1 Louez l'Eternel! Louez l'Eternel, car il est bon, Car sa miséricorde dure à toujours!
2 Qui dira les hauts faits de l'Eternel? Qui publiera toute sa louange?
3 Heureux ceux qui observent la loi, Qui pratiquent la justice en tout temps!
4 Eternel, souviens-toi de moi dans ta bienveillance pour ton peuple! Souviens-toi de moi en lui accordant ton secours,
5 Afin que je voie le bonheur de tes élus, Que je me réjouisse de la joie de ton peuple, Et que je me glorifie avec ton héritage!
6 Nous avons péché comme nos pères, Nous avons commis l'iniquité, nous avons fait le mal.
7 Nos pères en Egypte ne furent pas attentifs à tes miracles, Ils ne se rappelèrent pas la multitude de tes grâces, Ils furent rebelles près de la mer, près de la mer Rouge.
8 Mais il les sauva à cause de son nom, Pour manifester sa puissance.
9 Il menaça la mer Rouge, et elle se dessécha; Et il les fit marcher à travers les abîmes comme dans un désert.
10 Il les sauva de la main de celui qui les haïssait, Il les délivra de la main de l'ennemi.
11 Les eaux couvrirent leurs adversaires: Il n'en resta pas un seul.
12 Et ils crurent à ses paroles, Ils chantèrent ses louanges.
13 Mais ils oublièrent bientôt ses oeuvres, Ils n'attendirent pas l'exécution de ses desseins.
14 Ils furent saisis de convoitise dans le désert, Et ils tentèrent Dieu dans la solitude.
15 Il leur accorda ce qu'ils demandaient; Puis il envoya le dépérissement dans leur corps.
16 Ils se montrèrent, dans le camp, jaloux contre Moïse, Contre Aaron, le saint de l'Eternel.
17 La terre s'ouvrit et engloutit Dathan, Et elle se referma sur la troupe d'Abiram;
18 Le feu embrasa leur troupe, La flamme consuma les méchants.
19 Ils firent un veau en Horeb, Ils se prosternèrent devant une image de fonte,
20 Ils échangèrent leur gloire Contre la figure d'un boeuf qui mange l'herbe.
21 Ils oublièrent Dieu, leur sauveur, Qui avait fait de grandes choses en Egypte,
22 Des miracles dans le pays de Cham, Des prodiges sur la mer Rouge.
23 Et il parla de les exterminer; Mais Moïse, son élu, se tint à la brèche devant lui, Pour détourner sa fureur et l'empêcher de les détruire.
24 Ils méprisèrent le pays des délices; Ils ne crurent pas à la parole de l'Eternel,
25 Ils murmurèrent dans leurs tentes, Ils n'obéirent point à sa voix.
26 Et il leva la main pour jurer De les faire tomber dans le désert,
27 De faire tomber leur postérité parmi les nations, Et de les disperser au milieu des pays.
28 Ils s'attachèrent à Baal-Peor, Et mangèrent des victimes sacrifiées aux morts.
29 Ils irritèrent l'Eternel par leurs actions, Et une plaie fit irruption parmi eux.
30 Phinées se leva pour intervenir, Et la plaie s'arrêta;
31 Cela lui fut imputé à justice, De génération en génération pour toujours.
32 Ils irritèrent l'Eternel près des eaux de Meriba; Et Moïse fut puni à cause d'eux,
33 Car ils aigrirent son esprit, Et il s'exprima légèrement des lèvres.
34 Ils ne détruisirent point les peuples Que l'Eternel leur avait ordonné de détruire.
35 Ils se mêlèrent avec les nations, Et ils apprirent leurs oeuvres.
36 Ils servirent leurs idoles, Qui furent pour eux un piège;
37 Ils sacrifièrent leurs fils Et leurs filles aux idoles,
38 Ils répandirent le sang innocent, Le sang de leurs fils et de leurs filles, Qu'ils sacrifièrent aux idoles de Canaan, Et le pays fut profané par des meurtres.
39 Ils se souillèrent par leurs oeuvres, Ils se prostituèrent par leurs actions.
40 La colère de l'Eternel s'enflamma contre son peuple, Et il prit en horreur son héritage.
41 Il les livra entre les mains des nations; Ceux qui les haïssaient dominèrent sur eux;
42 Leurs ennemis les opprimèrent, Et ils furent humiliés sous leur puissance.
43 Plusieurs fois il les délivra; Mais ils se montrèrent rebelles dans leurs desseins, Et ils devinrent malheureux par leur iniquité.
