यूदीत 13

1And when it was grown late, his servants made haste to their lodgings, and Vagao shut the chamber doors, and went his way.

2And they were all overcharged with wine.

3And Judith was alone in the chamber.

4But Holofernes lay on his bed, fast asleep, being exceedingly drunk.

5And Judith spoke to her maid to stand without before the chamber, and to watch:

6And Judith stood before the bed praying with tears, and the motion of her lips in silence,

7Saying: Strengthen me, O Lord God of Israel, and in this hour look on the works of my hands, that as thou hast promised, thou mayst raise up Jerusalem thy city: and that I may bring to pass that which I have purposed, having a belief that it might be done by thee.

8And when she had said this, she went to the pillar that was at his bed’s head, and loosed his sword that hung tied upon it.

9And when she had drawn it out, she took him by the hair of his head, and said: Strengthen me, O Lord God, at this hour.

10And she struck twice upon his neck, and out off his head, and took off his canopy from the pillars, and rolled away his headless body.

11And after a while she went out, and delivered the head of Holofernes to her maid, and bade her put it into her wallet.

12And they two went out according to their custom, as it were to prayer, and they passed the camp, and having compassed the valley, they came to the gate of the city.

13And Judith from afar off cried to the watchmen upon the walls: Open the gates for God is with us, who hath shewn his power in Israel.

14And it came to pass, when the men had heard her voice, that they called the ancients of the city.

15And all ran to meet her from the least to the greatest: for they now had no hopes that she would come.

16And lighting up lights they all gathered round about her: and she went up to a higher place, and commanded silence to be made. And when all had held their peace,

17Judith said: Praise ye the Lord our God, who hath not forsaken them that hope in him.

18And by me his handmaid he hath fulfilled his mercy, which he promised to the house of Israel: and he hath killed the enemy of his people by my hand this night.

19Then she brought forth the head of Holofernes out of the wallet, and shewed it them, saying: Behold the head of Holofernes the general of the army of the Assyrians, and behold his canopy, wherein he lay in his drunkenness, where the Lord our God slew him by the hand of a woman.

20But as the same Lord liveth, his angel hath been my keeper both going hence, and abiding there, and returning from thence hither: and the Lord hath not suffered me his handmaid to be defiled, but hath brought me back to you without pollution of sin, rejoicing for his victory, for my escape, and for your deliverance.

21Give all of you glory to him, because he is good, because his mercy endureth for ever.

22And they all adored the Lord, and said to her: The Lord hath blessed thee by his power, because by thee he hath brought our enemies to nought.

23And Ozias the prince of the people of Israel, said to her: Blessed art thou, O daughter, by the Lord the most high God, above all women upon the earth.

24Blessed be the Lord who made heaven and earth, who hath directed thee to the cutting off the head of the prince of our enemies.

25Because he hath so magnified thy name this day, that thy praise shall not depart out of the mouth of men who shall be mindful of the power of the Lord for ever, for that thou hast not spared thy life, by reason of the distress and tribulation of thy people, but hast prevented our ruin in the presence of our God.

26And all the people said: So be it, so be it.

27And Achior being called for came, and Judith said to him: The God of Israel, to whom thou gavest testimony, that he revengeth himself of his enemies, he hath cut off the head of all the unbelievers this night by my hand.

28And that thou mayst find that it is so, behold the head of Holofernes, who in the contempt of his pride despised the God of Israel: and threatened thee with death, saying: When the people of Israel shall be taken, I will command thy sides to be pierced with a sword.

29Then Achior seeing the head of Holofernes, being seized with a great fear he fell on his face upon the earth, and his soul swooned away.

30But after he had recovered his spirits he fell down at her feet, and reverenced her and said:

31Blessed art thou by thy God in every tabernacle of Jacob, for in every nation which shall hear thy name, the God of Israel shall be magnified on occasion of thee.

1Ut autem sero factum est, festinaverunt servi illius ad hospitia sua, et conclusit Vagao ostia cubiculi, et abiit.

2Erant autem omnes fatigati a vino,

3eratque Judith sola in cubiculo.

4Porro Holofernes jacebat in lecto, nimia ebrietate sopitus.

