Genesis 37

NEW AMERICAN BIBLE	BIBLES DES PEUPLES
1 Jacob settled in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan.	1 Quant à Jacob, il demeura dans le pays où ses pères avaient séjourné, c’est-à-dire en Canaan.
2 This is his family history. When Joseph was seventeen years old, he was tending the flocks with his brothers; he was an assistant to the sons of his father's wives Bilhah and Zilpah, and he brought his father bad reports about them.	2 Voici maintenant les origines du peuple de Jacob. En ce temps-là Joseph était un adolescent de 17 ans; comme il gardait le petit bétail avec ses frères, les fils de Bila et les fils de Zilpa, les femmes de son père, il pouvait rapporter à son père le mal que l’on disait d’eux.
3 Israel loved Joseph best of all his sons, for he was the child of his old age; and he had made him a long tunic.	3 Israël préférait Joseph à tous ses autres fils, car il était le fils de sa vieillesse. Il lui avait même fait faire une tunique à manches.
4 When his brothers saw that their father loved him best of all his sons, they hated him so much that they would not even greet him.	4 Ses frères voyaient que leur père le préférait à tous les autres, aussi ils le détestèrent: ils ne pouvaient plus lui parler amicalement.
5 Once Joseph had a dream, which he told to his brothers:	5 Joseph eut un rêve qu’il raconta à ses frères.
6 "Listen to this dream I had.	6 Il leur dit: “Écoutez le rêve que j’ai eu.
7 There we were, binding sheaves in the field, when suddenly my sheaf rose to an upright position, and your sheaves formed a ring around my sheaf and bowed down to it."	7 Nous étions en train de ramasser les gerbes au milieu des champs, et voici que ma gerbe se dressa debout, toute droite, pendant que vos gerbes tout autour se prosternaient devant la mienne.”
8 "Are you really going to make yourself king over us?" his brothers asked him. "Or impose your rule on us?" So they hated him all the more because of his talk about his dreams.	8 Ses frères lui répondirent: “Voudrais-tu par hasard régner sur nous, devenir notre roi et dominer sur nous?” Ils le détestèrent encore plus à cause de ses rêves et de ses interprétations.
9 Then he had another dream, and this one, too, he told to his brothers. "I had another dream," he said; "this time, the sun and the moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me."	9 Il eut un autre rêve qu’il raconta encore à ses frères: “J’ai eu un rêve, dit-il: le soleil, la lune et onze étoiles se prosternaient devant moi.”
10 When he also told it to his father, his father reproved him. "What is the meaning of this dream of yours?" he asked. "Can it be that I and your mother and your brothers are to come and bow to the ground before you?"	10 Mais son père le gronda: “Qu’as-tu donc rêvé là! Devrons-nous, moi, ta mère et tes frères, nous prosterner jusqu’à terre devant toi?”
11 So his brothers were wrought up against him but his father pondered the matter.	11 Ses frères étaient jaloux de lui, mais son père n’oubliait rien de tout cela.
12 One day, when his brothers had gone to pasture their father's flocks at Shechem,	12 Comme ses frères étaient allés faire paître le troupeau de leur père à Sichem,
13 Israel said to Joseph, "Your brothers, you know, are tending our flocks at Shechem. Get ready; I will send you to them." "I am ready," Joseph answered.	13 Israël dit à Joseph: “Tes frères sont partis vers Sichem pour faire paître le troupeau, il faut que je t’envoie vers eux.” Il répondit: “Me voici!”
14 "Go then," he replied; "see if all is well with your brothers and the flocks, and bring back word." So he sent him off from the valley of Hebron. When Joseph reached Shechem,	14 Son père lui dit: “Va voir comment se portent tes frères et le troupeau: tu me rapporteras les nouvelles.” Il l’envoya donc de la vallée d’Hébron et Joseph arriva à Sichem.
15 a man met him as he was wandering about in the fields. "What are you looking for?" the man asked him.	15 Un homme le rencontra alors qu’il errait dans la campagne et lui demanda: “Que cherches-tu?”
16 "I am looking for my brothers," he answered. "Could you please tell me where they are tending the flocks?"	16 Joseph répondit: “Je cherche mes frères, peux-tu me dire où ils font paître le troupeau?”
17 The man told him, "They have moved on from here; in fact, I heard them say, 'Let us go on to Dothan.'" So Joseph went after his brothers and caught up with them in Dothan.	17 L’homme répondit: “Ils sont partis d’ici, et je les ai entendus qui disaient: Allons à Dotan.” Joseph alla donc à la recherche de ses frères et les retrouva à Dotan.
18 They noticed him from a distance, and before he came up to them, they plotted to kill him.	18 Ils l’aperçurent de loin et, avant qu’il n’approche, ils complotèrent contre lui pour le faire mourir.
