1 C antique d'Asaph. Mon peuple, écoute mes instructions! Prêtez l'oreille aux paroles de ma bouche!

Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

2 J 'ouvre la bouche par des sentences, Je publie la sagesse des temps anciens.

I will open my mouth in a parable (in instruction by numerous examples); I will utter dark sayings of old —

3 C e que nous avons entendu, ce que nous savons, Ce que nos pères nous ont raconté,

Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.

4 N ous ne le cacherons point à leurs enfants; Nous dirons à la génération future les louanges de l'Éternel, Et sa puissance, et les prodiges qu'il a opérés.

We will not hide them from their children, but we will tell to the generation to come the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, and His might, and the wonderful works that He has performed.

5 I l a établi un témoignage en Jacob, Il a mis une loi en Israël, Et il a ordonné à nos pères de l'enseigner à leurs enfants,

For He established a testimony (an express precept) in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, commanding our fathers that they should make known to their children,

6 P our qu'elle fût connue de la génération future, Des enfants qui naîtraient, Et que, devenus grands, ils en parlassent à leurs enfants,

That the generation to come might know them, that the children still to be born might arise and recount them to their children,

7 A fin qu'ils missent en Dieu leur confiance, Qu'ils n'oubliassent pas les oeuvres de Dieu, Et qu'ils observassent ses commandements,

That they might set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but might keep His commandments

8 A fin qu'ils ne fussent pas, comme leurs pères, Une race indocile et rebelle, Une race dont le coeur n'était pas ferme, Et dont l'esprit n'était pas fidèle à Dieu.

And might not be as their fathers—a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation that set not their hearts aright nor prepared their hearts to know God, and whose spirits were not steadfast and faithful to God.

9 L es fils d'Éphraïm, armés et tirant de l'arc, Tournèrent le dos le jour du combat.

The children of Ephraim were armed and carrying bows, yet they turned back in the day of battle.

10 I ls ne gardèrent point l'alliance de Dieu, Et ils refusèrent de marcher selon sa loi.

They kept not the covenant of God and refused to walk according to His law

11 I ls mirent en oubli ses oeuvres, Ses merveilles qu'il leur avait fait voir.

And forgot His works and His wonders that He had shown them.

12 D evant leurs pères il avait fait des prodiges, Au pays d'Égypte, dans les campagnes de Tsoan.

Marvelous things did He in the sight of their fathers in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.

13 I l fendit la mer et leur ouvrit un passage, Il fit dresser les eaux comme une muraille.

He divided the Sea and caused them to pass through it, and He made the waters stand like a heap.

14 I l les conduisit le jour par la nuée, Et toute la nuit par un feu éclatant.

In the daytime also He led them with a cloud and all the night with a light of fire.

15 I l fendit des rochers dans le désert, Et il donna à boire comme des flots abondants;

He split rocks in the wilderness and gave them drink abundantly as out of the deep.

16 D u rocher il fit jaillir des sources, Et couler des eaux comme des fleuves.

He brought streams also out of the rock and caused waters to run down like rivers.

17 M ais ils continuèrent à pécher contre lui, A se révolter contre le Très Haut dans le désert.

Yet they still went on to sin against Him by provoking and rebelling against the Most High in the wilderness (in the land of drought).

18 I ls tentèrent Dieu dans leur coeur, En demandant de la nourriture selon leur désir.

And they tempted God in their hearts by asking for food according to their desire and appetite.

19 I ls parlèrent contre Dieu, Ils dirent: Dieu pourrait-il Dresser une table dans le désert?

Yes, they spoke against God; they said, Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?

20 V oici, il a frappé le rocher, et des eaux ont coulé, Et des torrents se sont répandus; Pourra-t-il aussi donner du pain, Ou fournir de la viande à son peuple?

Behold, He did smite the rock so that waters gushed out and the streams overflowed; but can He give bread also? Can He provide flesh for His people?

21 L 'Éternel entendit, et il fut irrité; Un feu s'alluma contre Jacob, Et la colère s'éleva contre Israël,

Therefore, when the Lord heard, He was wrath; a fire was kindled against Jacob, His anger mounted up against Israel,

22 P arce qu'ils ne crurent pas en Dieu, Parce qu'ils n'eurent pas confiance dans son secours.

Because in God they believed not, and they trusted not in His salvation (His power to save).

23 I l commanda aux nuages d'en haut, Et il ouvrit les portes des cieux;

Yet He commanded the clouds above and opened the doors of heaven;

24 I l fit pleuvoir sur eux la manne pour nourriture, Il leur donna le blé du ciel.

And He rained down upon them manna to eat and gave them heaven’s grain.

