1 Then Holofernes
said to her: Be of good comfort, and fear not in thy heart: for I have never
hurt a man that was willing to serve Nabuchodonosor
the king.
2 And if thy people had not despised me, I
would never have lifted up my spear against them.
3 But now tell me, for what cause hast thou
left them, and why it hath pleased thee to come to us?
4 And Judith said to him: Receive the words
of thy handmaid, for if thou wilt follow the words of thy handmaid, the Lord
will do with thee a perfect thing.
5 For as Nabuchodonosor
the king of the earth liveth, and his power liveth which is in thee for chastising of all straying
souls: not only men serve him through thee, but also the beasts of the field
obey him.
6 For the industry of thy mind is spoken
of among all nations, and it is told through the whole world, that thou only
art excellent, and mighty in all his kingdom, and thy discipline is cried up
in all provinces.
7 It is known also what Achior
said, nor are we ignorant of what thou hast commanded to be done to him.
8 For it is certain that our God is so
offended with sins, that he hath sent word by his prophets to the people,
that he will deliver them up for their sins.
9 And because the children of Israel know
they have offended their God, thy dread is upon them.
10 Moreover also a famine hath come upon them, and
for drought of water they are already to be counted among the dead.
11 And they have a design even to kill their
cattle, and to drink the blood of them.
12 And the consecrated things of the Lord
their God which God forbade them to touch, in corn, wine, and oil, these have
they purposed to make use of, and they design to consume the things which
they ought not to touch with their hands: therefore because they do these
things, it is certain they will be given up to destruction.
13 And I thy handmaid knowing this, am fled
from them, and the Lord hath sent me to tell thee these very things.
14 For I thy handmaid worship God even now
that I am with thee, and thy handmaid will go out, and I will pray to God,
15 And he will tell me when he will repay
them for their sins, and I will come and tell thee, so that I may bring thee
through the midst of Jerusalem, and thou shalt have
all the people of Israel, as sheep that have no shepherd, and there shall not
so much as one dog bark against thee:
16 Because these things are told me by the
providence of God.
17 And because God is angry with them, I am
sent to tell these very things to thee.
18 And all these words pleased Holofernes, and his servants, and they admired her
wisdom, and they said one to another:
19 There is not such another woman upon
earth in look, in beauty, and in sense of words.
20 And Holofernes
said to her: God hath done well who sent thee before the people, that thou mightest give them into our hands:
21 And because thy
promise is good, if thy God shall do this for me, he shall also be my God,
and thou shalt be great in the house of Nabuchodonosor, and thy name shall be renowned through all
the earth.
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1- حينئذ قال لها اليفانا لتطب
نفسك و لا يكن في قلبك روع لاني لم اضر قط برجل اثر الخضوع لنبوكد نصر الملك.
2- و اما شعبك فلو لم يزدروا بي لما اشرعت
رمحي عليهم.
3- و الان فقولي لي لاي سبب فارقتهم و اثرت
المجيء الينا.
4- فقالت له يهوديت اسمع كلام امتك فانك اذا
اتبعت قول امتك يتم الرب الامر لك.
5- ليحي نبوكد نصر ملك الارض و لتحي قوته التي
فيك لتاديب جميع الانفس الغاوية لانه لا الناس فقط يخضعون له بك بل وحوش البر
ايضا تنقاد له.
6- لان ذكاء عقلك قد شاع في جميع الامم و اهل
العصر كلهم يعلمون انك انت وحدك صالح و جبار في جميع مملكته و حسن سياستك مشهور
في جميع الاقاليم.
7- و ليس بخاف ما تكلم به احيور و لم يجهل ما
امرت ان يصيبه.
8- و من المحقق ان الهنا قد بلغ من غضبه من
الخطايا انه ارسل انبياءه الى شعبه بانه سيسلمهم لاجل خطاياهم.
9- و لعلم بني اسرائيل بانهم قد اهانوا الههم
قد حل رعبك عليهم.
10- و فضلا عن ذلك فان الجوع قد اخذ منهم و هم
معدودون في الموتى من عوز الماء.
11- حتى عزموا ان يذبحوا بهائمهم ليشربوا
دماءها.
12- و اقداس الرب الههم التي امر الله ان لا
تلمس من الحنطة و الخمر و الزيت قد هموا ان ينفقوها و هم يريدون ان ياكلوا ما لا
يحل حتى لمسه بالايدي فحيث انهم يفعلون هذا فقد ثبت انهم سيسلمون للهلاك.
13- و بما ان امتك قد علمت بهذا هربت من عندهم
و قد بعثني الرب لاخبرك بهذا.
14- و انا امتك اعبد الله حتى الان عندك ايضا
و امتك تخرج و تصلي الى الله.
15- فيقول لي متى يرد عليهم خطيئتهم فاجيء و
اخبرك بذلك حتى اخذك الى وسط اورشليم و يكون لك جميع شعب اسرائيل مثل الغنم التي
لا راعي لها و لا ينبح عليك كلب.
16- و هذه كلها قد لقنتها من عناية الله.
17- و حيث ان الله قد غضب عليهم فانا مرسلة
لاخبرك بهذه الامور.
18- فحسن هذا الكلام كله لدى اليفانا و عبيده
و كانوا يتعجبون من حكمتها و يقولون بعضهم لبعض.
19- ليس مثل هذه المراة على
الارض في المنظر و الجمال و الحكمة في الكلام.
20- فقال لها اليفانا قد احسن الله اليك اذ
ارسلك امام الشعب لتسلميه انت الى ايدينا.
21- و بما ان وعدك حسن ان فعل الهك لي ذلك فهو
يكون الها لي و انت تكونين عظيمة في بيت نبوكد نصر و ينوه باسمك في كل الارض
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