Livre de Judith 5

JERUSALEM	DOUAI-RHEIMS
1 On annonça à Holopherne, général en chef de l'armée assyrienne, que les Israélites se préparaient aucombat: ils avaient, disait-on, fermé les passes de la montagne, fortifié les hautes cimes et, dans les plaines,disposés des obstacles.	1 And it was told Holofernes the general of the army of the Assyrians, that the children of Israel prepared themselves to resist, and had shut up the ways of the mountains.
2 Il entra alors dans une très violente colère, convoqua tous les princes de Moab, tous les générauxd'Ammon tous les satrapes du littoral.	2 And he was transported with exceeding great fury and indignation, and he called all the princes of Moab and the leaders of Amman.
3 Hommes de Canaan, leur dit-il, renseignez-moi: quel est ce peuple qui demeure dans la régionmontagneuse? Quelles sont les villes qu'il habite? Quelle est l'importance de son armée? En quoi résident sapuissance et sa force? Quel est le roi qui est à sa tête et dirige son armée?	3 And he said to them: Tell me what is this people that besetteth the mountains: or what are their cities, and of what sort, and how great: also what is their power, or what is their multitude: or who is the king over their warfare:
4 Pourquoi a-t-il dédaigné de venir au-devant de moi, contrairement à ce qu'ont fait tous les habitantsde la région occidentale?"	4 And why they above all that dwell in the east, have despised us, and have not come out to meet us, that they might receive us with peace?
5 Achior, chef de tous les Ammonites, lui répondit: "Que Monseigneur écoute, je t'en prie, les parolesprononcées par ton serviteur. Je vais te dire la vérité sur ce peuple de montagnards qui demeure tout près de toi.De la bouche de ton serviteur aucun mensonge ne sortira.	5 Then Achior captain of all the children of Ammon answering, said: If thou vouch safe, my lord, to hear, I will tell the truth in thy sight concerning this people, that dwelleth in the mountains, and there shall not a false word come out of my mouth.
6 Les gens de ce peuple sont des descendants des Chaldéens.	6 This people is of the offspring of the Chaldeans.
7 Anciennement ils vinrent habiter en Mésopotamie parce qu'ils n'avaient pas voulu suivre les dieux deleurs pères établis en Chaldée.	7 They dwelt first in Mesopotamia, because they would not follow the gods of their fathers, who were in the land of the Chaldeans.
8 Ils s'écartèrent donc de la voie de leurs ancêtres et adorèrent le Dieu du ciel, Dieu qu'ils avaientreconnu. Bannis alors de la face de leurs dieux, ils s'enfuirent en Mésopotamie où ils habitèrent longtemps.	8 Wherefore forsaking the ceremonies of their fathers, which consisted in the worship of many gods,
9 Leur Dieu leur ayant signifié de sortir de leur résidence et de s'en aller au pays de Canaan, ils s'yinstallèrent et y furent surabondamment comblés d'or, d'argent et de nombreux troupeaux.	9 They worshipped one God of heaven, who also commanded them to depart from thence, and to dwell in Charan. And when there was a famine over all the land, they went down into Egypt, and there for four hundred years were so multiplied, that the army of them could not be numbered.
10 Ils descendirent ensuite en Egypte, car une famine s'était abattue sur la terre de Canaan, et ils ydemeurèrent tant qu'ils y trouvèrent de la nourriture. Là ils devinrent une grande multitude et une raceinnombrable.	10 And when the king of Egypt oppressed them, and made slaves of them to labour in clay and brick, in the building of his cities, they cried to their Lord, and he struck the whole land of Egypt with divers plagues.
11 Mais le roi d'Egypte se dressa contre eux et se joua d'eux en les astreignant au travail des briques.On les humilia, on les assujettit à l'esclavage.	11 And when the Egyptians had cast them out from them, and the plague had ceased from them, and they had a mind to take them again, and bring them back to their service,
12 Ils crièrent vers leur Dieu, qui frappa la terre d'Egypte tout entière de plaies sans remède. LesEgyptiens les chassèrent alors loin d'eux.	12 The God of heaven opened the sea to them in their flight, so that the waters were made to stand firm as a wall on either side, and they walked through the bottom of the sea and passed it dry foot.
