Judith 5

NEW JERUSALEM	NOVA VULGATA
1 Holofernes, general-in-chief of the Assyrian army, received the intel igence that the Israelites werepreparing for war, that they had closed the mountain passes, fortified al the high peaks and laid obstructions inthe plains.	1 Et renuntiatum est Holoferni principi militiae virtutis Assyriae quoniamfilii Israel praeparaverant se ad pugnam et transitus montanae concluserant etmuris cinxerant omnem verticem montis excelsi et posuerant in campisoffendicula.
2 Holofernes was furious. He summoned al the princes of Moab, al the generals of Ammon and al thesatraps of the coastal regions.	2 Et iratus est iracundia valde et convocavit omnes principes Moabet duces Ammon et omnes magistratus maritimae
3 'Men of Canaan,' he said, 'tel me: what people is this that occupies the hill-country? What towns does itinhabit? How large is its army? What are the sources of its power and strength? Who is the king who rules it andcommands its army?	3 et dixit eis: “ Renuntiatemihi, filii Chanaan: Quis est iste populus, qui sedet in montanis? Quae suntautem, quas inhabitant, civitates, et quae est multitudo virtutis eorum? Et inquo est potestas et fortitudo eorum, et quis praeest super eos rex, dux militiaeeorum?
4 Why have they disdained to wait on me, as all the western peoples have?'	4 Et quare terga verterunt, ne venirent in obviam mihi prae omnibus, quiinhabitant ad occasum? ”.
5 Achior, leader of al the Ammonites, replied, 'May my lord be pleased to listen to what your servant isgoing to say. I shall give you the facts about these mountain folk whose home lies close to you. You wil hear nolie from the mouth of your servant.	5 Et dixit ad eum Achior dux filiorum Ammon: “Audiat dominus meus verbum ex ore servi tui, et referam tibi veritatem de populoisto, qui inhabitat montana ista iuxta te, et non exibit mendacium ex ore servitui.
6 These people are descended from the Chaldaeans.	6 Populus hic est ex progenie Chaldaeorum
7 They once came to live in Mesopotamia, because they did not want to fol ow the gods of their ancestorswho lived in Chaldaea.	7 et inhabitaverunt primum inMesopotamia, quoniam noluerunt sequi deos patrum suorum, qui fuerunt in terraChaldaeorum praeclari.
8 They abandoned the way of their ancestors to worship the God of heaven, the God they learnt toacknowledge. Banished from the presence of their own gods, they fled to Mesopotamia where they lived for along time.	8 Et declinaverunt de via parentum suorum et adoraveruntDeum caeli, Deum, quem cognoverunt; et eiecerunt eos a facie deorum suorum, etfugerunt in Mesopotamiam et inhabitaverunt ibi dies multos.
9 When God told them to leave their home and set out for Canaan, they settled there and accumulatedgold and silver and great herds of cattle.	9 Et dixit Deuseorum, ut exirent de peregrinatione ipsorum et irent in terram Chanaan. Etinhabitaverunt ibi et repleti sunt auro et argento et pecoribus multis valde.
10 Next, famine having overwhelmed the land of Canaan, they went down to Egypt where they stayed tilthey were well nourished. There they became a great multitude, a race beyond counting.	10 Et descenderunt in Aegyptum — cooperuerat enim fames faciem terrae Chanaan —et commorati sunt ibi, usquedum enutriti sunt et facti sunt ibi in multitudinemmagnam, nec erat numerus generis eorum.
11 But the king of Egypt turned against them and exploited them by forcing them to make bricks; hedegraded them, reducing them to slavery.	11 Et insurrexerunt super eos Aegyptiiet circumvenerunt eos in luto et latere, humiliaverunt eos et posuerunt eos inservos.
12 They cried to their God, who struck the entire land of Egypt with incurable plagues, and the Egyptiansexpel ed them.	12 Et clamaverunt ad Deum suum, et percussit totam terram Aegyptiplagis, in quibus non erat medicina, et eiecerunt eos Aegyptii a facie sua.
13 God dried up the Red Sea before them	13 Et exsiccavit Deus Rubrum mare ante eos
14 and led them forward by way of Sinai and Kadesh-Barnea. Having driven off all the inhabitants of thedesert,	14 et eduxit eos in viam Sinai etCadesbarne. Et eiecerunt omnes inhabitantes in eremo
15 they settled in the land of the Amorites and in their strength exterminated the entire population ofHeshbon. Then, having crossed the Jordan, they took possession of al the hil -country,	15 et habitaverunt in terraAmorraeorum et omnes Hesebonitas exstirpaverunt in virtute sua. Et transeuntesIordanem possederunt totam montanam
16 driving out the Canaanites before them and the Perizzites, Jebusites, Shechemites and all theGirgashites, and lived there for many years.	16 et eiecerunt a facie sua Chananaeum etPherezaeum et Iebusaeum et Sichem et omnes Gergesaeos et habitaverunt in eadiebus multis.
17 Al the while they did not sin before their God, prosperity was theirs, for they have a God who hateswickedness.	17 Et, usquedum non peccarent in conspectu Dei sui, erant cumipsis bona, quia Deus odiens iniquitatem cum ipsis est.
18 But when they turned from the path he had marked out for them some were exterminated in a series ofbattles, others were taken captive to a foreign land. The Temple of their God was rased to the ground and theirtowns were seized by their enemies.	18 Sed, cum recesserunta via, quam disposuerat illis, exterminati sunt in bellis multis multum valde etcaptivi ducti sunt in terram non suam, et templum Dei eorum devenit ad solum, etcivitates eorum comprehensae sunt ab adversariis.
19 Then having turned once again to their God, they came back from the places to which they had beendispersed and scattered, regained possession of Jerusalem, where they have their Temple, and reoccupied thehil -country which had been left deserted.	19 Et nunc revertentes ad Deumsuum ascenderunt a dispersione, qua dispersi fuerant, et possederunt Ierusalem,ubi sanctuarium eorum est, et inhabitaverunt in montana, quia erat deserta.
20 So, now, master and lord, if this people has committed any fault, if they have sinned against their God,let us first be sure that they real y have this reason to fail, then advance and attack them.	20 Et nunc, dominator domine, siquidem est ignorantia in populo isto, et peccant inDeum suum, inspiciemus quoniam est in illis offendiculum hoc et ascendemus etexpugnabimus eos;
21 But if their nation is guiltless, my lord would do better to abstain, for fear that their Lord and God shouldprotect them. We should then become the laughing-stock of the whole world.'	21 si autem non est iniquitas in ipsa gente, transeat dominusmeus, ne forte protegat eos Dominus eorum et Deus eorum, et erimus inimproperium coram omni terra ”.
22 When Achior had ended this speech, all the people crowding round the tent began protesting.Holofernes' own senior officers, as wel as al the coastal peoples and the Moabites, threatened to tear him limbfrom limb.	22 Et factum est, ut desiit loqui Achior verbahaec, murmuravit omnis populus, qui erat in circuitu tabernaculi. Et dixeruntmagnates Holoferni et omnes, qui habitabant maritimam et Moab, ut configerenteum:
23 'Why should we be afraid of the Israelites? They are a weak and powerless people, quite unable tostand a stiff attack.	23 “ Non enim timebimus a filiis Israel; ecce enim populus, in quo nonest virtus neque potestas in pugnam validam.
24 Forward! Advance! Your army, Holofernes our master, wil swal ow them in one mouthful!'	24 Propter hoc ascendemus, et eruntin escam militiae tuae, dominator Holofernes ”.