Judith 9

Apo

1 Judith fell upon her face, and put ashes upon her head, and uncovered the sackcloth wherewith she was clothed; and about the time that the incense of that evening was offered in Jerusalem in the house of the Lord Judith cried with a loud voice, and said,

2 O Lord God of my father Simeon, to whom thou gavest a sword to take vengeance of the strangers, who loosened the girdle of a maid to defile her, and discovered the thigh to her shame, and polluted her virginity to her reproach; for thou saidst, It shall not be so; and yet they did so:

3 Wherefore thou gavest their rulers to be slain, so that they dyed their bed in blood, being deceived, and smotest the servants with their lords, and the lords upon their thrones;

4 And hast given their wives for a prey, and their daughters to be captives, and all their spoils to be divided among thy dear children; which were moved with thy zeal, and abhorred the pollution of their blood, and called upon thee for aid: O God, O my God, hear me also a widow.

5 For thou hast wrought not only those things, but also the things which fell out before, and which ensued after; thou hast thought upon the things which are now, and which are to come.

6 Yea, what things thou didst determine were ready at hand, and said, Lo, we are here: for all thy ways are prepared, and thy judgments are in thy foreknowledge.

7 For, behold, the Assyrians are multiplied in their power; they are exalted with horse and man; they glory in the strength of their footmen; they trust in shield, and spear, and bow, and sling; and know not that thou art the Lord that breakest the battles: the Lord is thy name.

8 Throw down their strength in thy power, and bring down their force in thy wrath: for they have purposed to defile thy sanctuary, and to pollute the tabernacle where thy glorious name resteth and to cast down with sword the horn of thy altar.

9 Behold their pride, and send thy wrath upon their heads: give into mine hand, which am a widow, the power that I have conceived.

10 Smite by the deceit of my lips the servant with the prince, and the prince with the servant: break down their stateliness by the hand of a woman.

11 For thy power standeth not in multitude nor thy might in strong men: for thou art a God of the afflicted, an helper of the oppressed, an upholder of the weak, a protector of the forlorn, a saviour of them that are without hope.

12 I pray thee, I pray thee, O God of my father, and God of the inheritance of Israel, Lord of the heavens and earth, Creator of the waters, king of every creature, hear thou my prayer:

13 And make my speech and deceit to be their wound and stripe, who have purposed cruel things against thy covenant, and thy hallowed house, and against the top of Sion, and against the house of the possession of thy children.

14 And make every nation and tribe to acknowledge that thou art the God of all power and might, and that there is none other that protecteth the people of Israel but thou.

Sep

1 Ιουδιθ δὲ ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ πρόσωπον καὶ ἐπέθετο σποδὸν ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτῆς καὶ ἐγύμνωσεν ὃν ἐνεδεδύκει σάκκον καὶ ἦν ἄρτι προσφερόμενον ἐν Ιερουσαλημ εἰς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ θεοῦ τὸ θυμίαμα τῆς ἑσπέρας ἐκείνης καὶ ἐβόησεν φωνῇ μεγάλῃ Ιουδιθ πρὸς κύριον καὶ εἶπεν

2 κύριε ὁ θεὸς τοῦ πατρός μου Συμεων ᾧ ἔδωκας ἐν χειρὶ ῥομφαίαν εἰς ἐκδίκησιν ἀλλογενῶν οἳ ἔλυσαν μήτραν παρθένου εἰς μίασμα καὶ ἐγύμνωσαν μηρὸν εἰς αἰσχύνην καὶ ἐβεβήλωσαν μήτραν εἰς ὄνειδος εἶπας γάρ οὐχ οὕτως ἔσται καὶ ἐποίησαν

3 ἀνθ᾽ ὧν ἔδωκας ἄρχοντας αὐτῶν εἰς φόνον καὶ τὴν στρωμνὴν αὐτῶν ἣ ᾐδέσατο τὴν ἀπάτην αὐτῶν ἀπατηθεῖσαν εἰς αἷμα καὶ ἐπάταξας δούλους ἐπὶ δυνάσταις καὶ δυνάστας ἐπὶ θρόνους αὐτῶν

4 καὶ ἔδωκας γυναῖκας αὐτῶν εἰς προνομὴν καὶ θυγατέρας αὐτῶν εἰς αἰχμαλωσίαν καὶ πάντα τὰ σκῦλα αὐτῶν εἰς διαίρεσιν υἱῶν ἠγαπημένων ὑπὸ σοῦ οἳ καὶ ἐζήλωσαν τὸν ζῆλόν σου καὶ ἐβδελύξαντο μίασμα αἵματος αὐτῶν καὶ ἐπεκαλέσαντό σε εἰς βοηθόν ὁ θεὸς ὁ θεὸς ὁ ἐμός καὶ εἰσάκουσον ἐμοῦ τῆς χήρας

5 σὺ γὰρ ἐποίησας τὰ πρότερα ἐκείνων καὶ ἐκεῖνα καὶ τὰ μετέπειτα καὶ τὰ νῦν καὶ τὰ ἐπερχόμενα διενοήθης καὶ ἐγενήθησαν ἃ ἐνενοήθης

6 καὶ παρέστησαν ἃ ἐβουλεύσω καὶ εἶπαν ἰδοὺ πάρεσμεν πᾶσαι γὰρ αἱ ὁδοί σου ἕτοιμοι καὶ ἡ κρίσις σου ἐν προγνώσει

7 ἰδοὺ γὰρ Ἀσσύριοι ἐπληθύνθησαν ἐν δυνάμει αὐτῶν ὑψώθησαν ἐφ᾽ ἵππῳ καὶ ἀναβάτῃ ἐγαυρίασαν ἐν βραχίονι πεζῶν ἤλπισαν ἐν ἀσπίδι καὶ ἐν γαίσῳ καὶ τόξῳ καὶ σφενδόνῃ καὶ οὐκ ἔγνωσαν ὅτι σὺ εἶ κύριος συντρίβων πολέμους

