Livre de Néhémie 9

JERUSALEM	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 Le vingt-quatrième jour de ce mois, les Israélites, revêtus de sacs et la tête couverte de poussière,se rassemblèrent pour un jeûne.	1 On the twenty-fourth day of this month, the Israelites gathered together fasting and in sackcloth, their heads covered with dust.
2 La race d'Israël se sépara de tous les gens de souche étrangère: debout, ils confessèrent leurspéchés et les iniquités de leurs pères.	2 Those of Israelite descent separated themselves from all who were of foreign extraction, then stood forward and confessed their sins and the guilty deeds of their fathers.
3 Debout, et chacun à sa place, ils lurent dans le livre de la Loi de Yahvé leur Dieu, durant un quartde la journée; pendant un autre quart, ils confessaient leurs péchés et se prosternaient devant Yahvé leur Dieu.	3 When they had taken their places, they read from the book of the law of the LORD their God, for a fourth part of the day, and during another fourth part they made their confession and prostrated themselves before the LORD their God.
4 Prenant place sur l'estrade des lévites, Josué, Binnuï, Qadmiel, Shebanya, Bunni, Shérébya, Bani,Kenani crièrent à voix forte vers Yahvé leur Dieu,	4 Standing on the platform of the Levites were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani, who cried out to the LORD their God, with a loud voice.
5 et les lévites Josué, Qadmiel, Bani, Hashabnéya, Shérébya, Hodiyya, Shebanya, Petahya dirent:"Levez-vous, bénissez Yahvé votre Dieu!" Bénis sois-tu, Yahvé notre Dieu, d'éternité en éternité! Et qu'onbénisse ton Nom de gloire qui surpasse toute bénédiction et louange!	5 The Levites Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah said, "Arise, bless the LORD, your God, from eternity to eternity!" The Israelites answered with the blessing, "Blessed is your glorious name, and exalted above all blessing and praise."
6 C'est toi, Yahvé, qui es l'Unique! Tu fis les cieux, les cieux des cieux et toute leur armée, la terre ettout ce qu'elle porte, les mers et tout ce qu'elles renferment. Tout cela, c'est toi qui l'animes et l'armée des cieuxdevant toi se prosterne.	6 Then Ezra said: "It is you, O LORD, you are the only one; you made the heavens, the highest heavens and all their host, the earth and all that is upon it, the seas and all that is in them. To all of them you give life, and the heavenly hosts bow down before you.
7 Tu es Yahvé, Dieu, qui fis choix d'Abram, le tiras d'Ur des Chaldéens et lui donnas le nomd'Abraham.	7 "You, O LORD, are the God who chose Abram, who brought him out from Ur of the Chaldees, and named him Abraham.
8 Trouvant son coeur fidèle devant toi, tu fis alliance avec lui, pour lui donner le pays du Cananéen,du Hittite et de l'Amorite, du Perizzite, du Jébuséen et du Girgashite, à lui et à sa postérité. Et tu as tenu tespromesses, car tu es juste.	8 When you had found his heart faithful in your sight, you made the covenant with him to give to him and his posterity the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Jebusites, and Girgashites. These promises of yours you fulfilled, for you are just.
9 Tu vis la détresse de nos pères en Egypte, tu entendis leur cri près la mer des Roseaux.	9 "You saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, you heard their cry by the Red Sea;
10 Tu opéras signes et prodiges contre Pharaon, tous ses valets et tout le peuple de son pays; car tusavais quelle fut envers eux leur arrogance. Tu t'acquis un renom qui dure encore.	10 You worked signs and wonders against Pharaoh, against all his servants and the people of his land, Because you knew of their insolence toward them; thus you made for yourself a name even to this day.
11 La mer, tu l'ouvris devant eux: ils passèrent au milieu de la mer à pied sec. Dans les abîmes tuprécipitas leurs poursuivants, telle une pierre dans des eaux impétueuses.	11 The sea you divided before them, on dry ground they passed through the midst of the sea; Their pursuers you hurled into the depths, like a stone into the mighty waters.
12 Par une colonne de nuée, tu les guidas le jour, la nuit, par une colonne de feu, pour illuminerdevant eux la voie où ils chemineraient.	12 With a column of cloud you led them by day, and by night with a column of fire, To light the way of their journey, the way in which they must travel.
13 Tu es descendu sur le mont Sinaï, et du ciel leur as parlé; et tu leur as donné des ordonnancesjustes, des lois sûres, des préceptes et des commandements excellents;	13 On Mount Sinai you came down, you spoke with them from heaven; You gave them just ordinances, firm laws, good statutes, and commandments;
14 tu leur fis connaître ton saint sabbat; tu leur prescrivis commandements, préceptes et Loi par leministère de Moïse, ton serviteur.	14 Your holy sabbath you made known to them, commandments, statutes, and law you prescribed for them, by the hand of Moses your servant.
15 Du ciel tu leur fournis le pain pour leur faim, du roc tu fis jaillir l'eau pour leur soif. Tu leurcommandas d'aller prendre possession du pays que tu avais fait serment de leur donner.	15 Food from heaven you gave them in their hunger, water from a rock you sent them in their thirst. You bade them enter and occupy the land which you had sworn with upraised hand to give them.
16 Mais nos pères s'enorgueillirent, ils raidirent la nuque, ils n'obéirent point à tes ordres.	16 "But they, our fathers, proved to be insolent; they held their necks stiff and would not obey your commandments.
17 Ils refusèrent d'obéir, oublieux des merveilles que tu avais accomplies pour eux; ils raidirent lanuque, ils se mirent en tête de retourner en Egypte, à leur esclavage. Mais tu es le Dieu des pardons, plein depitié et de tendresse, lent à la colère et riche en bonté: tu ne les as pas abandonnés!	17 They refused to obey and no longer remembered the miracles you had worked for them. They stiffened their necks and turned their heads to return to their slavery in Egypt. But you are a God of pardons, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in mercy; you did not forsake them.
18 Même quand ils se fabriquèrent un veau de métal fondu, déclarèrent: "C'est là ton Dieu qui t'a faitmonter d'Egypte!" et commirent de grands blasphèmes,	18 Though they made for themselves a molten calf, and proclaimed, 'Here is your God who brought you up out of Egypt,' and were guilty of great effronteries,
19 toi, dans ton immense tendresse, tu ne les as pas abandonnés au désert: la colonne de nuée nes'écarta point d'eux pour les guider de jour sur la route, ni la colonne de feu la nuit, pour illuminer devant eux laroute où ils chemineraient.	19 yet in your great mercy you did not forsake them in the desert. The column of cloud did not cease to lead them by day on their journey, nor did the column of fire by night cease to light for them the way by which they were to travel.
20 Tu leur as donné ton bon esprit pour les rendre sages, tu n'as pas retenu ta manne loin de leurbouche et tu leur as fourni l'eau pour leur soif.	20 "Your good spirit you bestowed on them, to give them understanding; your manna you did not withhold from their mouths, and you gave them water in their thirst.
21 40 ans tu en pris soin au désert: ils ne manquèrent de rien, ni leurs habits ne s'usèrent, ni leurspieds n'enflèrent.	21 Forty years in the desert you sustained them: they did not want; their garments did not become worn, and their feet did not become swollen.
22 Et tu leur livras des royaumes et des peuples et les leur attribuas en cantons frontaliers: ils ontpris possession du pays de Sihôn, roi de Heshbôn, et du pays d'Og, roi du Bashân.	22 You gave them kingdoms and peoples, which you divided up among them as border lands. They possessed the land of Sihon, king of Heshbon, and the land of Og, king of Bashan.
23 Et tu multiplias leurs fils comme étoiles du ciel et tu les introduisis dans le pays où tu avais dit àleurs pères d'entrer pour en prendre possession.	23 "You made their children as numerous as the stars of the heavens, and you brought them into the land which you had commanded their fathers to enter and possess.
24 Les fils envahirent et conquirent ce pays et tu abaissas devant eux les habitants du pays, lesCananéens, que tu livras entre leurs mains, leurs rois et les peuples du pays pour les traiter à leur gré;	24 The sons went in to take possession of the land, and you humbled before them the Canaanite inhabitants of the land and delivered them over into their power, their kings as well as the peoples of the land, to do with them as they would.
25 ils s'emparèrent de villes fortifiées et d'une terre grasse; ils héritèrent de maisons regorgeant detous biens, de citernes déjà creusées, de vignes, d'oliviers, d'arbres fruitiers à profusion: ils mangèrent, ils serassasièrent, ils engraissèrent, ils firent leurs délices de tes immenses biens.	25 They captured fortified cities and fertile land; they took possession of houses filled with all good things, cisterns already dug, vineyards, olive groves, and fruit trees in abundance. They could eat and have their fill, fatten and feast themselves on your immense good gifts.
26 Mais voici qu'indociles, révoltés contre toi, ils jetèrent ta Loi derrière leur dos, ils tuèrent lesprophètes qui les avertissaient pour te les ramener et commirent de grands blasphèmes.	26 "But they were contemptuous and rebellious: they cast your law behind their backs, they slew your prophets who bore witness against them in order to bring them back to you, and they were guilty of great effronteries.
