Judith, 5

1. And it was told Holofernes the general of the army of the Assyrians, that the children of Israel prepared themselves to resist, and had shut up the ways of the mountains.

1. καὶ ἀνηγγέλη Ολοφέρνῃ ἀρχιστρατήγῳ δυνάμεως Ασσουρ διότι οἱ υἱοὶ Ισραηλ παρεσκευάσαντο εἰς πόλεμον καὶ τὰς διόδους τῆς ὀρεινῆς συνέκλεισαν καὶ ἐτείχισαν πᾶσαν κορυφὴν ὄρους ὑψηλοῦ καὶ ἔθηκαν ἐν τοῖς πεδίοις σκάνδαλα

2. And he was transported with exceeding great fury and indignation, and he called all the princes of Moab and the leaders of Amman.

2. καὶ ὠργίσθη θυμῷ σφόδρα καὶ ἐκάλεσεν πάντας τοὺς ἄρχοντας Μωαβ καὶ τοὺς στρατηγοὺς Αμμων καὶ πάντας σατράπας τῆς παραλίας

3. And he said to them: Tell me what is this people that besetteth the mountains: or what are their cities, and of what sort, and how great: also what is their power, or what is their multitude: or who is the king over their warfare:

3. καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς ἀναγγείλατε δή μοι υἱοὶ Χανααν τίς ὁ λαὸς οὗτος ὁ καθήμενος ἐν τῇ ὀρεινῇ καὶ τίνες ἃς κατοικοῦσιν πόλεις καὶ τὸ πλῆθος τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτῶν καὶ ἐν τίνι τὸ κράτος αὐτῶν καὶ ἡ ἰσχὺς αὐτῶν καὶ τίς ἀνέστηκεν ἐπ’ αὐτῶν βασιλεὺς ἡγούμενος στρατιᾶς αὐτῶν

4. And why they above all that dwell in the east, have despised us, and have not come out to meet us, that they might receive us with peace?

4. καὶ διὰ τί κατενωτίσαντο τοῦ μὴ ἐλθεῖν εἰς ἀπάντησίν μοι παρὰ πάντας τοὺς κατοικοῦντας ἐν δυσμαῖς

5. Then Achior captain of all the children of Ammon answering, said: If thou vouch safe, my lord, to hear, I will tell the truth in thy sight concerning this people, that dwelleth in the mountains, and there shall not a false word come out of my mouth.

5. καὶ εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτὸν Αχιωρ ὁ ἡγούμενος πάντων υἱῶν Αμμων ἀκουσάτω δὴ λόγον ὁ κύριός μου ἐκ στόματος τοῦ δούλου σου καὶ ἀναγγελῶ σοι τὴν ἀλήθειαν περὶ τοῦ λαοῦ τούτου ὃς κατοικεῖ τὴν ὀρεινὴν ταύτην πλησίον σοῦ οἰκοῦντος καὶ οὐκ ἐξελεύσεται ψεῦδος ἐκ τοῦ στόματος τοῦ δούλου σου

6. This people is of the offspring of the Chaldeans.

6. ὁ λαὸς οὗτός εἰσιν ἀπόγονοι Χαλδαίων

7. They dwelt first in Mesopotamia, because they would not follow the gods of their fathers, who were in the land of the Chaldeans.

7. καὶ παρῴκησαν τὸ πρότερον ἐν τῇ Μεσοποταμίᾳ ὅτι οὐκ ἐβουλήθησαν ἀκολουθῆσαι τοῖς θεοῖς τῶν πατέρων αὐτῶν οἳ ἐγένοντο ἐν γῇ Χαλδαίων

8. Wherefore forsaking the ceremonies of their fathers, which consisted in the worship of many gods,

8. καὶ ἐξέβησαν ἐξ ὁδοῦ τῶν γονέων αὐτῶν καὶ προσεκύνησαν τῷ θεῷ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ θεῷ ᾧ ἐπέγνωσαν καὶ ἐξέβαλον αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ προσώπου τῶν θεῶν αὐτῶν καὶ ἔφυγον εἰς Μεσοποταμίαν καὶ παρῴκησαν ἐκεῖ ἡμέρας πολλάς

9. They worshipped one God of heaven, who also commanded them to depart from thence, and to dwell in Charan. And when there was a famine over all the land, they went down into Egypt, and there for four hundred years were so multiplied, that the army of them could not be numbered.

