2 Rois 6
1 Et les fils des prophètes dirent à Elisée: Daigne considérer que le local où nous habitons devant toi, est trop restreint pour nous;
One day a group of prophets said to Elisha, “Look, this place where we meet together with you is very small.
2 permets-nous donc d'aller au Jourdain, et d'y prendre chacun une solive, et nous nous ferons ici un local pour notre habitation. Et il dit: Allez!
Allow us to go to the Jordan [River and cut down some trees to make] logs to build a new meeting place.” So Elisha said, “Okay, go.”
3 Et l'un d'eux dit: Consens donc à venir avec tes serviteurs. Et il dit: J'irai.
One of them said to Elisha, “Please come with us.” So Elisha replied, “Okay, I will go with you.”
4 Et il s'achemina avec eux et ils arrivèrent au Jourdain et ils coupèrent les bois.
So they went together. When they reached the Jordan [River], they cut down some trees.
5 Et comme l'un d'eux abattait une solive, le fer tomba dans l'eau, et il s'écria disant: Hélas! mon Seigneur, il était emprunté.
But while one of them was cutting down a tree, suddenly the axe head [separated from the handle and] fell into the water. He cried out to Elisha, “O, Master, what shall I do? [The axe is not mine]; I borrowed it!”
6 Alors l'homme de Dieu dit: Où est-il tombé? Et quand il lui eut montré la place, Elisée coupa un morceau de bois et l'y jeta et fit surnager le fer.
Elisha replied, “Where did it fall into the water?” After the man showed him the place, Elisha cut off a stick, and threw it into the water, and caused the iron axe head to float [on top of the water].
7 Et il dit: Ramasse-le! Et étendant la main il le prit.
Elisha said, “Take it out of the water.” So the man reached his hand down and picked up the axe head.
8 Cependant le roi de Syrie faisait la guerre en Israël et il se consulta avec ses serviteurs et dit: Dans tel lieu j'aurai mon camp.
Whenever the king of Syria [prepared to send his army to] fight against Israel, he first consulted his officers, and then told them where they should set up their tents.
9 Alors l'homme de Dieu envoya au roi d'Israël cet avis: Prends garde de négliger cette position-là, car les Syriens vont s'y embusquer.
But each time, Elisha would send a message to warn the king of Israel, [telling him where the army of Syria was planning to attack them, ] saying, “Be sure that your army does not go near that place, because the army of Syria has set up their tents there.”
10 Alors le roi d'Israël fit occuper le lieu que lui indiquait et signalait l'homme de Dieu, et s'y tint en observation, et cela non pas à une seule, ni à deux reprises.
So the king of Israel would send [messengers] to warn [the people who lived in] that place, and the people would remain on guard. That happened several times.
11 Et cette manœuvre inquiéta le cœur du roi de Syrie, qui manda ses serviteurs et leur dit: Ne me dénoncerez-vous pas celui des nôtres qui est pour le roi d'Israël?
The king of Syria was very upset/disturbed/angry about that. So he summoned his army officers and said to them, “[Obviously] one of you is (betraying us/revealing our plans) to the king of Israel. Which one of you is doing it?”
12 Et l'un de ses serviteurs dit: Non! ô roi, mon Seigneur, car c'est Elisée, le prophète, qui en Israël rapporte au roi d'Israël les mots que tu dis dans ta chambre à coucher.
One of his officers answered, “Your Majesty, it is not one of us. Elisha the prophet [knows what we plan to do, and he] tells the king of Israel everything. He even knows what you say in your own bedroom!”
13 Sur ce il dit: Allez voir où il est, afin que j'envoie le saisir. Et il lui vint cet avis: Voici, il est à Dothan.
The king of Syria replied, “Go and find out where he is, and I will send [some men there] to capture him.” Someone told him, “People say that he is in Dothan [town north of Samaria].”
14 Alors il y expédia chevaux et chars et une grosse armée; et ils arrivèrent de nuit et cernèrent la ville.
So the king sent a large group of soldiers [to Dothan] with horses and chariots. They arrived at night and surrounded the town.
15 Et lorsque le matin celui qui servait l'homme de Dieu, se leva et sortit, voilà qu'une armée avec chevaux et chars enveloppait la ville. Et son valet lui dit: Ah! mon Seigneur, comment ferons-nous?
Early the next morning, Elisha’s servant got up and went outside the house. He saw the soldiers of Syria with their horses and chariots surrounding the town. So he went inside [the house and reported it to Elisha] and exclaimed, “O, sir! What are we going to do?”
16 Et il répondit: N'aie pas peur! car nous en avons plus pour nous qu'ils n'en ont pour eux.
Elisha replied, “Do not be afraid! Those who will be helping us will be more than those who will be helping them!”
17 Et Elisée fit sa prière et dit: Éternel, daigne lui ouvrir les yeux pour qu'il voie! Et l'Éternel ouvrit les yeux au valet, et il regarda, et voilà que la montagne était remplie de chevaux et de chars de feu entourant Elisée.
Then he prayed, “Yahweh, I request that you open my servant’s eyes in order that he can see [what is out there]!” So Yahweh enabled the servant to look out and see that surrounding the hill on which the town [was built] was a huge number of horses, and chariots made of fire!
18 Alors ils descendirent vers lui, et Elisée fit cette prière à l'Éternel: A ma prière frappe cette troupe-là d'aveuglement. Alors Il les frappa d'aveuglement selon la demande d'Elisée.
When the army of Syria prepared to attack Elisha, he prayed again, saying, “Yahweh, cause all these soldiers to become blind!” Yahweh answered his prayer and caused them to be unable to see clearly.
19 Et Elisée leur dit: Ce n'est ni le chemin, ni la ville: suivez-moi, et je vous mènerai vers l'homme que vous cherchez. Et il les mena à Samarie.
