Job 24
|
Job 24
|
Pourquoi le Tout Puissant ne met-il pas des temps en réserve, Et pourquoi ceux qui le connaissent ne voient-ils pas ses jours? | Why are times not stored up by the Ruler of all, and why do those who have knowledge of him not see his days? |
On déplace les bornes, On vole des troupeaux, et on les fait paître; | The landmarks are changed by evil men, they violently take away flocks, together with their keepers. |
On enlève l`âne de l`orphelin, On prend pour gage le boeuf de la veuve; | They send away the ass of him who has no father, they take the widow's ox for debt. |
On repousse du chemin les indigents, On force tous les malheureux du pays à se cacher. | The crushed are turned out of the way; all the poor of the earth go into a secret place together. |
Et voici, comme les ânes sauvages du désert, Ils sortent le matin pour chercher de la nourriture, Ils n`ont que le désert pour trouver le pain de leurs enfants; | Like asses in the waste land they go out to their work, looking for food with care; from the waste land they get bread for their children. |
Ils coupent le fourrage qui reste dans les champs, Ils grappillent dans la vigne de l`impie; | They get mixed grain from the field, and they take away the late fruit from the vines of those who have wealth. |
Ils passent la nuit dans la nudité, sans vêtement, Sans couverture contre le froid; | They take their rest at night without clothing, and have no cover in the cold. |
Ils sont percés par la pluie des montagnes, Et ils embrassent les rochers comme unique refuge. | They are wet with the rain of the mountains, and get into the cracks of the rock for cover. |
On arrache l`orphelin à la mamelle, On prend des gages sur le pauvre. | The child without a father is forced from its mother's breast, and they take the young children of the poor for debt. |
Ils vont tout nus, sans vêtement, Ils sont affamés, et ils portent les gerbes; | Others go about without clothing, and though they have no food, they get in the grain from the fields. |
Dans les enclos de l`impie ils font de l`huile, Ils foulent le pressoir, et ils ont soif; | Between the lines of olive-trees they make oil; though they have no drink, they are crushing out the grapes. |
Dans les villes s`exhalent les soupirs des mourants, L`âme des blessés jette des cris... Et Dieu ne prend pas garde à ces infamies! | From the town come sounds of pain from those who are near death, and the soul of the wounded is crying out for help; but God does not take note of their prayer. |
D`autres sont ennemis de la lumière, Ils n`en connaissent pas les voies, Ils n`en pratiquent pas les sentiers. | Then there are those who are haters of the light, who have no knowledge of its ways, and do not go in them. |
L`assassin se lève au point du jour, Tue le pauvre et l`indigent, Et il dérobe pendant la nuit. | He who is purposing death gets up before day, so that he may put to death the poor and those in need. |
L`oeil de l`adultère épie le crépuscule; Personne ne me verra, dit-il, Et il met un voile sur sa figure. | And the man whose desire is for the wife of another is waiting for the evening, saying, No eye will see me; and he puts a cover on his face. And in the night the thief goes about; |
La nuit ils forcent les maisons, Le jour ils se tiennent enfermés; Ils ne connaissent pas la lumière. | In the dark he makes holes in the walls of houses: in the daytime they are shutting themselves up, they have no knowledge of the light. |
Pour eux, le matin c`est l`ombre de la mort, Ils en éprouvent toutes les terreurs. | For the middle of the night is as morning to them, they are not troubled by the fear of the dark. |
Eh quoi! l`impie est d`un poids léger sur la face des eaux, Il n`a sur la terre qu`une part maudite, Il ne prend jamais le chemin des vignes! | They go quickly on the face of the waters; their heritage is cursed in the earth; the steps of the crusher of grapes are not turned to their vine-garden. |
Comme la sécheresse et la chaleur absorbent les eaux de la neige, Ainsi le séjour des morts engloutit ceux qui pèchent! | Snow waters become dry with the heat: so do sinners go down into the underworld. |
Quoi! le sein maternel l`oublie, Les vers en font leurs délices, On ne se souvient plus de lui! L`impie est brisé comme un arbre, | The public place of his town has no more knowledge of him, and his name has gone from the memory of men: he is rooted up like a dead tree. |
Lui qui dépouille la femme stérile et sans enfants, Lui qui ne répand aucun bienfait sur la veuve!... | He is not kind to the widow, and he has no pity for her child. |
Non! Dieu par sa force prolonge les jours des violents, Et les voilà debout quand ils désespéraient de la vie; | But God by his power gives long life to the strong; he gets up again, though he has no hope of life. |
Il leur donne de la sécurité et de la confiance, Il a les regards sur leurs voies. | He takes away his fear of danger and gives him support; and his eyes are on his ways. |
Ils se sont élevés; et en un instant ils ne sont plus, Ils tombent, ils meurent comme tous les hommes, Ils sont coupés comme la tête des épis. | For a short time they are lifted up; then they are gone; they are made low, they are pulled off like fruit, and like the heads of grain they are cut off. |
S`il n`en est pas ainsi, qui me démentira, Qui réduira mes paroles à néant? | And if it is not so, now, who will make it clear that my words are false, and that what I say is of no value? |