8 κύριος ὄνομά σοι σὺ ῥάξον αὐτῶν τὴν ἰσχὺν ἐν δυνάμει σου καὶ κάταξον τὸ κράτος αὐτῶν ἐν τῷ θυμῷ σου ἐβουλεύσαντο γὰρ βεβηλῶσαι τὰ ἅγιά σου μιᾶναι τὸ σκήνωμα τῆς καταπαύσεως τοῦ ὀνόματος τῆς δόξης σου καταβαλεῖν σιδήρῳ κέρας θυσιαστηρίου σου

9 βλέψον εἰς ὑπερηφανίαν αὐτῶν ἀπόστειλον τὴν ὀργήν σου εἰς κεφαλὰς αὐτῶν δὸς ἐν χειρί μου τῆς χήρας ὃ διενοήθην κράτος

10 πάταξον δοῦλον ἐκ χειλέων ἀπάτης μου ἐπ᾽ ἄρχοντι καὶ ἄρχοντα ἐπὶ θεράποντι αὐτοῦ θραῦσον αὐτῶν τὸ ἀνάστεμα ἐν χειρὶ θηλείας

11 οὐ γὰρ ἐν πλήθει τὸ κράτος σου οὐδὲ ἡ δυναστεία σου ἐν ἰσχύουσιν ἀλλὰ ταπεινῶν εἶ θεός ἐλαττόνων εἶ βοηθός ἀντιλήμπτωρ ἀσθενούντων ἀπεγνωσμένων σκεπαστής ἀπηλπισμένων σωτήρ

12 ναὶ ναὶ ὁ θεὸς τοῦ πατρός μου καὶ θεὸς κληρονομίας Ισραηλ δέσποτα τῶν οὐρανῶν καὶ τῆς γῆς κτίστα τῶν ὑδάτων βασιλεῦ πάσης κτίσεώς σου σὺ εἰσάκουσον τῆς δεήσεώς μου

13 καὶ δὸς λόγον μου καὶ ἀπάτην εἰς τραῦμα καὶ μώλωπα αὐτῶν οἳ κατὰ τῆς διαθήκης σου καὶ οἴκου ἡγιασμένου σου καὶ κορυφῆς Σιων καὶ οἴκου κατασχέσεως υἱῶν σου ἐβουλεύσαντο σκληρά

14 καὶ ποίησον ἐπὶ παντὸς ἔθνους σου καὶ πάσης φυλῆς ἐπίγνωσιν τοῦ εἰδῆσαι ὅτι σὺ εἶ ὁ θεὸς θεὸς πάσης δυνάμεως καὶ κράτους καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἄλλος ὑπερασπίζων τοῦ γένους Ισραηλ εἰ μὴ σύ

Vul

1 Quibus ascendentibus, Judith ingressa est oratorium suum: et induens se cilicio, posuit cinerem super caput suum: et prosternens se Domino, clamabat ad Dominum, dicens:

2 Domine Deus patris mei Simeon, qui dedisti illi gladium in defensionem alienigenarum, qui violatores extiterunt in coinquinatione sua, et denudaverunt femur virginis in confusionem:

3 et dedisti mulieres illorum in prædam, et filias illorum in captivitatem: et omnem prædam in divisionem servis tuis, qui zelaverunt zelum tuum: subveni, quæso te, Domine Deus meus, mihi viduæ.

4 Tu enim fecisti priora, et illa post illa cogitasti: et hoc factum est quod ipse voluisti.

5 Omnes enim viæ tuæ paratæ sunt, et tua judicia in tua providentia posuisti.

6 Respice castra Assyriorum nunc, sicut tunc castra Ægyptiorum videre dignatus es, quando post servos tuos armati currebant, confidentes in quadrigis, et in equitatu suo, et in multitudine bellatorum.

7 Sed aspexisti super castra eorum, et tenebræ fatigaverunt eos.

8 Tenuit pedes eorum abyssus, et aquæ operuerunt eos.

9 Sic fiant et isti, Domine, qui confidunt in multitudine sua, et in curribus suis, et in contis, et in scutis, et in sagittis suis, et in lanceis gloriantur,

10 et nesciunt quia tu ipse es Deus noster, qui conteris bella ab initio, et Dominus nomen est tibi.

11 Erige brachium tuum sicut ab initio, et allide virtutem illorum in virtute tua: cadat virtus eorum in iracundia tua, qui promittunt se violare sancta tua, et polluere tabernaculum nominis tui, et dejicere gladio suo cornu altaris tui.

12 Fac, Domine, ut gladio proprio ejus superbia amputetur:

13 capiatur laqueo oculorum suorum in me, et percuties eum ex labiis caritatis meæ.

14 Da mihi in animo constantiam ut contemnam illum, et virtutem, ut evertam illum.

15 Erit enim hoc memoriale nominis tui, cum manus feminæ dejecerit eum.

16 Non enim in multitudine est virtus tua, Domine, neque in equorum viribus voluntas tua est, nec superbi ab initio placuerunt tibi: sed humilium et mansuetorum semper tibi placuit deprecatio.

17 Deus cælorum, creator aquarum, et Dominus totius creaturæ, exaudi me miseram deprecantem, et de tua misericordia præsumentem.

18 Memento, Domine, testamenti tui, et da verbum in ore meo, et in corde meo consilium corrobora, ut domus tua in sanctificatione tua permaneat:

19 et omnes gentes agnoscant quia tu es Deus, et non est alius præter te.