Livre des Lamentations 4

BIBLES DES PEUPLES	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 Hélas! Le vieil or s’est terni, le fin métal jaune; on a jeté les riches pierres sacrées, au coin de toutes les rues.	1 ALEPH. O how the gold has become dulled, the finest color has been altered, the stones of the sanctuary have been scattered at the head of every street.
2 Les fils de Sion, si nobles, qu’on estimait à leur poids d’or, sont regardés comme des pots de terre, comme un ouvrage de potier!	2 BETH. The famous sons of Zion, and those clothed with the foremost gold: how they have become like earthen vessels, the work of the hands of a potter.
3 Même les chacals présentent la mamelle, et allaitent leurs petits, mais la fille de mon peuple se fait cruelle comme les monstres du désert.	3 GHIMEL. Yet even savages expose their breast and give milk to their young. But the daughter of my people is cruel, like the ostrich in the desert.
4 La langue du nourrisson lui colle au palais: il meurt de soif! Les petits enfants demandent du pain, et personne pour le partager!	4 DALETH. The tongue of the infant adheres to his palate out of thirst. The little ones have asked for bread, and there was no one to break it for them.
5 Les habitués de la fine cuisine, tombent de faiblesse dans les rues, ceux qu’on élevait dans la pourpre, embrassent le fumier.	5 HE. Those who were fed indulgently have passed away in the roads. Those who were nourished with saffron have welcomed filth.
6 Le péché de la fille de mon peuple, était plus grand que celui de Sodome, retournée en un instant sans que main d’homme ne s’y mette.	6 VAU. And the iniquity of the daughter of my people has been made greater than the sin of Sodom, which was overthrown in a moment, and yet hands did not take captives in her.
7 Ses jeunes étaient plus nets que la neige, plus blancs que le lait; leurs corps, plus bronzés que le corail, leurs visages, plus rayonnants que le saphir.	7 ZAIN. Her Nazirites were whiter than snow, shinier than milk, more ruddy than ancient ivory, more beautiful than sapphire.
8 Mais les voilà plus sombres que le soir, on ne les reconnaît plus dans les rues, la peau colle à leurs os, elle est sèche comme du bois.	8 HETH. Their face has been blacked more than coals, and they are not recognized in the streets. Their skin has adhered to their bones; it dried out and became like wood.
9 Heureux ceux qui sont morts par l’épée, plutôt que de mourir de faim: privés des produits de la terre, ils se traînent et puis s’affaissent.	9 TETH. It was better for those slain by the sword, than for those put to death by famine. For these waste away, being consumed by the sterility of the land.
10 De leurs mains, faites pour la tendresse, des femmes ont fait cuire leurs enfants, elles en ont fait leur repas: mon peuple en était arrivé là!	10 JOD. The hands of pitiable women have boiled their sons. They became their food in the grief of the daughter of my people.
11 Yahvé a satisfait sa fureur, il a répandu sa colère ardente. Le feu a pris dans Sion, il en a dévoré jusqu’aux fondations.	11 CAPH. The Lord has completed his fury; he has poured out the wrath of his indignation. And he has kindled a fire in Zion, and it has devoured its foundations.
12 Pouvaient-ils croire, les rois de la terre, et les habitants du monde, qu’un adversaire, une armée ennemie, franchiraient les portes de Jérusalem?	12 LAMED. The kings of the earth, and all the inhabitants of the world, did not believe that the adversary and the enemy would enter through the gates of Jerusalem.
13 C’est à cause des péchés de ses prophètes, à cause des crimes de ses prêtres: ils avaient répandu dans la ville le sang des justes.	13 MEM. It is because of the sins of her prophets, and the iniquities of her priests, who have shed the blood of the just in her midst.
14 Ils erraient aveugles dans les rues, couverts de sang; même leurs vêtements on ne pouvait plus les toucher:	14 NUN. They have wandered in the streets like the blind; they have been defiled with blood. And when they were not able, they held their garments.
15 “Écartez-vous, disait-on, c’est un impur, écartez-vous, ne le touchez pas!” Ils allaient errants et fugitifs, on disait chez les païens: “Ils ne resteront pas!”	15 SAMECH. “Go back, you polluted ones!” they cried out to them. “Go back, go away, do not touch!” Of course, they argued, and being removed, they said among the Gentiles, “He will no longer dwell among them.”
16 La face de Yahvé les a dispersés, il ne les regarde plus: plus de considération pour les prêtres, plus de faveurs pour les anciens.	16 PHE. The face of the Lord has divided them. He will no longer respect them. They were not ashamed before the faces of the priests, nor did they take pity on the elderly.
17 Et nos yeux s’épuisaient attendant un secours illusoire; nous attendions, de nos miradors, une nation incapable de sauver.	17 AIN. While we were still standing, our eyes failed, expecting help for us in vain, when we looked attentively toward a nation that was not able to save.
18 Nos ennemis nous épiaient: impossible d’atteindre nos place! La fin approchait, nos jours étaient comptés: nous vîmes venir la fin.	18 SADE. Our footsteps have slipped on the paths of our own streets. Our end draws near. Our days have been completed, for our end has arrived.
19 Nos poursuivants étaient rapides, plus que les aigles du ciel; ils nous chassaient dans les montagnes, ils nous guettaient dans le désert.	19 COPH. Our persecutors have been swifter than the eagles of the sky. They have been pursuing us above the mountains; they have lain in wait for us in the desert.
20 L’élu de Yahvé - il était comme notre souffle - a été pris dans leurs filets: “Toujours, disions-nous, nous vivrons à son ombre, au milieu de nations étrangères.”	20 RES. The spirit of our mouth, Christ the Lord, has been captured by our sins; to him, we said, “In your shadow, we will live among the Gentiles.”
21 Réjouis-toi, fille d’Édom, tu peux rire, toi qui habites au pays d’Ous! La coupe passera jusque chez toi, elle t’enivrera et tu resteras nue.	21 SIN. Be glad and rejoice, O daughter of Edom, who dwells in the Land of Uz. The cup will also pass to you; you will be inebriated as well as naked.
22 Voici ta faute pardonnée, fille de Sion, ton Dieu ne te mènera plus à l’exil! Mais toi, fille d’Édom, ta faute va se payer, il dévoilera tes péchés!	22 THAU. Your iniquity has been completed, O daughter of Zion. He will no longer send you away to captivity. He has visited your iniquity, O daughter of Edom; he has uncovered your sins.