been dried, and she tied Samson up with them.
Alors les princes philistins lui procurèrent sept cordelettes humides avec lesquelles elle le lia,
9 Now she had men hiding in secret, staying in her inner room. She said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” But he broke the bowstrings like a thread of yarn when it touches the fire. So the secret of his strength was not discovered.
tandis que des hommes, apostés par elle, attendaient dans la chambre; puis elle lui dit: "Les Philistins viennent te surprendre, Samson!" Et il rompit ses liens, comme se rompent des liens d’étoupe à l’approche du feu. Et le secret de sa force resta encore inconnu.
10 Then Delilah said to Samson, “This is how you have deceived me and told me lies. Please, tell me how you can be overpowered.”
Dalila dit à Samson: "Tu t’es joué de moi, tu m’as dit des mensonges! Voyons, fais-moi savoir avec quoi l’on pourrait te lier."
11 He said to her, “If they tie me up with new ropes which have never been used for work, I will become weak and like any other man.”
Il lui répondit: "Eh bien! si l’on m’attachait avec des cordes neuves et n’ayant pas encore servi, je perdrais ma force et deviendrais comme un autre homme."
12 So Delilah took new ropes and tied him up with them, and said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” The men lying in wait were in the inner room. But Samson tore off the ropes from his arms like they were a piece of thread.
Alors Dalila prit des cordes neuves avec lesquelles elle le lia, tandis qu’on était aux aguets dans la chambre, puis elle lui dit: "Les Philistins viennent te surprendre, Samson!" Mais il arracha les cordes de ses bras comme du fil.
13 Delilah said to Samson, “Until now you have deceived me and told me lies. Tell me how you may be overpowered.” Samson said to her, “If you weave seven locks of my hair into a fabric on a loom, and then nail that to the loom, I will be like any other man.”
Et Dalila dit à Samson: "Jusqu’à présent tu t’es raillé de moi et ne m’as dit que des mensonges. Apprends-moi comment on pourrait te lier!" Il lui répondit: "Tu n’aurais qu’à entre-tisser les sept boucles de ma chevelure avec la chaîne du tissu."
14 While he slept, Delilah wove seven locks of his hair into the fabric on the loom and nailed it to the loom, and she said to him, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” He woke from his sleep and he pulled out the fabric and the pin from the loom.
Lorsqu’elle eut fixé la cheville, elle lui dit: "Les Philistins viennent te surprendre, Samson!" Il se réveilla de son sommeil et arracha du même coup la cheville du métier et le tissu.
15 She said to him, “How can you say, 'I love you,' when you do not share your secrets with me? You have mocked me these three times and have not told me how you have such great strength.”
"Quoi! lui dit-elle, tu prétends que tu m’aimes, et ton cœur m’est étranger! Trois fois déjà tu t’es joué de moi, en ne me révélant pas la cause de ta force si grande…"
16 Every day she pressed him hard with her words, and she pressured him so much that he wished he would die.
Tourmenté ainsi chaque jour et harcelé par ses propos, il en fut enfin excédé à la mort,
17 So Samson told her everything and said to her, “I have never had a razor cut the hair on my head, for I have been a Nazirite for God from my mother's womb. If my head is shaved, then my strength will leave me, and I will become weak and be like every other man.”
et il lui dévoila tout son cœur, en disant: "Jamais rasoir n’a touché ma tête, car je suis voué à Dieu comme Naziréen depuis le sein maternel; si l’on me coupait les cheveux, je perdrais ma force et je deviendrais faible comme tout autre homme."
18 When Delilah saw that he had told her the truth about everything, she sent and called for the rulers of the Philistines, saying, “Come up again, for he has told me everything.” Then the rulers of the Philistines went up to her, bringing the silver in their hands.
Dalila vit alors qu’il lui avait ouvert son cœur, et elle envoya quérir les princes philistins, avec ces mots: "Venez cette fois, il m’a parlé à cœur ouvert." Et les princes philistins montèrent chez elle, munis de la somme d’argent.
19 She had him fall asleep in her lap. She called for a man to shave off the seven locks of his head, and she began to subdue him, for his strength had left him.
