Orthodox Study

Old Testament

Judith 10

1When she had ceased crying to the God of Israel and had completed all her words,

καὶ ἐγένετο ὡς ἐπαύσατο βοῶσα πρὸς τὸν θεὸν Ισραηλ καὶ συνετέλεσεν πάντα τὰ ῥήματα ταῦτα

2she arose from where she had prostrated herself, and summoned her maid and went down into the house, where she lived on the Sabbaths and her feast days.

καὶ ἀνέστη ἀπὸ τῆς πτώσεως καὶ ἐκάλεσεν τὴν ἅβραν αὐτῆς καὶ κατέβη εἰς τὸν οἶκον ἐν ᾧ διέτριβεν ἐν αὐτῷ ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις τῶν σαββάτων καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἑορταῖς αὐτῆς

3There she took off the sackcloth she was wearing and removed her widow's garments. She washed her body with water and anointed herself with precious ointment. She braided her hair and put a headdress on her head, and put on festive attire she had worn when her husband Manasseh was alive.

καὶ περιείλατο τὸν σάκκον ὃν ἐνεδεδύκει καὶ ἐξεδύσατο τὰ ἱμάτια τῆς χηρεύσεως αὐτῆς καὶ περιεκλύσατο τὸ σῶμα ὕδατι καὶ ἐχρίσατο μύρῳ παχεῖ καὶ διέξανε τὰς τρίχας τῆς κεφαλῆς αὐτῆς καὶ ἐπέθετο μίτραν ἐπ᾿ αὐτῆς καὶ ἐνεδύσατο τὰ ἱμάτια τῆς εὐφροσύνης αὐτῆς ἐν οἷς ἐστολίζετο ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις τῆς ζωῆς τοῦ ἀνδρὸς αὐτῆς Μανασση

4She placed sandals on her feet, and put on her bracelets, her anklets, her rings, earrings, and all her jewelry. She made herself very beautiful, inviting to the eyes of all the men who might look on her.

καὶ ἔλαβεν σανδάλια εἰς τοὺς πόδας αὐτῆς καὶ περιέθετο τοὺς χλιδῶνας καὶ τὰ ψέλια καὶ τοὺς δακτυλίους καὶ τὰ ἐνώτια καὶ πάντα τὸν κόσμον αὐτῆς καὶ ἐκαλλωπίσατο σφόδρα εἰς ἀπάτησιν ὀφθαλμῶν ἀνδρῶν ὅσοι ἂν ἴδωσιν αὐτήν

5Then she gave her maid a flask of wine and a cruse of oil, and filled a bag with grain and a cake of dried fruit and a loaf of bread; all these items she wrapped up together and gave them to her maid.

καὶ ἔδωκεν τῇ ἅβρᾳ αὐτῆς ἀσκοπυτίνην οἴνου καὶ καψάκην ἐλαίου καὶ πήραν ἐπλήρωσεν ἀλφίτων καὶ παλάθης καὶ ἄρτων καθαρῶν καὶ περιεδίπλωσε πάντα τὰ ἀγγεῖα αὐτῆς καὶ ἐπέθηκεν αὐτῇ

6Then they went out to the gate of the city of Bethulia and found Uzziah standing there with the elders of the city, Chabris and Charmis.

καὶ ἐξήλθοσαν ἐπὶ τὴν πύλην τῆς πόλεως Βαιτυλουα καὶ εὕροσαν ἐφεστῶτα ἐπ᾿ αὐτῇ Οζιαν καὶ τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους τῆς πόλεως Χαβριν καὶ Χαρμιν

7And they saw her, and her face was changed and her clothing was different, and they marveled at her beauty and said to her,

ὡς δὲ εἶδον αὐτὴν καὶ ἦν ἠλλοιωμένον τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτῆς καὶ τὴν στολὴν μεταβεβληκυῖαν αὐτῆς καὶ ἐθαύμασαν ἐπὶ τῷ κάλλει αὐτῆς ἐπὶ πολὺ σφόδρα καὶ εἶπαν αὐτῇ

8'May the God of our fathers grant you favor and fulfill your pursuits, to the exaltation of the sons of Israel and the glory of Jerusalem.'

