Judith 14

Apo

1 Then said Judith unto them, Hear me now, my brethren, and take this head, and hang it upon the highest place of your walls.

2 And so soon as the morning shall appear, and the sun shall come forth upon the earth, take ye every one his weapons, and go forth every valiant man out of the city, and set ye a captain over them, as though ye would go down into the field toward the watch of the Assyrians; but go not down.

3 Then they shall take their armour, and shall go into their camp, and raise up the captains of the army of Assur, and shall run to the tent of Holofernes, but shall not find him: then fear shall fall upon them, and they shall flee before your face.

4 So ye, and all that inhabit the coast of Israel, shall pursue them, and overthrow them as they go.

5 But before ye do these things, call me Achior the Ammonite, that he may see and know him that despised the house of Israel, and that sent him to us as it were to his death.

6 Then they called Achior out of the house of Ozias; and when he was come, and saw the head of Holofernes in a man's hand in the assembly of the people, he fell down on his face, and his spirit failed.

7 But when they had recovered him, he fell at Judith's feet, and reverenced her, and said, Blessed art thou in all the tabernacles of Juda, and in all nations, which hearing thy name shall be astonished.

8 Now therefore tell me all the things that thou hast done in these days. Then Judith declared unto him in the midst of the people all that she had done, from the day that she went forth until that hour she spake unto them.

9 And when she had left off speaking, the people shouted with a loud voice, and made a joyful noise in their city.

10 And when Achior had seen all that the God of Israel had done, he believed in God greatly, and circumcised the flesh of his foreskin, and was joined unto the house of Israel unto this day.

11 And as soon as the morning arose, they hanged the head of Holofernes upon the wall, and every man took his weapons, and they went forth by bands unto the straits of the mountain.

12 But when the Assyrians saw them, they sent to their leaders, which came to their captains and tribunes, and to every one of their rulers.

13 So they came to Holofernes' tent, and said to him that had the charge of all his things, Waken now our lord: for the slaves have been bold to come down against us to battle, that they may be utterly destroyed.

14 Then went in Bagoas, and knocked at the door of the tent; for he thought that he had slept with Judith.

15 But because none answered, he opened it, and went into the bedchamber, and found him cast upon the floor dead, and his head was taken from him.

16 Therefore he cried with a loud voice, with weeping, and sighing, and a mighty cry, and rent his garments.

17 After he went into the tent where Judith lodged: and when he found her not, he leaped out to the people, and cried,

18 These slaves have dealt treacherously; one woman of the Hebrews hath brought shame upon the house of king Nabuchodonosor: for, behold, Holofernes lieth upon the ground without a head.

19 When the captains of the Assyrians' army heard these words, they rent their coats and their minds were wonderfully troubled, and there was a cry and a very great noise throughout the camp.

Sep

1 καὶ εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτοὺς Ιουδιθ ἀκούσατε δή μου ἀδελφοί καὶ λαβόντες τὴν κεφαλὴν ταύτην κρεμάσατε αὐτὴν ἐπὶ τῆς ἐπάλξεως τοῦ τείχους ὑμῶν

2 καὶ ἔσται ἡνίκα ἐὰν διαφαύσῃ ὁ ὄρθρος καὶ ἐξέλθῃ ὁ ἥλιος ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν ἀναλήμψεσθε ἕκαστος τὰ σκεύη τὰ πολεμικὰ ὑμῶν καὶ ἐξελεύσεσθε πᾶς ἀνὴρ ἰσχύων ἔξω τῆς πόλεως καὶ δώσετε ἀρχηγὸν εἰς αὐτοὺς ὡς καταβαίνοντες ἐπὶ τὸ πεδίον εἰς τὴν προφυλακὴν υἱῶν Ασσουρ καὶ οὐ καταβήσεσθε

3 καὶ ἀναλαβόντες οὗτοι τὰς πανοπλίας αὐτῶν πορεύσονται εἰς τὴν παρεμβολὴν αὐτῶν καὶ ἐγεροῦσι τοὺς στρατηγοὺς τῆς δυνάμεως Ασσουρ καὶ συνδραμοῦνται ἐπὶ τὴν σκηνὴν Ολοφέρνου καὶ οὐχ εὑρήσουσιν αὐτόν καὶ ἐπιπεσεῖται ἐπ᾽ αὐτοὺς φόβος καὶ φεύξονται ἀπὸ προσώπου ὑμῶν

