Livre de Néhémie 5

JERUSALEM	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 Une grande plainte s'éleva parmi les gens du peuple et leurs femmes contre leurs frères juifs.	1 And there occurred a great outcry of the people and their wives against their brothers, the Jews.
2 Les uns disaient: "Nous devons donner en gage nos fils et nos filles pour recevoir du blé, mangeret vivre."	2 And there were those who were saying: “Our sons and our daughters are very many. Let us receive grain as a price for them, and then we may eat and live.”
3 D'autres disaient: "Nous devons engager nos champs, nos vignes et nos maisons pour recevoir dublé pendant la famine."	3 And there were those who were saying: “Let us offer up our fields and vineyards, and our houses, and then we may receive grain during the famine.”
4 D'autres encore disaient: "Pour acquitter l'impôt roi, nous avons dû emprunter de l'argent sur noschamps et nos vignes;	4 And others were saying: “Let us borrow money for the tribute of the king, and let us surrender our fields and vineyards.”
5 et alors que nous avons la même chair que nos frères, que nos enfants valent les leurs, nous devonslivrer en esclavage nos fils et nos filles; il en est, parmi nos filles, qui sont asservies! Nous n'y pouvons rien,puisque nos champs et nos vignes sont déjà à d'autres."	5 “And now, as is the flesh of our brothers, so is our flesh; and as are their sons, so also are our sons. Behold, we have subjugated our sons and our daughters into servitude, and some of our daughters are slaves, nor do we have the ability to redeem them, for others possess our fields and our vineyards.”
6 Je me mis fort en colère quand j'entendis leur plainte et ces paroles.	6 And when I had heard their outcry in these words, I was exceedingly angry.
7 Ayant délibéré en moi-même, je tançai les grands et les magistrats en ces termes: "Quel fardeauchacun de vous impose à son frère!" Et convoquant contre eux une grande assemblée,	7 And my heart considered within me. And I rebuked the nobles and the magistrates, and I said to them, “Have you each been exacting usury from your brothers?” And I gathered together a great assembly against them.
8 je leur dis: "Nous avons, dans la mesure de nos moyens, racheté nos frères juifs qui s'étaientvendus aux nations. Et c'est vous maintenant qui vendez vos frères pour que nous les rachetions!" Ils gardèrent lesilence et ne trouvèrent rien à répliquer.	8 And I said to them: “As you know, in accord with what was possible for us, we have redeemed our brothers, the Jews, who had been sold to the Gentiles. And yet you now sell your brothers, and we must redeem them?” And they were silent, nor did they find anything to answer.
9 Je poursuivis: "Ce que vous faites là n'est pas bien. Ne voulez-vous pas marcher dans la crainte denotre Dieu, pour éviter les insultes des nations, nos ennemies?	9 And I said to them: “The thing that you are doing is not good. Why are you not walking in the fear of our God, so that there may be no reproach against us from our enemies, the Gentiles?
10 Moi aussi, mes frères et mes gens, nous leur avons prêté de l'argent et du blé. Eh bien! faisonsabandon de cette dette.	10 Both I and my brothers, with my servants, have lent money and grain to many. Let us agree not to ask for its return. Let us forgive the other money that is owed to us.
11 Restituez-leur sans délai leurs champs, leurs vignes, leurs oliviers et leurs maisons, et remettez-leur la dette de l'argent, du blé, du vin et de l'huile que vous leur avez prêtés."	11 On this day, restore their fields, and their vineyards, and their olive groves, and their houses to them. Then, too, the hundredth part of the money, and of the grain, wine, and oil, which you usually exact from them, give it to them.”
12 Ils répondirent: "Nous restituerons; nous n'exigerons plus rien d'eux; nous agirons comme tu l'asdit."	12 And they said: “We will restore it, and we will require nothing from them. And we will do just as you say.” And I called the priests, and I had them swear an oath, so that they would act in accord with what I had said.
13 Puis je secouai le pli de mon vêtement en disant: "Que Dieu secoue de la sorte, hors de sa maisonet de son bien, tout homme qui ne tiendra pas cette parole: qu'il soit ainsi secoué et vidé!" Et toute l'assembléerépondit: "Amen!" et loua Yahvé. Et le peuple agit suivant cet engagement.	13 Moreover, I shook out my lap, and I said: “So may God shake out every man, who does not fulfill this word. From his house and from his labors, so may he be shaken out and become empty.” And the entire multitude said, “Amen.” And they praised God. Therefore, the people acted in accord with what was said.
14 Bien plus, depuis le jour où le roi m'institua gouverneur au pays de Juda, de la vingtième à latrente-deuxième année du roi Artaxerxès, pendant douze ans, moi et mes frères n'avons jamais mangé laprovende du gouverneur.	14 Now from that day, on which the king had ordered me to be governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year even to the thirty-second year of king Artaxerxes, for twelve years, I and my brothers did not eat the yearly allowance that was owed to the governors.
15 Or les anciens gouverneurs, qui m'ont précédé, pressuraient le peuple: ils lui prenaient chaquejour, pour la provende, 40 sicles d'argent; leurs serviteurs aussi opprimaient le peuple. Moi au contraire je n'aijamais agi de la sorte, par crainte de Dieu.	15 But the former governors, the ones who had been before me, were a burden to the people, and they took from them bread and wine, and forty shekels of money each day. And their officials also oppressed the people. But I did not do so, out of fear of God.
16 Je me suis également appliqué au travail de ce rempart, bien que je ne fusse propriétaire d'aucunchamp! Tous mes gens étaient là, réunis à la tâche.	16 In fact, I preferred to build in the work of the wall, and I bought no land, and all my servants were gathered to do the work.
17 A ma table mangeaient les grands et les magistrats, au nombre de 150, sans compter ceux quinous venaient des nations environnantes.	17 Likewise, the Jews and the magistrates, one hundred and fifty men, were at my table, with those who came to us from among the Gentiles that are around us.
18 Quotidiennement on apprêtait à mes frais un boeuf, six moutons de choix et des volailles; tous lesdix jours, on apportait quantité d'outres de vin. Malgré cela, je n'ai jamais réclamé la provende du gouverneur,car sur ce peuple pesait un lourd service.	18 Now there was prepared for me, on each day, one ox and six choice rams, along with poultry. And once every ten days, I distributed diverse wines and many other things. Yet I did not require my yearly allowance as governor. For the people were greatly impoverished.
19 Souviens-toi, mon Dieu, en ma faveur, de tout ce que j'ai fait pour ce peuple!	19 Remember me, O my God, for good, in accord with all that I have done for this people.