Judith 11

1Then Holofernes spoke to her, saying, 'Woman, take courage; do not be fearful in your heart. I have never hurt anyone who chooses to serve Nebuchadnezzar, king of the whole earth.

καὶ εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτὴν Ολοφέρνης θάρσησον γύναι μὴ φοβηθῇς τῇ καρδίᾳ σου ὅτι ἐγὼ οὐκ ἐκάκωσα ἄνθρωπον ὅστις ᾑρέτικεν δουλεύειν βασιλεῖ Ναβουχοδονοσορ πάσης τῆς γῆς

2Even now, if your people inhabiting the hill country had not held me in such low regard, I would not have lifted my spear against them. Rather, they did this to themselves.

καὶ νῦν ὁ λαός σου ὁ κατοικῶν τὴν ὀρεινὴν εἰ μὴ ἐφαύλισάν με οὐκ ἂν ἦρα τὸ δόρυ μου ἐπ᾿ αὐτούς ἀλλὰ αὐτοὶ ἑαυτοῖς ἐποίησαν ταῦτα

3Now tell me why you have fled from them and come to us, for you have come to a safe place. Take courage! You shall live tonight and from this day forward.

καὶ νῦν λέγε μοι τίνος ἕνεκεν ἀπέδρας ἀπ᾿ αὐτῶν καὶ ἦλθες πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἥκεις γὰρ εἰς σωτηρίαν θάρσει ἐν τῇ νυκτὶ ταύτῃ ζήσῃ καὶ εἰς τὸ λοιπόν

4No one will harm you, but they will treat you well, as they do all the servants of my lord, King Nebuchadnezzar.'

οὐ γὰρ ἔστιν ὃς ἀδικήσει σε ἀλλ᾿ εὖ σε ποιήσει καθὰ γίνεται τοῖς δούλοις τοῦ κυρίου μου βασιλέως Ναβουχοδονοσορ

5Then Judith said to him, 'Receive the words of your servant, and permit your handmaid to speak in your presence. I will say nothing untrue to my lord tonight.

καὶ εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτὸν Ιουδιθ δέξαι τὰ ῥήματα τῆς δούλης σου καὶ λαλησάτω ἡ παιδίσκη σου κατὰ πρόσωπόν σου καὶ οὐκ ἀναγγελῶ ψεῦδος τῷ κυρίῳ μου ἐν τῇ νυκτὶ ταύτῃ

6And if you carry out all the words of your handmaid, God shall do something great through you, and my lord shall not fail in his pursuits.

καὶ ἐὰν κατακολουθήσῃς τοῖς λόγοις τῆς παιδίσκης σου τελείως πρᾶγμα ποιήσει μετὰ σοῦ ὁ θεός καὶ οὐκ ἀποπεσεῖται ὁ κύριός μου τῶν ἐπιτηδευμάτων αὐτοῦ

7For Nebuchadnezzar, king of all the earth, lives, and the power of him who sent you to set aright every soul prevails. Not only does all mankind serve him because of you, but because of your strength even the wild animals of the field, the beasts of burden, and the birds of the heaven shall live for Nebuchadnezzar and his whole house.

ζῇ γὰρ βασιλεὺς Ναβουχοδονοσορ πάσης τῆς γῆς καὶ ζῇ τὸ κράτος αὐτοῦ ὃς ἀπέστειλέν σε εἰς κατόρθωσιν πάσης ψυχῆς ὅτι οὐ μόνον ἄνθρωποι διὰ σὲ δουλεύουσιν αὐτῷ ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ θηρία τοῦ ἀγροῦ καὶ τὰ κτήνη καὶ τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ διὰ τῆς ἰσχύος σου ζήσονται ἐπὶ Ναβουχοδονοσορ καὶ πάντα τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ

8For we heard of your wisdom and the great accomplishments of your life, and it is spoken throughout the whole earth that you alone are noble in all the kingdom, competent in knowledge, and remarkable in military strategy.

ἠκούσαμεν γὰρ τὴν σοφίαν σου καὶ τὰ πανουργεύματα τῆς ψυχῆς σου καὶ ἀνηγγέλη πάσῃ τῇ γῇ ὅτι σὺ μόνος ἀγαθὸς ἐν πάσῃ βασιλείᾳ καὶ δυνατὸς ἐν ἐπιστήμῃ καὶ θαυμαστὸς ἐν στρατεύμασιν πολέμου

9'Now as for the words Achior spoke in your council, we have heard these things. For the men of Bethulia spared his life, and he told them all the things he had spoken to you.

