Judith 13

1 Ὡς δὲ ὀψία ἐγένετο, ἐσπούδασαν οἱ δοῦλοι αὐτοῦ ἀναλύειν· καὶ Βαγώας συνέκλεισε τὴν σκηνὴν ἔξωθεν, καὶ ἀπέκλεισε τοὺς παρεστῶτας ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ κυρίου αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀπῴχοντο εἰς τὰς κοίτας αὐτῶν· ἦσαν γὰρ πάντες κεκοπωμένοι, διὰ τὸ ἐπὶ πλεῖον γεγονέναι τὸν πότον.

2 Ὑπελείφθη δὲ Ἰουδὶθ μόνη ἐν τῇ σκηνῇ, καὶ Ὀλοφέρνης προπεπτωκὼς ἐπὶ τὴν κλίνην αὐτοῦ· ἦν γὰρ περικεχυμένος αὐτῷ ὁ οἶνος.

3 Καὶ εἶπεν Ιουδὶθ τῇ δούλῃ αὐτῆς στῆναι ἔξω τοῦ κοιτῶνος αὐτῆς, καὶ ἐπιτηρεῖν τὴν ἔξοδον αὐτῆς καθάπερ καθʼ ἡμέραν, ἐξελεύσεσθαι γὰρ ἔφη ἐπὶ τὴν προσευχὴν αὐτῆς· καὶ τῷ Βαγώᾳ ἐλάλησε κατὰ τὰ ῥήματα ταῦτα.

4 Καὶ ἀπήλθοσαν πάντες ἐκ προσώπου, καὶ οὐδεὶς κατελείφθη ἐν τῷ κοιτῶνι ἀπὸ μικροῦ ἕως μεγάλου· καὶ στᾶσα Ἰουδὶθ παρὰ τὴν κλίνην αὐτοῦ, εἶπεν ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτῆς, Κύριε ὁ Θεὸς πάσης δυνάμεως, ἐπίβλεψον ἐν τῇ ὥρᾳ ταύτῃ ἐπὶ τὰ ἔργα τῶν χειρῶν μου, εἰς ὕψωμα Ἱερουσαλήμ·

5 ὅτι νῦν καιρὸς ἀντιλαβέσθαι τῆς κληρονομίας σου, καὶ ποιῆσαι τὸ ἐπιτήδευμά μου, εἰς θραῦμα ἔχθρων οἳ ἐπανέστησαν ἡμῖν.

6 Καὶ προσελθοῦσα τῷ κανόνι τῆς κλίνης ὃς ἦν πρὸς κεφαλῆς Ὀλοφέρνου, καθεῖλε τὸν ἀκινάνην αὐτοῦ ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ.

7 Καὶ ἐγγίσασα τῆς κλίνης, ἐδράξατο τῆς κόμης τῆς κεφαλῆς αὐτοῦ, καὶ εἶπε, κραταίωσόν με, ὁ Θεὸς Ἰσραὴλ, ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ταύτῃ·

8 Καὶ ἐπάταξεν εἰς τὸν τράχηλον αὐτοῦ δὶς ἐν τῇ ἰσχύϊ αὐτῆς, καὶ ἀφεῖλε τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ,

9 καὶ ἀπεκύλισε τὸ σῶμα αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ τῆς στρωμνῆς, καὶ ἀφεῖλε τὸ κωνωπεῖον ἀπὸ τῶν στύλων· καὶ μετʼ ὀλίγον ἐξῆλθε, καὶ παρέδωκε τῇ ἅβρᾳ αὐτῆς τὴν κεφαλὴν Ὀλοφέρνου.

10 Καὶ ἐνέβαλεν αὐτὴν εἰς τὴν πήραν τῶν βρωμάτων αὐτῆς, καὶ ἐξῆλθον αἱ δύο ἅμα κατὰ τὸν ἐθισμὸν αὐτῶν· καὶ διελθοῦσαι τὴν παρεμβολὴν, ἐκύκλωσαν τὴν φάραγγα ἐκείνην, καὶ προσανέβησαν τὸ ὄρος Βετυλούα, καὶ ἤλθοσαν πρὸς τὰς πύλας αὐτῆς.

