Job 29

CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN	BIBLES DES PEUPLES
1 Job also added to this, using figures of speech, and he said:	1 Alors Job reprit son discours de sagesse:
2 Who will grant to me that I might be as I was in former months, according to the days when God kept watch over me?	2 Que ne puis-je revenir aux lunes d’autrefois, aux jours où Dieu veillait sur moi,
3 At that time, his lamp shined over my head, and by his light, I walked through the darkness.	3 quand brillait sa lampe au dessus de ma tête et qu’à sa lumière je traversais les ténèbres!
4 I was then just as in the days of my youth, when God was privately in my tabernacle.	4 Comme je voudrais retrouver mon âge mûr, lorsque Dieu protégeait ma tente,
5 At that time, the Almighty was with me and my children surrounded me.	5 lorsque le Puissant était encore avec moi, et que mes garçons se tenaient autour de moi,
6 Then, I washed my feet with butter, and a boulder poured out rivers of oil for me.	6 lorsque mes pieds baignaient dans la crème et que l’huile pour moi ruisselait de la roche!
7 When I went to the gate of the city, or to the main street, they prepared a chair for me.	7 Quand j’allais à la Porte, au haut de la cité, j’installais mon siège sur la place.
8 The youths saw me and hid themselves, and the elders, rising up, remained standing.	8 À ma vue les jeunes s’écartaient, les personnes d’âge se mettaient debout,
9 The leaders stopped talking, and they placed a finder over their mouth.	9 les chefs interrompaient leurs discours et tenaient la main sur leur bouche;
10 The commanders subdued their voice, and their tongue adhered to their throat.	10 les princes baissaient la voix et devenaient comme muets.
11 The ear that heard me, blessed me, and the eye that saw me, gave testimony for me.	11 29:21Ils m’écoutaient et ne bronchaient pas, ils se taisaient attendant mon avis.
12 This was because I had freed the poor, who cried out, and the orphan, who had no helper.	12 29:22 Quand j’avais parlé, nul ne répliquait; mon discours tombait sur eux goutte à goutte:
13 The blessing of him who would have been destroyed came upon me, and I consoled the heart of the widow.	13 29:23 c’était la pluie qu’ils attendaient, l’averse de printemps qui calmait leur soif.
14 I put on justice, and I clothed myself with my judgment, like a robe and a diadem.	14 29:24 Si je leur souriais, ils n’osaient y croire, ils ne perdaient rien de mes signes de bonne humeur.
15 I was an eye for the blind and a foot for the lame.	15 29:25 Je prenais la tête et leur montrais un chemin; j’étais comme le roi au milieu de ses troupes, je les menais à mon gré.
16 I was the father of the poor; and if I lacked knowledge about any case, I investigated very diligently.	16 29:11 Celui qui m’écoutait me félicitait, celui qui me voyait m’approuvait.
17 I crushed the jaws of the impious, and I took away prey from his teeth.	17 29:12 Car je délivrais le pauvre qui appelle, l’orphelin et celui qui n’a pas d’appui.
18 And I said, “I will die in my little nest, and like a palm tree, I will multiply my days.	18 29:13 À moi la bénédiction du désespéré! je rendais la joie au cœur de la veuve.
19 My root has been spread beside the waters, and the dew will remain with my harvest.	19 29:14 Je faisais de la justice mon vêtement, la droiture était mon manteau, mon turban.
20 My glory will always be restored, and my bow will be restored to my hand.”	20 29:15 J’étais les yeux de l’aveugle, et le pied du boiteux c’était encore moi.
21 Those who heard me, expected vindication, and they listened closely in silence to my counsel.	21 29:16 J’étais un père pour les pauvres, je défendais la cause de l’étranger.
22 To my words, they dared to add nothing, and my eloquence poured over them.	22 29:17 Je brisais les crocs du criminel, et d’entre ses dents je faisais tomber sa proie.
23 They waited for me as for rain, and they opened their mouth as for belated rains.	23 29:18 Aussi je pensais: “Je mourrai déjà vieux, mes jours seront nombreux comme les grains de sable.
24 If I had ever laughed at them, they would not have believed it, and the light of my face was not cast down towards the ground.	24 29:19 Mes racines s’allongent vers les eaux, et sur mon feuillage la rosée se dépose.
25 If I wished to go to them, I sat down first, and, though I sat like a king surrounded by an army, yet I was a comforter to whose who mourned.	25 29:20 Ma gloire, tout comme moi se garde neuve mon arc dans ma main reste vert.”