Livro de Judite 3

SAGRADA BIBLIA	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 Então os reis e os príncipes de todas as cidades e de todas as províncias, da Síria, da Mesopotâmia, da Síria de Sobal, da Líbia e da Cilícia, enviaram seus delegados a Holofernes para lhe dizerem:	1 Then the kings as well as the princes of the provinces sent their emissaries from all of the cities: from Syria, particularly Mesopotamia, and Syria Sobal, and Libya as well as Cilicia. These, upon coming to Holofernes, said:
2 Cessa a tua indignação contra nós; é melhor que vivamos servindo o grande rei Nabucodonosor, e submetendo-nos a ti, do que morrermos, depois de havermos sofrido, além da nossa perda, os males da escravidão.	2 “Let your indignation concerning us cease. For it is better for us to live in service to Nebuchadnezzar, the great king, and to become subject to you, rather than to die, even though we may have to suffer our condemnation into the annihilation of slavery.
3 Eis aí todas as nossas cidades, todas as nossas possessões, todas as nossas montanhas e colinas, nossos campos, nosso gado, nossos rebanhos de cordeiros e de cabras, nossos cavalos e nossos camelos, todos os nossos bens e nossas famílias.	3 All our cities and all our possessions, all mountains, and hills, and fields, and herds of cattle, and flocks of sheep, and goats, and horses, and camels, and all our resources and families are in your sight.
4 Tudo o que nos pertence depende de ora em diante de ti.	4 Let all that we have be subject to your law.
5 Somos teus escravos, nós e nossos filhos.	5 We, and our sons, are your servants.
6 Vem a nós como um senhor pacífico e emprega os nossos serviços como te parecer melhor.	6 Come to us as a peaceful lord, and use our service, just as it pleases you.”
7 Holofernes desceu então das montanhas com suas poderosas forças de cavalaria e apoderou-se de todas as cidades e de todos os habitantes do país.	7 Then he descended from the mountains with horsemen, in great power, and he took charge of every city and of every inhabitant of the land.
8 Levou de todas as cidades, para suas tropas auxiliares, homens valentes e escolhidos para a guerra.	8 And, from all the cities, he took for himself auxiliaries: strong men and well-chosen for war.
9 Era tão grande o terror daquelas províncias, que os principais e os magistrados de todas as cidades saíam com o povo ao seu encontro,	9 And such a dread lay upon those provinces, that the leading and honored inhabitants of all the cities, together with the people, went out to meet him at his arrival.
10 e o acolhiam com coroas e archotes, dançando ao som dos tamborins e das flautas.	10 They received him with garlands and lamps; they were led by choirs with timbrels and flutes.
11 Mas não conseguiram apesar disso abrandar a ferocidade daquele coração.	11 Yet, not even by doing these things were they able to mitigate the ferocity of his chest.
12 Ele destruiu as suas cidades, e cortou os seus troncos sagrados.	12 For he both destroyed their cities and cut down their sacred groves.
13 Pois Nabucodonosor havia-lhe ordenado que exterminasse todos os deuses da terra, para que só ele fosse chamado deus por todas as nações que lhe conquistasse o poder de Holofernes.	13 For king Nebuchadnezzar had instructed him to exterminate all the gods of the earth, evidently so that he alone might be called ‘god’ by those nations which were able to be subjugated by the power of Holofernes.
14 Ele, atravessando a Síria de Sobal, toda a Apaméia e toda a Mesopotâmia, chegou aos idumeus, na terra de Gabaa.	14 But when he had passed through Syria Sobal, and all of Apamea, and all Mesopotamia, he came to the Idumeans in the land of Gibeah.
15 Depois de haver conquistado suas cidades, fez ali uma parada de trinta dias, durante os quais juntou todas as forças de seu exército.	15 And he took their cities, and he sat there for thirty days, during which days he instructed all the troops of his army to regroup.