Job 33

1Maintenant donc, Job, écoute mes paroles, prête l’oreille à tous mes discours.

2Voilà que j’ouvre la bouche, ma langue forme des mots dans mon palais,

3mes paroles partiront d’un cœur droit, c’est la vérité pure qu’exprimeront mes lèvres.

4L’esprit de Dieu m’a créé, le souffle du Tout-Puissant me donne la vie.

5Si tu le peux, réponds-moi ; dispose tes arguments devant moi, tiens-toi ferme.

6Devant Dieu je suis ton égal, comme toi j’ai été formé du limon.

7Ainsi ma crainte ne t’épouvantera pas, et le poids de ma majesté ne peut t’accabler.

8Oui, tu as dit à mes oreilles, et j’ai bien entendu le son de tes paroles ;

9« Je suis pur, exempt de tout péché ; je suis irréprochable, il n’y a point d’iniquité en moi.

10Et Dieu invente contre moi des motifs de haine, il me traite comme son ennemi.

11Il a mis mes pieds dans les ceps, il surveille tous mes pas. »

12Je te répondrai qu’en cela tu n’as pas été juste, car Dieu est plus grand que l’homme.

13Pourquoi disputer contre lui, parce qu’il ne rend compte de ses actes à personne ?

14Pourtant Dieu parle tantôt d’une manière, tantôt d’une autre, et l’on n’y fait pas attention.

15Il parle par des songes, par des visions nocturnes, quand un profond sommeil pèse sur les mortels, quand ils dorment sur leur couche.

16À ce moment, il ouvre l’oreille des hommes, et y scelle ses avertissements,

17afin de détourner l’homme de ses œuvres mauvaises, et d’écarter de lui l’orgueil,

18afin de sauver son âme de la mort, sa vie des atteintes du dard.

19Par la douleur aussi l’homme est repris sur sa couche, quand une lutte continue agite ses os.

20Alors il prend en dégoût le pain, et il a horreur des mets exquis,

21Sa chair s’évanouit aux regards, ses os qu’on ne voyait pas sont mis à nu.

22Il s’approche de la fosse, sa vie est en proie aux horreurs du trépas.

23Mais s’il trouve pour intercesseur, un ange entre mille, qui fasse connaître à l’homme son devoir,

24Dieu a pitié de lui et dit à l’ange : « Épargne-lui de descendre dans la fosse, j’ai trouvé la rançon de sa vie. »

25Sa chair alors a plus de fraîcheur qu’au premier âge, il revient aux jours de sa jeunesse.

26Il prie Dieu, et Dieu lui est propice ; il contemple sa face avec allégresse, et le Très-Haut lui rend son innocence.

27Il chante parmi les hommes, il dit : « J’ai péché, j’ai violé la justice, et Dieu ne m’a pas traité selon mes fautes.

28Il a épargné à mon âme de descendre dans la fosse, et ma vie s’épanouit à la lumière ! »

29Voilà, Dieu fait tout cela, deux fois, trois fois, pour l’homme,

30afin de le ramener de la mort, de l’éclairer de la lumière des vivants.

31Sois attentif, Job, écoute-moi ; garde le silence, que je parle.

32Si tu as quelque chose à dire, réponds-moi ; parle, car je voudrais te trouver juste.

33Si tu n’as rien à dire, écoute-moi ; fais silence, et je t’enseignerai la sagesse.

1[Audi igitur, Job, eloquia mea, et omnes sermones meos ausculta.

2Ecce aperui os meum: loquatur lingua mea in faucibus meis.

3Simplici corde meo sermones mei, et sententiam puram labia mea loquentur.

4Spiritus Dei fecit me, et spiraculum Omnipotentis vivificavit me.

5Si potes, responde mihi, et adversus faciem meam consiste.

6Ecce, et me sicut et te fecit Deus, et de eodem luto ego quoque formatus sum.

7Verumtamen miraculum meum non te terreat, et eloquentia mea non sit tibi gravis.

8Dixisti ergo in auribus meis, et vocem verborum tuorum audivi:

9Mundus sum ego, et absque delicto: immaculatus, et non est iniquitas in me.

10Quia querelas in me reperit, ideo arbitratus est me inimicum sibi.

11Posuit in nervo pedes meos; custodivit omnes semitas meas.

12Hoc est ergo in quo non es justificatus: respondebo tibi, quia major sit Deus homine.

