Yudit 13

¹Akşam vakti gelince, hizmetkarları konak yerinden ayrılmak için acele ettiler; Bagoas ise çadırı dışarıdan kapatarak efendisinin huzurunda duranları onun önünden uzaklaştırdı ve onlar da yataklarına gittiler; çünkü içki aleminin çok fazla uzamış olmasından ötürü hepsi bitkin düşmüştü.

²Çadırda yalnızca Yudit ve yatağının üzerine yığılıp kalmış olan Holofernes kalmıştı; çünkü şarap onun her yanını kaplamış, onu sırılsıklam etmişti.

³Yudit, kadın hizmetçisine yatak odasının dışında durmasını ve her gün yaptığı gibi kendisinin dışarı çıkışını gözetlemesini söylemişti; çünkü dua etmek üzere dışarı çıkacağını belirtmişti; Bagoas ile de bu sözlere uygun olarak konuşmuştu.

⁴Herkes onun huzurundan ayrıldı ve yatak odasında küçükten büyüğe hiç kimse kalmadı; Yudit onun yatağının başucunda durarak içinden şöyle yakardı: "Her gücün Rabbi Tanrı, Yeruşalim'in yüceltilmesi için bu saatte ellerimin gerçekleştireceği işe lütufla bak.

⁵Çünkü şimdi senin mirasın olan halka sahip çıkmanın ve bize karşı ayaklanan düşmanları bozguna uğratmak için tasarladığım girişimi gerçekleştirmenin tam zamanıdır."

⁶Sonra Holofernes'in başucundaki yatak direğine yaklaştı ve onun palasını asılı olduğu yerden indirdi.

⁷Yatağa iyice yaklaşarak onun başının saçını kavradı ve "Ey İsrail'in Tanrısı, bugün bana güç ver!" dedi.

⁸Kendi gücüyle onun boynuna iki kez vurarak başını gövdesinden kesti ve ayırdı.

⁹Bedenini yataktan aşağı yuvarladı ve cibinliği direklerden indirdi; kısa bir süre sonra dışarı çıkıp Holofernes'in başını seçkin hizmetçisine teslim etti.

¹⁰Hizmetçi de bunu azık torbasına koydu; ardından ikisi birden, her zamanki alışkanlıkları uyarınca dua etmek üzere birlikte dışarı çıktılar; ordugahı geçip vadiyi dolandılar ve Beytülva Dağı'na tırmanarak kentin kapılarına geldiler.

¹¹Yudit uzaktan kapıdaki nöbetçilere seslendi: "Açın, kapıyı şimdi açın! Bizimle olan Tanrı, bizim Tanrımız, bugün de yaptığı gibi, düşmanlara karşı mutlak kudretiyle İsrail'de gücünü göstermek için hâlâ bizimledir!"

¹²Kentin adamları onun sesini işitince, hemen kent kapısına inmek için acele ettiler ve kentin ihtiyarlarını bir araya çağırdılar.

¹³Küçükten büyüğe herkes koşup geldi, çünkü onun geri dönmesi onlara inanılmaz gelmişti; kapıyı açıp onları içeri aldılar ve aydınlık olsun diye bir ateş yakıp çevrelerini sardılar.

¹⁴Yudit onlara yüksek bir sesle şöyle dedi: "Tanrı'ya övgüler sunun, O'na övgüler sunun! Merhametini İsrail evinden uzaklaştırmayan, bu gece düşmanlarımızı benim elimle bozguna uğratan Tanrı'ya övgüler sunun!"

¹⁵Sonra torbadan başı çıkarıp onlara gösterdi ve şöyle dedi: "İşte Asur ordusunun başkomutanı Holofernes'in başı ve işte sarhoşluğu sırasında altında yattığı cibinlik! Rab onu dişi bir varlığın eliyle vurdu.

¹⁶Yürüdüğüm yolda beni koruyan Rab'bin varlığı hakkı için dilerim ki, yüzüm onu kendi mahvına sürüklemek için aldattı, ama beni lekeleyecek ve utandıracak hiçbir günahı benimle işlemedi."

¹⁷Bütün halk büyük bir şaşkınlığa düştü; yere kapanıp Tanrı'ya secde ettiler ve tek bir ağızdan şöyle dediler: "Bugün halkının düşmanlarını rezil eden Tanrımız, sen övgüye layıksın!"

