Ezekiel, 18

1. And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:

1. La parole de l`Éternel me fut adressée, en ces mots:

2. “Why is it that you circulate among yourselves this parable, as a proverb in the land of Israel, saying: ‘The fathers ate a bitter grape, and the teeth of the sons have been affected.’

2. Pourquoi dites-vous ce proverbe dans le pays d`Israël: Les pères ont mangé des raisins verts, et les dents des enfants en ont été agacées?

3. As I live, says the Lord God, this parable shall no longer be a proverb for you in Israel.

3. Je suis vivant! dit le Seigneur, l`Éternel, vous n`aurez plus lieu de dire ce proverbe en Israël.

4. Behold, all souls are mine. Just as the soul of the father is mine, so also is the soul of the son. The soul that sins, the same shall die.

4. Voici, toutes les âmes sont à moi; l`âme du fils comme l`âme du père, l`une et l`autre sont à moi; l`âme qui pèche, c`est celle qui mourra.

5. And if a man is just, and he accomplishes judgment and justice,

5. L`homme qui est juste, qui pratique la droiture et la justice,

6. and if he does not eat upon the mountains, nor lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, and if he has not violated the wife of his neighbor, nor approached a menstruating woman,

6. qui ne mange pas sur les montagnes et ne lève pas les yeux vers les idoles de la maison d`Israël, qui ne déshonore pas la femme de son prochain et ne s`approche pas d`une femme pendant son impureté,

7. and if he has not grieved any man, but has restored the collateral to the debtor, if he has seized nothing by violence, has given his bread to the hungry, and has covered the naked with a garment,

7. qui n`opprime personne, qui rend au débiteur son gage, qui ne commet point de rapines, qui donne son pain à celui qui a faim et couvre d`un vêtement celui qui est nu,

8. if he has not lent upon usury, nor taken any increase, if he has averted his hand from iniquity, and has executed true judgment between man and man,

8. qui ne prête pas à intérêt et ne tire point d`usure, qui détourne sa main de l`iniquité et juge selon la vérité entre un homme et un autre,

9. if he has walked in my precepts and kept my judgments, so that he acts in accord with truth, then he is just; he shall certainly live, says the Lord God.

9. qui suit mes lois et observe mes ordonnances en agissant avec fidélité, celui-là est juste, il vivra, dit le Seigneur, l`Éternel.

10. But if he raises a son who is a robber, who sheds blood, and who does any of these things,

10. S`il a un fils qui soit violent, qui répande le sang, ou qui commette quelque chose de semblable;

11. (even though he himself does not do any of these things,) and who eats upon the mountains, and who defiles the wife of his neighbor,

11. si ce fils n`imite en rien la conduite de son père, s`il mange sur les montagnes, s`il déshonore la femme de son prochain,

12. who grieves the needy and the poor, who seizes with violence, who does not restore the collateral, and who lifts up his eyes to idols, committing abomination,

12. s`il opprime le malheureux et l`indigent, s`il commet des rapines, s`il ne rend pas le gage, s`il lève les yeux vers les idoles et fait des abominations,

13. who lends upon usury, and who takes an increase, then shall he live? He shall not live. Since he has done all these detestable things, he shall certainly die. His blood shall be upon him.

13. S`il prête à intérêt et tire une usure, ce fils-là vivrait! Il ne vivra pas; il a commis toutes ces abominations; qu`il meure! que son sang retombe sur lui!

14. But if he raises a son, who, seeing all his father’s sins that he has done, is afraid and so does not act in a way similar to him,

14. Mais si un homme a un fils qui voie tous les péchés que commet son père, qui les voie et n`agisse pas de la même manière;

15. who does not eat upon the mountains, nor lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, and who does not violate the wife of his neighbor,

15. si ce fils ne mange pas sur les montagnes et ne lève pas les yeux vers les idoles de la maison d`Israël, s`il ne déshonore pas la femme de son prochain,

16. and who has not grieved any man, nor withheld the collateral, nor seized by violence, but instead has given his bread to the hungry, and has covered the naked with a garment,

16. s`il n`opprime personne, s`il ne prend point de gage, s`il ne commet point de rapines, s`il donne son pain à celui qui a faim et couvre d`un vêtement celui qui est nu,

17. who has averted his hand from injuring the poor, who has not taken usury and an overabundance, who has acted according to my judgments and walked in my precepts, then this one shall not die for the iniquity of his father; instead, he shall certainly live.

17. s`il détourne sa main de l`iniquité, s`il n`exige ni intérêt ni usure, s`il observe mes ordonnances et suit mes lois, celui-là ne mourra pas pour l`iniquité de son père; il vivra.

18. As for his father, because he oppressed and did violence to his brother, and worked evil in the midst of his people, behold, he has died by his own iniquity.