13Adversus eum contendis, quod non ad omnia verba responderit tibi?

14Semel loquitur Deus, et secundo idipsum non repetit.

15Per somnium, in visione nocturna, quando irruit sopor super homines, et dormiunt in lectulo,

16tunc aperit aures virorum, et erudiens eos instruit disciplina,

17ut avertat hominem ab his quæ facit, et liberet eum de superbia,

18eruens animam ejus a corruptione, et vitam illius ut non transeat in gladium.

19Increpat quoque per dolorem in lectulo, et omnia ossa ejus marcescere facit.

20Abominabilis ei fit in vita sua panis, et animæ illius cibus ante desiderabilis.

21Tabescet caro ejus, et ossa, quæ tecta fuerant, nudabuntur.

22Appropinquavit corruptioni anima ejus, et vita illius mortiferis.

23Si fuerit pro eo angelus loquens, unus de millibus, ut annuntiet hominis æquitatem,

24miserebitur ejus, et dicet: Libera eum, ut non descendat in corruptionem: inveni in quo ei propitier.

25Consumpta est caro ejus a suppliciis: revertatur ad dies adolescentiæ suæ.

26Deprecabitur Deum, et placabilis ei erit: et videbit faciem ejus in jubilo, et reddet homini justitiam suam.

27Respiciet homines, et dicet: Peccavi, et vere deliqui, et ut eram dignus, non recepi.

28Liberavit animam suam, ne pergeret in interitum, sed vivens lucem videret.

29Ecce hæc omnia operatur Deus tribus vicibus per singulos,

30ut revocet animas eorum a corruptione, et illuminet luce viventium.

31Attende, Job, et audi me: et tace, dum ego loquor.

32Si autem habes quod loquaris, responde mihi: loquere, volo enim te apparere justum.

33Quod si non habes, audi me: tace, et docebo te sapientiam.]

1Hear therefore, O Job, my speeches, and hearken to all my words.

2Behold now I have opened my mouth, let my tongue speak within my jaws.

3My words are from my upright heart, and my lips shall speak a pure sentence.

4The spirit of God made me, and the breath of the Almighty gave me life.

5If thou canst, answer me, and stand up against my face.

6Behold God hath made me as well as thee, and of the same clay I also was formed.

7But yet let not my wonder terrify thee, and let not my eloquence be burdensome to thee.

8Now thou has said in my hearing, and I have heard the voice of thy words:

9I am clean, and without sin: I am unspotted, and there is no iniquity in me.

10Because he hath found complaints against me, therefore he hath counted me for his enemy.

11He hath put my feet in the stocks, he hath observed all my paths.

12Now this is the thing in which thou art not justified: I will answer thee, that God is greater than man.

13Dost thou strive against him, because he hath not answered thee to all words?

14God speaketh once, and repeateth not the selfsame thing the second time.

15By a dream in a vision by night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, and they are sleeping in their beds:

16Then he openeth the ears of men, and teaching instructeth them in what they are to learn.

17That he may withdraw a man from the things he is doing, and may deliver him from pride.

18Rescuing his soul from corruption: and his life from passing to the sword.

19He rebuketh also by sorrow in the bed, and he maketh all his bones to wither.

20Bread becometh abominable to him in his life, and to his soul the meat which before he desired.

21His flesh shall be consumed away, and his bones that were covered shall be made bare.

22His soul hath drawn near to corruption, and his life to the destroyers.

23If there shall be an angel speaking for him, one among thousands, to declare man’s uprightness,

24He shall have mercy on him, and shall say: Deliver him, that he may not go down to corruption: I have found wherein I may be merciful to him.

25His flesh is consumed with punishment, let him return to the days of his youth.

26He shall pray to God, and he will be gracious to him: and he shall see his face with joy, and he will render to man his justice.

27He shall look upon men, and shall say: I have sinned, and indeed I have offended, and I have not received what I have deserved.

28He hath delivered his soul from going into destruction, that it may live and see the light.

29Behold, all these things God worketh three times within every one.

30That he may withdraw their souls from corruption, and enlighten them with the light of the living.

31Attend, Job, and hearken to me: and hold thy peace, whilst I speak.

32But if thou hast any thing to say, answer me, speak: for I would have thee to appear just.

33And if thou have not, hear me: hold thy peace, and I will teach thee wisdom.