13 Devant eux Dieu dessécha la mer Rouge	13 And when an innumerable army of the Egyptians pursued after them in that place, they were so overwhelmed with the waters, that there was not one left, to tell what had happened to posterity.
14 et les conduisit par le chemin du Sinaï et de Cadès-Barné. Après avoir repoussé tous les habitants dudésert,	14 And after they came out of the Red Sea, they abode in the deserts of mount Sina, in which never man could dwell, or son of man rested.
15 ils s'établirent dans le pays des Amorites et, vigoureusement, exterminèrent tous les habitants deHeshbôn. Puis, traversant le Jourdain, ils prirent possession de toute la montagne,	15 There bitter fountains were made sweet for them to drink, and for forty years they received food from heaven.
16 expulsant devant eux les Cananéens, les Perizzites, les Jébuséens, les Sichémites ainsi que tous lesGirgashites, et ils y habitèrent de longs jours.	16 Wheresoever they went in without bow and arrow, and without shield and sword, their God fought for them and overcame.
17 Tant qu'ils ne péchèrent pas en présence de leur Dieu, la prospérité fut avec eux, car ils ont un Dieuqui hait l'iniquité.	17 And there was no one that triumphed over this people, but when they departed from the worship of the Lord their God.
18 Quand au contraire ils s'écartèrent de la voie qu'il leur avait assignée, une partie fut complètementdétruite en de multiples guerres, l'autre fut conduite en captivité dans une terre étrangère. Le Temple de leurDieu fut rasé et leurs villes tombèrent au pouvoir de leurs adversaires.	18 But as often as beside their own God, they worshipped any other, they were given to spoil, and to the sword, and to reproach.
19 Alors ils se retournèrent de nouveau vers leur Dieu, remontèrent de leur dispersion, des lieux où ilsavaient été disséminés, reprirent possession de Jérusalem où se trouve leur Temple et repeuplèrent la montagnedemeurée déserte.	19 And as often as they were penitent for having revolted from the worship of their God, the God of heaven gave them power to resist.
20 Et maintenant, maître et seigneur, s'il y a dans ce peuple quelque égarement, s'ils ont péché contreleur Dieu, alors assurons-nous qu'il y a bien en eux cette cause de chute. Puis montons, attaquons-les.	20 So they overthrew the king of the Chanaanites, and of the Jebusites, and of the Pherezites, and of the Hethites, and of the Hevites, and of the Amorrhites, and all the mighty ones in Hesebon, and they possessed their lands, and their cities:
21 Mais s'il n'y a pas d'injustice dans leur nation, que Monseigneur s'abstienne, de peur que leurSeigneur et Dieu ne les protège. Nous serions alors la risée de toute la terre!"	21 And as long as they sinned not in the sight of their God, it was well with them: for their God hateth iniquity.
22 Quand Achior eut cessé de parler, toute la foule massée autour de la tente se prit à murmurer. Lesnotables d'Holopherne, tous les habitants de la côte comme ceux de Moab parlaient de le mettre en pièces.	22 And even some years ago when they had revolted from the way which God had given them to walk therein, they were destroyed in battles by many nations, and very many of them were led away captive into a strange land.
23 "Qu'avons-nous donc à craindre des Israélites? C'est un peuple sans force ni puissance, incapable detenir dans un combat un peu rude.	23 But of late returning to the Lord their God, from the different places wherein they were scattered, they are come together and are gone up into all these mountains, and possess Jerusalem again, where their holies are
24 Allons donc! Montons et ton armée n'en fera qu'une bouchée, ô notre maître, Holopherne!"	24 Now therefore, my lord, search if there be any iniquity of theirs in the sight of their God: let us go up to them, because their God will surely deliver them to thee, and they shall be brought under the yoke of thy power:
	25 But if there be no offense of this people in the sight of their God, we can not resist them, because their God will defend them: and we shall be a reproach to the whole earth.
	26 And it came to pass, when Achior had ceased to speak these words, all the great men of Holofernes were angry, and they had a mind to kill him, saying to each other:
	27 Who is this, that saith the children of Israel can resist king Nabuchodonosor, and his armies, men unarmed, and without force, and without skill in the art of war?
	28 That Achior therefore may know that he deceiveth us, let us go up into the mountains: and when the bravest of them shall be taken, then shall he with them be stabbed with the sword:
	29 That every nation may know that Nabuchodonosor is god of the earth, and besides him there is no other.