4 καὶ ἐπακολουθήσαντες ὑμεῖς καὶ πάντες οἱ κατοικοῦντες πᾶν ὅριον Ισραηλ καταστρώσατε αὐτοὺς ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς αὐτῶν

5 πρὸ δὲ τοῦ ποιῆσαι ταῦτα καλέσατέ μοι Αχιωρ τὸν Αμμανίτην ἵνα ἰδὼν ἐπιγνοῖ τὸν ἐκφαυλίσαντα τὸν οἶκον τοῦ Ισραηλ καὶ αὐτὸν ὡς εἰς θάνατον ἀποστείλαντα εἰς ἡμᾶς

6 καὶ ἐκάλεσαν τὸν Αχιωρ ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου Οζια ὡς δὲ ἦλθεν καὶ εἶδεν τὴν κεφαλὴν Ολοφέρνου ἐν χειρὶ ἀνδρὸς ἑνὸς ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ τοῦ λαοῦ ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ πρόσωπον καὶ ἐξελύθη τὸ πνεῦμα αὐτοῦ

7 ὡς δὲ ἀνέλαβον αὐτόν προσέπεσεν τοῖς ποσὶν Ιουδιθ καὶ προσεκύνησεν τῷ προσώπῳ αὐτῆς καὶ εἶπεν εὐλογημένη σὺ ἐν παντὶ σκηνώματι Ιουδα καὶ ἐν παντὶ ἔθνει οἵτινες ἀκούσαντες τὸ ὄνομά σου ταραχθήσονται

8 καὶ νῦν ἀνάγγειλόν μοι ὅσα ἐποίησας ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ταύταις καὶ ἀπήγγειλεν αὐτῷ Ιουδιθ ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ λαοῦ πάντα ὅσα ἦν πεποιηκυῖα ἀφ᾽ ἧς ἡμέρας ἐξῆλθεν ἕως οὗ ἐλάλει αὐτοῖς

9 ὡς δὲ ἐπαύσατο λαλοῦσα ἠλάλαξεν ὁ λαὸς φωνῇ μεγάλῃ καὶ ἔδωκεν φωνὴν εὐφρόσυνον ἐν τῇ πόλει αὐτῶν

10 ἰδὼν δὲ Αχιωρ πάντα ὅσα ἐποίησεν ὁ θεὸς τοῦ Ισραηλ ἐπίστευσεν τῷ θεῷ σφόδρα καὶ περιετέμετο τὴν σάρκα τῆς ἀκροβυστίας αὐτοῦ καὶ προσετέθη εἰς τὸν οἶκον Ισραηλ ἕως τῆς ἡμέρας ταύτης

11 ἡνίκα δὲ ὁ ὄρθρος ἀνέβη καὶ ἐκρέμασαν τὴν κεφαλὴν Ολοφέρνου ἐκ τοῦ τείχους καὶ ἀνέλαβεν πᾶς ἀνὴρ τὰ ὅπλα αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐξήλθοσαν κατὰ σπείρας ἐπὶ τὰς ἀναβάσεις τοῦ ὄρους

12 οἱ δὲ υἱοὶ Ασσουρ ὡς εἶδον αὐτούς διέπεμψαν ἐπὶ τοὺς ἡγουμένους αὐτῶν οἱ δὲ ἦλθον ἐπὶ τοὺς στρατηγοὺς καὶ χιλιάρχους καὶ ἐπὶ πάντα ἄρχοντα αὐτῶν

13 καὶ παρεγένοντο ἐπὶ τὴν σκηνὴν Ολοφέρνου καὶ εἶπαν τῷ ὄντι ἐπὶ πάντων τῶν αὐτοῦ ἔγειρον δὴ τὸν κύριον ἡμῶν ὅτι ἐτόλμησαν οἱ δοῦλοι καταβαίνειν ἐφ᾽ ἡμᾶς εἰς πόλεμον ἵνα ἐξολεθρευθῶσιν εἰς τέλος

14 καὶ εἰσῆλθεν Βαγώας καὶ ἔκρουσε τὴν αὐλαίαν τῆς σκηνῆς ὑπενόει γὰρ καθεύδειν αὐτὸν μετὰ Ιουδιθ