44 Il vit leur détresse, Lorsqu'il entendit leurs supplications.
45 Il se souvint en leur faveur de son alliance;
46 Il eut pitié selon sa grande bonté, Et il excita pour eux la compassion De tous ceux qui les retenaient captifs.
47 Sauve-nous, Eternel, notre Dieu! Et rassemble-nous du milieu des nations, Afin que nous célébrions ton saint nom, Et que nous mettions notre gloire à te louer!
48 Béni soit l'Eternel, le Dieu d'Israël, d'éternité en éternité! Et que tout le peuple dise: Amen! Louez l'Eternel!
1 Let the Lord be praised. O give praise to the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy is unchanging for ever.
2 Who is able to give an account of the great acts of the Lord, or to make clear all his praise?
3 Happy are they whose decisions are upright, and he who does righteousness at all times.
4 Keep me in mind, O Lord, when you are good to your people; O let your salvation come to me;
5 So that I may see the well-being of the people of your selection, and have a part in the joy of your nation, and take pride in your heritage.
6 We are sinners like our fathers, we have done wrong, our acts are evil.
7 Our fathers did not give thought to your wonders in Egypt; they did not keep in memory the great number of your mercies, but gave you cause for wrath at the sea, even at the Red Sea.
8 But he was their saviour because of his name, so that men might see his great power.
9 By his word the Red Sea was made dry: and he took them through the deep waters as through the waste land.
10 And he took them safely out of the hands of their haters, and kept them from the attacks of those who were against them.
11 And the waters went over their haters; all of them came to an end.
12 Then they had faith in his words; they gave him songs of praise.
13 But their memory of his works was short; not waiting to be guided by him,
14 They gave way to their evil desires in the waste land, and put God to the test in the dry places.
15 And he gave them their request, but sent a wasting disease into their souls.
16 They were full of envy against Moses among the tents, and against Aaron, the holy one of the Lord.
17 The earth opening put an end to Dathan, covering up Abiram and his band.
18 And a fire was lighted among their tents; the sinners were burned up by the flames.
19 They made a young ox in Horeb, and gave worship to an image of gold.
20 And their glory was changed into the image of an ox, whose food is grass.
21 They had no memory of God their saviour, who had done great things in Egypt;
22 Works of wonder in the land of Ham, and things of fear by the Red Sea.
23 And he was purposing to put an end to them if Moses, his special servant, had not gone up before him, between him and his people, turning back his wrath, to keep them from destruction.
24 They were disgusted with the good land; they had no belief in his word;
25 Talking against him secretly in their tents, they did not give ear to the voice of the Lord.
26 So he made an oath against them, to put an end to them in the waste land:
27 That their children might be mixed among the nations, and sent away into other lands.
28 And they were joined to Baal-peor, and took part in the offerings to the dead.
29 So they made him angry by their behaviour; and he sent disease on them.
30 Then Phinehas got up, and made prayer for them; and the disease went no farther.
31 And all the generations coming after him kept the memory of his righteousness for ever.
32 They made God angry again at the waters of Meribah, so that Moses was troubled because of them;
33 For they made his spirit bitter, and he said unwise things.
34 They did not put an end to the peoples, as the Lord had said;
35 But they were joined to the nations, learning their works.
36 And they gave worship to images; which were a danger to them:
37 They even made offerings of their sons and their daughters to evil spirits,
38 And gave the blood of their sons and their daughters who had done no wrong, offering them to the images of Canaan; and the land was made unclean with blood.
39 So they became unclean through their works, going after their evil desires.
40 Then the wrath of the Lord was burning against his people, and he was angry with his heritage.
41 And he gave them into the hands of the nations; and they were ruled by their haters.
42 By them they were crushed, and made low under their hands.
43 Again and again he made them free; but their hearts were turned against his purpose, and they were overcome by their sins.
44 But when their cry came to his ears, he had pity on their trouble:
45 And kept in mind his agreement with them, and in his great mercy gave them forgiveness.
46 He put pity into the hearts of those who made them prisoners.
47 Be our saviour, O Lord our God, and let us come back together from among the nations, so that we may give honour to your holy name, and have glory in your praise.
48 Praise be to the Lord God of Israel for ever and for ever; and let all the people say, So be it. Give praise to the Lord.