Livre de la Genèse 30

BIBLES DES PEUPLES	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 Rachel voyait qu’elle ne donnait pas de fils à Jacob: elle devint jalouse de sa sœur. Elle dit à Jacob: “Donne-moi des fils, ou je meurs!”	1 Then Rachel, discerning that she was infertile, envied her sister, and so she said to her husband, “Give me children, otherwise I will die.”
2 Jacob se mit en colère contre Rachel et lui dit: “Que puis-je faire si Dieu t’a refusé des enfants?”	2 Jacob, being angry, responded to her, “Am I in the place of God, who has deprived you of the fruit of your womb?”
3 Rachel répondit: “Voici ma servante Bila, unis-toi à elle. Son enfant viendra au monde sur mes genoux et, par elle, moi aussi j’aurai un fils.”	3 But she said: “I have a handmaid Bilhah. Go in to her, so that she may give birth upon my knees, and I may have sons by her.”
4 Elle lui donna donc sa servante Bila et Jacob s’approcha d’elle.	4 And she gave him Bilhah in marriage.
5 Bila fut enceinte et donna un fils à Jacob.	5 And when her husband had gone in to her, she conceived and bore a son.
6 Alors Rachel dit: “Dieu m’a rendu justice; il a écouté ma voix et il m’a donné un fils.” Et pour cela elle lui donna le nom de Dan.	6 And Rachel said, “The Lord has judged for me, and he has heeded my voice, giving me a son.” And because of this, she called his name Dan.
7 Bila, la servante de Rachel, fut encore enceinte et donna un second fils à Jacob.	7 And conceiving again, Bilhah bore another,
8 Rachel dit alors: “J’ai mené de sacrées luttes contre ma sœur, et j’ai gagné.” Elle lui donna donc le nom de Nephtali.	8 about whom Rachel said, “God has compared me with my sister, and I have prevailed.” And she called him Naphtali.
9 Quand Léa vit qu’elle avait cessé d’avoir des enfants, elle prit sa servante Zilpa pour la donner à Jacob,	9 Leah, perceiving that she had desisted from child-bearing, delivered Zilpah, her handmaid, to her husband.
10 et Zilpa donna un fils à Jacob.	10 And she, after having borne a son with difficulty,
11 Léa dit alors: “Quel bonheur!” C’est pourquoi elle lui donna le nom de Gad.	11 said: “Happiness!” And for this reason, she called his name Gad.
12 Zilpa, la servante de Léa, donna un second fils à Jacob.	12 Likewise, Zilpah bore another.
13 “Je suis heureuse, dit-elle, les femmes me féliciteront.” Aussi lui donna-t-elle le nom d’Asher.	13 And Leah said, “This one is for my happiness. Indeed, women will call me blessed.” Because of this, she called him Asher.
14 Au temps de la moisson des blés, Ruben sortit et trouva dans les champs des pommes d’amour. Il les rapporta à sa mère Léa. Alors Rachel dit à Léa: “Donne-moi donc de ces pommes d’amour que ton fils a rapportées.”	14 Then Reuben, going out into the field at the time of the wheat harvest, found mandrakes. These he brought to his mother Leah. And Rachel said, “Give me a portion of your son’s mandrakes.”
15 Léa répondit: “Ça ne te suffit donc pas d’avoir pris mon mari? Tu veux prendre encore les pommes d’amour de mon fils!” Alors Rachel lui dit: “Bien! Qu’il couche avec toi cette nuit en échange des pommes d’amour de ton fils.”	15 She responded, “Does it seem like such a small matter to you, that you have usurped from me my husband, unless you will also take my son’s mandrakes?” Rachel said, “He will sleep with you this night because of your son’s mandrakes.”
16 Le soir, quand Jacob rentra des champs, Léa sortit à sa rencontre. “Tu coucheras avec moi cette nuit, dit-elle, car je t’ai échangé contre les pommes d’amour de mon fils.” Il coucha donc avec elle cette nuit-là.	16 And when Jacob returned from the field in the evening, Leah went out to meet him, and she said, “You will enter to me, because I have hired you for the reward of my son’s mandrakes.” And he slept with her that night.
17 Dieu écouta Léa. Elle fut enceinte et donna un cinquième fils à Jacob.	17 And God heard her prayers. And she conceived and bore a fifth son.
18 Léa dit alors: “Dieu m’a récompensée parce que j’ai donné ma servante à mon mari.” Et elle appela l’enfant Issacar.	18 And she said, “God has given a reward to me, because I gave my handmaid to my husband.” And she called his name Issachar.
19 Léa fut encore enceinte et donna un sixième fils à Jacob.	19 Conceiving again, Leah bore a sixth son.
20 “Dieu m’a fait un beau cadeau, dit-elle, cette fois mon mari me gardera avec lui, car je lui ai donné six fils.” Et elle donna à l’enfant le nom de Zabulon.	20 And she said: “God has endowed me with a good dowry. And now, at this turn, my husband will be with me, because I have conceived six sons for him.” And therefore she called his name Zebulun.
21 Après quoi elle donna le jour à une fille et l’appela Dinah.	21 After him, she bore a daughter, named Dinah.
22 Alors Dieu se souvint de Rachel. Dieu l’écouta et la rendit féconde.	22 The Lord, likewise remembering Rachel, heeded her and opened her womb.
23 Elle devint enceinte et eut un fils. “Dieu, dit-elle, a enlevé ma honte.”	23 And she conceived and bore a son, saying, “God has taken away my reproach.”
24 Elle donna à l’enfant le nom de Joseph, car elle disait: “Que Yahvé m’ajoute un autre fils.”	24 And she called his name Joseph, saying, “The Lord has added to me another son.”