¹⁸Ozias ona şöyle dedi: "Kızım, yeryüzündeki tüm kadınlar arasında En Yüce Tanrı tarafından en çok kutsanan sensin! Gökleri ve yeri yaratan, düşmanlarımızın önderinin başının kesilmesi için sana kılavuzluk eden Rab Tanrı kutsanmıştır!

¹⁹Çünkü senin bu umudun, Tanrı'nın gücünü hatırlayan insanların kalbinden sonsuza dek silinmeyecektir.

²⁰Tanrı seni sonsuz bir yüceliğe ulaştırsın ve seni iyiliklerle gözetsin; çünkü soyumuzun uğradığı aşağılanma karşısında canını esirgemedin, Tanrımızın önünde doğru yolda yürüyerek yıkımımıza karşı ileri atıldın." Bütün halk, "Amin, Amin!" dedi.

¹ΩΣ δὲ ὀψία ἐγένετο, ἐσπούδασαν οἱ δοῦλοι αὐτοῦ ἀναλύειν. καὶ Βαγώας συνέκλεισε τὴν σκηνὴν ἔξωθεν καὶ ἀπέκλεισε τοὺς παρεστῶτας ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ κυρίου αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀπῴχοντο εἰς τὰς κοίτας αὐτῶν· ἦσαν γὰρ πάντες κεκοπωμένοι, διὰ τὸ ἐπὶ πλεῖον γεγονέναι τὸν πότον.

²ὑπελείφθη δὲ ᾿Ιουδὶθ μόνη ἐν τῇ σκηνῇ, καὶ ᾿Ολοφέρνης προπεπτωκὼς ἐπὶ τὴν κλίνην αὐτοῦ· ἦν γὰρ περικεχυμένος αὐτῷ ὁ οἶνος.

³καὶ εἶπεν ᾿Ιουδὶθ τῇ δούλῃ αὐτῆς στῆναι ἔξω τοῦ κοιτῶνος αὐτῆς καὶ ἐπιτηρεῖν τὴν ἔξοδον αὐτῆς· καθάπερ καθ᾿ ἡμέραν, ἐξελεύσεσθαι γὰρ ἔφη ἐπὶ τὴν προσευχὴν αὐτῆς· καὶ τῷ Βαγώᾳ ἐλάλησε κατὰ τὰ ῥήματα ταῦτα.

⁴καὶ ἀπήλθοσαν πάντες ἐκ προσώπου, καὶ οὐδεὶς κατελείφθη ἐν τῷ κοιτῶνι ἀπὸ μικροῦ ἕως μεγάλου καὶ στᾶσα ᾿Ιουδὶθ παρὰ τὴν κλίνην αὐτοῦ εἶπεν ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτῆς· Κύριε ὁ Θεὸς πάσης δυνάμεως, ἐπίβλεψον ἐν τῇ ὥρᾳ ταύτῃ ἐπὶ τὰ ἔργα τῶν χειρῶν μου εἰς ὕψωμα ῾Ιερουσαλήμ·

⁵ὅτι νῦν καιρὸς ἀντιλαβέσθαι τῆς κληρονομίας σου καὶ ποιῆσαι τὸ ἐπιτήδευμά μου εἰς θραῦμα ἐχθρῶν, οἵ ἐπανέστησαν ἡμῖν.

⁶καὶ προσελθοῦσα τῷ κανόνι τῆς κλίνης, ὃς ἦν πρὸς κεφαλῆς ᾿Ολοφέρνου, καθεῖλε τὸν ἀκινάκην αὐτοῦ ἀπ᾿ αὐτοῦ

⁷καὶ ἐγγίσασα τῆς κλίνης ἐδράξατο τῆς κόμης τῆς κεφαλῆς αὐτοῦ καὶ εἶπε· κραταίωσόν με, ὁ Θεὸς ᾿Ισραήλ, ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ταύτῃ.

