1 Voici que la Sagesse fait son propre éloge, et qu’elle se rend gloire au milieu de son peuple. | 1 Wisdom shall praise her own self, and shall be honoured in God, and shall glory in the midst of her people, |
2 Elle a pris la parole à l’Assemblée du Très-Haut, c’est devant le Tout-Puissant qu’elle se glorifie. | 2 And shall open her mouth in the churches of the most High, and shall glorify herself in the sight of his power, |
3 Je suis sortie, dit-elle, de la bouche du Très-Haut, et comme un brouillard j’ai recouvert la terre. | 3 And in the midst of her own people she shall be exalted, and shall be admired in the holy assembly. |
4 Dans les hauteurs du ciel est ma demeure, mon trône est dans la colonne de nuée. | 4 And in the multitude of the elect she shall have praise, and among the blessed she shall be blessed, saying: |
5 Moi seule ai fait le tour de la voûte du ciel et parcouru le fond des océans. | 5 I came out of the mouth of the most High, the firstborn before all creatures: |
6 J’ai pris possession des flots de la mer; à moi la terre, et tous les peuples et toutes les nations. | 6 I made that in the heavens there should rise light that never faileth, and as a cloud I covered all the earth: |
7 Chez eux tous j’ai cherché un lieu où m’arrêter: chez qui, en quel domaine aurai-je un abri? | 7 I dwelt in the highest places, and my throne is in a pillar of a cloud. |
8 Et le Créateur de toutes choses m’a donné un ordre, celui qui m’a créée m’a indiqué où dresser ma tente. Il m’a dit: “Installe-toi en Jacob, qu’Israël soit ton domaine!” | 8 I alone have compassed the circuit of heaven, and have penetrated into the bottom of the deep, and have walked in the waves of the sea, |
9 Dès le commencement le Seigneur m’avait créée, avant que n’existe le temps, et je ne passe pas avec le temps. | 9 And have stood in all the earth: and in every people, |
10 Je célèbre en sa présence la liturgie de sa Sainte Demeure, et c’est pour cela même que je me suis fixée en Sion. | 10 And in every nation I have had the chief rule: |
11 Il m’a fait reposer dans la ville bien-aimée, c’est de Jérusalem que j’exerce mon pouvoir. | 11 And by my power I have trodden under my feet the hearts of all the high and low: and in all these I sought rest, and I shall abide in the inheritance of the Lord. |
12 J’ai pris racines dans le peuple glorifié par le Seigneur, dans ce domaine qui est son héritage. | 12 Then the creator of all things commanded, and said to me: and he that made me, rested in my tabernacle, |
13 Je me suis élevée comme un cèdre du Liban, comme les cyprès sur les pentes de l’Hermon. | 13 And he said to me: Let thy dwelling be in Jacob, and thy inheritance in Israel, and take root in my elect. |
14 J’ai grandi comme les palmiers d’Engaddi, comme les lauriers-roses de Jéricho, comme un bel olivier dans la plaine. | 14 From the beginning, and before the world, was I created, and unto the world to come I shall not cease to be, and in the holy dwelling place I have ministered before him. |
15 Comme le cinnamome j’ai donné mon parfum, comme les plantes odoriférantes; comme les sèves aromatiques j’ai répandu ma senteur, comme le baume et la myrrhe de choix, comme les vapeurs de l’encens dans le sanctuaire. | 15 And so was I established in Sion, and in the holy city likewise I rested, and my power was in Jerusalem. |
16 Comme le pin parasol j’ai étendu mes branches: elles s’appellent Gloire et Grâce. | 16 And I took root in an honourable people, and in the portion of mg God his inheritance, and my abode is in the full assembly of saints. |
17 Comme une vigne j’ai fleuri, avec des fleurs belles à voir qui ont donné des fruits de gloire et de richesse. | 17 I was exalted like a cedar in Libanus, and as a cypress tree on mount Sion. |
18 NO TEXT | 18 I was exalted like a palm tree in Cades, and as a rose plant in Jericho: |
19 Venez à moi, vous qui me désirez, et rassasiez-vous de mes fruits. | 19 As a fair olive tree in the plains, and as a plane tree by the water in the streets, was I exalted. |
20 Le souvenir qu’on garde de moi est plus doux que le miel, me posséder est plus suave qu’un rayon de miel. | 20 I gave a sweet smell like cinnamon. and aromatical balm: I yielded a sweet odour like the best myrrh: |
