Liber Iudith, 5

1. Et renuntiatum est Holoferni principi militiae virtutis Assyriae quoniam filii Israel praeparaverant se ad pugnam et transitus montanae concluserant et muris cinxerant omnem verticem montis excelsi et posuerant in campis offendicula.

1. When Holofernes, the general of the Assyrian army, heard that the people of Israel had prepared for war and had closed the passes in the hills and fortified all the high hilltops and set up barricades in the plains,

2. Et iratus est iracundia valde et convocavit omnes principes Moab et duces Ammon et omnes magistratus maritimae

2. he was very angry. So he called together all the princes of Moab and the commanders of Ammon and all the governors of the coastland,

3. et dixit eis: “Renuntiate mihi, filii Chanaan: Quis est iste populus, qui sedet in montanis? Quae sunt autem, quas inhabitant, civitates, et quae est multitudo virtutis eorum? Et in quo est potestas et fortitudo eorum, et quis praeest super eos rex, dux militiae eorum?

3. and said to them, "Tell me, you Canaanites, what people is this that lives in the hill country? What cities do they inhabit? How large is their army, and in what does their power or strength consist? Who rules over them as king, leading their army?

4. Et quare terga verterunt, ne venirent in obviam mihi prae omnibus, qui inhabitant ad occasum?”.

4. And why have they alone, of all who live in the west, refused to come out and meet me?"

5. Et dixit ad eum Achior dux filiorum Ammon: “Audiat dominus meus verbum ex ore servi tui, et referam tibi veritatem de populo isto, qui inhabitat montana ista iuxta te, et non exibit mendacium ex ore servi tui.

5. Then Achior, the leader of all the Ammonites, said to him, "Let my lord now hear a word from the mouth of your servant, and I will tell you the truth about this people that dwells in the nearby mountain district. No falsehood shall come from your servant's mouth.

6. Populus hic est ex progenie Chaldaeorum

6. This people is descended from the Chaldeans.

7. et inhabitaverunt primum in Mesopotamia, quoniam noluerunt sequi deos patrum suorum, qui fuerunt in terra Chaldaeorum praeclari.

7. At one time they lived in Mesopotamia, because they would not follow the gods of their fathers who were in Chaldea.

8. Et declinaverunt de via parentum suorum et adoraverunt Deum caeli, Deum, quem cognoverunt; et eiecerunt eos a facie deorum suorum, et fugerunt in Mesopotamiam et inhabitaverunt ibi dies multos.

8. For they had left the ways of their ancestors, and they worshiped the God of heaven, the God they had come to know; hence they drove them out from the presence of their gods; and they fled to Mesopotamia, and lived there for a long time.

9. Et dixit Deus eorum, ut exirent de peregrinatione ipsorum et irent in terram Chanaan. Et inhabitaverunt ibi et repleti sunt auro et argento et pecoribus multis valde.

9. Then their God commanded them to leave the place where they were living and go to the land of Canaan. There they settled, and prospered, with much gold and silver and very many cattle.

10. Et descenderunt in Aegyptum — cooperuerat enim fames faciem terrae Chanaan — et commorati sunt ibi, usquedum enutriti sunt et facti sunt ibi in multitudinem magnam, nec erat numerus generis eorum.

10. When a famine spread over Canaan they went down to Egypt and lived there as long as they had food; and there they became a great multitude -- so great that they could not be counted.

11. Et insurrexerunt super eos Aegyptii et circumvenerunt eos in luto et latere, humiliaverunt eos et posuerunt eos in servos.

11. So the king of Egypt became hostile to them; he took advantage of them and set them to making bricks, and humbled them and made slaves of them.

12. Et clamaverunt ad Deum suum, et percussit totam terram Aegypti plagis, in quibus non erat medicina, et eiecerunt eos Aegyptii a facie sua.

12. Then they cried out to their God, and he afflicted the whole land of Egypt with incurable plagues; and so the Egyptians drove them out of their sight.

13. Et exsiccavit Deus Rubrum mare ante eos

13. Then God dried up the Red Sea before them,

14. et eduxit eos in viam Sinai et Cadesbarne. Et eiecerunt omnes inhabitantes in eremo

14. and he led them by the way of Sinai and Kadesh-barnea, and drove out all the people of the wilderness.

15. et habitaverunt in terra Amorraeorum et omnes Hesebonitas exstirpaverunt in virtute sua. Et transeuntes Iordanem possederunt totam montanam

15. So they lived in the land of the Amorites, and by their might destroyed all the inhabitants of Heshbon; and crossing over the Jordan they took possession of all the hill country.

16. et eiecerunt a facie sua Chananaeum et Pherezaeum et Iebusaeum et Sichem et omnes Gergesaeos et habitaverunt in ea diebus multis.

16. And they drove out before them the Canaanites and the Perizzites and the Jebusites and the Shechemites and all the Gergesites, and lived there a long time.

17. Et, usquedum non peccarent in conspectu Dei sui, erant cum ipsis bona, quia Deus odiens iniquitatem cum ipsis est.

17. As long as they did not sin against their God they prospered, for the God who hates iniquity is with them.

18. Sed, cum recesserunt a via, quam disposuerat illis, exterminati sunt in bellis multis multum valde et captivi ducti sunt in terram non suam, et templum Dei eorum devenit ad solum, et civitates eorum comprehensae sunt ab adversariis.

18. But when they departed from the way which he had appointed for them, they were utterly defeated in many battles and were led away captive to a foreign country; the temple of their God was razed to the ground, and their cities were captured by their enemies.

19. Et nunc revertentes ad Deum suum ascenderunt a dispersione, qua dispersi fuerant, et possederunt Ierusalem, ubi sanctuarium eorum est, et inhabitaverunt in montana, quia erat deserta.

19. But now they have returned to their God, and have come back from the places to which they were scattered, and have occupied Jerusalem, where their sanctuary is, and have settled in the hill country, because it was uninhabited.

20. Et nunc, dominator domine, siquidem est ignorantia in populo isto, et peccant in Deum suum, inspiciemus quoniam est in illis offendiculum hoc et ascendemus et expugnabimus eos;

20. Now therefore, my master and lord, if there is any unwitting error in this people and they sin against their God and we find out their offense, then we will go up and defeat them.

21. si autem non est iniquitas in ipsa gente, transeat dominus meus, ne forte protegat eos Dominus eorum et Deus eorum, et erimus in improperium coram omni terra”.

21. But if there is no transgression in their nation, then let my lord pass them by; for their Lord will defend them, and their God will protect them, and we shall be put to shame before the whole world."

22. Et factum est, ut desiit loqui Achior verba haec, murmuravit omnis populus, qui erat in circuitu tabernaculi. Et dixerunt magnates Holoferni et omnes, qui habitabant maritimam et Moab, ut configerent eum:

22. When Achior had finished saying this, all the men standing around the tent began to complain; Holofernes' officers and all the men from the seacoast and from Moab insisted that he must be put to death.

23. “Non enim timebimus a filiis Israel; ecce enim populus, in quo non est virtus neque potestas in pugnam validam.

23. "For," they said, "we will not be afraid of the Israelites; they are a people with no strength or power for making war.

24. Propter hoc ascendemus, et erunt in escam militiae tuae, dominator Holofernes”.

24. Therefore let us go up, Lord Holofernes, and they will be devoured by your vast army."