καὶ νῦν ὁ λόγος ὃν ἐλάλησεν Αχιωρ ἐν τῇ συνεδρίᾳ σου ἠκούσαμεν τὰ ῥήματα αὐτοῦ ὅτι περιεποιήσαντο αὐτὸν οἱ ἄνδρες Βαιτυλουα καὶ ἀνήγγειλεν αὐτοῖς πάντα ὅσα ἐξελάλησεν παρὰ σοί

10Therefore, master and lord, do not dismiss his words, but bear them in mind, because they are true. Thus our nation is not punished, nor does the sword prevail against them, unless they sin against their God.

διό δέσποτα κύριε μὴ παρέλθῃς τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ ἀλλὰ κατάθου αὐτὸν ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου ὅτι ἐστὶν ἀληθής οὐ γὰρ ἐκδικᾶται τὸ γένος ἡμῶν οὐ κατισχύει ῥομφαία ἐπ᾿ αὐτούς ἐὰν μὴ ἁμάρτωσιν εἰς τὸν θεὸν αὐτῶν

11'And now, so that my lord not be defeated and unsuccessful, death will come upon them, for a sin has overtaken them by which they will provoke their God, when they do that which is not proper.

καὶ νῦν ἵνα μὴ γένηται ὁ κύριός μου ἔκβολος καὶ ἄπρακτος καὶ ἐπιπεσεῖται θάνατος ἐπὶ πρόσωπον αὐτῶν καὶ κατελάβετο αὐτοὺς ἁμάρτημα ἐν ᾧ παροργιοῦσιν τὸν θεὸν αὐτῶν ὁπηνίκα ἂν ποιήσωσιν ἀτοπίαν

12Since their food supply gave out and water is scarce, they have determined to kill their animals and to consume all that God in His laws specifically told them not to eat.

ἐπεὶ παρεξέλιπεν αὐτοὺς τὰ βρώματα καὶ ἐσπανίσθη πᾶν ὕδωρ ἐβουλεύσαντο ἐπιβαλεῖν τοῖς κτήνεσιν αὐτῶν καὶ πάντα ὅσα διεστείλατο αὐτοῖς ὁ θεὸς τοῖς νόμοις αὐτοῦ μὴ φαγεῖν διέγνωσαν δαπανῆσαι

13They further resolved to consume the firstfruits of the grain and the tithes of wine and oil they sanctified and reserved for the priests in Jerusalem, who serve in the presence of our God—things not lawful for any person to touch with his hands.

καὶ τὰς ἀπαρχὰς τοῦ σίτου καὶ τὰς δεκάτας τοῦ οἴνου καὶ τοῦ ἐλαίου ἃ διεφύλαξαν ἁγιάσαντες τοῖς ἱερεῦσιν τοῖς παρεστηκόσιν ἐν Ιερουσαλημ ἀπέναντι τοῦ προσώπου τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν κεκρίκασιν ἐξαναλῶσαι ὧν οὐδὲ ταῖς χερσὶν καθῆκεν ἅψασθαι οὐδένα τῶν ἐκ τοῦ λαοῦ

14And they have sent people to Jerusalem to bring permission back from the council of elders, because those living there have done these things.

καὶ ἀπεστάλκασιν εἰς Ιερουσαλημ ὅτι καὶ οἱ ἐκεῖ κατοικοῦντες ἐποίησαν ταῦτα τοὺς μετακομίσοντας αὐτοῖς τὴν ἄφεσιν παρὰ τῆς γερουσίας

15And it will come to pass when the response is reported to them, and they act on it, on that same day they will be delivered over to you to be crushed.

καὶ ἔσται ὡς ἂν ἀναγγείλῃ αὐτοῖς καὶ ποιήσωσιν δοθήσονταί σοι εἰς ὄλεθρον ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ

16'When I, your handmaid, learned of this, I fled from these people. And God sent me to do some things with you, by which all the earth will be astonished when they learn of them.

