Giuditta 8

NOVA VULGATA	NEW JERUSALEM
1 Et erat in civitate commorans in diebus illis Iudith filia Merari filiiOx filii Ioseph filii Oziel filii Elchiae filii Ananiae filii Gedeon filiiRafain filii Achitob filii Eliab filii Nathanael filii Salamiel filii Surisaddaifilii Simeon filii Israel.	1 Judith was informed at the time of what had happened. She was the daughter of Merari son of Ox, sonof Joseph, son of Oziel, son of Elkiah, son of Ananias, son of Gideon, son of Raphaim, son of Ahitub, son ofElijah, son of Hilkiah, son of Eliab, son of Nathanael, son of Salamiel, son of Sarasadai, son of Israel.
2 Et vir eius Manasses erat ex tribu eius et patriaeius; et mortuus est in diebus messis hordiariae.	2 Her husband Manasseh, of her own tribe and family, had died at the time of the barley harvest.
3 Steterat enim superalligantes manipulos in campo, et aestus introivit in caput eius, et incidit inlectum et mortuus est in Betulia civitate sua. Et sepelierunt eum cum patribussuis in agro, qui est inter Dothain et Balamon.	3 He was supervising the men as they bound up the sheaves in the field when he caught sunstroke andhad to take to his bed. He died in Bethulia, his home town, and was buried with his ancestors in the field that liesbetween Dothan and Balamon.
4 Et erat Iudith in domo suavidua per annos tres et menses quattuor.	4 As a widow, Judith stayed inside her home for three years and four months.
5 Et fecit sibi tabernaculum supertectum domus suae et imposuit super lumbos suos cilicium, et erant super eamvestimenta viduitatis suae,	5 She had had an upper room built for herself on the roof. She wore sackcloth next to the skin anddressed in widow's weeds.
6 et ieiunabat per omnes dies viduitatis suaepraeter pridie sabbatorum et sabbata et pridie neomeniarum et neomenias et diesfestos et gaudimonia domus Israel.	6 She fasted every day of her widowhood except for the Sabbath eve, the Sabbath itself, the eve of NewMoon, the feast of New Moon and the joyful festivals of the House of Israel.
7 Et erat bona in aspectu et formosa facievalde et prudens in corde et bona in sensu et erat honesta valde, quiareliquerat ei Manasses vir eius filius Ioseph filii Achitob filii Melchis filiiEliab filii Nathanael filii Surisaddai filii Simeon filii Israel aurum etargentum et pueros et puellas et pecora et praedia, et manebat in eis;	7 Now she was very beautiful, charming to see. Her husband Manasseh had left her gold and silver,menservants and maidservants, herds and land; and she lived among al her possessions
8 et nonerat qui inferret ei verbum malum, quia timebat Deum valde.	8 without anyone finding a word to say against her, so devoutly did she fear God.
9 Et audivit verba populi maligna super principem quoniam defecerunt animo superpenuriam aquarum. Et audivit omnia verba Iudith, quae locutus est ad eos Ozias,quemadmodum iuraverat eis, ut post quinque dies traderet civitatem Assyriis.	9 Hearing how the water shortage had demoralised the people and how they had complained bitterly tothe headman of the town, and being also told what Uzziah had said to them and how he had given them his oathto surrender the town to the Assyrians in five days' time,
10 Et mittens abram suam, quae erat super omnia bona eius, vocavit Oziam et Chabrinet Charmin seniores civitatis suae.	10 Judith immediately sent the serving-woman who ran her household to summon Chabris and Charmis,two elders of the town.
11 Et venerunt ad eam. Et dixit ad eos: “ Audite me, principes inhabitantiumin Betulia, quoniam non est rectum verbum vestrum, quod locuti estis coram plebein hac die et statuistis iuramentum istud, quod locuti estis inter Deum et vos,et dixistis tradituros vos civitatem inimicis nostris, si non in illis diebusconverterit Dominus Deus noster audiutorium nobis.	11 When these came in she said: 'Listen to me, leaders of the people of Bethulia. You were wrong tospeak to the people as you did today and to bind yourself by oath, in defiance of God, to surrender the town toour enemies if the Lord did not come to your help within a set number of days.
12 Et nunc qui estis vos, quitentastis Deum in hodierno die et astitistis pro Deo in medio filiorum hominum?	12 Who are you, to put God to the test today, you, of al people, to set yourselves above him?
13 Et nunc Dominum omnipotentem tentatis et nihil intellegetis usque insempiternum.	13 You put the Lord Almighty to the test! You do not understand anything, and never wil .
14 Quoniam altitudinem cordis hominis non invenietis et cogitatussensus eius non comprehendetis, quomodo Deum, qui fecit omnia ista, inquiretiset sensum eius cognoscetis et cogitationem eius inspicietis? Minime, fratres,nolite exacerbare Dominum Deum nostrum,	14 If you cannot sound the depths of the human heart or unravel the arguments of the human mind, howcan you fathom the God who made all things, or sound his mind or unravel his purposes? No, brothers, do notprovoke the anger of the Lord our God.
15 quoniam, si noluerit in his quinquediebus adiuvare nos, ipse habet potestatem, in quibus diebus velit, protegereaut disperdere nos ante faciem inimicorum nostrorum.	15 Although it may not be his wil to help us within the next five days, he has the power to protect us for asmany days as he pleases, just as he has the power to destroy us before our enemies.
16 Vos autem nolitepraepignorare voluntates Domini Dei nostri, quoniam non sicut homo Deus est, utminis terreatur, aut sicut filius hominis, ut iudicetur.	16 But you have no right to demand guarantees where the designs of the Lord our God are concerned.For God is not to be threatened as a human being is, nor is he, like a mere human, to be cajoled.
