Job 29
Legacy Standard Bible
Job Continues His Discourse
29 And Job continued to lift up his [a](A)discourse and said,
2 “Oh that I were as in months gone by,
As in the days when God (B)kept me,
3 When (C)His lamp shone over my head,
And (D)by His light I walked through darkness,
4 As I was in [b]the prime of my days,
When the (E)intimate counsel with God was over my tent,
5 When [c]the Almighty was yet with me,
And my children were around me,
6 When my steps were bathed in (F)butter,
And the (G)rock poured out for me streams of oil!
7 When I went out to (H)the gate of the city,
When I [d]took my seat in the square,
8 The young men saw me and hid,
And the old men arose and stood.
9 The princes (I)stopped talking
And (J)put their hands on their mouths;
10 The voice of the nobles was (K)hidden away,
And their (L)tongue clung to their palate.
11 For (M)the ear heard, and it called me blessed,
And the eye saw, and it gave witness of me,
12 Because I provided escape for (N)the afflicted who cried for help,
And the (O)orphan who had no helper.
13 The blessing of the one (P)ready to perish came upon me,
And I made the (Q)widow’s heart sing for joy.
14 I (R)clothed myself with righteousness, and it clothed me;
My justice was like a robe and a turban.
15 I was (S)eyes to the blind
And feet to the lame.
16 I was a father to (T)the needy,
And I searched out the case which I did not know.
17 I (U)broke the fangs of the unjust
And snatched the prey from his teeth.
18 Then I [e]said, ‘I will breathe my last [f]in my nest,
And I shall multiply my days as the sand.
19 My (V)root is spread out to the waters,
And (W)dew lies all night on my branch.
20 My glory is ever new with me,
And my (X)bow is renewed in my hand.’
21 “To me (Y)they listened and waited,
And kept silent for my counsel.
22 After my words they did not (Z)speak again,
And (AA)my speech dropped on them.
23 They waited for me as for the rain,
And opened their mouth as for the [g]late rain.
24 I laughed with them as they could not believe it,
And the light of my face they did not cast down.
25 I chose a way for them and sat as (AB)chief,
And dwelt as their head among the troops,
As one who (AC)comforted the mourners.
Job 29
La Bible du Semeur
Dernier discours de Job
Job évoque sa condition passée
29 Job prononça un autre discours et dit :
2 Qui me fera revivre ╵les saisons d’autrefois,
comme en ces jours passés ╵où Dieu veillait sur moi,
3 où il faisait briller ╵sa lampe sur ma tête
et qu’avec sa lumière ╵j’affrontais les ténèbres ?
4 Ah ! si j’étais encore ╵aux jours de ma vigueur,
quand ma demeure jouissait ╵de l’intimité avec Dieu,
5 et quand le Tout-Puissant ╵était encore à mes côtés,
et mes enfants ╵autour de moi,
6 quand je baignais mes pieds ╵dans le lait fermenté
et quand le roc versait ╵pour moi des torrents d’huile[a].
7 Lorsque je me rendais ╵aux portes de la ville,
quand je dressais mon siège ╵sur la place publique[b],
8 les jeunes me voyaient ╵et ils se retiraient,
les vieillards se levaient ╵et ils restaient debout[c],
9 les notables arrêtaient ╵leurs propos
et se mettaient ╵une main sur la bouche.
10 Les grands baissaient la voix
et ils tenaient leur langue ╵collée à leur palais.
11 Celui qui m’écoutait ╵me déclarait heureux,
celui qui me voyait ╵parlait de moi en bien.
12 Car je sauvais le pauvre ╵qui appelait à l’aide
ainsi que l’orphelin ╵privé de tout secours.
13 Ceux qui allaient mourir ╵me bénissaient,
et je mettais la joie ╵dans le cœur de la veuve.
14 J’endossais la justice : ╵c’était mon vêtement.
Ma robe et mon turban, ╵c’était ma probité.
15 J’étais l’œil de l’aveugle
et les pieds du boiteux,
16 et j’étais comme un père ╵pour ceux qui étaient pauvres.