9. καὶ εἶπεν ὁ θεὸς αὐτῶν ἐξελθεῖν ἐκ τῆς παροικίας αὐτῶν καὶ πορευθῆναι εἰς γῆν Χανααν καὶ κατῴκησαν ἐκεῖ καὶ ἐπληθύνθησαν χρυσίῳ καὶ ἀργυρίῳ καὶ ἐν κτήνεσιν πολλοῖς σφόδρα

10. And when the king of Egypt oppressed them, and made slaves of them to labour in clay and brick, in the building of his cities, they cried to their Lord, and he struck the whole land of Egypt with divers plagues.

10. καὶ κατέβησαν εἰς Αἴγυπτον ἐκάλυψεν γὰρ τὸ πρόσωπον τῆς γῆς Χανααν λιμός καὶ παρῴκησαν ἐκεῖ μέχρις οὗ διετράφησαν καὶ ἐγένοντο ἐκεῖ εἰς πλῆθος πολύ καὶ οὐκ ἦν ἀριθμὸς τοῦ γένους αὐτῶν

11. And when the Egyptians had cast them out from them, and the plague had ceased from them, and they had a mind to take them again, and bring them back to their service,

11. καὶ ἐπανέστη αὐτοῖς ὁ βασιλεὺς Αἰγύπτου καὶ κατεσοφίσατο αὐτοὺς ἐν πόνῳ καὶ πλίνθῳ ἐταπείνωσαν αὐτοὺς καὶ ἔθεντο αὐτοὺς εἰς δούλους

12. The God of heaven opened the sea to them in their flight, so that the waters were made to stand firm as a wall on either side, and they walked through the bottom of the sea and passed it dry foot.

12. καὶ ἀνεβόησαν πρὸς τὸν θεὸν αὐτῶν καὶ ἐπάταξεν πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν Αἰγύπτου πληγαῖς ἐν αἷς οὐκ ἦν ἴασις καὶ ἐξέβαλον αὐτοὺς οἱ Αἰγύπτιοι ἀπὸ προσώπου αὐτῶν

13. And when an innumerable army of the Egyptians pursued after them in that place, they were so overwhelmed with the waters, that there was not one left, to tell what had happened to posterity.

13. καὶ κατεξήρανεν ὁ θεὸς τὴν ἐρυθρὰν θάλασσαν ἔμπροσθεν αὐτῶν

14. And after they came out of the Red Sea, they abode in the deserts of mount Sina, in which never man could dwell, or son of man rested.

14. καὶ ἤγαγεν αὐτοὺς εἰς ὁδὸν τοῦ Σινα καὶ Καδης Βαρνη καὶ ἐξέβαλον πάντας τοὺς κατοικοῦντας ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ

15. There bitter fountains were made sweet for them to drink, and for forty years they received food from heaven.

15. καὶ ᾤκησαν ἐν γῇ Αμορραίων καὶ πάντας τοὺς Εσεβωνίτας ἐξωλέθρευσαν ἐν τῇ ἰσχύι αὐτῶν καὶ διαβάντες τὸν Ιορδάνην ἐκληρονόμησαν πᾶσαν τὴν ὀρεινὴν

16. Wheresoever they went in without bow and arrow, and without shield and sword, their God fought for them and overcame.

16. καὶ ἐξέβαλον ἐκ προσώπου αὐτῶν τὸν Χαναναῖον καὶ τὸν Φερεζαῖον καὶ τὸν Ιεβουσαῖον καὶ τὸν Συχεμ καὶ πάντας τοὺς Γεργεσαίους καὶ κατῴκησαν ἐν αὐτῇ ἡμέρας πολλάς

17. And there was no one that triumphed over this people, but when they departed from the worship of the Lord their God.

17. καὶ ἕως οὐχ ἥμαρτον ἐνώπιον τοῦ θεοῦ αὐτῶν ἦν μετ’ αὐτῶν τὰ ἀγαθά ὅτι θεὸς μισῶν ἀδικίαν μετ’ αὐτῶν ἐστιν

18. But as often as beside their own God, they worshipped any other, they were given to spoil, and to the sword, and to reproach.