11 Καὶ εἶπεν Ἰουδὶθ μακρόθεν τοῖς φυλάσσουσιν ἐπὶ τῶν πυλῶν, ἀνοίξατε, ἀνοίξατε δὴ τὴν πύλην, μεθʼ ἡμῶν ὁ Θεὸς ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν, ποιῆσαι ἔτι ἰσχὺν ἐν Ἰσραὴλ καὶ κράτος κατὰ τῶν ἐχθρων, καθὰ καὶ σήμερον ἐποίησε.

12 Καὶ ἐγένετο ὡς ἤκουσαν οἱ ἄνδρες τῆς πόλεως αὐτῆς τὴν φωνὴν αὐτῆς, ἐσπούδασαν τοῦ καταβῆναι εἰς τὴν πύλην τῆς πόλεως αὐτῶν· καὶ συνεκάλεσαν τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους τῆς πόλεως.

13 Καὶ συνέδραμον πάντες ἀπὸ μικροῦ ἕως μεγάλου, ὅτι παράδοξον ἦν αὐτοῖς τὸ ἐλθεῖν αὐτὴν, καὶ ἤνοιξαν, τὴν πύλην, καὶ ὑπεδέξαντο αὐτάς· καὶ ἅψαντες πῦρ εἰς φαῦσιν, περιεκύκλωσαν αὐτάς.

14 Ἡ δὲ εἶπε πρὸς αὐτοὺς φωνῇ μεγάλῃ, αἰνεῖτε τὸν Θεόν, αἰνεῖτε· αἰνεῖτε τὸν Θεὸν ὃς οὐκ ἀπέστησε τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ τοῦ οἴκου Ἰσραὴλ, ἀλλʼ ἔθραυσε τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ἡμῶν διὰ χειρός μου ἐν τῇ νυκτὶ ταύτῃ.

15 Καὶ προελοῦσα τὴν κεφαλὴν ἐκ τῆς πήρας, ἔδειξε, καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς, ἰδοὺ ἡ κεφαλὴ Ὀλοφέρνου ἀρχιστρατήγου δυνάμεως Ἀσσοὺρ, καὶ ἰδοὺ τὸ κωνωπεῖον ἐν ᾧ κατέκειτο ἐν ταῖς μέθαις αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐπάταξεν αὐτὸν ὁ Κύριος ἐν χειρὶ θηλείας.

16 Καὶ ζῇ Κύριος ὃς διεφύλαξέ με ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ μου ᾗ ἐπορεύθην, ὅτι ἠπάτησεν αὐτὸν τὸ πρόσωπόν μου εἰς ἀπώλειαν αὐτοῦ, καὶ οὐκ ἐποίησεν ἁμάρτημα μετʼ ἐμοῦ εἰς μίασμα καὶ αἰσχύνην.

17 Καὶ ἐξέστη πᾶς ὁ λαὸς σφόδρα, καὶ κύψαντες προσεκύνησαν τῷ Θεῷ καὶ εἶπαν ὁμοθυμαδὸν, εὐλογητὸς εἶ ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν, ὁ ἐξουδενώσας ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ σήμερον τοὺς ἐχθροὺς τοῦ λαοῦ σου.

18 Καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῇ Ὀζίας, εὐλογητὴ σὺ, θυγάτηρ τῷ Θεῷ τῷ ὑψίστῳ παρὰ πάσας τὰς γυναῖκας τὰς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, καὶ εὐλογημένος Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς, ὃς ἔκτισε τοὺς οὐρανοὺς καὶ τὴν γῆν, ὃς κατεύθυνέ σε εἰς τραῦμα κεφαλῆς ἄρχοντος ἐχθρῶν ἡμῶν,

19 ὅτι οὐκ ἀποστήσεται ἡ ἐλπίς σου ἀπὸ καρδίας ἀνθρώπων μνημονευόντων ἰσχὺν Θεοῦ ἕως αἰῶνος.