19 They said to one another: "Here comes that master dreamer!	19 Ils se disaient entre eux: “Voici qu’arrive notre maître en songes!
20 Come on, let us kill him and throw him into one of the cisterns here; we could say that a wild beast devoured him. We shall then see what comes of his dreams."	20 C’est le moment, tuons-le, jetons-le dans une citerne quelconque et nous dirons qu’une bête sauvage l’a dévoré. Nous verrons bien alors à quoi riment ses songes.”
21 When Reuben heard this, he tried to save him from their hands, saying: "We must not take his life.	21 En entendant cela, Ruben voulut le sauver de leurs mains: “Ne le frappons pas à mort,” dit-il.
22 Instead of shedding blood," he continued, "just throw him into that cistern there in the desert; but don't kill him outright." His purpose was to rescue him from their hands and restore him to his father.	22 Ruben ajouta: “Ne répandez pas le sang, jetez-le donc dans cette citerne du désert, mais ne portez pas la main sur lui!” Il disait cela pour le sauver de leurs mains, pour le renvoyer à son père.
23 So when Joseph came up to them, they stripped him of the long tunic he had on;	23 Dès que Joseph arriva auprès de ses frères, ils lui arrachèrent la tunique à manches qu’il portait.
24 then they took him and threw him into the cistern, which was empty and dry.	24 Puis ils le prirent et le jetèrent dans la citerne. La citerne était vide: il n’y avait plus d’eau dedans.
25 They then sat down to their meal. Looking up, they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, their camels laden with gum, balm and resin to be taken down to Egypt.	25 Ils s’étaient assis pour prendre leur repas quand, levant les yeux, ils aperçurent une caravane d’Ismaélites qui arrivait de Galaad. Leurs chameaux étaient chargés de résine et de parfums précieux qu’ils transportaient en Égypte.
26 Judah said to his brothers: "What is to be gained by killing our brother and concealing his blood?	26 Alors Juda dit à ses frères: “Que gagnerons-nous à tuer notre frère et à cacher son sang?
27 Rather, let us sell him to these Ishmaelites, instead of doing away with him ourselves. After all, he is our brother, our own flesh." His brothers agreed.	27 Vendons-le aux Ismaélites plutôt que de le tuer, car il est notre frère!” Ses frères l’écoutèrent.
28 They sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. Some Midianite traders passed by, and they pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and took him to Egypt.	28 Des marchands de Madian passaient par là. Ses frères retirèrent Joseph, le firent remonter de la citerne et le vendirent aux Ismaélites pour vingt pièces d’argent. Ceux-ci emmenèrent Joseph en Égypte.
29 When Reuben went back to the cistern and saw that Joseph was not in it, he tore his clothes,	29 Lorsque Ruben revint à la citerne, Joseph n’y était plus: il en déchira ses vêtements!
30 and returning to his brothers, he exclaimed: "The boy is gone! And I--where can I turn?"	30 Puis il revint dire à ses frères: “Le garçon n’est plus là, que vais-je devenir?”
31 They took Joseph's tunic, and after slaughtering a goat, dipped the tunic in its blood.	31 Ils prirent alors la tunique de Joseph, égorgèrent un bouc et plongèrent la tunique dans son sang.
32 Then they sent someone to bring the long tunic to their father, with the message: "We found this. See whether it is your son's tunic or not."	32 Puis ils envoyèrent la tunique à manches et la firent parvenir à leur père en disant: “Voici ce que nous avons trouvé. Regarde! N’est-ce pas la tunique de ton fils?”
33 He recognized it and exclaimed: "My son's tunic! A wild beast has devoured him! Joseph has been torn to pieces!"	33 Jacob la reconnut: “C’est la tunique de mon fils, dit-il, une bête féroce l’aura dévoré, Joseph a été mis en pièces!”
34 Then Jacob rent his clothes, put sackcloth on his loins, and mourned his son many days.	34 Jacob déchira ses vêtements, il s’habilla d’un sac et fit le deuil de son fils durant de longs jours.
35 Though his sons and daughters tried to console him, he refused all consolation, saying, "No, I will go down mourning to my son in the nether world." Thus did his father lament him.	35 Tous ses fils et toutes ses filles venaient pour le consoler, mais il refusait de se consoler, car il disait: “Je garderai le deuil jusqu’à ce que j’aille rejoindre mon fils au séjour des morts.” Et son père le pleura.
36 The Midianites, meanwhile, sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, a courtier of Pharaoh and his chief steward.	36 Quant aux Madianites, ils vendirent Joseph en Égypte à Putifar, un fonctionnaire chef des gardes dans le palais du Pharaon.