| 友弟德傳 |
Judith |
| 1住在猶太的以色列子民，聽說亞述王拿步高的統帥敖羅斐乃對異民所行的一切，如何搶劫破壞了他們的一切廟宇， |
1When the Israelites who dwelt in Judea heard of all that Holofernes, commander-in-chief of Nebuchadnezzar, king of the Assyrians, had done to the nations, and how he had despoiled all their temples and destroyed them, |
| 2就萬分害怕，為耶路撒冷與上主他們的天主的聖殿十分擔心， |
2they were in extreme dread of him, and greatly alarmed for Jerusalem and the temple of the Lord, their God. |
| 3因為他們纔從充軍之地歸來，全猶太人民重新聚合不久，剛把器皿、祭壇、聖殿在經過褻瀆之後，從新祝聖。 |
3 Now, they had lately returned from exile, and only recently had all the people of Judea been gathered together, and the vessels, the altar, and the temple been purified from profanation. |
| 4因此，他們便打發使者到撒瑪黎雅全境，到科納、貝特曷龍、貝耳瑪因、耶里哥、苛巴、愛索辣與撒冷山谷一帶， |
4So they sent word to the whole region of Samaria, to Kona, Beth-horon, Belmain, and Jericho, to Choba and Aesora, and to the valley of Salem. |
| 5囑咐他們先要佔據各高山的山頂，在山上的村莊，修築防禦工事，儲蓄糧食，準備應戰，好在他們的田園纔收穫不久。 |
5The people there posted guards on all the summits of the high mountains, fortified their villages, and since their fields had recently been harvested, stored up provisions in preparation for war. |
| 6當時正在耶路撒冷當大司祭的約雅金，給在拜突里雅及位於厄斯得隆前，多堂附近平原對面的拜托默斯坦城的人民，寫了一封信， |
6 Joakim, who was high priest in Jerusalem in those days, wrote to the inhabitants of Bethulia (and Betomesthaim), which is on the way to Esdraelon, facing the plain near Dothan, |
| 7吩咐他們應把守上山進入猶太的道路，因為這道路狹隘，只能通過兩人，很容易阻止敵人進攻。 |
7and instructed them to keep firm hold of the mountain passes, since these offered access to Judea. It would be easy to ward off the attacking forces, as the defile was only wide enough for two abreast. |
| 8以色列子民就遵照大司祭約雅金，以及位於耶路撒冷全以色列人民的長老院的吩咐辦了。 |
8 The Israelites carried out the orders given them by Joakim, the high priest, and the senate of the whole people of Israel, which met in Jerusalem. |
| 9全以色列人，都熱切呼號天主，極力自卑自謙。 |
9All the men of Israel cried to God with great fervor and did penance-- |
| 10他們和妻子兒女，牲畜旅客，傭工奴婢，都腰束苦衣。 |
10 they, along with their wives, and children, and domestic animals. All their resident aliens, hired laborers, and slaves also girded themselves with sackcloth. |
| 11凡住在耶路撒冷的以色列男女及幼童，都俯伏在聖殿前，頭上撒灰，在上主面前，展開苦衣； |
11 And all the Israelite men, women and children who lived in Jerusalem prostrated themselves in front of the temple building, with ashes strewn on their heads, displaying their sackcloth covering before the Lord. |
| 12即是祭壇，也圍上苦衣，誠心熱切一同呼求以色列的天主，不讓敵人來劫掠自己的幼童，擄掠自己的婦女，毀滅自己產業中的城邑，輕蔑污辱自己的聖所，而使異民得意歡騰。 |
12The altar, too, they draped in sackcloth; and with one accord they cried out fervently to the God of Israel not to allow their children to be seized, their wives to be taken captive, the cities of their inheritance to be ruined, or the sanctuary to be profaned and mocked for the nations to gloat over. |
| 13上主俯聽了他們的哀聲，憐視了他們的苦難。全猶太和耶路撒冷境內的百姓，在全能上主的聖所前，禁食多日。 |
13The Lord heard their cry and had regard for their distress. For the people observed a fast of many days' duration throughout Judea, and before the sanctuary of the Lord Almighty in Jerusalem. |
| 14大司祭約雅金，以及一切侍立在上主面前的人，司祭與上主的僕役，都腰束苦衣，奉獻恒常的全燔祭，奉獻人民許願和自願獻上的供物， |
14The high priest Joakim, and all the priests in attendance on the Lord who served his altar, were also girded with sackcloth as they offered the daily holocaust, the votive offerings, and the freewill offerings of the people. |
| 15在頭巾上撒灰，高聲呼求上主，眷顧以色列全家。 |
15With ashes upon their turbans, they cried to the Lord with all their strength to look with favor on the whole house of Israel. |
