| 1 και ανηγγελη ολοφερνη αρχιστρατηγω δυναμεως ασσουρ διοτι οι υιοι ισραηλ παρεσκευασαντο εις πολεμον και τας διοδους της ορεινης συνεκλεισαν και ετειχισαν πασαν κορυφην ορους υψηλου και εθηκαν εν τοις πεδιοις σκανδαλα | 1 When Holofernes, the general of the Assyrian army, heard that the people of Israel had prepared for war and had closed the passes in the hills and fortified all the high hilltops and set up barricades in the plains, |
| 2 και ωργισθη θυμω σφοδρα και εκαλεσεν παντας τους αρχοντας μωαβ και τους στρατηγους αμμων και παντας σατραπας της παραλιας | 2 he was very angry. So he called together all the princes of Moab and the commanders of Ammon and all the governors of the coastland, |
| 3 και ειπεν αυτοις αναγγειλατε δη μοι υιοι χανααν τις ο λαος ουτος ο καθημενος εν τη ορεινη και τινες ας κατοικουσιν πολεις και το πληθος της δυναμεως αυτων και εν τινι το κρατος αυτων και η ισχυς αυτων και τις ανεστηκεν επ' αυτων βασιλευς ηγουμενος στρατιας αυτων | 3 and said to them, "Tell me, you Canaanites, what people is this that lives in the hill country? What cities do they inhabit? How large is their army, and in what does their power or strength consist? Who rules over them as king, leading their army? |
| 4 και δια τι κατενωτισαντο του μη ελθειν εις απαντησιν μοι παρα παντας τους κατοικουντας εν δυσμαις | 4 And why have they alone, of all who live in the west, refused to come out and meet me?" |
| 5 και ειπεν προς αυτον αχιωρ ο ηγουμενος παντων υιων αμμων ακουσατω δη λογον ο κυριος μου εκ στοματος του δουλου σου και αναγγελω σοι την αληθειαν περι του λαου τουτου ος κατοικει την ορεινην ταυτην πλησιον σου οικουντος και ουκ εξελευσεται ψευδος εκ του στοματος του δουλου σου | 5 Then Achior, the leader of all the Ammonites, said to him, "Let my lord now hear a word from the mouth of your servant, and I will tell you the truth about this people that dwells in the nearby mountain district. No falsehood shall come from your servant's mouth. |
| 6 ο λαος ουτος εισιν απογονοι χαλδαιων | 6 This people is descended from the Chaldeans. |
| 7 και παρωκησαν το προτερον εν τη μεσοποταμια οτι ουκ εβουληθησαν ακολουθησαι τοις θεοις των πατερων αυτων οι εγενοντο εν γη χαλδαιων | 7 At one time they lived in Mesopotamia, because they would not follow the gods of their fathers who were in Chaldea. |
| 8 και εξεβησαν εξ οδου των γονεων αυτων και προσεκυνησαν τω θεω του ουρανου θεω ω επεγνωσαν και εξεβαλον αυτους απο προσωπου των θεων αυτων και εφυγον εις μεσοποταμιαν και παρωκησαν εκει ημερας πολλας | 8 For they had left the ways of their ancestors, and they worshiped the God of heaven, the God they had come to know; hence they drove them out from the presence of their gods; and they fled to Mesopotamia, and lived there for a long time. |
| 9 και ειπεν ο θεος αυτων εξελθειν εκ της παροικιας αυτων και πορευθηναι εις γην χανααν και κατωκησαν εκει και επληθυνθησαν χρυσιω και αργυριω και εν κτηνεσιν πολλοις σφοδρα | 9 Then their God commanded them to leave the place where they were living and go to the land of Canaan. There they settled, and prospered, with much gold and silver and very many cattle. |
| 10 και κατεβησαν εις αιγυπτον εκαλυψεν γαρ το προσωπον της γης χανααν λιμος και παρωκησαν εκει μεχρις ου διετραφησαν και εγενοντο εκει εις πληθος πολυ και ουκ ην αριθμος του γενους αυτων | 10 When a famine spread over Canaan they went down to Egypt and lived there as long as they had food; and there they became a great multitude-- so great that they could not be counted. |
| 11 και επανεστη αυτοις ο βασιλευς αιγυπτου και κατεσοφισατο αυτους εν πονω και πλινθω εταπεινωσαν αυτους και εθεντο αυτους εις δουλους | 11 So the king of Egypt became hostile to them; he took advantage of them and set them to making bricks, and humbled them and made slaves of them. |