18. ὅτε δὲ ἀπέστησαν ἀπὸ τῆς ὁδοῦ ἧς διέθετο αὐτοῖς ἐξωλεθρεύθησαν ἐν πολλοῖς πολέμοις ἐπὶ πολὺ σφόδρα καὶ ᾐχμαλωτεύθησαν εἰς γῆν οὐκ ἰδίαν καὶ ὁ ναὸς τοῦ θεοῦ αὐτῶν ἐγενήθη εἰς ἔδαφος καὶ αἱ πόλεις αὐτῶν ἐκρατήθησαν ὑπὸ τῶν ὑπεναντίων

19. And as often as they were penitent for having revolted from the worship of their God, the God of heaven gave them power to resist.

19. καὶ νῦν ἐπιστρέψαντες ἐπὶ τὸν θεὸν αὐτῶν ἀνέβησαν ἐκ τῆς διασπορᾶς οὗ διεσπάρησαν ἐκεῖ καὶ κατέσχον τὴν Ιερουσαλημ οὗ τὸ ἁγίασμα αὐτῶν καὶ κατῳκίσθησαν ἐν τῇ ὀρεινῇ ὅτι ἦν ἔρημος

20. So they overthrew the king of the Chanaanites, and of the Jebusites, and of the Pherezites, and of the Hethites, and of the Hevites, and of the Amorrhites, and all the mighty ones in Hesebon, and they possessed their lands, and their cities:

20. καὶ νῦν δέσποτα κύριε εἰ μὲν ἔστιν ἀγνόημα ἐν τῷ λαῷ τούτῳ καὶ ἁμαρτάνουσιν εἰς τὸν θεὸν αὐτῶν καὶ ἐπισκεψόμεθα ὅτι ἔστιν ἐν αὐτοῖς σκάνδαλον τοῦτο καὶ ἀναβησόμεθα καὶ ἐκπολεμήσομεν αὐτούς

21. And as long as they sinned not in the sight of their God, it was well with them: for their God hateth iniquity.

21. εἰ δ’ οὐκ ἔστιν ἀνομία ἐν τῷ ἔθνει αὐτῶν παρελθέτω δὴ ὁ κύριός μου μήποτε ὑπερασπίσῃ ὁ κύριος αὐτῶν καὶ ὁ θεὸς αὐτῶν ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν καὶ ἐσόμεθα εἰς ὀνειδισμὸν ἐναντίον πάσης τῆς γῆς

22. And even some years ago when they had revolted from the way which God had given them to walk therein, they were destroyed in battles by many nations, and very many of them were led away captive into a strange land.

22. καὶ ἐγένετο ὡς ἐπαύσατο Αχιωρ λαλῶν τοὺς λόγους τούτους καὶ ἐγόγγυσεν πᾶς ὁ λαὸς ὁ κυκλῶν τὴν σκηνὴν καὶ περιεστώς καὶ εἶπαν οἱ μεγιστᾶνες Ολοφέρνου καὶ πάντες οἱ κατοικοῦντες τὴν παραλίαν καὶ τὴν Μωαβ συγκόψαι αὐτόν

23. But of late returning to the Lord their God, from the different places wherein they were scattered, they are come together and are gone up into all these mountains, and possess Jerusalem again, where their holies are

23. οὐ γὰρ φοβηθησόμεθα ἀπὸ υἱῶν Ισραηλ ἰδοὺ γὰρ λαὸς ἐν ᾧ οὐκ ἔστιν δύναμις οὐδὲ κράτος εἰς παράταξιν ἰσχυράν

24. Now therefore, my lord, search if there be any iniquity of theirs in the sight of their God: let us go up to them, because their God will surely deliver them to thee, and they shall be brought under the yoke of thy power:

24. διὸ δὴ ἀναβησόμεθα καὶ ἔσονται εἰς κατάβρωσιν πάσης τῆς στρατιᾶς σου δέσποτα Ολοφέρνη

25. But if there be no offense of this people in the sight of their God, we can not resist them, because their God will defend them: and we shall be a reproach to the whole earth.

25.

26. And it came to pass, when Achior had ceased to speak these words, all the great men of Holofernes were angry, and they had a mind to kill him, saying to each other:

26.

27. Who is this, that saith the children of Israel can resist king Nabuchodonosor, and his armies, men unarmed, and without force, and without skill in the art of war?

27.

28. That Achior therefore may know that he deceiveth us, let us go up into the mountains: and when the bravest of them shall be taken, then shall he with them be stabbed with the sword:

28.

29. That every nation may know that Nabuchodonosor is god of the earth, and besides him there is no other.

29.