25 Après que Rachel eût donné le jour à Joseph, Jacob dit à Laban: “Laisse-moi partir, je voudrais retourner chez moi, dans mon pays.	25 But when Joseph was born, Jacob said to his father-in-law: “Release me, so that I may return to my native country and to my land.
26 Donne-moi, s’il te plaît, mes femmes pour lesquelles je t’ai servi, ainsi que mes enfants, que je puisse m’en aller. Tu sais quel travail j’ai fait chez toi!”	26 Give me my wives, and my children, for whom I have served you, so that I may depart. You know the servitude with which I have served you.”
27 Laban répondit: “Si j’ai trouvé grâce à tes yeux, ne pars pas. Le ciel m’a fait voir que Yahvé me bénissait à cause de toi.”	27 Laban said to him: “May I find grace in your sight. I have learned by experience that God has blessed me because of you.
28 Il ajouta: “Fixe toi-même ton salaire, et je te le donnerai.”	28 Choose your wages, which I will give you.”
29 Jacob lui dit: “Tu sais comment je t’ai servi, et combien ton troupeau a grandi grâce à moi.	29 But he responded: “You know how I have served you, and how great your possession became in my hands.
30 Avant moi tu n’avais pas grand-chose, mais avec moi tout s’est considérablement développé, et Yahvé t’a béni. Quand donc pourrai-je travailler pour moi?”	30 You had little before I came to you, and now you have achieved riches. And the Lord has blessed you since my arrival. It is just, therefore, that at sometime I also should provide for my own house.”
31 Laban lui dit: “Que te donnerai-je?” Jacob répondit: “Ne me donne rien. Mais si tu fais pour moi ce que je vais te dire, je continuerai à garder ton petit bétail.	31 And Laban said, “What shall I give to you?” But he said, “I want nothing. But if you will do what I ask, I will feed and guard your sheep again.
32 Aujourd’hui je vais passer en revue tout ton petit bétail. Tout agneau qui aura des points ou des taches, tout agneau brun parmi les moutons, toute chèvre qui aura des taches ou des points, je les mettrai de côté: ce sera mon salaire.	32 Go around through all your flocks and separate all the sheep of variegated or spotted fleece; and whatever will be darkened or blemished or variegated, as much among the sheep as among the goats, will be my wages.
33 Demain tu viendras vérifier mon salaire et tu verras si je suis honnête. Les chèvres qui n’auront pas de points ou de taches, les moutons dans mon troupeau qui ne seront pas bruns, tu pourras dire qu’ils sont volés.”	33 And my justice will answer on my behalf tomorrow, when the time of settlement arrives before you. And all that is not variegated or blemished or darkened, as much among the sheep as among the goats, these will prove me to be a thief.”
34 Laban répondit: “C’est bien! Qu’il en soit comme tu l’as dit.”	34 And Laban said, “I hold favor for this request.”
35 Ce jour-là Laban mit de côté les boucs rayés et tachetés, toutes les chèvres qui avaient des points ou des taches, tous les moutons qui avaient du blanc et du brun, et les confia à ses fils.	35 And on that day he separated the she-goats, and the sheep, and the he-goats, and the rams with variegations or with blemishes. But every one of the flock which was of one color, that is, of white or of black fleece, he delivered into the hands of his sons.
36 Puis il les envoya loin de Jacob, à une distance de trois jours de marche, pendant que Jacob faisait paître le reste du troupeau de Laban.	36 And he established a distance of three days journey between himself and his son-in-law, who pastured the remainder of his flock.
37 Jacob prit alors des baguettes fraîches de divers arbres, il mit à nu le bois de place en place, de sorte que l’écorce qu’il avait laissée formait comme des anneaux sur les baguettes.	37 Then Jacob, taking green branches of poplar, and almond, and sycamore trees, debarked them in part. And when the bark was pulled off, in the parts that were stripped, there appeared whiteness, yet the parts that were left whole, remained green. And so, in this way the color was made variegated.
38 Ensuite il plaça les baguettes ainsi dénudées dans les auges et les abreuvoirs où les bêtes venaient boire. Les baguettes étaient donc sous leurs yeux lorsque les bêtes s’accouplaient en venant boire.	38 And he placed them in the troughs, where the water was poured out, so that when the flocks had arrived to drink, they would have the branches before their eyes, and in their sight they might conceive.
39 Les bêtes qui s’accouplaient devant les baguettes mettaient bas des petits portant des raies, des points ou des taches.	39 And it happened that, in the very heat of joining together, the sheep looked upon the branches, and they bore the blemished and the variegated, those speckled with diverse color.
40 Alors Jacob séparait les bêtes.	40 And Jacob divided the flock, and he set the branches in the troughs before the eyes of the rams. Now whatever was white or black belonged to Laban, but, in truth, the others belonged to Jacob, for the flocks were dispersed among one another.
41 Chaque fois que les bêtes les plus vigoureuses s’accouplaient, Jacob mettait les baguettes dans les auges sous les yeux des bêtes, pour qu’elles s’accouplent devant les baguettes.	41 Therefore, when the first to arrive were climbing on the ewes, Jacob placed the branches in the troughs of water before the eyes of the rams and the sheep, so that they might conceive while they were gazing upon them.
42 Mais quand les bêtes étaient chétives, il ne mettait pas de baguettes. Laban avait donc les bêtes chétives, et Jacob les vigoureuses.	42 Yet when the late arrivals and the last to conceive were let in, he did not place these. And so those that arrived late became Laban’s, and those that arrived first became Jacob’s.
43 Cet homme s’enrichit ainsi considérablement. Il eut beaucoup de bétail, des servantes, des serviteurs, des chameaux et des ânes.	43 And the man was enriched beyond limit, and he had many flocks, women servants and men servants, camels and donkeys.