Judith:Chapter 13

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Judith:Chapter 13

友弟德傳	Judith
¹夜已深了，他的僕役都迅速離去，巴哥阿從外面把帳幕關好，又示意叫侍從離開主人面前；由於宴飲時間過長，人都感到疲乏，就各自上床睡了。	¹And when it was grown late, his servants made haste to their lodgings, and Vagao shut the chamber doors, and went his way.
²此時，在帳幕內只有友弟德，和泥醉橫臥在床上的敖羅斐乃。	²And they were all overcharged with wine.
³友弟德遂吩咐自己的婢女，要她像平日一樣，在寢室外等候她出來，因為她說自己要出去祈禱；且也對巴哥阿這樣說了。	³And Judith was alone in the chamber.
⁴此時，所有的人都走了，不論大小，沒有一個留在寢室內。友弟德就站在他的床邊，心裏說：「上主，全能的天主！求你在此時，眷顧我手要行的工作，為顯揚耶路撒冷！	⁴But Holofernes lay on his bed, fast asleep, being exceedingly drunk.
⁵因為如今正是救助你家業的時候，請玉成我的計劃，消滅那起來攻擊我們的敵人！」	⁵And Judith spoke to her maid to stand without before the chamber, and to watch:
⁶她走到靠敖羅斐乃頭部的床柱前，由上面取下了他的短劍，	⁶And Judith stood before the bed praying with tears, and the motion of her lips in silence,
⁷再走近床前，抓住他的頭髮說：「上主，以色列的天主，求你今天賜我力量！」	⁷Saying: Strengthen me, O Lord God of Israel, and in this hour look on the works of my hands, that as thou hast promised, thou mayst raise up Jerusalem thy city: and that I may bring to pass that which I have purposed, having a belief that it might be done by thee.
⁸遂用盡氣力，在他頸上砍了兩下，割下他的頭顱，	⁸And when she had said this, she went to the pillar that was at his bed's head, and loosed his sword that hung tied upon it.
⁹把他的屍首從床上滾下，由柱上卸下帳幔，即刻走出，將敖羅斐乃的頭，交給自己的使女；	⁹And when she had drawn it out, she took him by the hair of his head, and said: Strengthen me, O Lord God, at this hour.
¹⁰使女把頭放進食袋裏。然後二人一起，照習慣出外祈禱去了。二人經過兵營，繞過山谷，爬上拜突里雅山，來到了自己的城門下。	¹⁰And she struck twice upon his neck, and out off his head, and took off his canopy from the pillars, and rolled away his headless body.
¹¹友弟德從遠處向守門的人說：「開門！開門啊！天主，我們的天主，與我們同在，他今日所作的，再次證明他在以色列中的能力，和處置敵人的威力。」	¹¹And after a while she went out, and delivered the head of Holofernes to her maid, and bade her put it into her wallet.
¹²城裏的人，一聽見她的聲音，就趕快下來，到城門口，召集了城中的長老。	¹²And they two went out according to their custom, as it were to prayer, and they passed the camp, and having compassed the valley, they came to the gate of the city.
¹³於是老幼大小一齊都跑來，由於她回來實在出乎他們意料之外。遂開門迎接她們，點起明亮的火把，將二人圍起來。	¹³And Judith from afar off cried to the watchmen upon the walls: Open the gates for God is with us, who hath shewn his power in Israel.
¹⁴友弟德大聲對他們說：「讚美天主！讚美，讚美天主！他不但沒有從以色列家收回他的仁慈，今夜反藉着我的手，粉碎了我們的敵人。」	¹⁴And it came to pass, when the men had heard her voice, that they called the ancients of the city.
¹⁵遂由袋裏取出一個人頭來，指着對他們說：「看，這就是亞述軍隊的總司令敖羅斐乃的頭。看！這就是他醉後睡的帳幔！上主藉着一個婦人的手，擊殺了他。	¹⁵And all ran to meet her from the least to the greatest: for they now had no hopes that she would come.
¹⁶上主永在！他在我行的路上保護了我，因為我的容貌迷惑了他，叫他趨於喪亡；他未曾與我犯罪，玷污羞辱我。」	¹⁶And lighting up lights they all gathered round about her: and she went up to a higher place, and commanded silence to be made. And when all had held their peace,
¹⁷民眾聽了，不勝驚奇，都俯伏在地，朝拜天主，同聲說道：「今日使你民族的敵人化為烏有的，我們的天主啊！你是應受讚美的！」	¹⁷Judith said: Praise ye the Lord our God, who hath not forsaken them that hope in him.
¹⁸敖齊雅對她說：「我女！全世界婦女中，你分外應受至高者天主的祝福！創造天地的上主，領你割取我們的敵人統帥頭顱的天主，應受讚美！	¹⁸And by me his handmaid he hath fulfilled his mercy, which he promised to the house of Israel: and he hath killed the enemy of his people by my hand this night.
¹⁹在永遠記得天主能力的人心中，不會忘記你的信心。	¹⁹Then she brought forth the head of Holofernes out of the wallet, and shewed it them, saying: Behold the head of Holofernes the general of the army of the Assyrians, and behold his canopy, wherein he lay in his drunkenness, where the Lord our God slew him by the hand of a woman.
²⁰你不忍見我們民族所受的屈辱，竟不顧惜你的性命，出去挽救我們的危亡，在我們的天主面前，履行正道；希望天主永遠使你獲得光榮，賜與你幸福！」民眾答說：「但願如此！但願如此！」	²⁰But as the same Lord liveth, his angel hath been my keeper both going hence, and abiding there, and returning from thence hither: and the Lord hath not suffered me his handmaid to be defiled, but hath brought me back to you without pollution of sin, rejoicing for his victory, for my escape, and for your deliverance.
²¹	²¹Give all of you glory to him, because he is good, because his mercy endureth for ever.
²²	²²And they all adored the Lord, and said to her: The Lord hath blessed thee by his power, because by thee he hath brought our enemies to nought.
²³	²³And Ozias the prince of the people of Israel, said to her: Blessed art thou, O daughter, by the Lord the most high God, above all women upon the earth.
²⁴	²⁴Blessed be the Lord who made heaven and earth, who hath directed thee to the cutting off the head of the prince of our enemies.
²⁵	²⁵Because he hath so magnified thy name this day, that thy praise shall not depart out of the mouth of men who shall be mindful of the power of the Lord for ever, for that thou hast not spared thy life, by reason of the distress and tribulation of thy people, but hast prevented our ruin in the presence of our God.
²⁶	²⁶And all the people said: So be it, so be it.
²⁷	²⁷And Achior being called for came, and Judith said to him: The God of Israel, to whom thou gavest testimony, that he revengeth himself of his enemies, he hath cut off the head of all the unbelievers this night by my hand.
²⁸	²⁸And that thou mayst find that it is so, behold the head of Holofernes, who in the contempt of his pride despised the God of Israel: and threatened thee with death, saying: When the people of Israel shall be taken, I will command thy sides to be pierced with a sword.
²⁹	²⁹Then Achior seeing the head of Holofernes, being seized with a great fear he fell on his face upon the earth, and his soul swooned away.
³⁰	³⁰But after he had recovered his spirits he fell down at her feet, and reverenced her and said:
³¹	³¹Blessed art thou by thy God in every tabernacle of Jacob, for in every nation which shall hear thy name, the God of Israel shall be magnified on occasion of thee.

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