Then Elisha went to them and said, “You are not on the right road; this is not the city that you are searching for. I will take you to the man whom you are searching for.” But he led them to Samaria, [the capital of Israel]!
20 Et quand ils arrivèrent à Samarie, Elisée dit: Éternel, ouvre-leur les yeux pour qu'ils voient. Alors l'Éternel leur ouvrit les yeux, et ils virent: et voilà qu'ils étaient au milieu de Samarie.
As soon as they entered Samaria, Elisha prayed again, saying, “Yahweh, now enable these soldiers to see correctly again!” So Yahweh enabled them to see correctly, and they were surprised to see that they were inside Samaria [city].
21 Et le roi d'Israël, lorsqu'il les vit, dit à Elisée: Frapperai-je? frapperai-je, mon père?
When the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, “Sir, shall I [tell my soldiers to] kill them? Shall we kill all of them?”
22 Et Elisée dit: Tu n'as pas à frapper: est-ce ceux que tu as faits prisonniers avec ton épée et ton arc, que tu frappes? Sers-leur du pain et de l'eau, et qu'ils mangent et boivent, puis s'en aillent vers leur Seigneur.
Elisha replied, “No, you must not kill them. If your army captured many of your enemies in a battle, you would certainly not [RHQ] kill them. Give these men something to eat and drink, and then allow them to return to their king.”
23 Alors il leur fit grande chère, et ils mangèrent et burent, et il les congédia et ils partirent vers leur Seigneur. Dès lors les bandes Syriennes n'infestèrent plus le territoire d'Israël.
So the king of Israel did that. He told his servants to provide a big feast for them. And when they had eaten and drunk plenty, he sent them away. They returned to the king of Syria [and told him what had happened]. So for a while after that, soldiers from Syria stopped raiding/attacking towns in Israel.
24 Et plus tard Ben-Hadad, roi de Syrie, rassembla toute son armée et se mit en campagne et vint assiéger Samarie.
But some time later, Ben-Hadad, the king of Syria, assembled his entire army, and they went to Samaria and surrounded the city [for a long time].
25 Et il y avait grande famine à Samarie; et voici, ils la serrèrent de près jusqu'à faire monter à quatre-vingts sicles d'argent une tête d'âne, et à cinq sicles le quart d'un cab de fiente de pigeon.
Because of that, after a while there was hardly any food left inside the city, with the result that eventually a donkey’s head, [which was usually worthless, ] cost eighty pieces of silver, and (one cup/0.3 liter) of dove’s dung cost five pieces of silver.
26 Et comme le roi d'Israël passait sur le rempart, une femme lui cria: Au secours! roi, mon Seigneur.
One day when the king of Israel was walking on top of the city wall, a woman cried out to him, “Your Majesty, help me!”
27 Et il dit: L'Éternel ne te secourt-Il pas? De quoi t'assisterais-je? de l'aire ou du pressoir?
He replied, “If Yahweh will not help you, I certainly cannot [RHQ] help you. I certainly [RHQ] do not have any wheat or wine!
28 Et le roi lui dit: Que t'arrive-t-il? Et elle répondit: Cette femme-là m'a dit: Donne-moi ton fils et nous le mangerons aujourd'hui, et demain nous mangerons le mien.
What is your problem?” She replied, “Several days ago, that woman [over there] said to me, ‘[Because we have nothing left to eat, ] let’s kill your son today, in order that we can eat his flesh. Then tomorrow we can [kill] my son [and] eat his flesh.’
29 Alors nous fîmes cuire mon fils et nous l'avons mangé; et le jour suivant je lui ai dit: Donne ton fils et nous le mangerons; mais elle a caché son fils.
So we [killed my son and cut his body up and] boiled his flesh and ate it. The next day, I said to her, ‘Now give your son to me, in order that we can [kill him and cook his flesh and] eat it.’ But she has hidden her son!”
30 Et lorsque le roi ouït le discours de la femme, il déchira ses habits; et comme il passait sur la muraille, le peuple le vit et voilà qu'il portait intérieurement un cilice sur son corps.
When the king heard what the woman said, he tore his robe [to show that he was very distressed]. The people who were standing close to the wall were able to see that the king was wearing rough cloth underneath his robe [because he was very distressed].
31 Et il dit: Que Dieu me fasse ceci et pis encore si aujourd'hui la tête d'Elisée, fils de Schaphat, reste sur sa personne!
The king exclaimed, “I wish/hope that God will strike me dead if I do not cut off the head of Elisha today, [because he is the one who has caused these terrible things to happen to us]!”
32 Cependant comme Elisée était assis dans sa maison et les Anciens assis auprès de lui, [le roi] envoya un homme avant lui. Mais avant que le messager arrivât chez lui, il dit aux Anciens: Voyez-vous que ce fils d'assassin envoie quelqu'un pour faire tomber ma tête? Observez quand le messager viendra; alors fermez la porte et repoussez-le à l'aide de la porte. N'entendez-vous pas le bruit des pas de son maître qui le suit?
So the king sent an officer to get Elisha. Before the officer arrived, Elisha was sitting in his house with some Israeli elders who were talking with him. Elisha said to them, “That murderer, [the king of Israel, ] is sending someone here to kill me. Listen: When he arrives, shut the door and do not allow him to come in. And the king will be coming right behind that officer!”
33 Il leur parlait encore que voilà que le messager descendit chez lui et dit: Voici, ce mal procède de l'Éternel: pourquoi m'attendrai-je encore à l'Éternel?
And while he was still speaking, the king and the officer arrived. The king said, “It is Yahweh who has caused us to have all this trouble/suffering. (Why should I wait any longer [RHQ] for him to do something [to help us]?/It is useless for me to wait any longer for him [to help us]!)”
