Tunc cantavit canticum hoc Domino Judith, dicens:

Then Judith herself sang to the Lord, and this was Judith’s song:

Then Judith sung this canticle to the Lord, saying:

Incipite Domino in tympanis; cantate Domino in cymbalis; modulamini illi psalmum novum: exaltate, et invocate nomen ejus.

Strike up, tambour, and cymbals beat in the Lord’s honour, sound a fresh song of praise; high enthrone him, call aloud upon his name!

Begin ye to the Lord with timbrels, sing ye to the Lord with cymbals, tune unto him a new psalm, extol and call upon his name.

Dominus conterens bella, Dominus nomen est illi.

What power divine crushes the enemy, but the Lord’s great name?

The Lord putteth an end to wars, the Lord is his name.

Qui posuit castra sua in medio populi sui, ut eriperet nos de manu omnium inimicorum nostrorum.

Here in the midst of his people he lies encamped; come what enemy may, he grants deliverance.

He hath set his camp in the midst of his people, to deliver us from the hand of all our enemies.

Venit Assur ex montibus ab aquilone in multitudine fortitudinis suæ: cujus multitudo obturavit torrentes, et equi eorum cooperuerunt valles.

Came the Assyrian from the northern hills in his great strength, the valleys choked with his marching columns, the mountain glens black with his horses;

The Assyrian came out of the mountains from the north in the multitude of his strength: his multitude stopped up the torrents, and their horses covered the valleys.

Dixit se incensurum fines meos, et juvenes meos occisurum gladio; infantes meos dare in prædam, et virgines in captivitatem.

to send fire through our country-side, put our warriors to the sword, mark down our children for slavery, our maidens for spoil.

He bragged that he would set my borders on fire, and kill my young men with the sword, to make my infants a prey, and my virgins captives.

Dominus autem omnipotens nocuit eum, et tradidit eum in manus feminæ, et confodit eum.

Great despite the Lord Almighty did him, that he should fall into a woman’s power for his death-blow.

But the almighty Lord hath struck him, and hath delivered him into the hands of a woman, and hath slain him.

Non enim cecidit potens eorum a juvenibus, nec filii Titan percusserunt eum, nec excelsi gigantes opposuerunt se illi: sed Judith filia Merari in specie faciei suæ dissolvit eum.

Not by warriors’ hands the tyrant fell; not giants smote him, not heroes of the old time barred his path; it was Judith, Merari’s daughter, Judith’s fair face that was his undoing.

For their mighty one did not fall by young men, neither did the sons of Titan strike him, nor tall giants oppose themselves to him, but Judith the daughter of Merari weakened him with the beauty of her face.

Exuit enim se vestimento viduitatis, et induit se vestimento lætitiæ in exultatione filiorum Israël.

Laid aside, now, her widow’s weeds; festal her array must be; a feast waits for the sons of Israel.

For she put off her the garments of widowhood, and put on her the garments of joy, to give joy to the children of Israel.

Unxit faciem suam unguento, et colligavit cincinnos suos mitra; accepit stolam novam ad decipiendum illum.

Ointment, there, for her cheeks, a band for her straying locks, a robe new-wrought to ensnare him!

She anointed her face with ointment, and bound up her locks with a crown, she took a new robe to deceive him.

Sandalia ejus rapuerunt oculos ejus; pulchritudo ejus captivam fecit animam ejus: amputavit pugione cervicem ejus.

Her very sandals thralled his eyes; he lay there, his heart beauty’s prisoner, while the sharp steel pierced his neck through.

Her sandals ravished his eyes, her beauty made his soul her captive, with a sword she cut off his head.

Horruerunt Persæ constantiam ejus, et Medi audaciam ejus.

Stood Persian, stood Mede aghast at the boldness of her resolve;

The Persians quaked at her constancy, and the Medes at her boldness.

Tunc ululaverunt castra Assyriorum, quando apparuerunt humiles mei, arescentes in siti.

loud rang the cry of the Assyrian camp, when the hard-pressed defenders sallied out against them, parched with thirst!

Then the camp of the Assyrians howled, when my lowly ones appeared, parched with thirst.

Filii puellarum compunxerunt eos, et sicut pueros fugientes occiderunt eos: perierunt in prælio a facie Domini Dei mei.

Slaves, did they call us? But we gave them cold steel; cut them down where, like slaves, they ran; one glance from the Lord our God, and the battle was lost.

The sons of the damsels have pierced them through, and they have killed them like children fleeing away: they perished in battle before the face of the Lord my God.

Hymnum cantemus Domino; hymnum novum cantemus Deo nostro.

A hymn, a new hymn, sing we to the Lord our God.

Let us sing a hymn to the Lord, let us sing a new hymn to our God.

Adonai Domine, magnus es tu, et præclarus in virtute tua: et quem superare nemo potest.

Great and glorious thou art, Lord Adonai; there is no outmatching thy wondrous power.

O Adonai, Lord, great art thou, and glorious in thy power, and no one can overcome thee.