25 I ls mangèrent tous le pain des grands, Il leur envoya de la nourriture à satiété.

Everyone ate the bread of the mighty; God sent them meat in abundance.

26 I l fit souffler dans les cieux le vent d'orient, Et il amena par sa puissance le vent du midi;

He let forth the east wind to blow in the heavens, and by His power He guided the south wind.

27 I l fit pleuvoir sur eux la viande comme de la poussière, Et comme le sable des mers les oiseaux ailés;

He rained flesh also upon them like the dust, and winged birds like the sand of the seas.

28 I l les fit tomber au milieu de leur camp, Tout autour de leurs demeures.

And He let fall in the midst of their camp, round about their tents.

29 I ls mangèrent et se rassasièrent abondamment: Dieu leur donna ce qu'ils avaient désiré.

So they ate and were well filled; He gave them what they craved and lusted after.

30 I ls n'avaient pas satisfait leur désir, Ils avaient encore leur nourriture dans la bouche,

But scarce had they stilled their craving, and while their meat was yet in their mouths,

31 L orsque la colère de Dieu s'éleva contre eux; Il frappa de mort les plus vigoureux, Il abattit les jeunes hommes d'Israël.

The wrath of God came upon them and slew the strongest and sturdiest of them and smote down Israel’s chosen youth.

32 M algré tout cela, ils continuèrent à pécher, Et ne crurent point à ses prodiges.

In spite of all this, they sinned still more, for they believed not in (relied not on and adhered not to Him for) His wondrous works.

33 I l consuma leurs jours par la vanité, Et leurs années par une fin soudaine.

Therefore their days He consumed like a breath and their years in terror and sudden haste.

34 Q uand il les frappait de mort, ils le cherchaient, Ils revenaient et se tournaient vers Dieu;

When He slew them, inquired after Him diligently, and they repented and sincerely sought God.

35 I ls se souvenaient que Dieu était leur rocher, Que le Dieu Très Haut était leur libérateur.

And they remembered that God was their Rock, and the Most High God their Redeemer.

36 M ais ils le trompaient de la bouche, Et ils lui mentaient de la langue;

Nevertheless they flattered Him with their mouths and lied to Him with their tongues.

37 L eur coeur n'était pas ferme envers lui, Et ils n'étaient pas fidèles à son alliance.

For their hearts were not right or sincere with Him, neither were they faithful and steadfast to His covenant.

38 T outefois, dans sa miséricorde, il pardonne l'iniquité et ne détruit pas; Il retient souvent sa colère et ne se livre pas à toute sa fureur.

But He, full of compassion, forgave their iniquity and destroyed them not; yes, many a time He turned His anger away and did not stir up all His wrath and indignation.

39 I l se souvint qu'ils n'étaient que chair, Un souffle qui s'en va et ne revient pas.

For He remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that goes and does not return.

40 Q ue de fois ils se révoltèrent contre lui dans le désert! Que de fois ils l'irritèrent dans la solitude!

How often they defied and rebelled against Him in the wilderness and grieved Him in the desert!

41 I ls ne cessèrent de tenter Dieu, Et de provoquer le Saint d'Israël.

And time and again they turned back and tempted God, provoking and incensing the Holy One of Israel.

42 I ls ne se souvinrent pas de sa puissance, Du jour où il les délivra de l'ennemi,

They remembered not His hand, nor the day when He delivered them from the enemy,

43 D es miracles qu'il accomplit en Égypte, Et de ses prodiges dans les campagnes de Tsoan.

How He wrought His miracles in Egypt and His wonders in the field of Zoan

44 I l changea leurs fleuves en sang, Et ils ne purent en boire les eaux.

And turned their rivers into blood, and their streams, so that they could not drink from them.

45 I l envoya contre eux des mouches venimeuses qui les dévorèrent, Et des grenouilles qui les détruisirent.

He sent swarms of flies among them which devoured them, and frogs which destroyed them.

46 I l livra leurs récoltes aux sauterelles, Le produit de leur travail aux sauterelles.

He gave also their crops to the caterpillar and their labor to the locust.

47 I l fit périr leurs vignes par la grêle, Et leurs sycomores par la gelée.

He destroyed their vines with hail and their sycamore trees with frost and ice.

48 I l abandonna leur bétail à la grêle, Et leurs troupeaux au feu du ciel.

He gave them up also to the hail and their flocks to hot thunderbolts.