17 Propter quodsustinentes salvationem ab eo, invocemus ipsum in adiutorium nostrum, etexaudiet vocem nostram, si fuerit ipsi placitum.	17 Rather, as we wait patiently for him to save, let us plead with him to help us. He wil hear our voice ifsuch is his good pleasure.
18 Quoniam non exsurrexit in progenie nostra, nec est in hodierna die nequetribus neque patria neque populus neque civitas ex nobis, qui adorent deosmanufactos, sicut factum est in primis diebus,	18 'And indeed of recent times and stil today there is not one tribe of ours, or family, or vil age, or townthat has worshipped gods made by human hand, as once was done,
19 pro quibus traditi sunt ingladium et in rapinam patres nostri et ceciderunt casum magnum ante conspectuminimicorum nostrorum.	19 which was the reason why our ancestors were delivered over to sword and sack, and perished inmisery at the hands of our enemies.
20 Nos autem alium Deum nescimus praeter eum, a quosperamus quia non despiciet nos nec auferet salutare suum a genere nostro.	20 We for our part acknowledge no other God but him; and so we may hope he wil not look on usdisdainfully or desert our nation.
21 Quoniam in eo quod capti sumus, sic et capietur omnis Iudaea, et praedabuntursancta nostra, et exquiret Deus coinquinationem eorum ex sanguine nostro	21 'If indeed they capture us, as you expect, then al Judaea wil be captured too, and our holy placesplundered, and we shal answer with our blood for their profanation.
22 etmortem fratrum nostrorum et captivitatem terrae et desertionem hereditatisnostrae reducet in caput nostrum in gentibus, ubicumque servierimus. Et erimusin offendiculum et in improperium ante omnes, qui possidebunt nos,	22 The slaughter of our brothers, the captivity of our country, the unpeopling of our heritage, will recoil onour own heads among the nations whose slaves we shal become, and our new masters wil look down on us asan outrage and a disgrace;
23 quoniamnon dirigetur servitus nostra in gratiam, sed in inhonorationem ponet eamDominus Deus noster.	23 for our surrender wil not reinstate us in their favour; no, the Lord our God will make it a thing to beashamed of.
24 Et nunc, fratres, ostendamus fratribus nostris quoniamex nobis pendet anima eorum, et sancta et domus et altare incumbit in nobis.	24 So now, brothers, let us set an example to our brothers, since their lives depend on us, and thesanctuary -- Temple and altar -- rests on us.
25 Praeter haec omnia gratias agamus Domino Deo nostro, qui tentat nos sicut etpatres nostros.	25 'Al this being so, let us rather give thanks to the Lord our God who, as he tested our ancestors, is nowtesting us.
26 Memores estote quanta fecerit cum Abraham et Isaac, et quantafacta sint Iacob in Mesopotamia Syriae pascenti oves Laban fratris matris suae.	26 Remember how he treated Abraham, all the ordeals of Isaac, al that happened to Jacob in SyrianMesopotamia while he kept the sheep of Laban, his mother's brother.
27 Quia non sicut illos combussit in inquisitionem cordis illorum et in nos nonultus est, sed in monitionem flagellat Dominus appropinquantes sibi ”.	27 For as these ordeals were intended by him to search their hearts, so now this is not vengeance thatGod is exacting on us, but a warning inflicted by the Lord on those who are near his heart.'
28 Et dixit ad eam Ozias: “ Omnia, quaecumque dixisti, in bono corde locutaes, et non est qui resistat verbis tuis,	28 Uzziah replied, 'Everything you have just said comes from an honest heart and no one will contradict aword of it.
29 quoniam non ex hodierna diesapientia tua manifesta est, sed ab initio dierum tuorum scit omnis populussensum tuum, quoniam bona sunt figmenta cordis tui.	29 Not that today is the first time your wisdom has been displayed; from your earliest years all the peoplehave known how shrewd you are and of how sound a heart.
30 Sed populus sitiit valde,et coegerunt nos sic facere, ut locuti sumus eis, et inducere super nosiuramentum, quod non praeteriemus.	30 But, parched with thirst, the people forced us to act as we had promised them and to bind ourselves byan inviolable oath.
31 Et nunc ora pro nobis, et forte exaudiette Deus noster, quoniam tu mulier sancta es, et dimittet Dominus pluviam inrepletionem lacuum nostrorum, et non deficiemus iam ”.	31 You are a devout woman; pray to the Lord, then, to send us a downpour to fil our storage-wel s, so thatour faintness may pass.'
32 Et dixit ad eos Iudith: “ Audite me, et faciam opus prudentiae, quodperveniet in generationes generationum filiis generis nostri.	32 Judith replied, 'Listen to me, I intend to do something, the memory of which wil be handed down to thechildren of our race from age to age.
33 Vos enimstabitis ad portam hac nocte, et exeam ego cum abra mea, et in diebus, post quosdixistis civitatem tradituros vos inimicis nostris, visitabit Dominus Israel inmanu mea, sicut ego fido.	33 Tonight you must be at the gate of the town. I shal make my way out with my attendant. Before thetime fixed by you for surrendering the town to our enemies, the Lord wil make use of me to rescue Israel.
34 Vos autem non scrutabitis actum meum; non enimrenuntiabo vobis, quousque consummentur, quae ego facio ”.	34 You must not ask what I intend to do; I shall not tel you until I have done it.'
35 Et dixit Oziaset principes ad eam: “ Vade in pacem, et Dominus Deus sit ante te in ultioneminimicorum nostrorum ”.	35 Uzziah and the chief men said, 'Go in peace. May the Lord show you a way to take revenge on ourenemies.'
36 Et revertentes descenderunt de tabernaculo eius etabierunt ad dispositiones suas.	36 And leaving the upper room they went back to their posts.