Tibi serviat omnis creatura tua, quia dixisti, et facta sunt; misisti spiritum tuum, et creata sunt: et non est qui resistat voci tuæ.

Let all thy creatures do thee service; were they not made at thy word, fashioned by a breath from thee? When thou commandest, none but must obey.

Let all thy creatures serve thee: because thou hast spoken, and they were made: thou didst send forth thy spirit, and they were created, and there is no one that can resist thy voice.

Montes a fundamentis movebuntur cum aquis; petræ, sicut cera, liquescent ante faciem tuam.

Rain-swept, the mountains quake from their depths, the rocks melt like wax at thy coming.

The mountains shall be moved from the foundations with the waters: the rocks shall melt as wax before thy face.

Qui autem timent te, magni erunt apud te per omnia.

Yet great, by thy measure, are those that fear thee, in all their doings great.

But they that fear thee, shall be great with thee in all things.

Væ genti insurgenti super genus meum: Dominus enim omnipotens vindicabit in eis; in die judicii visitabit illos.

Woe to the nations that levy war on my people; when the time comes for judgement, the Lord Almighty will execute vengeance on them; he will not spare.

Woe be to the nation that riseth up against my people: for the Lord almighty will take revenge on them, in the day of judgment he will visit them.

Dabit enim ignem et vermes in carnes eorum, ut urantur et sentiant usque in sempiternum.

Their flesh the fire shall scorch, the worm shall devour; lament they must and bear their pain for ever.

For he will give fire, and worms into their flesh, that they may burn, and may feel for ever.

Et factum est post hæc, omnis populus post victoriam venit in Jerusalem adorare Dominum: et mox ut purificati sunt, obtulerunt omnes holocausta, et vota, et repromissiones suas.

And now, their victory won, all went to Jerusalem to worship the Lord there; once they were cleansed of defilement, burnt-sacrifice was done, vow and promise were paid by all alike.

And it came to pass after these things, that all the people, after the victory, came to Jerusalem to adore the Lord: and as soon as they were purified, they all offered holocausts, and vows, and their promises.

Porro Judith universa vasa bellica Holofernis, quæ dedit illi populus, et conopeum quod ipsa sustulerat de cubili ipsius, obtulit in anathema oblivionis.

As for Judith, she kept none of Holofernes’ spoil, that the people had given her, nor the canopy she had carried off from his banqueting-room, for herself; she offered them up as a thing forfeit.

And Judith offered for an anathema of oblivion all the arms of Holofernes, which the people gave her, and the canopy that she had taken away out of his chamber.

Erat autem populus jucundus secundum faciem sanctorum: et per tres menses gaudium hujus victoriæ celebratum est cum Judith.

High festival the people kept, there before the sanctuary; for three whole months they solemnized their victory, and Judith among them.

And the people were joyful in the sight of the sanctuary, and for three months the joy of this victory was celebrated with Judith.

Post dies autem illos, unusquisque rediit in domum suam: et Judith magna facta est in Bethulia, et præclarior erat universæ terræ Israël.

Then they dispersed to their homes, and Judith, back at Bethulia, was held in great renown; in all Israel, none so honoured as she.

And after those days every man returned to his house, and Judith was made great in Bethulia, and she was most renowned in all the land of Israel.

Erat enim virtuti castitas adjuncta, ita ut non cognosceret virum omnibus diebus vitæ suæ, ex quo defunctus est Manasses vir ejus.

So well, in her, did chastity mate with valour; once her husband was dead, she never had knowledge of man again.

And chastity was joined to her virtue, so that she knew no man all the days of her life, after the death of Manasses her husband.

Erat autem, diebus festis, procedens cum magna gloria.

When she left her house on festival days, great reverence was hers indeed.

And on festival days she came forth with great glory.

Mansit autem in domo viri sui annos centum quinque, et dimisit abram suam liberam: et defuncta est ac sepulta cum viro suo in Bethulia.

And for the serving-maid, Judith let her go free.There, then, Judith lived on in her husband’s dwelling-place, and a hundred and five years had passed before she was laid to rest at his side at Bethulia;

And she abode in her husband’s house a hundred and five years, and made her handmaid free, and she died, and was buried with her husband in Bethulia.

Luxitque illam omnis populus diebus septem.

and the whole people bewailed her for seven days together.

And all the people mourned for seven days.

In omni autem spatio vitæ ejus non fuit qui perturbaret Israël, et post mortem ejus annis multis.

All the while she lived, and long after her death, was never enemy that disturbed the peace of Israel.

And all the time of her life there was none that troubled Israel, nor many years after her death.

Dies autem victoriæ hujus festivitatis ab Hebræis in numero sanctorum dierum accipitur, et colitur a Judæis ex illo tempore usque in præsentem diem.

In the Hebrew calendar, a day of rejoicing commemorates her victory; in such honour have the Jews held it from that day to this.

But the day of the festivity of this victory is received by the Hebrews in the number of holy days, and is religiously observed by the Jews from that time until this day.