27 Tu les livras alors aux mains de leurs oppresseurs, qui les opprimèrent. Au temps de leuroppression, ils criaient vers toi, et toi, du ciel, tu les entendais et dans ton immense tendresse tu leur accordaisdes sauveurs qui les délivraient des mains de leurs oppresseurs.	27 Therefore you delivered them into the power of their enemies, who oppressed them. But in the time of their oppression they would cry out to you, and you would hear them from heaven, and according to your great mercy give them saviors to deliver them from the power of their enemies.
28 Mais, sitôt en paix, voilà qu'ils refaisaient le mal devant toi, et tu les abandonnais aux mains deleurs ennemis, qui les tyrannisaient. Eux, de nouveau, criaient vers toi, et toi, du ciel, tu les entendais: que de foisdans ta tendresse ne les délivras-tu pas!	28 "As soon as they had relief, they would go back to doing evil in your sight. Then again you abandoned them to the power of their enemies, who crushed them. Then they cried out to you, and you heard them from heaven and delivered them according to your mercy, many times over.
29 Tu les avertis pour les ramener à ta Loi: mais ils s'enorgueillirent, ils n'obéirent pas à tescommandements, ils péchèrent contre tes ordonnances, celles-là mêmes où trouve vie l'homme qui les observe,ils présentèrent une épaule rebelle, raidirent leur nuque et n'obéirent point.	29 You bore witness against them, in order to bring them back to your law. But they were insolent and would not obey your commandments; they sinned against your ordinances, from which men draw life when they practice them. They turned stubborn backs, stiffened their necks, and would not obey.
30 Tu fus patient avec eux bien des années; tu les avertis par ton Esprit, par le ministère de tesprophètes; mais ils n'écoutèrent pas. Alors tu les livras aux mains des peuples des pays.	30 You were patient with them for many years, bearing witness against them through your spirit, by means of your prophets; still they would not listen. Thus you delivered them over into the power of the peoples of the lands.
31 Dans ton immense tendresse, tu ne les as pas exterminés, tu ne les as pas abandonnés, car tu es unDieu plein de pitié et de tendresse.	31 Yet in your great mercy you did not completely destroy them and you did not forsake them, for you are a kind and merciful God.
32 Et maintenant, ô notre Dieu, toi le Dieu grand, puissant et redoutable, qui maintiens l'alliance etla bonté, ne compte pas pour rien tout cet accablement qui est tombé sur nous, sur nos rois, nos chefs, nosprêtres, nos prophètes et tout ton peuple, depuis le temps des rois d'Assur jusqu'à ce jour.	32 "Now, therefore, O our God, great, mighty, and awesome God, you who in your mercy preserve the covenant, take into account all the disasters that have befallen us, our kings, our princes, our priests, our prophets, our fathers, and your entire people, from the time of the kings of Assyria until this day!
33 Tu as été juste en tout ce qui nous est advenu, car tu as montré ta fidélité, alors que nousagissions mal.	33 In all that has come upon us you have been just, for you kept faith while we have done evil.
34 Oui, nos rois, nos chefs, nos prêtres et nos pères n'ont pas suivi ta Loi, inattentifs à tescommandements et aux obligations que tu leur imposais.	34 Yes, our kings, our princes, our priests, and our fathers have not kept your law; they paid no attention to your commandments and the obligations of which you reminded them.
35 Tant qu'ils furent en leur royaume, parmi les grands biens que tu leur accordais, et dans le vaste etfertile pays que tu avais mis devant eux, ils ne t'ont point servi et ne se sont pas détournés de leurs actionsmauvaises.	35 While they were yet in their kingdom, in the midst of the many good things that you had given them and in the wide and fertile land that you had spread out before them, they did not serve you nor did they turn away from their evil deeds.
36 Voici que nous sommes aujourd'hui asservis, et le pays que tu avais donné à nos pères pour jouirde ses fruits et de ses biens, voici que nous y sommes en servitude.	36 But, see, we today are slaves; and as for the land which you gave our fathers that they might eat its fruits and good things--see, we have become slaves upon it!
37 Ses produits profitent aux rois, que tu nous imposas, pour nos péchés, et qui disposent à leur gréde nos personnes et de notre bétail. Nous sommes en grande détresse.	37 Its rich produce goes to the kings whom you set over us because of our sins, who rule over our bodies and our cattle as they please. We are in great distress!"