⁸καὶ ἐπάταξεν εἰς τὸν τράχηλον αὐτοῦ δὶς ἐν τῇ ἰσχύϊ αὐτῆς καὶ ἀφεῖλε τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ ἀπ᾿ αὐτοῦ,

⁹καὶ ἀπεκύλισε τὸ σῶμα αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ τῆς στρωμνῆς καὶ ἀφεῖλε τὸ κωνωπεῖον ἀπὸ τῶν στύλων. καὶ μετ᾿ ὀλίγον ἐξῆλθε, καὶ παρέδωκε τῇ ἅβρᾳ αὐτῆς τὴν κεφαλὴν ᾿Ολοφέρνου,

¹⁰καὶ ἐνέβαλεν αὐτὴν εἰς τὴν πήραν τῶν βρωμάτων αὐτῆς. καὶ ἐξῆλθον αἱ δύο ἅμα κατὰ τὸν ἐθισμὸν αὐτῶν ἐπὶ τὴν προσευχήν· καὶ διελθοῦσαι τὴν παρεμβολὴν ἐκύκλωσαν τὴν φάλαγγα ἐκείνην καὶ προσανέβησαν τὸ ὄρος Βαιτυλούα καὶ ἤλθοσαν πρὸς τὰς πύλας αὐτῆς.

¹¹Καὶ εἶπεν ᾿Ιουδὶθ μακρόθεν τοῖς φυλάσσουσιν ἐπὶ τῶν πυλῶν· ἀνοίξατε, ἀνοίξατε δὴ τὴν πύλην, μεθ᾿ ἡμῶν ὁ Θεὸς ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν ποιῆσαι ἔτι ἰσχὺν ἐν ᾿Ισραὴλ κατὰ κράτος κατὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν, καθὰ καὶ σήμερον ἐποίησε.

¹²καὶ ἐγένετο ὡς ἤκουσαν οἱ ἄνδρες τῆς πόλεως αὐτῆς τὴν φωνὴν αὐτῆς, ἐσπούδασαν τοῦ καταβῆναι εἰς τὴν πύλην τῆς πόλεως αὐτῶν καὶ συνεκάλεσαν τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους τῆς πόλεως.

¹³καὶ συνέδραμον πάντες ἀπὸ μικροῦ ἕως μεγάλου, ὅτι παράδοξον ἦν αὐτοῖς τὸ ἐλθεῖν αὐτήν, καὶ ἤνοιξαν τὴν πύλην καὶ ὑπεδέξαντο αὐτὰς καὶ ἅψαντες πῦρ εἰς φαῦσιν περιεκύκλωσαν αὐτάς.

¹⁴ἡ δὲ εἶπε πρὸς αὐτοὺς φωνῇ μεγάλῃ· αἰνεῖτε τὸν Θεόν, αἰνεῖτε· αἰνεῖτε τὸν Θεόν, ὃς οὐκ ἀπέστησε τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ τοῦ οἴκου ᾿Ισραήλ, ἀλλ᾿ ἔθραυσε τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ἡμῶν διὰ χειρός μου ἐν τῇ νυκτὶ ταύτῃ.

¹⁵καὶ προελοῦσα τὴν κεφαλὴν ἐκ τῆς πήρας ἔδειξε καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· ἰδοὺ ἡ κεφαλὴ ᾿Ολοφέρνου ἀρχιστρατήγου δυνάμεως ᾿Ασσούρ, καὶ ἰδοὺ τὸ κωνωπεῖον, ἐν ᾧ κατέκειτο ἐν ταῖς μέθαις αὐτοῦ· καὶ ἐπάταξεν αὐτὸν ὁ Κύριος ἐν χειρὶ θηλείας·

¹⁶καὶ ζῇ Κύριος, ὃς διεφύλαξέ με ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ μου, ᾗ ἐπορεύθην, ὅτι ἠπάτησεν αὐτὸν τὸ πρόσωπόν μου εἰς ἀπώλειαν αὐτοῦ, καὶ οὐκ ἐποίησεν ἁμάρτημα μετ᾿ ἐμοῦ εἰς μίασμα καὶ αἰσχύνην.

¹⁷καὶ ἐξέστη πᾶς ὁ λαὸς σφόδρα καὶ κύψαντες προσεκύνησαν τῷ Θεῷ καὶ εἶπαν ὁμοθυμαδόν· εὐλογητὸς εἶ, ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν, ὁ ἐξουδενώσας ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ σήμερον τοὺς ἐχθροὺς τοῦ λαοῦ σου.

