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1 And when it was grown late, his servants
made haste to their lodgings, and Vagao shut the
chamber doors, and went his way.
2 And they were all overcharged with wine.
3 And Judith was alone in the chamber.
4 But Holofernes
lay on his bed, fast asleep, being exceedingly drunk.
5 And Judith spoke to her maid to stand
without before the chamber, and to watch:
6 And Judith stood before the bed praying
with tears, and the motion of her lips in silence,
7 Saying: 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.
8 And 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.
9 And 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.
10 And 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.
11 And after a while she went out, and
delivered the head of Holofernes to her maid, and
bade her put it into her wallet.
12 And 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.
13 And 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.
14 And it came to pass, when the men had heard
her voice, that they called the ancients of the city.
15 And all ran to meet her from the least to
the greatest: for they now had no hopes that she would come.
16 And 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,
17 Judith said: Praise ye the Lord our God, who
hath not forsaken them that hope in him.
18 And 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.
19 Then 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.
20 But 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.
21 Give all of you glory to him, because he is
good, because his mercy endureth for ever.
22 And 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.
23 And 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.
24 Blessed be the Lord who made heaven and earth,
who hath directed thee to the cutting off the head of the prince of our
enemies.
25 Because 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.
26 And all the people said: So be it, so be
it.
27 And 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.
28 And 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.
29 Then 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.
30 But after he had recovered his spirits
he fell down at her feet, and reverenced her and said:
31 Blessed 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.
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1- و لما امسوا اسرع عبيده الى
منازلهم و اغلق بوغا ابواب المخدع و مضى.
2- و كانوا جميعهم قد ثقلوا من الخمر.
3- و كانت يهوديت وحدها في
المخدع.
4- و اليفانا مضطجع على السرير
نائما لشدة سكره.
5- فامرت يهوديت جاريتها ان تقف خارجا امام
المخدع و تترصد.
6- و وقفت يهوديت امام السرير و كانت تصلي
بالدموع و تحرك شفتيها و هي ساكتة.
7- و تقول ايدني ايها الرب اله اسرائيل و انظر
في هذه الساعة الى عمل يدي حتى تنهض اورشليم مدينتك كما وعدت و انا اتم ما عزمت
عليه واثقة باني اقدر عليه بمعونتك.
8- و بعد ان قالت هذا دنت من العمود الذي في
راس سريره فحلت خنجره المعلق به مربوطا.
9- و استلته ثم اخذت بشعر راسه و قالت ايدني
ايها الرب الاله في هذه الساعة.
10- ثم ضربت مرتين على عنقه فقطعت راسه و نزعت
خيمة سريره عن العمد و دحرجت جثته عن السرير.
11- و بعد هنيهة خرجت و ناولت وصيفتها راس
اليفانا و امرتها ان تضعه في مزودها.
12- و خرجتا كلتاهما على عادتهما كانهما
خارجتان للصلاة و اجتازتا المعسكر و دارتا في الوادي حتى انتهتا الى باب
المدينة.
13- فنادت يهوديت من بعد حراس السور افتحوا
الابواب فان الله معنا و قد اجرى قوة في اسرائيل.
14- فكان انه لما سمع الرجال
صوتها دعوا شيوخ المدينة.
15- و بادروا اليها جميعهم من اصغرهم الى
اكبرهم لانه لم يكن في امالهم انها ترجع بعد.
16- ثم اوقدوا مصابيح و اجتمعوا حولها باسرهم
فصعدت الى اعلى موضع و امرت بالسكوت فلما سكتوا كلهم.
17- قالت يهوديت سبحوا الرب الهنا الذي لم
يخذل المتوكلين عليه.
18- و بي انا امته اتم رحمته التي وعد بها ال
اسرائيل و قتل بيدي عدو شعبه هذه الليلة.
19- ثم اخرجت راس اليفانا من المزود و ارتهم
اياه قائلة ها هوذا راس اليفانا رئيس جيش الاشوريين و هذه خيمة سريره التي كان
مضطجعا فيها في سكره حيث ضربه الرب الهنا بيد امراة.
20- حي الرب انه حفظني ملاكه في مسيري من ههنا
و في اقامتي هناك و في ايابي الى هنا و لم ياذن الرب ان تتدنس امته و لكن ارجعني
اليكم بغير نجاسة خطيئة فرحة بغلبته و خلاصي و خلاصكم.
21- فاشكروا له كلكم لانه صالح لان رحمته الى
الابد.
22- فسجدوا باجمعهم للرب و قالوا لها قد باركك
الرب بقوته لانه بك افنى اعداءنا.
23- و قال لها عزيا رئيس شعب اسرائيل مباركة انت
يا بنية من الرب الاله العلي فوق جميع نساء الارض.
24- تبارك الرب الذي خلق السماء و الارض الذي
سدد يدك لضرب راس قائد اعدائنا.
25- فانه عظم اليوم اسمك هكذا حتى لا يبرح
مدحك من افواه الناس الذين يذكرون قوة الرب الى الابد الذين لاجلهم لم تشفقي على
نفسك لاجل ضيقة و شدة جنسك بل رددت الهلاك امام الهنا.
26- فقال كل الشعب امين امين.
27- ثم دعوا احيور فجاء فقالت له
يهوديت ان اله اسرائيل الذي شهدت له بانه ينتقم من اعدائه هو قطع في هذه الليلة
بيدي راس جميع الكفار.
28- و حتى تعلم ان الامر هكذا فهوذا راس
اليفانا الذي اهان اله اسرائيل باستخفاف كبريائه و تهددك بالموت اذ قال لك اذا
اسر شعب اسرائيل امر ان يخترقوا جنبيك بالسيف.
29- فلما راى احيور راس اليفانا ارتاع خوفا و
سقط بوجهه على الارض و هلعت نفسه.
30- و بعدما ثابت اليه روحه و انتعش خر قدامها
ساجدا لها و قال.
31- مباركة انت من الهك في كل خيام يعقوب و في
كل امة يسمع فيها باسمك يعظم لاجلك اله اسرائيل
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