| 友弟德傳 |
Judith |
| 1友弟德於是俯伏在地，將灰撒在頭上，露出所穿的苦衣；其時耶路撒冷的天主聖殿內，正奉獻晚香祭。友弟德就大聲呼求上主說： |
1Judith threw herself down prostrate, with ashes strewn upon her head, and wearing nothing over her sackcloth. While the incense was being offered in the temple of God in Jerusalem that evening, Judith prayed to the Lord with a loud voice: |
| 2「上主，我祖先西默盎的天主！你曾將刀交在他手裏，去報復外方人，因為他們解開了一個處女的腰帶，加以玷污；袒露了她的股部，加以羞辱；破壞了她的貞操，加以作賤；雖然你曾說：不要這樣作，他們卻作了。 |
2 "Lord, God of my forefather Simeon! You put a sword into his hand to take revenge upon the foreigners who had immodestly loosened the maiden's girdle, shamefully exposed her thighs, and disgracefully violated her body. This they did, though you forbade it. |
| 3因此，你讓他們的首領遭受殺戮，使那因欺騙受染污的床榻，反而受騙，染滿了血污；僕役與首領，君主與王位，你一律加以打擊。 |
3 Therefore you had their rulers slaughtered; and you covered with their blood the bed in which they lay deceived, the same bed that had felt the shame of their own deceiving. You smote the slaves together with their princes, and the princes together with their servants. |
| 4你又使他們的妻室，遭人搶去，女兒被人俘擄，使你所愛的子民，平分那些人的贓物；你的子民為了你的嫉憤而嫉憤，憎恨自己的血液所受的玷污，而哀求了你的援助。天主，我的天主！求你也俯聽我這個寡婦！ |
4Their wives you handed over to plunder, and their daughters to captivity; and all the spoils you divided among your favored sons, who burned with zeal for you, and in their abhorrence of the defilement of their kinswoman, called on you for help. |
| 5是你作了這些過去、將來以及現在的事；是你計劃了現在和將來的事；那現在發生的事，也正是你所計劃的。 |
5"O God, my God, hear me also, a widow. It is you who were the author of those events and of what preceded and followed them. The present, also, and the future you have planned. Whatever you devise comes into being; |
| 6你所決定的事好像前來說：看我們在這裏。因為你的一切行徑，早已準備；你的判決，已預先知道。 |
6the things you decide on come forward and say, 'Here we are!' All your ways are in readiness, and your judgment is made with foreknowledge. |
| 7亞述人擁有雄厚的軍隊，自負有駿馬，有鐵騎，矜誇步兵的武力，自恃堅甲利兵，憑着弓箭和投石器，卻不知道你乃是消弭戰爭的上主。 |
7"Here are the Assyrians, a vast force, priding themselves on horse and rider, boasting of the power of their infantry, trusting in shield and spear, bow and sling. They do not know that |
| 8上主乃是你的名號！願你以你的德能，擊毀他們的勢力，用震怒屈服他們的強權，因為他們已決意要褻瀆你的聖所，要污辱你尊名所居的帳幕，要用斧砍去你祭壇的四角。 |
8" 'You, the Lord, crush warfare; Lord is your name. Shatter their strength in your might, and crush their force in your wrath; for they have resolved to profane your sanctuary, to defile the tent where your glorious name resides, and to overthrow with iron the horns of your altar. |
| 9你看他們的驕傲，願你的震怒，降在他們的頭上，賜我這寡婦的手有能力，去完成我所圖謀的事！ |
9See their pride, and send forth your wrath upon their heads. Give me, a widow, the strong hand to execute my plan. |
| 10願你用我口舌的巧言花語，去打擊他們的奴僕和主人，主帥與官員！願你用一個女人的手，去減滅他們的威風！ |
10With the guile of my lips, smite the slave together with the ruler, the ruler together with his servant; crush their pride by the hand of a woman. |
| 11你的力量，不在乎人多；你的威能，並不靠強力；但你卻是謙卑者的天主，弱小者的扶助，無力者的保護，無靠者的依賴，失望者的救主。 |
11"Your strength is not in numbers, nor does your power depend upon stalwart men; but you are the God of the lowly, the helper of the oppressed, the supporter of the weak, the protector of the forsaken, the savior of those without hope. |
| 12你的確是我祖先的天主，以色列祖業的天主，天地的主宰，水的創造者，萬有的君王，你俯聽我的祈求罷！ |
12"Please, please, God of my forefather, God of the heritage of Israel, Lord of heaven and earth, Creator of the waters, King of all you have created, hear my prayer! |
| 13願你使我巧妙的言辭，去傷害，去殺死那些想出陰謀，破壞你的聖約、聖殿、熙雍山和你子民所佔居的家鄉的人！ |
13Let my guileful speech bring wound and wale on those who have planned dire things against your covenant, your holy temple, Mount Zion, and the homes your children have inherited. |
| 14願你使你的眾民族眾支派都知道：你是天主，萬能全權的天主；除你以外，以色列族沒有別的保護者。」 |
14Let your whole nation and all the tribes know clearly that you are the god of all power and might, and that there is no other who protects the people of Israel but you alone." |