Elle l’endormit sur ses genoux, et, ayant mandé un homme, lui fit couper les sept boucles de sa chevelure; dès lors elle put le maîtriser, car sa vigueur l’avait abandonné.
20 She said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” He woke up out of his sleep and said, “I will get out like the other times and shake myself free.” But he did not know that Yahweh had left him.
Elle cria: "Les Philistins te menacent, Samson!" Il se réveilla et se dit: "J’En sortirai comme toujours et me débarrasserai", ne sachant pas que l’Eternel l’avait abandonné.
21 The Philistines captured him and put out his eyes. They brought him down to Gaza and bound him with bronze shackles. He turned the millstone at the prison house.
Les Philistins se saisirent de lui et lui crevèrent les yeux; puis ils l’emmenèrent à Gaza, où il fut chargé de chaînes et forcé de tourner la meule dans la prison.
22 But the hair on his head began to grow again after it had been shaved.
Mais sa chevelure, qu’on avait rasée, commença à repousser.
23 The rulers of the Philistines gathered together to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god, and to rejoice. They said, “Our god has conquered Samson, our enemy, and put him in our grasp.”
Or, les princes des Philistins s’assemblèrent pour faire de grands sacrifices à leur dieu Dagon et se livrer à des réjouissances, car, disaient-ils, notre dieu a fait tomber dans nos mains Samson, notre ennemi!
24 When the people saw him, they praised their god, for they said, “Our god has conquered our enemy and given him to us—the destroyer of our country, who killed many of us.”
Le peuple aussi, en le voyant, glorifia son dieu et s’écria: "C’Est notre dieu qui nous a livré notre ennemi, le fléau de notre pays, celui qui a tué tant des nôtres!"
25 When they were celebrating, they said, “Call for Samson, that he may make us laugh.” They called for Samson out of the prison and he made them laugh. They made him stand between the pillars.
Comme ils étaient en belle humeur, ils dirent: "Faites venir Samson, pour qu’il nous divertisse!" Et on le fit venir de la prison, et il les amusa, et on le plaça entre les colonnes.
26 Samson said to the boy who held his hand, “Permit me to touch the pillars on which the building rests, so that I can lean against them.”
Samson dit au jeune garçon qui le conduisait par la main: "Laisse-moi; fais-moi seulement toucher les colonnes qui soutiennent l’édifice, pour que je m’y appuie."
27 Now the house was full of men and women. All the rulers of the Philistines were there. There were on the roof about three thousand men and women, who were looking on while Samson was entertaining them.
Or, le temple était rempli d’hommes et de femmes; tous les princes philistins s’y trouvaient, et, sur le toit, environ trois mille personnes, hommes et femmes, qui assistaient au divertissement de Samson.
28 Samson called to Yahweh and said, “Lord Yahweh, call me to mind! Please strengthen me only this once, God, so that I may have revenge in one blow on the Philistines for taking my two eyes.”
Celui-ci invoqua l’Eternel en disant: "Seigneur Elohim! Daigne te souvenir de moi! daigne me rendre assez fort cette fois seulement, mon Dieu! pour que je fasse payer d’un seul coup mes deux yeux aux Philistins!"
29 Samson held on to the two middle pillars on which the building rested, and he leaned against them, one pillar with his right hand, and the other with his left.
Et Samson embrassa, en pesant dessus, les deux colonnes du milieu qui soutenaient le temple, l’une avec le bras droit, l’autre avec le gauche,
30 Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” He stretched out with his strength and the building fell on the rulers and on all the people who were in it. So the dead that he killed when he died were more than those he killed during his life.
en disant: "Meure ma personne avec les Philistins!" Et d’un vigoureux effort, il fit tomber la maison sur les princes et sur toute la foule qui était là; de sorte qu’il fit périr plus de monde à sa mort qu’il n’en avait tué de son vivant.
31 Then his brothers and all the house of his father came down. They took him, brought him back and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the burial place of Manoah, his father. Samson had judged Israel for twenty years.
Ses frères et toute sa famille vinrent pour emporter son corps, et remontèrent pour l’ensevelir entre Çorea et Echtaol, dans le sépulcre de Manoah, son père. Il avait gouverné Israël vingt années.
