| 1 Une parole de Yahvé fut adressée à Jonas, fils d’Amittaï: | 1 Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, |
| 2 “Lève-toi, pars à Ninive, la Grande Ville, pour lui lancer des menaces, car leur méchanceté est montée jusqu’à moi.” | 2 "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness has come up before me." |
| 3 Jonas partit, mais ce fut pour s’enfuir à Tarsis, loin de Yahvé. Il descendit à Jaffa où il trouva un bateau en partance pour Tarsis, il paya son billet et s’embarqua avec eux pour gagner Tarsis, loin de Yahvé. | 3 But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went on board, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the LORD. |
| 4 Mais Yahvé déchaîna sur la mer un grand vent et la tempête était si violente que le bateau menaçait de se briser. | 4 But the LORD hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up. |
| 5 Les marins avaient peur et chacun invoquait son dieu; on jeta la cargaison à la mer afin d’alléger le bateau. Jonas cependant était descendu au fond du bateau pour s’y étendre et il dormait profondément. | 5 Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried to his god; and they threw the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down, and was fast asleep. |
| 6 Le commandant du bateau s’approcha de lui et lui dit: “Pourquoi dors-tu? Lève-toi et crie vers ton dieu! Peut-être Dieu se souviendra-t-il de nous et ne nous laissera pas périr.” | 6 So the captain came and said to him, "What do you mean, you sleeper? Arise, call upon your god! Perhaps the god will give a thought to us, that we do not perish." |
| 7 Ils se dirent alors entre eux: “Jetons les sorts pour savoir qui nous a attiré ce malheur.” On tira donc au sort et le sort tomba sur Jonas. | 7 And they said to one another, "Come, let us cast lots, that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us." So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah. |
| 8 Les autres lui demandèrent: “Ce malheur est bien dû à quelqu’un, dis-nous quel est ton métier et d’où tu viens. Quel est ton pays, à quel peuple appartiens-tu?” | 8 Then they said to him, "Tell us, on whose account this evil has come upon us? What is your occupation? And whence do you come? What is your country? And of what people are you?" |
| 9 Et Jonas commença à leur raconter: “Je suis un Hébreu et je vénère Yahvé, le Dieu du ciel, celui qui a fait la mer et les continents…” | 9 And he said to them, "I am a Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land." |
| 10 Les autres furent remplis de crainte et lui dirent: “Qu’as-tu fait là?” Car maintenant ces hommes savaient qu’il fuyait loin de Yahvé: Jonas le leur avait dit. | 10 Then the men were exceedingly afraid, and said to him, "What is this that you have done!" For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them. |
| 11 Ils lui dirent: “Que devons-nous te faire pour que la mer se calme?” Car la mer se soulevait de plus en plus. | 11 Then they said to him, "What shall we do to you, that the sea may quiet down for us?" For the sea grew more and more tempestuous. |
| 12 Jonas leur dit: “Prenez-moi et jetez-moi à la mer, et la mer se calmera, car je sais que c’est à cause de moi que cette grande tempête s’est levée.” | 12 He said to them, "Take me up and throw me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you; for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you." |
| 13 Les hommes avaient beau ramer de toutes leurs forces pour regagner la côte, ils étaient impuissants, car la mer se soulevait de plus en plus contre eux. | 13 Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring the ship back to land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them. |
| 14 Ils lancèrent donc cet appel à Yahvé: “Ô Yahvé, ne nous fais pas périr à cause de cet homme et ne nous rends pas responsables de sa mort; c’est toi, Yahvé, qui as agi comme tu le voulais.” | 14 Therefore they cried to the LORD, "We beseech thee, O LORD, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not on us innocent blood; for thou, O LORD, hast done as it pleased thee." |
| 15 Cela dit, ils prirent Jonas et le jetèrent à la mer et la mer se calma. | 15 So they took up Jonah and threw him into the sea; and the sea ceased from its raging. |
| 16 Ces hommes furent remplis d’un profond respect pour Yahvé; ils lui offrirent un sacrifice et lui firent des promesses. | 16 Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows. |
| 17 And the LORD appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah; and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. |
