| 1 Quando se fez tarde, os criados de Holofernes retiraram-se apressados para os seus quartos, Vagao fechou as portas da câmara e foi-se embora. | 1 So then, when it had become late, his servants hurried to their lodgings, and Vagao closed the chamber doors, and he went away. |
| 2 Estavam todos tomados do vinho. | 2 But they were all drowsy from the wine. |
| 3 Judit ficou só na câmara. | 3 And Judith was alone in the chamber. |
| 4 Holofernes estava deitado no leito, profundamente adormecido por causa da extraordinária embriaguez. | 4 Moreover, Holofernes, being very inebriated, was fast asleep, reclining on his bed. |
| 5 Então Judit disse à sua criada que estivesse de fora, à porta da câmara, e vigiasse. | 5 And Judith told her handmaid to stand outside before the chamber, and to watch. |
| 6 Judit, em pé diante do leito, orando com lágrimas, movendo os lábios em silêncio, | 6 And Judith stood in front of the bed, praying with tears, and her lips moved in silence, |
| 7 disse: Senhor Deus de Israel, da-me força e favorece neste momento a empresa das minhas mãos, a fim de que, como prometeste, levantes a tua cidade de Jerusalém, e eu acabe o que julguei que se podia fazer com o teu auxílio. | 7 saying: “Confirm me, O Lord God of Israel, and in this hour look kindly upon the works of my hands, so that, just as you promised, you may raise up Jerusalem, your city, and so that, believing through you that this plan is able to be accomplished, I may succeed.” |
| 8 Dito isto, encostou-se à coluna, que estava à cabeceira do leito de Holofernes, e desprendeu o seu alfange, que eslava pendurado e preso nela. | 8 And when she had said this, she approached the pillar, which was at the head of the bed, and she released his blade, which was hanging tied to it. |
| 9 Tendo-o desembainhado, agarrou nos cabelos da cabeça de Holofernes, dizendo: Senhor Deus, dá-me força neste momento. | 9 And when she had unsheathed it, she grabbed him by the hair of his head, and she said, “Confirm me, O Lord God, in this hour.” |
| 10 (Então) Descarregou-lhe dois golpes, sobre a nuca, e cortou-lhe a cabeça. Depois desprendeu das colunas o cortinado (para o levar como trofeu), e deitou por terra o seu corpo decapitado. | 10 And she struck him twice on his neck, and she cut off his head, and she took off his canopy from the pillars, and she rolled away the trunk of his body. |
| 11 Pouco tempo depois, saiu e entregou à sua escrava a cabeça de Holofernes, mandando que a metesse no seu saco. | 11 And after a little while, she went out, and she delivered the head of Holofernes to her handmaid, and she ordered her to put it in her bag. |
| 12 Em seguida, saíram ambas, conforme o seu costume, como se fossem para a oração; passaram além do campo, e, rodeando o vale, chegaram à porta da cidade. | 12 And the two went out, according to their custom, as if to prayer, and they passed through the camp, and having circled around the valley, they came to the gate of the city. |
| 13 Judit gritou de longe aos guardas dos muros: Abri as portas, porque Deus é connosco; ele fez uma coisa maravilhosa em Israel. | 13 And Judith, from a distance, spoke to the watchmen on the walls, “Open the gates, for God is with us, and he has acted with his power in Israel.” |
| 14 Tendo os homens ouvido a sua voz, chamaram os anciãos da cidade. | 14 And it happened that, when the men had heard her voice, they called the elders of the city. |
| 15 Todos correram a ela, desde o mais pequeno até ao maior, porque já não esperavam que ela voltasse. | 15 And all rushed toward her, from the least to the greatest. For, until then, they held no hope that she would return. |
| 16 Acendendo luminárias, juntaram-se todos ao redor dela. Judit, subindo a um lugar mais alto, ordenou que se fizesse silêncio. Quando todos se calaram, | 16 And, enflaming the lights, they gathered all around her. But she climbed up to a higher place, and she ordered them to be made silent. And when all had quieted down, |
| 17 Judit disse: Louvai o Senhor nosso Deus, que não desamparou os que esperavam nele; | 17 Judith said: “Praise the Lord our God, who has not abandoned those who hope in him. |
| 18 cumpriu por meio de mim, sua serva, a misericórdia que tinha prometido à casa de Israel; matou esta noite pela minha mão o inimigo do seu povo. | 18 And by me, his handmaid, he has fulfilled his mercy, which he promised to the house of Israel. And he has killed the enemy of his people, by my hand this night.” |