20 Καὶ ποιήσαι σοι αὐτὰ ὁ Θεὸς εἰς ὕψος αἰώνιον, τοῦ ἐπισκέψασθαί σε ἐν ἀγαθοῖς, ἀνθʼ ὧν οὐκ ἐφείσω τῆς ψυχῆς σου διὰ τὴν ταπείνωσιν τοῦ γένους ἡμῶν, ἀλλʼ ἐπεξῆλθες πτώματι ἡμῶν, ἐπʼ εὐθείαν πορευθεῖσα ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν· καὶ εἶπαν πᾶς ὁ λαός, γένοιτο, γένοιτο.

1 Now when the evening was come, his servants made haste to depart, and Bagoas shut his tent without, and dismissed the waiters from the presence of his lord; and they went to their beds: for they were all weary, because the feast had been long.

2 And Judith was left alone in the tent, and Holofernes lying along on his bed: for he was filled with wine.

3 Now Judith had commanded her maid to stand without her bedchamber, and to wait for her coming forth, as she did daily: for she said she would go forth to her prayers, and she spake to Bagoas according to the same purpose.

4 So all went forth, and none was left in the bedchamber, neither little nor great. Then Judith, standing by his bed, said in her heart, O Lord God of all power, look at this present upon the work of mine hands for the exaltation of Jerusalem.

5 For now is the time to help thine inheritance, and to execute my enterprise to the destruction of the enemies which are risen against us.

6 Then she came to the pillar of the bed, which was at Holofernes' head, and took down his fauchion from thence,

7 and approached to his bed, and took hold of the hair of his head, and said, Strengthen me, O Lord God of Israel, this day.

8 And she smote twice upon his neck with all her might, and she took away his head from him,

9 and tumbled his body down from the bed, and pulled down the canopy from the pillars; and anon after she went forth, and gave Holofernes his head to her maid;

10 and she put it in her bag of meat: so they twain went together according to their custom unto prayer : and when they passed the camp, they compassed the valley, and went up the mountain of Bethulia, and came to the gates thereof.

11 Then said Judith afar off to the watchmen at the gate, Open, open now the gate: God, even our God, is with us, to shew his power yet in Israel, and his strength against the enemy, as he hath even done this day.

12 Now when the men of her city heard her voice, they made haste to go down to the gate of their city, and they called the elders of the city.

13 And then they ran all together, both small and great, for it was strange unto them that she was come: so they opened the gate, and received them, and made a fire for a light, and stood round about them.

14 Then she said to them with a loud voice, Praise, praise God, praise God, I say, for he hath not taken away his mercy from the house of Israel, but hath destroyed our enemies by mine hands this night.

15 So she took the head out of the bag, and shewed it, and said unto them, Behold the head of Holofernes, the chief captain of the army of Assur, and behold the canopy, wherein he did lie in his drunkenness; and the Lord hath smitten him by the hand of a woman.

16 As the Lord liveth, who hath kept me in my way that I went, my countenance hath deceived him to his destruction, and yet hath he not committed sin with me, to defile and shame me.

17 Then all the people were wonderfully astonished, and bowed themselves, and worshipped God, and said with one accord, Blessed be thou, O our God, which hast this day brought to nought the enemies of thy people.

18 Then said Ozias unto her, O daughter, blessed art thou of the most high God above all the women upon the earth; and blessed be the Lord God, which hath created the heavens and the earth, which hath directed thee to the cutting off of the head of the chief of our enemies.

19 For this thy confidence shall not depart from the heart of men, which remember the power of God for ever.

20 And God turn these things to thee for a perpetual praise, to visit thee in good things, because thou hast not spared thy life for the affliction of our nation, but hast revenged our ruin, walking a straight way before our God. And all the people said, So be it, so be it.