ὅθεν ἐγὼ ἡ δούλη σου ἐπιγνοῦσα ταῦτα πάντα ἀπέδρων ἀπὸ προσώπου αὐτῶν καὶ ἀπέστειλέν με ὁ θεὸς ποιῆσαι μετὰ σοῦ πράγματα ἐφ᾿ οἷς ἐκστήσεται πᾶσα ἡ γῆ ὅσοι ἐὰν ἀκούσωσιν αὐτά

17For your servant is God-fearing, serving the God of heaven night and day. Now, my lord, I will stay here with you, but each night your handmaid will go out in the valley, and I will pray to God, and He will tell me when they have committed their sins.

ὅτι ἡ δούλη σου θεοσεβής ἐστιν καὶ θεραπεύουσα νυκτὸς καὶ ἡμέρας τὸν θεὸν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ νῦν μενῶ παρὰ σοί κύριέ μου καὶ ἐξελεύσεται ἡ δούλη σου κατὰ νύκτα εἰς τὴν φάραγγα καὶ προσεύξομαι πρὸς τὸν θεόν καὶ ἐρεῖ μοι πότε ἐποίησαν τὰ ἁμαρτήματα αὐτῶν

18At that hour I will come and inform you, and you shall go out with all your army, and none of them will be able to resist you.

καὶ ἐλθοῦσα προσανοίσω σοι καὶ ἐξελεύσῃ σὺν πάσῃ τῇ δυνάμει σου καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ὃς ἀντιστήσεταί σοι ἐξ αὐτῶν

19Then I will bring you through the midst of Judea until you reach Jerusalem. There I will place your chariot in their midst, and you will guide them like sheep who have no shepherd; not even a dog shall growl at you. This was made known to me as a gift of foreknowledge, and I have been sent to report this to you.'

καὶ ἄξω σε διὰ μέσου τῆς Ιουδαίας ἕως τοῦ ἐλθεῖν ἀπέναντι Ιερουσαλημ καὶ θήσω τὸν δίφρον σου ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῆς καὶ ἄξεις αὐτοὺς ὡς πρόβατα οἷς οὐκ ἔστιν ποιμήν καὶ οὐ γρύξει κύων τῇ γλώσσῃ αὐτοῦ ἀπέναντί σου ὅτι ταῦτα ἐλαλήθη μοι κατὰ πρόγνωσίν μου καὶ ἀπηγγέλη μοι καὶ ἀπεστάλην ἀναγγεῖλαί σοι

20What she said pleased Holofernes and all his servants. They admired her wisdom and said,

καὶ ἤρεσαν οἱ λόγοι αὐτῆς ἐναντίον Ολοφέρνου καὶ ἐναντίον πάντων τῶν θεραπόντων αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐθαύμασαν ἐπὶ τῇ σοφίᾳ αὐτῆς καὶ εἶπαν

21'There is not such a woman of beauty and with the wisdom of words from one end of the earth to the other.'

οὐκ ἔστιν τοιαύτη γυνὴ ἀπ᾿ ἄκρου ἕως ἄκρου τῆς γῆς ἐν καλῷ προσώπῳ καὶ συνέσει λόγων

22Holofernes spoke to her, saying, 'It is good that God sent you here, ahead of your people. You bring strength to our hands and demise to those who disparaged my lord.

καὶ εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτὴν Ολοφέρνης εὖ ἐποίησεν ὁ θεὸς ἀποστείλας σε ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ λαοῦ τοῦ γενηθῆναι ἐν χερσὶν ἡμῶν κράτος ἐν δὲ τοῖς φαυλίσασι τὸν κύριόν μου ἀπώλειαν

23You not only look beautiful, but you are wise in your words. If you will do as you said, your God will be my God, and you will dwell in the house of King Nebuchadnezzar, and you will be known in all the earth.'

καὶ νῦν ἀστεία εἶ σὺ ἐν τῷ εἴδει σου καὶ ἀγαθὴ ἐν τοῖς λόγοις σου ὅτι ἐὰν ποιήσῃς καθὰ ἐλάλησας ὁ θεός σου ἔσται μου θεός καὶ σὺ ἐν οἴκῳ βασιλέως Ναβουχοδονοσορ καθήσῃ καὶ ἔσῃ ὀνομαστὴ παρὰ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν