Livre de la Genèse 37

BIBLES DES PEUPLES	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 Quant à Jacob, il demeura dans le pays où ses pères avaient séjourné, c’est-à-dire en Canaan.	1 Now Jacob lived in the land of Canaan, where his father sojourned.
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.	2 And these are his generations. Joseph, when he was sixteen years old, was pasturing the flock with his brothers, when he was still a boy. And he was with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, the wives of his father. And he accused his brothers to their father of a most sinful crime.
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.	3 Now Israel loved Joseph above all his sons, because he had conceived him in his old age. And he made him a tunic, woven of many colors.
4 Ses frères voyaient que leur père le préférait à tous les autres, aussi ils le détestèrent: ils ne pouvaient plus lui parler amicalement.	4 Then his brothers, seeing that he was loved by his father more than all his other sons, hated him, and they were not able to say anything peacefully to him.
5 Joseph eut un rêve qu’il raconta à ses frères.	5 Then it also happened that he recounted the vision of a dream to his brothers, for which reason a greater hatred began to be nurtured.
6 Il leur dit: “Écoutez le rêve que j’ai eu.	6 And he said to them, “Listen to my dream that I saw.
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.”	7 I thought we were binding sheaves in the field. And my sheaf seemed to rise up and stand, and your sheaves, standing in a circle, reverenced my sheaf.”
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.	8 His brothers responded: “Would you be our king? Or will we be subject to your dominion?” Therefore, this matter of his dreams and words provided kindling to their envy and hatred.
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.”	9 Likewise, he saw another dream, which he explained to his brothers, saying, “I saw by a dream, as if the sun, and the moon, and eleven stars were reverencing me.”
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?”	10 And when he had related this to his father and brothers, his father rebuked him, and he said: “What does it mean to you, this dream that you have seen? Should I, and your mother, and your brothers reverence you upon the earth?”
11 Ses frères étaient jaloux de lui, mais son père n’oubliait rien de tout cela.	11 Therefore, his brothers were envious of him. Yet truly, his father considered the matter silently.
12 Comme ses frères étaient allés faire paître le troupeau de leur père à Sichem,	12 And while his brothers were lodging at Shechem, pasturing their father’s flocks,
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!”	13 Israel said to him: “Your brothers are pasturing the sheep at Shechem. Come, I will send you to them.” And when he answered,
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.	14 “I am ready,” he said to him, “Go, and see if everything is prospering with your brothers and the cattle, and report to me what is happening.” So, having been sent from the valley of Hebron, he arrived at Shechem.
15 Un homme le rencontra alors qu’il errait dans la campagne et lui demanda: “Que cherches-tu?”	15 And a man found him wandering in a field, and he asked him what he was seeking.
16 Joseph répondit: “Je cherche mes frères, peux-tu me dire où ils font paître le troupeau?”	16 So he responded: “I seek my brothers. Tell me where they pasture the flocks.”
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.	17 And the man said to him: “They have withdrawn from this place. But I heard them saying, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’ ” Therefore, Joseph continued on after his brothers, and he found them at Dothan.
18 Ils l’aperçurent de loin et, avant qu’il n’approche, ils complotèrent contre lui pour le faire mourir.	18 And, when they had seen him from afar, before he approached them, they decided to kill him.
19 Ils se disaient entre eux: “Voici qu’arrive notre maître en songes!	19 And they said one to another: “Behold, the dreamer approaches.
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.”	20 Come, let us kill him and cast him into the old cistern. And let us say: ‘an evil wild beast has devoured him.’ And then it will become apparent what his dreams will do for him.”
21 En entendant cela, Ruben voulut le sauver de leurs mains: “Ne le frappons pas à mort,” dit-il.	21 But Reuben, on hearing this, strove to free him from their hands, and he said:
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.	22 “Do not take away his life, nor shed blood. But throw him into this cistern, which is in the wilderness, and so keep your hands harmless.” But he said this, wanting to rescue him from their hands, so as to return him to his father.
23 Dès que Joseph arriva auprès de ses frères, ils lui arrachèrent la tunique à manches qu’il portait.	23 And so, as soon as he came to his brothers, they very quickly stripped him of his tunic, which was ankle-length and woven of many colors,
24 Puis ils le prirent et le jetèrent dans la citerne. La citerne était vide: il n’y avait plus d’eau dedans.	24 and they cast him into an old cistern, which held no water.
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.	25 And sitting down to eat bread, they saw some Ishmaelites, travelers coming from Gilead, with their camels, carrying spices, and resin, and oil of myrrh into Egypt.
26 Alors Juda dit à ses frères: “Que gagnerons-nous à tuer notre frère et à cacher son sang?	26 Therefore, Judah said to his brothers: “What will it profit us, if we kill our brother and conceal his blood?
27 Vendons-le aux Ismaélites plutôt que de le tuer, car il est notre frère!” Ses frères l’écoutèrent.	27 It is better that he be sold to the Ishmaelites, and then our hands will not be defiled. For he is our brother and our flesh.” His brothers agreed to his words.
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.	28 And when the Midianite merchants were passing by, they drew him from the cistern, and they sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. And these led him into Egypt.
29 Lorsque Ruben revint à la citerne, Joseph n’y était plus: il en déchira ses vêtements!	29 And Reuben, returning to the cistern, did not find the boy.
30 Puis il revint dire à ses frères: “Le garçon n’est plus là, que vais-je devenir?”	30 And rending his garments, he went to his brothers and said, “The boy is not present, and so where shall I go?”
31 Ils prirent alors la tunique de Joseph, égorgèrent un bouc et plongèrent la tunique dans son sang.	31 Then they took his tunic, and they dipped it in the blood of a young goat, which they had killed,
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?”	32 sending those who carried it to their father, and they said: “We found this. See whether it is the tunic of your son or not.”
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!”	33 And when the father acknowledged it, he said: “It is the tunic of my son. An evil wild beast has eaten him; a beast has devoured Joseph.”
34 Jacob déchira ses vêtements, il s’habilla d’un sac et fit le deuil de son fils durant de longs jours.	34 And tearing his garments, he was clothed in haircloth, mourning his son for a long time.
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.	35 Then, when all of his sons gathered together to ease their father’s sorrow, he was not willing to accept consolation, but he said: “I will descend in mourning to my son in the underworld.” And while he persevered in weeping,
36 Quant aux Madianites, ils vendirent Joseph en Égypte à Putifar, un fonctionnaire chef des gardes dans le palais du Pharaon.	36 the Midianites in Egypt sold Joseph to Potiphar, a eunuch of Pharaoh, instructor of the soldiers.