18. C`est son père, qui a été un oppresseur, qui a commis des rapines envers les autres, qui a fait au milieu de son peuple ce qui n`est pas bien, c`est lui qui mourra pour son iniquité.

19. And you say, ‘Why has not the son borne the iniquity of the father?’ Clearly, since the son has worked judgment and justice, has observed all my precepts, and has done them, he shall certainly live.

19. Vous dites: Pourquoi le fils ne porte-t-il pas l`iniquité de son père? C`est que le fils a agi selon la droiture et la justice, c`est qu`il a observé et mis en pratique toutes mes lois; il vivra.

20. The soul that sins, the same shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, and the father shall not bear the iniquity of the son. The justice of the just man shall be upon himself, but the impiety of the impious man shall be upon himself.

20. L`âme qui pèche, c`est celle qui mourra. Le fils ne portera pas l`iniquité de son père, et le père ne portera pas l`iniquité de son fils. La justice du juste sera sur lui, et la méchanceté du méchant sera sur lui.

21. But if the impious man does penance for all his sins which he has committed, and if he keeps all my precepts, and accomplishes judgment and justice, then he shall certainly live, and he shall not die.

21. Si le méchant revient de tous les péchés qu`il a commis, s`il observe toutes mes lois et pratique la droiture et la justice, il vivra, il ne mourra pas.

22. I will not remember all his iniquities, which he has worked; by his justice, which he has worked, he shall live.

22. Toutes les transgressions qu`il a commises seront oubliées; il vivra, à cause de la justice qu`il a pratiquée.

23. How could it be my will that an impious man should die, says the Lord God, and not that he should be converted from his ways and live?

23. Ce que je désire, est-ce que le méchant meure? dit le Seigneur, l`Éternel. N`est-ce pas qu`il change de conduite et qu`il vive?

24. But if a just man turns himself away from his justice, and does iniquity in accord with all the abominations that the impious man so often does, why should he live? All his justices, which he has accomplished, shall not be remembered. By the transgression, in which he has transgressed, and by his sin, in which he has sinned, by these he shall die.

24. Si le juste se détourne de sa justice et commet l`iniquité, s`il imite toutes les abominations du méchant, vivra-t-il? Toute sa justice sera oubliée, parce qu`il s`est livré à l`iniquité et au péché; à cause de cela, il mourra.

25. And you have said, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ Therefore, listen, O house of Israel. How could it be that my way is not fair? And is it not instead your ways that are perverse?

25. Vous dites: La voie du Seigneur n`est pas droite. Écoutez donc, maison d`Israël! Est-ce ma voie qui n`est pas droite? Ne sont-ce pas plutôt vos voies qui ne sont pas droites?

26. For when the just man turns himself away from his justice, and commits iniquity, he shall die by this; by the injustice that he has worked, he shall die.

26. Si le juste se détourne de sa justice et commet l`iniquité, et meurt pour cela, il meurt à cause de l`iniquité qu`il a commise.

27. And when the impious man turns himself away from his impiety, which he has done, and accomplishes judgment and justice, he shall cause his own soul to live.

27. Si le méchant revient de sa méchanceté et pratique la droiture et la justice, il fera vivre son âme.

28. For by considering and turning himself away from all his iniquities, which he has worked, he shall certainly live, and he shall not die.

28. S`il ouvre les yeux et se détourne de toutes les transgressions qu`il a commises, il vivra, il ne mourra pas.

29. And yet the sons of Israel say, ‘The way of the Lord is not fair.’ How could it be that my ways are not fair, O house of Israel? And is it not instead your ways that are perverse?

29. La maison d`Israël dit: La voie du Seigneur n`est pas droite. Est-ce ma voie qui n`est pas droite, maison d`Israël? Ne sont-ce pas plutôt vos voies qui ne sont pas droites?

30. Therefore, O house of Israel, I will judge each one according to his ways, says the Lord God. Be converted, and do penance for all your iniquities, and then iniquity will not be your ruin.

30. C`est pourquoi je vous jugerai chacun selon ses voies, maison d`Israël, dit le Seigneur, l`Éternel. Revenez et détournez-vous de toutes vos transgressions, afin que l`iniquité ne cause pas votre ruine.

31. Cast all your transgressions, by which you have transgressed, away from you, and make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. And then why should you die, O house of Israel?

31. Rejetez loin de vous toutes les transgressions par lesquelles vous avez péché; faites-vous un coeur nouveau et un esprit nouveau. Pourquoi mourriez-vous, maison d`Israël?

32. For I do not desire the death of one who dies, says the Lord God. So return and live.”

32. Car je ne désire pas la mort de celui qui meurt, dit le Seigneur, l`Éternel. Convertissez-vous donc, et vivez.