Psaumes 78
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Psalms 78
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Cantique d`Asaph. Mon peuple, écoute mes instructions! Prêtez l`oreille aux paroles de ma bouche! | Maschil. Of Asaph. Give ear, O my people, to my law; let your ears be bent down to the words of my mouth. |
J`ouvre la bouche par des sentences, Je publie la sagesse des temps anciens. | Opening my mouth I will give out a story, even the dark sayings of old times; |
Ce que nous avons entendu, ce que nous savons, Ce que nos pères nous ont raconté, | Which have come to our hearing and our knowledge, as they were given to us by our fathers. |
Nous ne le cacherons point à leurs enfants; Nous dirons à la génération future les louanges de l`Éternel, Et sa puissance, et les prodiges qu`il a opérés. | We will not keep them secret from our children; we will make clear to the coming generation the praises of the Lord and his strength, and the great works of wonder which he has done. |
Il a établi un témoignage en Jacob, Il a mis une loi en Israël, Et il a ordonné à nos pères de l`enseigner à leurs enfants, | He put up a witness in Jacob, and made a law in Israel; which he gave to our fathers so that they might give knowledge of them to their children; |
Pour qu`elle fût connue de la génération future, Des enfants qui naîtraient, Et que, devenus grands, ils en parlassent à leurs enfants, | So that the generation to come might have knowledge of them, even the children of the future, who would give word of them to their children; |
Afin qu`ils missent en Dieu leur confiance, Qu`ils n`oubliassent pas les oeuvres de Dieu, Et qu`ils observassent ses commandements, | So that they might put their hope in God, and not let God's works go out of their minds, but keep his laws; |
Afin qu`ils ne fussent pas, comme leurs pères, Une race indocile et rebelle, Une race dont le coeur n`était pas ferme, Et dont l`esprit n`était pas fidèle à Dieu. | And not be like their fathers, a stiff-necked and uncontrolled generation; a generation whose heart was hard, whose spirit was not true to God. |
Les fils d`Éphraïm, armés et tirant de l`arc, Tournèrent le dos le jour du combat. | The children of Ephraim, armed with bows, were turned back on the day of the fight. |
Ils ne gardèrent point l`alliance de Dieu, Et ils refusèrent de marcher selon sa loi. | They were not ruled by God's word, and they would not go in the way of his law; |
Ils mirent en oubli ses oeuvres, Ses merveilles qu`il leur avait fait voir. | They let his works go out of their memory, and the wonders which he had made them see. |
Devant leurs pères il avait fait des prodiges, Au pays d`Égypte, dans les campagnes de Tsoan. | He did great works before the eyes of their fathers, in the land of Egypt, in the fields of Zoan. |
Il fendit la mer et leur ouvrit un passage, Il fit dresser les eaux comme une muraille. | The sea was cut in two so that they might go through; the waters were massed together on this side and on that. |
Il les conduisit le jour par la nuée, Et toute la nuit par un feu éclatant. | In the daytime he was guiding them in the cloud, and all through the night with a light of fire. |
Il fendit des rochers dans le désert, Et il donna à boire comme des flots abondants; | The rocks of the waste land were broken by his power, and he gave them drink as out of the deep waters. |
Du rocher il fit jaillir des sources, Et couler des eaux comme des fleuves. | He made streams come out of the rock; and waters came flowing down like rivers. |
Mais ils continuèrent à pécher contre lui, A se révolter contre le Très Haut dans le désert. | And they went on sinning against him even more, turning away from the Most High in the waste land; |
Ils tentèrent Dieu dans leur coeur, En demandant de la nourriture selon leur désir. | Testing God in their hearts, requesting meat for their desire. |
Ils parlèrent contre Dieu, Ils dirent: Dieu pourrait-il Dresser une table dans le désert? | They said bitter words against God, saying, Is God able to make ready a table in the waste land? |
Voici, il a frappé le rocher, et des eaux ont coulé, Et des torrents se sont répandus; Pourra-t-il aussi donner du pain, Ou fournir de la viande à son peuple? | See, the rock was cut open by his power, so that the water came rushing out, and overflowing streams; is he able to give us bread? is he able to get meat for his people? |
L`Éternel entendit, et il fut irrité; Un feu s`alluma contre Jacob, Et la colère s`éleva contre Israël, | So these things came to the Lord's ears, and he was angry; and a fire was lighted against Jacob, and wrath came up against Israel; |
