| 1 Holofernes le dijo: «¡Ánimo, señora! No tengas miedo, porque yo no hago mal a nadie que esté dispuesto a servir a Nabucodonosor, rey de toda la tierra. | 1 Then Holofernes said to her, "Take courage, woman, and do not be afraid in your heart, for I have never hurt any one who chose to serve Nebuchadnezzar, the king of all the earth. |
| 2 Tampoco habría alzado mi lanza contra los de tu pueblo, en la montaña, si ellos no me hubieran despreciado; pero ellos mismos se lo han buscado. | 2 And even now, if your people who live in the hill country had not slighted me, I would never have lifted my spear against them; but they have brought all this on themselves. |
| 3 Dime ahora por qué huyes de ellos y te pasas a nosotros. Viniendo aquí has salvado tu vida. Ten confianza: no correrás peligro ni esta noche ni en el futuro. | 3 And now tell me why you have fled from them and have come over to us--since you have come to safety. |
| 4 Nadie te hará daño. Gozarás del trato que reciben los súbditos de mi señor, el rey Nabucodonosor». | 4 Have courage; you will live, tonight and from now on. No one will hurt you, but all will treat you well, as they do the servants of my lord King Nebuchadnezzar." |
| 5 Respondió Judit: «Señor, acoge las palabras de tu esclava, permite que tu sierva hable en tu presencia. No mentiré esta noche a mi señor. | 5 Judith replied to him, "Accept the words of your servant, and let your maidservant speak in your presence, and I will tell nothing false to my lord this night. |
| 6 Si sigues el consejo de tu sierva, Dios llevará a buen término tu empresa, y mi señor no fracasará en sus planes. | 6 And if you follow out the words of your maidservant, God will accomplish something through you, and my lord will not fail to achieve his purposes. |
| 7 ¡Viva Nabucodonosor, rey de toda la tierra, y viva su poder, que te ha enviado a poner orden en todas las criaturas! Gracias a ti, no solo le servirán los hombres, sino que también, por tu fuerza, las fieras, los ganados y las aves del cielo estarán a disposición de Nabucodonosor y de su casa. | 7 Nebuchadnezzar the king of the whole earth lives, and as his power endures, who had sent you to direct every living soul, not only do men serve him because of you, but also the beasts of the field and the cattle and the birds of the air will live by your power under Nebuchadnezzar and all his house. |
| 8 Hemos oído hablar de tu sabiduría y prudencia; el mundo entero comenta que sobresales en todo el reino por tu preclara inteligencia y tu singular destreza en el arte de la guerra. | 8 For we have heard of your wisdom and skill, and it is reported throughout the whole world that you are the one good man in the whole kingdom, thoroughly informed and marvelous in military strategy. |
| 9 Tenemos noticia de lo que dijo Ajior en tu consejo, pues los hombres de Betulia lo rescataron, y él les contó lo que había dicho aquí. | 9 "Now as for the things Achior said in your council, we have heard his words, for the men of Bethulia spared him and he told them all he had said to you. |
| 10 Dueño y señor, no desprecies sus palabras; tómalas en consideración, porque son verdad. Los de nuestro pueblo no sufrirán daño ni serán dominados por las armas si no pecan contra su Dios. | 10 Therefore, my lord and master, do not disregard what he said, but keep it in your mind, for it is true: our nation cannot be punished, nor can the sword prevail against them, unless they sin against their God. |
| 11 Pero ahora, señor, no debes sentirte burlado o fracasado, porque están condenados a muerte. Han caído en pecado —puesto que van a cometer una locura— y, cuando pecan, provocan la ira de su Dios. | 11 "And now, in order that my lord may not be defeated and his purpose frustrated, death will fall upon them, for a sin has overtaken them by which they are about to provoke their God to anger when they do what is wrong. |
| 12 Al verse faltos de alimentos y casi sin agua, han decidido echar mano de sus rebaños: están dispuestos a consumir todo lo que las leyes de su Dios les tienen prohibido comer. | 12 Since their food supply is exhausted and their water has almost given out, they have planned to kill their cattle and have determined to use all that God by his laws has forbidden them to eat. |
