Jérémie 4
1 Si tu reviens à moi, Israël, dit l'Éternel, tu reviendras ici; et si tu ôtes tes abominations de devant moi, tu ne seras plus errant;
Yahweh says, “You Israeli [people], come back to me! If you get rid of those detestable idols and do not turn away from me [again],
2 et si tu jures par « la vie de l'Éternel, » selon la vérité, la droiture et la justice, les nations se serviront de son nom pour bénir, et se glorifieront de lui.
and if you declare, ‘Just as surely as Yahweh lives, what he says is true,’ and if you [start to] always say what is true and act justly/fairly and righteously, then the [people in the other] nations [of the world] will request that I bless them [as I have blessed you], and they will [all come and] honor/praise me.”
3 Car ainsi parle l'Éternel aux hommes de Juda et de Jérusalem:
This is what Yahweh says to the people of Jerusalem and [the other cities in] Judah: “[Prepare yourselves to receive my messages] like farmers plow up hard ground [in order that they can plant seed in it]. Just as farmers do not [waste good seed by] sowing seeds among thorny plants, [I do not want to waste my time telling you messages that you are not ready to receive].
4 Faites-vous des novales et ne semez point parmi les épines! Circoncisez-vous pour l'Éternel, et enlevez le prépuce de vos cœurs, hommes de Juda, et habitants de Jérusalem, de peur que ma colère n'éclate comme un feu, et ne consume sans que personne éteigne, à cause de la méchanceté de vos actions.
Purify your inner beings and your minds for me. If you do not do that, my being angry with you [MTY] because of [all] the sins that you have committed will be like a fire that will be impossible to extinguish.”
5 Annoncez en Juda, et publiez à Jérusalem, et parlez, et sonnez de la trompette dans le pays, criez à pleine voix et dites: Rassemblez-vous, et allons dans les villes fortes!
“Declare this [DOU] to [all the people in] Jerusalem and [the rest of] Judea; blow the trumpets everywhere in the land [to warn the people]. Tell them that they should flee to the cities that have high walls around them.
6 Tournez l'étendard vers Sion, fuyez, ne vous arrêtez pas! Car du nord J'amène la calamité et un grand désastre.
Shout to the people of Jerusalem, ‘Run away [now]! Do not delay, because I am about to cause you to experience a terrible disaster [DOU] that will come from the north.
7 Le lion sort de son fourré, et le destructeur des peuples part, il sort de son lieu, pour faire de ton pays un désert; tes villes seront détruites, dépeuplées.
[An army] that has destroyed [many] nations will attack you [like] [MET] a lion that comes out of its den [to attack other animals]. [The soldiers of that army] have taken down their tents and they are ready to march toward your land. They will destroy your cities and leave them without any people still living in them.’
8 Aussi, ceignez le cilice, gémissez, et lamentez-vous, car l'ardente colère de l'Éternel ne s'éloigne pas de vous.
So, put on sackcloth/rough clothes and weep and beat your chests [to show that you are very sorry for what you have done], because Yahweh is still very angry with us.
9 Et dans ce jour-là, dit l'Éternel, le cœur manquera au roi et aux princes, et les sacrificateurs seront atterrés, et les prophètes seront stupéfaits.
Yahweh said that at the time [he punishes you], the King of Judah and [all his] officials will be very afraid. The priests and the prophets will be terrified.
10 Alors je dis: Ah! Seigneur, Éternel, en vérité tu as trompé ce peuple et Jérusalem en disant: Vous serez sains et saufs! et cependant l'épée pénètre jusqu'à son cœur.
Then I replied, “Yahweh [my] God, you completely deceived the people by telling them that there would be peace in Jerusalem, but now [our enemies] [PRS] are ready to slaughter us with their swords!”
11 Dans ce temps-là, il sera dit à ce peuple et à Jérusalem: Un vent brûlant vient des collines du désert dans la direction de la fille de mon peuple, non point pour nettoyer, ni pour émonder,
When that happens, [Yahweh] will say to the people of Jerusalem, [“A huge army will come to attack you]. They will not [be like a gentle breeze that] separates wheat from chaff. [They will be like] a very hot wind [that blows in] from the desert [MET].
12 un vent plus fort que pour cela viendra de par moi; et alors à mon tour je prononcerai ma sentence contre eux.
[They will be like] [MET] a strong blast that I will send. Now I am declaring that I will punish/destroy you.”
13 Voici, Il s'avance comme les nuées, et ses chars sont comme l'ouragan, et ses chevaux plus légers que les aigles. « Malheur à nous, car nous sommes dévastés! »
[Our enemies] are about to rush down on us; their chariots are like [SIM] whirlwinds. Their horses are faster than eagles. It will be terrible for us!
14 Purge de méchanceté ton cœur, Jérusalem, afin que tu sois sauvée! Jusques à quand séjourneront dans ton cœur tes pensées désastreuses?
[You people of] Jerusalem [APO], purify your hearts/inner beings, in order that Yahweh will rescue you. How long will you continue to think about [doing] evil things?
15 Car une voix publie depuis Dan, et annonce un désastre depuis la montagne d'Éphraïm.
From Dan [city in the far north] to the hills of Ephraim [a few miles/kilometers north of Jerusalem] messengers are proclaiming that disasters are coming.