ὁ θεὸς τῶν πατέρων ἡμῶν δῴη σε εἰς χάριν καὶ τελειώσαι τὰ ἐπιτηδεύματά σου εἰς γαυρίαμα υἱῶν Ισραηλ καὶ ὕψωμα Ιερουσαλημ

9She bowed down to God and said to them, 'Order the gates of the city to be opened, and I will go out to fulfill the words you spoke with me.' They commanded the young men to open the gates as she had requested.

καὶ προσεκύνησεν τῷ θεῷ καὶ εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτούς ἐπιτάξατε ἀνοῖξαί μοι τὴν πύλην τῆς πόλεως καὶ ἐξελεύσομαι εἰς τελείωσιν τῶν λόγων ὧν ἐλαλήσατε μετ᾿ ἐμοῦ καὶ συνέταξαν τοῖς νεανίσκοις ἀνοῖξαι αὐτῇ καθότι ἐλάλησεν

10And so they did, and Judith went out along with her maid, and the men of the city watched her until she went down the mountain and crossed the valley, until they could no longer see her.

καὶ ἐποίησαν οὕτως καὶ ἐξῆλθεν Ιουδιθ αὐτὴ καὶ ἡ παιδίσκη αὐτῆς μετ᾿ αὐτῆς ἀπεσκόπευον δὲ αὐτὴν οἱ ἄνδρες τῆς πόλεως ἕως οὗ κατέβη τὸ ὄρος ἕως διῆλθεν τὸν αὐλῶνα καὶ οὐκέτι ἐθεώρουν αὐτήν

11The women traveled straight through the valley, and an Assyrian patrol met her.

καὶ ἐπορεύοντο ἐν τῷ αὐλῶνι εἰς εὐθεῖαν καὶ συνήντησεν αὐτῇ προφυλακὴ τῶν Ἀσσυρίων

12They seized her and asked, 'Who are you, and where are you coming from, and where are you going?' She replied, 'I am a daughter of the Hebrews, and I am fleeing from them, because they are about to be given over to you to be devoured.

καὶ συνέλαβον αὐτὴν καὶ ἐπηρώτησαν τίνων εἶ καὶ πόθεν ἔρχῃ καὶ ποῦ πορεύῃ καὶ εἶπεν θυγάτηρ εἰμὶ τῶν Εβραίων καὶ ἀποδιδράσκω ἀπὸ προσώπου αὐτῶν ὅτι μέλλουσιν δίδοσθαι ὑμῖν εἰς κατάβρωμα

13I have come to see Holofernes, the commander of your forces, to give him an accurate report. I will show him the way he can go out and take all the hill country captive without losing the body or the life of any of his men.'

κἀγὼ ἔρχομαι εἰς τὸ πρόσωπον Ολοφέρνου ἀρχιστρατήγου δυνάμεως ὑμῶν τοῦ ἀπαγγεῖλαι ῥήματα ἀληθείας καὶ δείξω πρὸ προσώπου αὐτοῦ ὁδὸν καθ᾿ ἣν πορεύσεται καὶ κυριεύσει πάσης τῆς ὀρεινῆς καὶ οὐ διαφωνήσει τῶν ἀνδρῶν αὐτοῦ σὰρξ μία οὐδὲ πνεῦμα ζωῆς

14And as the men listened to her words, and beheld her face—for she was wondrously beautiful in their eyes—they said to her,

ὡς δὲ ἤκουσαν οἱ ἄνδρες τὰ ῥήματα αὐτῆς καὶ κατενόησαν τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτῆς καὶ ἦν ἐναντίον αὐτῶν θαυμάσιον τῷ κάλλει σφόδρα καὶ εἶπαν πρὸς αὐτήν

15'You have spared your life by hastening to come down to see our lord. Now come with us to his tent, and we will escort you to him, to deliver you to him.

σέσωκας τὴν ψυχήν σου σπεύσασα καταβῆναι εἰς πρόσωπον τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν καὶ νῦν πρόσελθε ἐπὶ τὴν σκηνὴν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀφ᾿ ἡμῶν προπέμψουσίν σε ἕως παραδώσουσίν σε εἰς χεῖρας αὐτοῦ

16When you stand before him, do not be fainthearted, but report to him just as you said, for he will treat you well.'