21 Ceux qui me mangent auront encore faim, et ceux qui me boivent auront encore soif. | 21 And I perfumed my dwelling as storax, and galbanum, and onyx, and aloes, and as the frankincense not cut, and my odour is as the purest balm. |
22 Celui qui m’écoute ne s’en repentira pas, ceux qui me cultivent ne pécheront pas. | 22 I have stretched out my branches as the turpentine tree, and my branches are of honour and grace. |
23 Tout cela n’est pas autre chose que le Livre de l’Alliance du Dieu Très-Haut, c’est la Loi que Moïse nous a prescrite et qui est le trésor des assemblées de Jacob. | 23 As the vine I have brought forth a pleasant odour: and my flowers are the fruit of honour and riches. |
24 NO TEXT | 24 I am the mother of fair love, and of fear, and of knowledge, and of holy hope. |
25 De cette Loi jaillissent les eaux de la sagesse, semblables à celles du Pichon, ou à celles du Tigre au temps des fruits nouveaux. | 25 In me is all grace of the way and of the truth, in me is all hope of life and of virtue. |
26 D’elle déborde le savoir comme une crue de l’Euphrate ou du Jourdain aux jours de la moisson, | 26 Come over to me, all ye that desire me, and be filled with my fruits. |
27 d’elle s’échappent les eaux de l’instruction comme les flots du Nil, comme le Guihon aux jours de la vendange. | 27 For my spirit is sweet above honey, and my inheritance above honey and the honeycomb. |
28 Le premier qui l’a trouvée n’en verra pas la fin, le dernier arrivé ne l’épuisera pas; | 28 My memory is unto everlasting generations. |
29 car ses pensées sont plus vastes que la mer et ses projets embrassent plus que le grand océan. | 29 They that eat me, shall yet hunger: and they that drink me, shall yet thirst. |
30 Pour ma part je n’étais qu’un petit chenal du fleuve, le ruisseau qu’on dérive vers un jardin. | 30 He that hearkeneth to me, shall not be confounded: and they that work by me, shall not sin. |
31 Mais j’ai pensé: “Je vais irriguer mon jardin, je veux arroser mes parterres.” Et voici que mon ruisseau est devenu un fleuve, et mon fleuve, une mer! | 31 They that explain me shall have life everlasting. |
32 Que ma doctrine brille comme l’aurore, et que s’étende au loin sa lumière! | 32 All these things are the book of life, and the covenant of the most High, and the knowledge of truth. |
33 Que mes leçons se propagent comme paroles prophétiques: car je veux la laisser aux générations futures. | 33 Moses commanded a law in the precepts of justices, and an inheritance to the house of Jacob, and the promises to Israel. |
34 Voyez: je n’ai pas peiné pour moi seul, mais pour tous ceux qui cherchent la sagesse. | 34 He appointed to David his servant to raise up of him a most mighty king, and sitting on the throne of glory for ever. |
| 35 Who filleth up wisdom as the Phison, and as the Tigris in the days of the new fruits. |
| 36 Who maketh understanding to abound as the Euphrates, who multiplieth it as the Jordan in the time of harvest. |
| 37 Who sendeth knowledge as the light, and riseth up as Gehon in the time of the vintage. |
| 38 Who first hath perfect knowledge of her, and a weaker shall not search her out. |
| 39 For her thoughts are more vast than the sea, and her counsels more deep than the great ocean. |
| 40 I, wisdom, have poured out rivers. |
| 41 I, like a brook out of a river of a mighty water; I, like a channel of a river. and like an aqueduct, came out of paradise. |
| 42 I said: I will water my garden of plants, and I will water abundantly the fruits of my meadow. |
| 43 And behold my brook became a great river, and my river came near to a sea: |
| 44 For I make doctrine to shine forth to all as the morning light, and I will declare it afar off. |
| 45 I will penetrate to all the lower parts of the earth, and will behold all that sleep, and will enlighten all that hope in the Lord. |
| 46 I will yet pour out doctrine as prophecy, and will leave it to them that seek wisdom, and will not cease to instruct their offspring even to the holy age. |
| 47 See ye that I have not laboured for myself only, but for all that seek out the truth. |