5Dixitque Judith puellæ suæ ut staret foris ante cubiculum, et observaret.

6Stetitque Judith ante lectum, orans cum lacrimis, et labiorum motu in silentio,

7dicens: Confirma me, Domine Deus Israël, et respice in hac hora ad opera manuum mearum, ut, sicut promisisti, Jerusalem civitatem tuam erigas: et hoc quod credens per te posse fieri cogitavi, perficiam.

8Et cum hæc dixisset, accessit ad columnam quæ erat ad caput lectuli ejus, et pugionem ejus, qui in ea ligatus pendebat, exsolvit.

9Cumque evaginasset illum, apprehendit comam capitis ejus, et ait: Confirma me, Domine Deus, in hac hora.

10Et percussit bis in cervicem ejus, et abscidit caput ejus, et abstulit conopeum ejus a columnis, et evolvit corpus ejus truncum.

11Et post pusillum exivit, et tradidit caput Holofernis ancillæ suæ, et jussit ut mitteret illud in peram suam.

12Et exierunt duæ, secundum consuetudinem suam, quasi ad orationem, et transierunt castra, et gyrantes vallem, venerunt ad portam civitatis.

13Et dixit Judith a longe custodibus murorum: Aperite portas, quoniam nobiscum est Deus, qui fecit virtutem in Israël.

14Et factum est cum audissent viri vocem ejus, vocaverunt presbyteros civitatis.

15Et concurrerunt ad eam omnes, a minimo usque ad maximum: quoniam sperabant eam jam non esse venturam.

16Et accendentes luminaria, congyraverunt circa eam universi: illa autem ascendens in eminentiorem locum, jussit fieri silentium. Cumque omnes tacuissent,

17dixit Judith: Laudate Dominum Deum nostrum, qui non deseruit sperantes in se,

18et in me ancilla sua adimplevit misericordiam suam, quam promisit domui Israël: et interfecit in manu mea hostem populi sui hac nocte.

19Et proferens de pera caput Holofernis, ostendit illis, dicens: Ecce caput Holofernis principis militiæ Assyriorum, et ecce conopeum illius, in quo recumbebat in ebrietate sua, ubi per manum feminæ percussit illum Dominus Deus noster.

20Vivit autem ipse Dominus, quoniam custodivit me angelus ejus et hinc euntem, et ibi commorantem, et inde huc revertentem, et non permisit me Dominus ancillam suam coinquinari, sed sine pollutione peccati revocavit me vobis gaudentem in victoria sua, in evasione mea, et in liberatione vestra.

21Confitemini illi omnes, quoniam bonus, quoniam in sæculum misericordia ejus.

22Universi autem adorantes Dominum, dixerunt ad eam: Benedixit te Dominus in virtute sua, quia per te ad nihilum redegit inimicos nostros.

23Porro Ozias princeps populi Israël dixit ad eam: Benedicta es tu, filia, a Domino Deo excelso præ omnibus mulieribus super terram.

24Benedictus Dominus, qui creavit cælum et terram, qui te direxit in vulnera capitis principis inimicorum nostrorum:

25quia hodie nomen tuum ita magnificavit, ut non recedat laus tua de ore hominum qui memores fuerint virtutis Domini in æternum, pro quibus non pepercisti animæ tuæ propter angustias et tribulationem generis tui, sed subvenisti ruinæ ante conspectum Dei nostri.

26Et dixit omnis populus: Fiat, fiat.

27Porro Achior vocatus venit, et dixit ei Judith: Deus Israël, cui tu testimonium dedisti quod ulciscatur se de inimicis suis, ipse caput omnium incredulorum incidit hac nocte in manu mea.

28Et ut probes quia ita est, ecce caput Holofernis, qui in contemptu superbiæ suæ Deum Israël contempsit, et tibi interitum minabatur, dicens: Cum captus fuerit populus Israël, gladio perforari præcipiam latera tua.

29Videns autem Achior caput Holofernis, angustiatus præ pavore cecidit in faciem suam super terram, et æstuavit anima ejus.