ἐὰν δὲ στῇς ἐναντίον αὐτοῦ μὴ φοβηθῇς τῇ καρδίᾳ σου ἀλλὰ ἀνάγγειλον κατὰ τὰ ῥήματά σου καὶ εὖ σε ποιήσει

17They then chose a hundred men from among them to escort her and her maid, and they brought them to Holofernes' tent.

καὶ ἐπέλεξαν ἐξ αὐτῶν ἄνδρας ἑκατὸν καὶ παρέζευξαν αὐτῇ καὶ τῇ ἅβρᾳ αὐτῆς καὶ ἤγαγον αὐτὰς ἐπὶ τὴν σκηνὴν Ολοφέρνου

18There came about quite a commotion throughout the entire camp, for the rumor of her arrival quickly spread among the tents. They came and gathered around her as she stood outside the tent of Holofernes while they announced her presence to him.

καὶ ἐγένετο συνδρομὴ ἐν πάσῃ τῇ παρεμβολῇ διεβοήθη γὰρ εἰς τὰ σκηνώματα ἡ παρουσία αὐτῆς καὶ ἐλθόντες ἐκύκλουν αὐτήν ὡς εἱστήκει ἔξω τῆς σκηνῆς Ολοφέρνου ἕως προσήγγειλαν αὐτῷ περὶ αὐτῆς

19They marveled at her beauty, and because of her, they wondered about the Israelites. Each said to his neighbor, 'Who will dare despise this people with a woman like this among them? Surely it is not wise to leave even one of their men alive, for if we let them go they will be able to outwit the whole world!'

καὶ ἐθαύμαζον ἐπὶ τῷ κάλλει αὐτῆς καὶ ἐθαύμαζον τοὺς υἱοὺς Ισραηλ ἀπ᾿ αὐτῆς καὶ εἶπεν ἕκαστος πρὸς τὸν πλησίον αὐτοῦ τίς καταφρονήσει τοῦ λαοῦ τούτου ὃς ἔχει ἐν ἑαυτῷ γυναῖκας τοιαύτας ὅτι οὐ καλόν ἐστιν ὑπολείπεσθαι ἐξ αὐτῶν ἄνδρα ἕνα οἳ ἀφεθέντες δυνήσονται κατασοφίσασθαι πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν

20Then those guarding Holofernes and all his servants came out and led her into the tent.

καὶ ἐξῆλθον οἱ παρακαθεύδοντες Ολοφέρνῃ καὶ πάντες οἱ θεράποντες αὐτοῦ καὶ εἰσήγαγον αὐτὴν εἰς τὴν σκηνήν

21Holofernes was reclining on his couch under a canopy of purple and gold, emeralds and other precious stones.

καὶ ἦν Ολοφέρνης ἀναπαυόμενος ἐπὶ τῆς κλίνης αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ κωνωπίῳ ὃ ἦν ἐκ πορφύρας καὶ χρυσίου καὶ σμαράγδου καὶ λίθων πολυτελῶν καθυφασμένων

22When they told him of her being there, he came out, preceded by silver lamps, to the entrance of the tent.

καὶ ἀνήγγειλαν αὐτῷ περὶ αὐτῆς καὶ ἐξῆλθεν εἰς τὸ προσκήνιον καὶ λαμπάδες ἀργυραῖ προάγουσαι αὐτοῦ

23And when Judith came in before him and his servants, they were taken by the beauty of her face. She prostrated herself, paying homage to him, but his servants lifted her up.

ὡς δὲ ἦλθεν κατὰ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ Ιουδιθ καὶ τῶν θεραπόντων αὐτοῦ ἐθαύμασαν πάντες ἐπὶ τῷ κάλλει τοῦ προσώπου αὐτῆς καὶ πεσοῦσα ἐπὶ πρόσωπον προσεκύνησεν αὐτῷ καὶ ἤγειραν αὐτὴν οἱ δοῦλοι αὐτοῦ

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