15 ὡς δ᾽ οὐθεὶς ἐπήκουσεν διαστείλας εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὸν κοιτῶνα καὶ εὗρεν αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τῆς χελωνίδος ἐρριμμένον νεκρόν καὶ ἡ κεφαλὴ αὐτοῦ ἀφῄρητο ἀπ᾽ αὐτοῦ

16 καὶ ἐβόησεν φωνῇ μεγάλῃ μετὰ κλαυθμοῦ καὶ στεναγμοῦ καὶ βοῆς ἰσχυρᾶς καὶ διέρρηξεν τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ

17 καὶ εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὴν σκηνήν οὗ ἦν Ιουδιθ καταλύουσα καὶ οὐχ εὗρεν αὐτήν καὶ ἐξεπήδησεν εἰς τὸν λαὸν καὶ ἐβόησεν

18 ἠθέτησαν οἱ δοῦλοι ἐποίησεν αἰσχύνην μία γυνὴ τῶν Εβραίων εἰς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ βασιλέως Ναβουχοδονοσορ ὅτι ἰδοὺ Ολοφέρνης χαμαί καὶ ἡ κεφαλὴ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐπ᾽ αὐτῷ

19 ὡς δὲ ἤκουσαν ταῦτα τὰ ῥήματα οἱ ἄρχοντες τῆς δυνάμεως Ασσουρ τοὺς χιτῶνας αὐτῶν διέρρηξαν καὶ ἐταράχθη αὐτῶν ἡ ψυχὴ σφόδρα καὶ ἐγένετο αὐτῶν κραυγὴ καὶ βοὴ μεγάλη σφόδρα ἐν μέσῳ τῆς παρεμβολῆς

Vul

1 Dixit autem Judith ad omnem populum: Audite me, fratres: suspendite caput hoc super muros nostros:

2 et erit, cum exierit sol, accipiat unusquisque arma sua, et exite cum impetu, non ut descendatis deorsum, sed quasi impetum facientes.

3 Tunc exploratores necesse erit ut fugiant ad principem suum excitandum ad pugnam.

4 Cumque duces eorum cucurrerint ad tabernaculum Holofernis, et invenerint eum truncum in suo sanguine volutatum, decidet super eos timor.

5 Cumque cognoveritis fugere eos, ite post illos securi, quoniam Dominus conteret eos sub pedibus vestris.

6 Tunc Achior, videns virtutem quam fecit Deus Israël, relicto gentilitatis ritu, credidit Deo, et circumcidit carnem præputii sui, et appositus est ad populum Israël, et omnis successio generis ejus usque in hodiernum diem.

7 Mox autem ut ortus est dies, suspenderunt super muros caput Holofernis, accepitque unusquisque vir arma sua, et egressi sunt cum grandi strepitu et ululatu.

8 Quod videntes exploratores, ad tabernaculum Holofernis cucurrerunt.

9 Porro hi qui in tabernaculo erant, venientes, et ante ingressum cubiculi perstrepentes, excitandi gratia, inquietudinem arte moliebantur, ut non ab excitantibus, sed a sonantibus Holofernes evigilaret.

10 Nullus enim audebat cubiculum virtutis Assyriorum pulsando aut intrando aperire.

11 Sed cum venissent ejus duces ac tribuni, et universi majores exercitus regis Assyriorum, dixerunt cubiculariis:

12 Intrate, et excitate illum, quoniam egressi mures de cavernis suis, ausi sunt provocare nos ad prælium.

13 Tunc ingressus Vagao cubiculum ejus, stetit ante cortinam, et plausum fecit manibus suis: suspicabatur enim illum cum Judith dormire.

14 Sed cum nullum motum jacentis sensu aurium caperet, accessit proximans ad cortinam, et elevans eam, vidensque cadaver absque capite Holofernis in suo sanguine tabefactum jacere super terram, exclamavit voce magna cum fletu, et scidit vestimenta sua.

15 Et ingressus tabernaculum Judith, non invenit eam, et exiliit foras ad populum,

16 et dixit: Una mulier hebræa fecit confusionem in domo regis Nabuchodonosor: ecce enim Holofernes jacet in terra, et caput ejus non est in illo.

17 Quod cum audissent principes virtutis Assyriorum, sciderunt omnes vestimenta sua, et intolerabilis timor et tremor cecidit super eos, et turbati sunt animi eorum valde.

18 Et factus est clamor incomparabilis in medio castrorum eorum.