Parce qu`ils ne crurent pas en Dieu, Parce qu`ils n`eurent pas confiance dans son secours. | Because they had no faith in God, and no hope in his salvation. |
Il commanda aux nuages d`en haut, Et il ouvrit les portes des cieux; | And he gave orders to the clouds on high, and the doors of heaven were open; |
Il fit pleuvoir sur eux la manne pour nourriture, Il leur donna le blé du ciel. | And he sent down manna like rain for their food, and gave them the grain of heaven. |
Ils mangèrent tous le pain des grands, Il leur envoya de la nourriture à satiété. | Man took part in the food of strong ones; he sent them meat in full measure. |
Il fit souffler dans les cieux le vent d`orient, Et il amena par sa puissance le vent du midi; | He sent an east wind from heaven, driving on the south wind by his power. |
Il fit pleuvoir sur eux la viande comme de la poussière, Et comme le sable des mers les oiseaux ailés; | He sent down meat on them like dust, and feathered birds like the sand of the sea, |
Il les fit tomber au milieu de leur camp, Tout autour de leurs demeures. | And he let it come down into their resting-place, round about their tents. |
Ils mangèrent et se rassasièrent abondamment: Dieu leur donna ce qu`ils avaient désiré. | So they had food and were full; for he gave them their desire; |
Ils n`avaient pas satisfait leur désir, Ils avaient encore leur nourriture dans la bouche, | But they were not turned from their desires; and while the food was still in their mouths, |
Lorsque la colère de Dieu s`éleva contre eux; Il frappa de mort les plus vigoureux, Il abattit les jeunes hommes d`Israël. | The wrath of God came on them, and put to death the fattest of them, and put an end to the young men of Israel. |
Malgré tout cela, ils continuèrent à pécher, Et ne crurent point à ses prodiges. | For all this they went on sinning even more, and had no faith in his great wonders. |
Il consuma leurs jours par la vanité, Et leurs années par une fin soudaine. | So their days were wasted like a breath, and their years in trouble. |
Quand il les frappait de mort, ils le cherchaient, Ils revenaient et se tournaient vers Dieu; | When he sent death on them, then they made search for him; turning to him and looking for him with care; |
Ils se souvenaient que Dieu était leur rocher, Que le Dieu Très Haut était leur libérateur. | In the memory that God was their Rock, and the Most High God their saviour. |
Mais ils le trompaient de la bouche, Et ils lui mentaient de la langue; | But their lips were false to him, and their tongues were untrue to him; |
Leur coeur n`était pas ferme envers lui, Et ils n`étaient pas fidèles à son alliance. | And their hearts were not right with him, and they did not keep their agreement with him. |
Toutefois, dans sa miséricorde, il pardonne l`iniquité et ne détruit pas; Il retient souvent sa colère et ne se livre pas à toute sa fureur. | But he, being full of pity, has forgiveness for sin, and does not put an end to man: frequently turning back his wrath, and not being violently angry. |
Il se souvint qu`ils n`étaient que chair, Un souffle qui s`en va et ne revient pas. | So he kept in mind that they were only flesh; a breath which is quickly gone, and will not come again. |
Que de fois ils se révoltèrent contre lui dans le désert! Que de fois ils l`irritèrent dans la solitude! | How frequently did they go against him in the waste land, and give him cause for grief in the dry places! |
Ils ne cessèrent de tenter Dieu, Et de provoquer le Saint d`Israël. | Again they put God to the test, and gave pain to the Holy One of Israel. |
Ils ne se souvinrent pas de sa puissance, Du jour où il les délivra de l`ennemi, | They did not keep in mind the work of his hand, or the day when he took them from the power of their haters; |
Des miracles qu`il accomplit en Égypte, Et de ses prodiges dans les campagnes de Tsoan. | How he had done his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Zoan; |
Il changea leurs fleuves en sang, Et ils ne purent en boire les eaux. | So that their rivers were turned to blood, and they were not able to get drink from their streams. |
Il envoya contre eux des mouches venimeuses qui les dévorèrent, Et des grenouilles qui les détruisirent. | He sent different sorts of flies among them, poisoning their flesh; and frogs for their destruction. |
Il livra leurs récoltes aux sauterelles, Le produit de leur travail aux sauterelles. | He gave the increase of their fields to worms, the fruits of their industry to the locusts. |
Il fit périr leurs vignes par la grêle, Et leurs sycomores par la gelée. | He sent ice for the destruction of their vines; their trees were damaged by the bitter cold. |
