Livre de Néhémie 6

JERUSALEM	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 Quand Sânballat, Tobiyya, Géshem l'Arabe et nos autres ennemis eurent appris que j'avaisreconstruit le rempart et qu'il n'y restait plus une brèche - à cette date toutefois je n'avais pas encore fixé lesbattants aux portes -,	1 Now it happened that, when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and Geshem, an Arab, and our other enemies, had heard that I had built the wall, and that there was no interruption remaining in it, (even though, at that time, I had not set up the double doors at the gates,)
2 Sânballat et Géshem m'expédièrent ce message: "Viens, rencontrons-nous à Ha-Kephirim, dans lavallée d'Ono." Mais ils méditaient de me faire du mal.	2 Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying: “Come, and let us strike a pact together in the villages, on the plain of Ono.” But they were thinking that they would do me harm.
3 Je leur envoyai donc des messagers avec cette réponse: "Je suis occupé à un grand travail et nepuis descendre: pourquoi le travail s'arrêterait-il, quand je le quitterais pour descendre vers vous?"	3 Therefore, I sent messengers to them, saying: “I am doing a great work, and I cannot descend, lest perhaps it may be neglected when I go out and descend to you.”
4 Quatre fois ils m'adressèrent la même invitation et je leur retournai la même réponse.	4 Then they sent to me, with this same word, four times. And I responded to them with the same word as before.
5 Alors, une cinquième fois, Sânballat m'envoya son serviteur, porteur d'une lettre ouverte	5 And Sanballat sent his servant to me a fifth time, with the former word, and he had a letter in his hand written in this manner:
6 où il était écrit: "On entend dire parmi les nations - et Gashmu confirme - que toi et les Juifssongeriez à un soulèvement; c'est pourquoi tu construirais le rempart; et c'est toi qui deviendrais leur roi;	6 “It has been heard among the Gentiles, and Geshem has said it, that you and the Jews are planning to rebel, and because of this, you are building the wall and thinking to raise yourself as a king over them. For this reason,
7 tu aurais même mis en place des prophètes pour proclamer à ton profit dans Jérusalem: Il y a un roien Juda! Maintenant ces bruits-là vont parvenir aux oreilles du roi: aussi, viens, que nous tenions conseilensemble."	7 you also have stationed prophets, who preach about you in Jerusalem, saying: ‘There is a king in Judea!’ But the king will hear about these words. Therefore, come now, so that we may go to counsel together.”
8 Mais je lui fis répondre: "Rien n'est arrivé de semblable à ce que tu affirmes et ce n'est qu'uneinvention de ton coeur!"	8 And I sent to them, saying: “There has been nothing done according to these words, which you have spoken. For you are inventing these things from your own heart.”
9 Car ils voulaient tous nous effrayer, se disant: "Leurs mains se lasseront de l'entreprise et elle nesera jamais exécutée." Or, au contraire je fortifiais mes mains!	9 For all these men wished to frighten us, thinking that our hands would cease from the work, and that we would cease. For this reason, I strengthened my hands all the more.
10 Un jour j'étais allé chez Shemaya, fils de Delaya, fils de Mehétabéel, qui se trouvait empêché. Ilprononça: "Rendons-nous au Temple de Dieu, à l'intérieur du sanctuaire: fermons bien les portes du sanctuaire,car on va venir pour te tuer, oui, cette nuit, on viendra te tuer!"	10 And I entered into the house of Shemaiah, the son of Delaiah, the son of Mehetabel, in secret. And he said: “Let us consult together in the house of God, in the midst of the temple. And let us close the doors of the temple. For they will come to kill you, and they will arrive in the night to put you to death.”
11 Mais je répondis: "Un homme comme moi, prendre la fuite? Et quel est l'homme de mon état quipénétrerait dans le sanctuaire pour sauver sa vie? Non, je n'irai pas!"	11 And I said: “How could anyone like me flee? And who like me should enter the temple, so that he may live? I will not enter.”
12 Je reconnus que ce n'était pas Dieu qui l'avait envoyé, mais il avait prononcé sur moi cet oracleparce que Tobiyya l'avait acheté,	12 And I understood that God had not sent him, but he had spoken to me as if he were prophesying, and that Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.
13 pour que, pris de frayeur, j'agisse de la sorte et en vienne à pécher; cela leur servirait à me faireune mauvaise réputation et ils pourraient m'outrager!	13 For he had accepted money, so that I would be afraid, and would sin, and so that they would have some evil with which to rebuke me.
14 Souviens-toi, mon Dieu, de Tobiyya, pour ce qu'il a commis; et aussi de Noadya, la prophétesse,et des autres prophètes qui voulurent m'effrayer.	14 Remember me, O Lord, because of Tobiah and Sanballat, because of their works of this kind. Then, too, Noadiah, a prophetess, and the rest of the prophets, would have made me afraid.
15 Le rempart fut achevé le 25 Elul, en 52 jours.	15 Now the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth day of the month of Elul, in fifty-two days.
16 Quand tous nos ennemis l'apprirent et que toutes les nations autour de nous l'eurent vu, ce fut unegrande merveille à leurs yeux et ils reconnurent que ce travail avait été accompli grâce à notre Dieu.	16 Then it happened that, when all our enemies had heard of it, all the nations that were around us were afraid, and they were downcast within themselves. For they knew that this work had been accomplished by God.
17 A cette même époque, les grands de Juda multipliaient leurs lettres à l'adresse de Tobiyya etcelles de Tobiyya leur parvenaient;	17 But also, in those days, many letters were being sent by the nobles of the Jews to Tobiah, and were arriving from Tobiah to them.
18 car il avait en Juda beaucoup d'alliés, étant le gendre de Shekanya, fils d'Ara, et son fils Yohanânayant pris pour femme la fille de Meshullam, fils de Bérékya.	18 For there were many in Judea who had sworn an oath to him, because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah, the son of Arah, and because Jehohanan, his son, had married the daughter of Meshullam, the son of Berechiah.
19 Ils vantaient même, en ma présence, ses bonnes actions et lui rapportaient mes paroles. EtTobiyya envoyait des lettres pour m'effrayer.	19 Moreover, they praised him before me, and they reported my words to him. And Tobiah sent letters, so that he might make me afraid.