J’examinais à fond ╵le cas des inconnus[d].
17 Je brisais les mâchoires ╵de l’homme inique
et je lui arrachais ╵la proie d’entre les dents.
18 Je me disais alors : ╵« Je mourrai dans mon nid,
j’aurai des jours nombreux ╵comme les grains de sable[e].
19 La source de l’eau vive ╵baignera mes racines,
la rosée passera ╵la nuit sur ma ramure.
20 Ma gloire auprès de moi ╵se renouvellera
et, dans ma main, ╵mon arc rajeunira. »
21 Alors on m’écoutait[f] ╵attendant mon avis
et l’on faisait silence ╵pour avoir mon conseil.
22 Lorsque j’avais parlé, ╵on ne discutait pas.
Ma parole, sur eux, ╵se répandait avec douceur.
23 Et ils comptaient sur moi ╵comme on attend la pluie.
Ils ouvraient grand la bouche, ╵comme pour recueillir ╵les ondées du printemps.
24 Quand je leur souriais ╵ils n’osaient pas y croire,
on ne pouvait éteindre ╵l’éclat de mon visage[g].
25 C’est moi qui choisissais ╵la voie qu’ils devaient suivre. ╵Je siégeais à leur tête,
je trônais comme un roi ╵au milieu de ses troupes,
comme un consolateur ╵pour les gens affligés.
Footnotes
- 29.6 Images classiques de la prospérité : le roc désigne le pressoir d’olives dont la base d’où s’écoulait l’huile était faite en pierre.
- 29.7 Le conseil des notables siégeait sur la place publique près des portes de la ville. Ce conseil fonctionnait aussi comme tribunal. Les v. 7-10 illustrent les habitudes de politesse orientale.
- 29.8 Jusqu’à ce que Job se soit assis.
- 29.16 Autre traduction : les cas que je ne savais pas trancher.
- 29.18 D’autres comprennent : comme le phœnix, oiseau légendaire qui vivait 500 ans puis brûlait avec son nid pour renaître aussitôt de ses cendres. L’ancienne version grecque a : comme le palmier.
- 29.21 Suite des v. 7-10.
- 29.24 Autre traduction : ils ne négligeaient aucun signe favorable sur mon visage.
Job 29
King James Version
29 Moreover Job continued his parable, and said,
2 Oh that I were as in months past, as in the days when God preserved me;
3 When his candle shined upon my head, and when by his light I walked through darkness;
4 As I was in the days of my youth, when the secret of God was upon my tabernacle;
5 When the Almighty was yet with me, when my children were about me;
6 When I washed my steps with butter, and the rock poured me out rivers of oil;
7 When I went out to the gate through the city, when I prepared my seat in the street!
8 The young men saw me, and hid themselves: and the aged arose, and stood up.
9 The princes refrained talking, and laid their hand on their mouth.
10 The nobles held their peace, and their tongue cleaved to the roof of their mouth.
11 When the ear heard me, then it blessed me; and when the eye saw me, it gave witness to me:
12 Because I delivered the poor that cried, and the fatherless, and him that had none to help him.
13 The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me: and I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy.
14 I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: my judgment was as a robe and a diadem.
15 I was eyes to the blind, and feet was I to the lame.
16 I was a father to the poor: and the cause which I knew not I searched out.
17 And I brake the jaws of the wicked, and plucked the spoil out of his teeth.
18 Then I said, I shall die in my nest, and I shall multiply my days as the sand.
19 My root was spread out by the waters, and the dew lay all night upon my branch.
20 My glory was fresh in me, and my bow was renewed in my hand.
21 Unto me men gave ear, and waited, and kept silence at my counsel.
22 After my words they spake not again; and my speech dropped upon them.
23 And they waited for me as for the rain; and they opened their mouth wide as for the latter rain.
24 If I laughed on them, they believed it not; and the light of my countenance they cast not down.
25 I chose out their way, and sat chief, and dwelt as a king in the army, as one that comforteth the mourners.
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