¹⁸καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῇ ᾿Οζίας· εὐλογητὴ σύ, θύγατερ, τῷ Θεῷ τῷ ῾Υψίστῳ παρὰ πάσας τὰς γυναῖκας τὰς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, καὶ εὐλογημένος Κύριος ὁ Θεός, ὃς ἔκτισε τοὺς οὐρανοὺς καὶ τὴν γῆν, ὃς κατεύθυνέ σε εἰς τραῦμα κεφαλῆς ἄρχοντος ἐχθρῶν ἡμῶν·

¹⁹ὅτι οὐκ ἀποστήσεται ἡ ἐλπίς σου ἀπὸ καρδίας ἀνθρώπων μνημονευόντων ἰσχὺν Θεοῦ ἕως αἰῶνος.

²⁰καὶ ποιήσαι σοι αὐτὰ ὁ Θεὸς εἰς ὕψος αἰώνιον τοῦ ἐπισκέψασθαί σε ἐν ἀγαθοῖς, ἀνθ᾿ ὧν οὐκ ἐφείσω τῆς ψυχῆς σου διὰ τὴν ταπείνωσιν τοῦ γένους ἡμῶν, ἀλλ᾿ ἐπεξῆλθες πτώματι ἡμῶν ἐπ᾿ εὐθεῖαν πορευθεῖσα ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν. καὶ εἶπαν πᾶς ὁ λαός· γένοιτο, γένοιτο.

¹Now when the evening was come, his servants made haste to depart, and Bagoas shut his tent without, and dismissed the waiters from the presence of his lord; and they went to their beds: for they were all weary, because the feast had been long.

²And Judith was left along in the tent, and Holofernes lying along upon his bed: for he was filled with wine.

³Now Judith had commanded her maid to stand without her bedchamber, and to wait for her. coming forth, as she did daily: for she said she would go forth to her prayers, and she spake to Bagoas according to the same purpose.

⁴So all went forth and none was left in the bedchamber, neither little nor great. Then Judith, standing by his bed, said in her heart, O Lord God of all power, look at this present upon the works of mine hands for the exaltation of Jerusalem.

⁵For now is the time to help thine inheritance, and to execute thine enterprizes to the destruction of the enemies which are risen against us.

⁶Then she came to the pillar of the bed, which was at Holofernes’ head, and took down his fauchion from thence,

⁷And approached to his bed, and took hold of the hair of his head, and said, Strengthen me, O Lord God of Israel, this day.

⁸And she smote twice upon his neck with all her might, and she took away his head from him.

⁹And tumbled his body down from the bed, and pulled down the canopy from the pillars; and anon after she went forth, and gave Holofernes his head to her maid;

¹⁰And she put it in her bag of meat: so they twain went together according to their custom unto prayer: and when they passed the camp, they compassed the valley, and went up the mountain of Bethulia, and came to the gates thereof.

¹¹Then said Judith afar off, to the watchmen at the gate, Open, open now the gate: God, even our God, is with us, to shew his power yet in Jerusalem, and his forces against the enemy, as he hath even done this day.

¹²Now when the men of her city heard her voice, they made haste to go down to the gate of their city, and they called the elders of the city.

¹³And then they ran all together, both small and great, for it was strange unto them that she was come: so they opened the gate, and received them, and made a fire for a light, and stood round about them.

¹⁴Then she said to them with a loud voice, Praise, praise God, praise God, I say, for he hath not taken away his mercy from the house of Israel, but hath destroyed our enemies by mine hands this night.

¹⁵So she took the head out of the bag, and shewed it, and said unto them, behold the head of Holofernes, the chief captain of the army of Assur, and behold the canopy, wherein he did lie in his drunkenness; and the Lord hath smitten him by the hand of a woman.

¹⁶As the Lord liveth, who hath kept me in my way that I went, my countenance hath deceived him to his destruction, and yet hath he not committed sin with me, to defile and shame me.

¹⁷Then all the people were wonderfully astonished, and bowed themselves and worshipped God, and said with one accord, Blessed be thou, O our God, which hast this day brought to nought the enemies of thy people.

¹⁸Then said Ozias unto her, O daughter, blessed art thou of the most high God above all the women upon the earth; and blessed be the Lord God, which hath created the heavens and the earth, which hath directed thee to the cutting off of the head of the chief of our enemies.

¹⁹For this thy confidence shall not depart from the heart of men, which remember the power of God for ever.

²⁰And God turn these things to thee for a perpetual praise, to visit thee in good things because thou hast not spared thy life for the affliction of our nation, but hast revenged our ruin, walking a straight way before our God. And all the people said; So be it, so be it.