| 19 Tirando, então, do saco a cabeça de Holofernes, mostrou-lha, dizendo: Eis aqui a cabeça de Holofernes, general do exército dos Assírios, eis aqui o seu cortinado, debaixo do qual ele estava deitado na sua embriaguez, onde o Senhor nosso Deus o degolou pela mão duma mulher. | 19 Then, taking the head of Holofernes from the bag, she displayed it to them, saying: “Behold, the head of Holofernes the leader of the military of the Assyrians, and behold his canopy, under which he reclined in his drunkenness, where the Lord our God struck him by the hand of a woman. |
| 20 Juro-vos, contudo, pelo mesmo Senhor, que o seu anjo me guardou, tanto ao sair desta cidade, como ao demorar-me lá, e como ao voltar para aqui, e o Senhor não permitiu que eu, sua serva, fosse manchada: fez-me voltar para vós sem nenhuma mácula de pecado, cheia de alegria por sua vitória, pela minha salvação e pela vossa libertação. | 20 But, as the Lord himself lives, his angel has been my guardian both from my departure, and while staying there, and when returning from there. And the Lord has not permitted me, his handmaid, to be defiled, but he has called me back to you without the pollution of sin, rejoicing in his victory, in my escape, and in your liberation. |
| 21 Louvai-o todos, porque é bom, porque a sua misericórdia é eterna. | 21 Confess everything to him, for he is good, for his mercy is with every generation.” |
| 22 Então todos, adorando o Senhor, disseram-lhe: O Senhor te abençoou com a sua fortaleza, porque ele por ti aniquilou os nossos inimigos. | 22 Then everyone adored the Lord, and they said to her, “The Lord has blessed you by his power, because, through you, he has reduced our enemies to nothing.” |
| 23 Ozias, príncipe do povo de Israel, disse-lhe: Ó filha, tu és bendita do Senhor Deus Altíssimo, sobre todas as mulheres que há na terra. | 23 Furthermore, Uzziah, the leader of the people of Israel, said to her: “O daughter, you have been blessed by the Lord, the most high God, above all the women on earth. |
| 24 Bendito seja o Senhor, que criou o céu e a terra, que te dirigiu para cortares a cabeça do nosso maior inimigo, | 24 Blessed is the Lord, who made heaven and earth, who has guided you in harming the head of the leader of our enemies. |
| 25 Hoje engrandeceu o teu nome tanto, que nunca o teu louvor se apartará da boca dos que se lembrarem eternamente do poder do Senhor, por amor dos quais tu não poupaste a tua vida, ao ver as angústias e a tribulação do teu povo, mas impediste a sua ruína na presença do nosso Deus. | 25 For he has so magnified your name this day, that your praise will not retire from the mouth of men, who will be mindful of the power of the Lord forever, because you have risked your life for the sake of the distress and tribulation of your people, and you have prevented our ruin before the sight of our God.” |
| 26 Todo o povo respondeu: Assim seja, assim seja. | 26 And all the people said: “Amen. Amen.” |
| 27 Aquior sendo chamado, veio, e Judit disse-lhe: O Deus de Israel, de quem tu testemunhaste que tira vingança dos seus inimigos, esse mesmo cortou esta noite pela minha mão a cabeça (do chefe) de todos os infiéis. | 27 And so, Achior was called, and he drew near, and Judith said to him: “The God of Israel, to whom you gave testimony, has avenged himself on his enemies. He has cut down the head of all unbelievers, by my hand this night. |
| 28 Para que tu fiques persuadido de que é assim, eis a cabeça de Holofernes, que, na insolência da sua soberba, desprezou o Deus de Israel, e te ameaçou de morte, dizendo: Logo que o povo de Israel for feito cativo, mandarei passar-te ao fio da espada. | 28 And, so that you may determine that this is so, behold, the head of Holofernes, who, in the contempt of his pride, despised the God of Israel and threatened Israel with ruin, saying, ‘When the people of Israel have been captured, I will instruct your sides to be pierced through with a sword.’ ” |
| 29 Aquior, vendo a cabeça de Holofernes, aterrado de pavor, caiu com o rosto por terra, sem sentidos. | 29 Then Achior, seeing the head of Holofernes, and being distressed by fear, fell upon his face on the ground, and his soul became agitated. |
| 30 Depois que, recobrados os sentidos, voltou a si, lançou-se aos seus pés e disse: | 30 In truth, after this, when he had recovered his breath, he fell down before her feet, and he showed reverence for her, and he said: |
| 31 Tu és bendita do teu Senhor em todas as tendas de Jacob, porque entre todos os povos que ouvirem o teu nome, o Deus de Israel será glorificado em ti. | 31 “Blessed are you by your God, in every tabernacle of Jacob, for in every nation that will hear of your name, the God of Israel will be magnified over you.” |