49 I l lança contre eux son ardente colère, La fureur, la rage et la détresse, Une troupe de messagers de malheur.

He let loose upon them the fierceness of His anger, His wrath and indignation and distress, by sending angels of calamity and woe among them.

50 I l donna libre cours à sa colère, Il ne sauva pas leur âme de la mort, Il livra leur vie à la mortalité;

He leveled and made a straight path for His anger; He did not spare from death but gave their beasts over to the pestilence and the life over to the plague.

51 I l frappa tous les premiers-nés en Égypte, Les prémices de la force sous les tentes de Cham.

He smote all the firstborn in Egypt, the chief of their strength in the tents of Ham.

52 I l fit partir son peuple comme des brebis, Il les conduisit comme un troupeau dans le désert.

But led His own people forth like sheep and guided them like a flock in the wilderness.

53 I l les dirigea sûrement, pour qu'ils fussent sans crainte, Et la mer couvrit leurs ennemis.

And He led them on safely and in confident trust, so that they feared not; but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.

54 I l les amena vers sa frontière sainte, Vers cette montagne que sa droite a acquise.

And He brought them to His holy border, the border of His sanctuary, even to this mountain which His right hand had acquired.

55 I l chassa devant eux les nations, Leur distribua le pays en héritage, Et fit habiter dans leurs tentes les tribus d'Israël.

He drove out the nations also before and allotted their land as a heritage, measured out and partitioned; and He made the tribes of Israel to dwell in the tents of those dispossessed.

56 M ais ils tentèrent le Dieu Très Haut et se révoltèrent contre lui, Et ils n'observèrent point ses ordonnances.

Yet they tempted and provoked and rebelled against the Most High God and kept not His testimonies.

57 I ls s'éloignèrent et furent infidèles, comme leurs pères, Ils tournèrent, comme un arc trompeur.

But they turned back and dealt unfaithfully and treacherously like their fathers; they were twisted like a warped and deceitful bow.

58 I ls l'irritèrent par leurs hauts lieux, Et ils excitèrent sa jalousie par leurs idoles.

For they provoked Him to anger with their high places and moved Him to jealousy with their graven images.

59 D ieu entendit, et il fut irrité; Il repoussa fortement Israël.

When God heard this, He was full of wrath; and He utterly rejected Israel, greatly abhorring and loathing,

60 I l abandonna la demeure de Silo, La tente où il habitait parmi les hommes;

So that He forsook the tabernacle at Shiloh, the tent in which He had dwelt among men,

61 I l livra sa gloire à la captivité, Et sa majesté entre les mains de l'ennemi.

And delivered His strength and power (the ark of the covenant) into captivity, and His glory into the hands of the foe (the Philistines).

62 I l mit son peuple à la merci du glaive, Et il s'indigna contre son héritage.

He gave His people over also to the sword and was wroth with His heritage.

63 L e feu dévora ses jeunes hommes, Et ses vierges ne furent pas célébrées;

The fire devoured their young men, and their bereaved virgins were not praised in a wedding song.

64 S es sacrificateurs tombèrent par l'épée, Et ses veuves ne pleurèrent pas.

Their priests fell by the sword, and their widows made no lamentation.

65 L e Seigneur s'éveilla comme celui qui a dormi, Comme un héros qu'a subjugué le vin.

Then the Lord awakened as from sleep, as a strong man whose consciousness of power is heightened by wine.

66 I l frappa ses adversaires en fuite, Il les couvrit d'un opprobre éternel.

And He smote His adversaries in the back; He put them to lasting shame and reproach.

67 C ependant il rejeta la tente de Joseph, Et il ne choisit point la tribu d'Éphraïm;

Moreover, He rejected the tent of Joseph and chose not the tribe of Ephraim.

68 I l préféra la tribu de Juda, La montagne de Sion qu'il aimait.

But He chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which He loved.

69 E t il bâtit son sanctuaire comme les lieux élevés, Comme la terre qu'il a fondée pour toujours.

And He built His sanctuary like the heights and like the earth which He established forever.

70 I l choisit David, son serviteur, Et il le tira des bergeries;

He chose David His servant and took him from the sheepfolds;

71 I l le prit derrière les brebis qui allaitent, Pour lui faire paître Jacob, son peuple, Et Israël, son héritage.

From tending the ewes that had their young He brought him to be the shepherd of Jacob His people, of Israel His inheritance.

72 E t David les dirigea avec un coeur intègre, Et les conduisit avec des mains intelligentes.

So was their shepherd with an upright heart; he guided them by the discernment and skillfulness his hands.