| 13 Han decidido también consumir las primicias del trigo y los diezmos del vino y del aceite, cosas reservadas para los sacerdotes que ejercen su ministerio ante nuestro Dios en Jerusalén e intocables para nadie del pueblo. | 13 They have decided to consume the first fruits of the grain and the tithes of the wine and oil, which they had consecrated and set aside for the priests who minister in the presence of our God at Jerusalem--although it is not lawful for any of the people so much as to touch these things with their hands. |
| 14 Han despachado mensajeros a Jerusalén para obtener del consejo de ancianos el correspondiente permiso, puesto que la gente de allí ha hecho lo mismo. | 14 They have sent men to Jerusalem, because even the people living there have been doing this, to bring back to them permission from the senate. |
| 15 Pero tan pronto como consigan el permiso y actúen en consecuencia, ese mismo día te serán entregados para que los destruyas. | 15 When the word reaches them and they proceed to do this, on that very day they will be handed over to you to be destroyed. |
| 16 Yo, tu sierva, al enterarme de esto, señor, escapé corriendo. Dios me envía para hacer contigo una hazaña que dejará asombrados a cuantos la oigan. | 16 "Therefore, when I, your servant, learned all this, I fled from them; and God has sent me to accomplish with you things that will astonish the whole world, as many as shall hear about them. |
| 17 Porque tu sierva es una mujer piadosa que sirve día y noche al Dios del cielo. Ahora, señor, desearía quedarme a tu lado. Cada noche saldré al valle para pedir a Dios que me haga saber cuándo han cometido esos pecados. | 17 For your servant is religious, and serves the God of heaven day and night; therefore, my lord, I will remain with you, and every night your servant will go out into the valley, and I will pray to God and he will tell me when they have committed their sins. |
| 18 Yo vendré a decírtelo; entonces tú sacarás todo el ejército y ninguno de ellos podrá resistir ante ti. | 18 And I will come and tell you, and then you shall go out with your whole army, and not one of them will withstand you. |
| 19 Te conduciré a través de Judea hasta llegar a Jerusalén y haré que te instales en medio de la ciudad. Ellos te seguirán como ovejas que han quedado sin pastor. Ni los perros te ladrarán. Todo esto me ha sido revelado y he sido enviada para comunicártelo». | 19 Then I will lead you through the middle of Judea, till you come to Jerusalem; and I will set your throne in the midst of it; and you will lead them like sheep that have no shepherd, and not a dog will so much as open its mouth to growl at you. For this has been told me, by my foreknowledge; it was announced to me, and I was sent to tell you." |
| 20 Las palabras de Judit agradaron a Holofernes y sus servidores, los cuales, admirados de su sabiduría, comentaban: | 20 Her words pleased Holofernes and all his servants, and they marveled at her wisdom and said, |
| 21 «No hay en toda la tierra mujer como ella, tan hermosa y tan prudente en su hablar». | 21 "There is not such a woman from one end of the earth to the other, either for beauty of face or wisdom of speech!" |
| 22 Holofernes le dijo: «Gracias a Dios por haberte hecho salir de tu pueblo para darnos el poder a nosotros y destruir a los que han despreciado a mi señor. | 22 And Holofernes said to her, "God has done well to send you before the people, to lend strength to our hands and to bring destruction upon those who have slighted my lord. |
| 23 Eres tan hermosa como persuasiva. Si haces lo que has prometido, tu Dios será mi Dios, vivirás en el palacio del rey Nabucodonosor y serás famosa en toda la tierra». | 23 You are not only beautiful in appearance, but wise in speech; and if you do as you have said, your God shall be my God, and you shall live in the house of King Nebuchadnezzar and be renowned throughout the whole world." |