16 Annoncez-le aux nations! Voici, publiez-le dans Jérusalem: des assiégeants arrivent d'une terre lointaine, et ils poussent leur voix contre les villes de Juda.
Tell this to the [people in other] nations [but also] announce it in Jerusalem: [Yahweh says], “An army is coming to Jerusalem from far away; they will shout [a battle-cry] against the cities in Judah.
17 Comme les gardes d'un champ ils te cerneront; car elle s'est révoltée contre moi, dit l'Éternel.
They will set up tents around Jerusalem like people set up temporary shelters [SIM] around a field [at harvest time]. That will happen because the people of Judah have rebelled against me.
18 Ta conduite et tes œuvres ont attiré ces choses sur toi; c'est l'effet de ta méchanceté; oui, cela est amer, oui, cela pénètre jusqu'à ton cœur.
You will be punished very severely; it will [be as though a sword] has stabbed your inner beings. But you are causing those things to happen to you because of the evil things that you have done.”
19 « Mes entrailles! mes entrailles! je souffre dans les cellules de mon cœur; mon cœur bouillonne, je ne puis me taire; car tu entends, mon âme, le son de la trompette, le cri de guerre.
I am extremely anguished/sad; the pain in my inner being is very severe. My heart beats wildly. But I cannot remain silent because I have heard [our enemies] blowing their trumpets to announce that the battle [against Judah will start immediately].
20 Ruine sur ruine est annoncée, car tout le pays est désolé; tout à coup mes tentes sont détruites, en un instant mes pavillons.
Disasters will occur one after another until the whole land is ruined. Suddenly [all] our tents will be destroyed; [even] the curtains [inside the tents] will be ripped apart.
21 Jusques à quand verrai-je l'étendard, ouïrai-je le son de la trompette? »
How long will this battle continue? How long will I continue to see the enemy battle flags and hear the sound of their trumpets being blown?
22 – « C'est que Mon peuple est en délire, il ne Me connaît pas; ce sont des fils insensés, destitués d'intelligence; ce sont des sages pour faire le mal; mais pour faire le bien, ce sont des ignorants. »
[Yahweh says], “My people are [very] foolish! They do not have a relationship with me. They are [like] [MET] stupid children who do not understand [anything]. They very cleverly do what is wrong, but they do not know how to do what is good.”
23 Je regarde la terre, et voici, elle est déserte et vide; et les Cieux, ils n'ont plus leur lumière.
[God gave me a vision in which] I saw that the earth was barren and without form. I looked at the sky, and there was no light there.
24 Je regarde les montagnes, et voici, elles tremblent, et toutes les collines s'ébranlent.
I looked at the mountains and hills, and they shook and moved from side to side.
25 Je regarde, et voici, il n'y a point d'homme, et tous les oiseaux des Cieux ont fui.
I looked and saw that there were no [more] people, and all the birds had flown away.
26 Je regarde, et voici, le Carmel est un désert, et toutes ses villes sont détruites par l'Éternel et par le feu de sa colère.
I looked and saw that the fields that previously were fertile had become a desert. The cities were all ruined; they had all been destroyed by Yahweh because he was extremely angry.
27 Car ainsi parle l'Éternel: La dévastation couvrira le pays; mais je ne la ferai pas totale.
This is what Yahweh is saying: “The entire land [of Judah] will be ruined, but I will not destroy it completely.
28 Pour cela le pays est en deuil, et le ciel s'obscurcit, parce que je l'ai dit, je l'ai arrêté, et je ne m'en repens point, et n'en reviendrai point.
I will do to my people what I said that I would do, and I will not change my mind. So [when that happens, it will be as though] the earth will mourn and the sky will become very dark.”
29 Au bruit des cavaliers et des archers toute ville est en fuite; on gagne les forêts, et on gravit les rochers; toute ville est abandonnée, il n'y reste personne.
[When the people hear] the sound of the [enemy] army marching, [they will be terrified as] they flee from their cities. Some of them will find places to hide in the bushes, and others will run toward the mountains/hills [to escape being killed by their enemies]. All the cities [in Judah] will be abandoned; not one person will remain in them.
30 Et toi, ville désolée, que feras-tu? Quand même tu t'habilles de pourpre, que tu te pares d'une parure d'or, que tu bordes de fard tes yeux, en vain t'embellis-tu, les amants te dédaignent, ils en veulent à ta vie.
So you who will surely be destroyed, [why are you doing the things that you are doing now]? Why are you wearing beautiful clothes and jewelry? Why are you putting paint around your eyes? Doing those things will not help you, because the people [in other countries that you think] love you [actually] despise you, and they will try to kill you.
31 Car j'entends comme la voix d'une femme en travail, un cri d'angoisse comme au premier enfantement: c'est la voix de la fille de Sion; elle soupire, étend les bras: « C'en est fait de moi! mon âme succombe sous les meurtriers! »
[It is as though] I already hear [the people in Jerusalem] crying very loudly, like [SIM] a woman cries when she is giving birth to her first child; she gasps for breath and pleads for someone to help her. [It is as though Jerusalem] is crying, “Something terrible is happening to me! They are about to murder me!”