30Postea vero quam resumpto spiritu recreatus est, procidit ad pedes ejus, et adoravit eam, et dixit:

31Benedicta tu a Deo tuo in omni tabernaculo Jacob, quoniam in omni gente quæ audierit nomen tuum, magnificabitur super te Deus Israël.

1So then, when it had become late, his servants hurried to their lodgings, and Vagao closed the chamber doors, and he went away.

2But they were all drowsy from the wine.

3And Judith was alone in the chamber.

4Moreover, Holofernes, being very inebriated, was fast asleep, reclining on his bed.

5And Judith told her handmaid to stand outside before the chamber, and to watch.

6And Judith stood in front of the bed, praying with tears, and her lips moved in silence,

7saying: “Confirm me, O Lord God of Israel, and in this hour look kindly upon the works of my hands, so that, just as you promised, you may raise up Jerusalem, your city, and so that, believing through you that this plan is able to be accomplished, I may succeed.”

8And when she had said this, she approached the pillar, which was at the head of the bed, and she released his blade, which was hanging tied to it.

9And when she had unsheathed it, she grabbed him by the hair of his head, and she said, “Confirm me, O Lord God, in this hour.”

10And she struck him twice on his neck, and she cut off his head, and she took off his canopy from the pillars, and she rolled away the trunk of his body.

11And after a little while, she went out, and she delivered the head of Holofernes to her handmaid, and she ordered her to put it in her bag.

12And the two went out, according to their custom, as if to prayer, and they passed through the camp, and having circled around the valley, they came to the gate of the city.

13And Judith, from a distance, spoke to the watchmen on the walls, “Open the gates, for God is with us, and he has acted with his power in Israel.”

14And it happened that, when the men had heard her voice, they called the elders of the city.

15And all rushed toward her, from the least to the greatest. For, until then, they held no hope that she would return.

16And, enflaming the lights, they gathered all around her. But she climbed up to a higher place, and she ordered them to be made silent. And when all had quieted down,

17Judith said: “Praise the Lord our God, who has not abandoned those who hope in him.

18And by me, his handmaid, he has fulfilled his mercy, which he promised to the house of Israel. And he has killed the enemy of his people, by my hand this night.”

19Then, taking the head of Holofernes from the bag, she displayed it to them, saying: “Behold, the head of Holofernes the leader of the military of the Assyrians, and behold his canopy, under which he reclined in his drunkenness, where the Lord our God struck him by the hand of a woman.

20But, as the Lord himself lives, his angel has been my guardian both from my departure, and while staying there, and when returning from there. And the Lord has not permitted me, his handmaid, to be defiled, but he has called me back to you without the pollution of sin, rejoicing in his victory, in my escape, and in your liberation.

21Confess everything to him, for he is good, for his mercy is with every generation.”

22Then everyone adored the Lord, and they said to her, “The Lord has blessed you by his power, because, through you, he has reduced our enemies to nothing.”

23Furthermore, Uzziah, the leader of the people of Israel, said to her: “O daughter, you have been blessed by the Lord, the most high God, above all the women on earth.

24Blessed is the Lord, who made heaven and earth, who has guided you in harming the head of the leader of our enemies.

25For he has so magnified your name this day, that your praise will not retire from the mouth of men, who will be mindful of the power of the Lord forever, because you have risked your life for the sake of the distress and tribulation of your people, and you have prevented our ruin before the sight of our God.”

26And all the people said: “Amen. Amen.”

27And so, Achior was called, and he drew near, and Judith said to him: “The God of Israel, to whom you gave testimony, has avenged himself on his enemies. He has cut down the head of all unbelievers, by my hand this night.

28And, so that you may determine that this is so, behold, the head of Holofernes, who, in the contempt of his pride, despised the God of Israel and threatened Israel with ruin, saying, ‘When the people of Israel have been captured, I will instruct your sides to be pierced through with a sword.’ ”

29Then Achior, seeing the head of Holofernes, and being distressed by fear, fell upon his face on the ground, and his soul became agitated.

30In truth, after this, when he had recovered his breath, he fell down before her feet, and he showed reverence for her, and he said:

31“Blessed are you by your God, in every tabernacle of Jacob, for in every nation that will hear of your name, the God of Israel will be magnified over you.”