| 12 και ανεβοησαν προς τον θεον αυτων και επαταξεν πασαν την γην αιγυπτου πληγαις εν αις ουκ ην ιασις και εξεβαλον αυτους οι αιγυπτιοι απο προσωπου αυτων | 12 Then they cried out to their God, and he afflicted the whole land of Egypt with incurable plagues; and so the Egyptians drove them out of their sight. |
| 13 και κατεξηρανεν ο θεος την ερυθραν θαλασσαν εμπροσθεν αυτων | 13 Then God dried up the Red Sea before them, |
| 14 και ηγαγεν αυτους εις οδον του σινα και καδης βαρνη και εξεβαλον παντας τους κατοικουντας εν τη ερημω | 14 and he led them by the way of Sinai and Kadesh-barnea, and drove out all the people of the wilderness. |
| 15 και ωκησαν εν γη αμορραιων και παντας τους εσεβωνιτας εξωλεθρευσαν εν τη ισχυι αυτων και διαβαντες τον ιορδανην εκληρονομησαν πασαν την ορεινην | 15 So they lived in the land of the Amorites, and by their might destroyed all the inhabitants of Heshbon; and crossing over the Jordan they took possession of all the hill country. |
| 16 και εξεβαλον εκ προσωπου αυτων τον χαναναιον και τον φερεζαιον και τον ιεβουσαιον και τον συχεμ και παντας τους γεργεσαιους και κατωκησαν εν αυτη ημερας πολλας | 16 And they drove out before them the Canaanites and the Perizzites and the Jebusites and the Shechemites and all the Gergesites, and lived there a long time. |
| 17 και εως ουχ ημαρτον ενωπιον του θεου αυτων ην μετ' αυτων τα αγαθα οτι θεος μισων αδικιαν μετ' αυτων εστιν | 17 As long as they did not sin against their God they prospered, for the God who hates iniquity is with them. |
| 18 οτε δε απεστησαν απο της οδου ης διεθετο αυτοις εξωλεθρευθησαν εν πολλοις πολεμοις επι πολυ σφοδρα και ηχμαλωτευθησαν εις γην ουκ ιδιαν και ο ναος του θεου αυτων εγενηθη εις εδαφος και αι πολεις αυτων εκρατηθησαν υπο των υπεναντιων | 18 But when they departed from the way which he had appointed for them, they were utterly defeated in many battles and were led away captive to a foreign country; the temple of their God was razed to the ground, and their cities were captured by their enemies. |
| 19 και νυν επιστρεψαντες επι τον θεον αυτων ανεβησαν εκ της διασπορας ου διεσπαρησαν εκει και κατεσχον την ιερουσαλημ ου το αγιασμα αυτων και κατωκισθησαν εν τη ορεινη οτι ην ερημος | 19 But now they have returned to their God, and have come back from the places to which they were scattered, and have occupied Jerusalem, where their sanctuary is, and have settled in the hill country, because it was uninhabited. |
| 20 και νυν δεσποτα κυριε ει μεν εστιν αγνοημα εν τω λαω τουτω και αμαρτανουσιν εις τον θεον αυτων και επισκεψομεθα οτι εστιν εν αυτοις σκανδαλον τουτο και αναβησομεθα και εκπολεμησομεν αυτους | 20 Now therefore, my master and lord, if there is any unwitting error in this people and they sin against their God and we find out their offense, then we will go up and defeat them. |
| 21 ει δ' ουκ εστιν ανομια εν τω εθνει αυτων παρελθετω δη ο κυριος μου μηποτε υπερασπιση ο κυριος αυτων και ο θεος αυτων υπερ αυτων και εσομεθα εις ονειδισμον εναντιον πασης της γης | 21 But if there is no transgression in their nation, then let my lord pass them by; for their Lord will defend them, and their God will protect them, and we shall be put to shame before the whole world." |
| 22 και εγενετο ως επαυσατο αχιωρ λαλων τους λογους τουτους και εγογγυσεν πας ο λαος ο κυκλων την σκηνην και περιεστως και ειπαν οι μεγιστανες ολοφερνου και παντες οι κατοικουντες την παραλιαν και την μωαβ συγκοψαι αυτον | 22 When Achior had finished saying this, all the men standing around the tent began to complain; Holofernes' officers and all the men from the seacoast and from Moab insisted that he must be put to death. |
| 23 ου γαρ φοβηθησομεθα απο υιων ισραηλ ιδου γαρ λαος εν ω ουκ εστιν δυναμις ουδε κρατος εις παραταξιν ισχυραν | 23 "For," they said, "we will not be afraid of the Israelites; they are a people with no strength or power for making war. |
| 24 διο δη αναβησομεθα και εσονται εις καταβρωσιν πασης της στρατιας σου δεσποτα ολοφερνη | 24 Therefore let us go up, Lord Holofernes, and they will be devoured by your vast army." |