Il abandonna leur bétail à la grêle, Et leurs troupeaux au feu du ciel. | Ice was rained down on their cattle; thunderstorms sent destruction among the flocks. |
Il lança contre eux son ardente colère, La fureur, la rage et la détresse, Une troupe de messagers de malheur. | He sent on them the heat of his wrath, his bitter disgust, letting loose evil angels among them. |
Il donna libre cours à sa colère, Il ne sauva pas leur âme de la mort, Il livra leur vie à la mortalité; | He let his wrath have its way; he did not keep back their soul from death, but gave their life to disease. |
Il frappa tous les premiers-nés en Égypte, Les prémices de la force sous les tentes de Cham. | He gave to destruction all the first sons of Egypt; the first-fruits of their strength in the tents of Ham; |
Il fit partir son peuple comme des brebis, Il les conduisit comme un troupeau dans le désert. | But he took his people out like sheep, guiding them in the waste land like a flock. |
Il les dirigea sûrement, pour qu`ils fussent sans crainte, Et la mer couvrit leurs ennemis. | He took them on safely so that they had no fear; but their haters were covered by the sea. |
Il les amena vers sa frontière sainte, Vers cette montagne que sa droite a acquise. | And he was their guide to his holy land, even to the mountain, which his right hand had made his; |
Il chassa devant eux les nations, Leur distribua le pays en héritage, Et fit habiter dans leurs tentes les tribus d`Israël. | Driving out nations before them, marking out the line of their heritage, and giving the people of Israel their tents for a resting-place. |
Mais ils tentèrent le Dieu Très Haut et se révoltèrent contre lui, Et ils n`observèrent point ses ordonnances. | But they were bitter against the Most High God, testing him, and not keeping his laws; |
Ils s`éloignèrent et furent infidèles, comme leurs pères, Ils tournèrent, comme un arc trompeur. | Their hearts were turned back and untrue like their fathers; they were turned to one side like a twisted bow. |
Ils l`irritèrent par leurs hauts lieux, Et ils excitèrent sa jalousie par leurs idoles. | They made him angry with their high places; moving him to wrath with their images. |
Dieu entendit, et il fut irrité; Il repoussa fortement Israël. | When this came to God's ears he was very angry, and gave up Israel completely; |
Il abandonna la demeure de Silo, La tente où il habitait parmi les hommes; | So that he went away from the holy place in Shiloh, the tent which he had put among men; |
Il livra sa gloire à la captivité, Et sa majesté entre les mains de l`ennemi. | And he let his strength be taken prisoner, and gave his glory into the hands of his hater. |
Il mit son peuple à la merci du glaive, Et il s`indigna contre son héritage. | He gave his people up to the sword, and was angry with his heritage. |
Le feu dévora ses jeunes hommes, Et ses vierges ne furent pas célébrées; | Their young men were burned in the fire; and their virgins were not praised in the bride-song. |
Ses sacrificateurs tombèrent par l`épée, Et ses veuves ne pleurèrent pas. | Their priests were put to death by the sword, and their widows made no weeping for them. |
Le Seigneur s`éveilla comme celui qui a dormi, Comme un héros qu`a subjugué le vin. | Then was the Lord like one awaking from sleep, and like a strong man crying out because of wine. |
Il frappa ses adversaires en fuite, Il les couvrit d`un opprobre éternel. | His haters were turned back by his blows and shamed for ever. |
Cependant il rejeta la tente de Joseph, Et il ne choisit point la tribu d`Éphraïm; | And he put the tent of Joseph on one side, and took not the tribe of Ephraim; |
Il préféra la tribu de Juda, La montagne de Sion qu`il aimait. | But he took the tribe of Judah for himself, and the mountain of Zion, in which he had pleasure. |
Et il bâtit son sanctuaire comme les lieux élevés, Comme la terre qu`il a fondée pour toujours. | And he made his holy place like the high heaven, like the earth which is fixed by him for ever. |
Il choisit David, son serviteur, Et il le tira des bergeries; | He took David to be his servant, taking him from the place of the flocks; |
Il le prit derrière les brebis qui allaitent, Pour lui faire paître Jacob, son peuple, Et Israël, son héritage. | From looking after the sheep which were giving milk, he took him to give food to Jacob his people, and to Israel his heritage. |
Et David les dirigea avec un coeur intègre, Et les conduisit avec des mains intelligentes. | So he gave them food with an upright heart, guiding them by the wisdom of his hands. |