Judith 9

¹And while thei yeden awei, Judith entride in to hir oratorie, and sche clothide hir silf with an heire, and puttide aische on hir heed; and sche bowide doun hir silf to the Lord, and criede to the Lord, and seide,

²Lord God of my fadir Symeon, which yauest to hym a swerd in to defence of aliens, that weren defouleris in her defoulyng, and maden nakid the hipe of a virgyn in to confusioun;

³and thou yauest the wymmen of hem in to prey, the douytris of hem in to caitifte, and al the prey in to departyng to thi seruauntis, that loueden feruentli thi feruent loue; Lord, Y biseche, helpe thou me a widewe.

⁴For thou madist the formere thingis, and thouytist tho thingis aftir tho, and this thing is maad, which thou woldist.

⁵For alle thi weies ben redi, and thou has set thi domes in thi puruyaunce.

⁶Biholde thou the castels of Assiriens now, as thou vouchidist saaf to biholde thanne the castels of Egipcians, whanne thei runnen armed after thi seruauntis, and tristiden in charis, and in multitude of her knyytis, and in multitude of werriours.

⁷But thou biheldist on the castels of hem, and derknessis maden hem feynt; the botme of the see helde her feet,

⁸and watris hiliden hem.

⁹Lord, `also these men be maad so, that tristen in her multitude, and in her charis, and in scharp schaftis with oute irun, and in her arowis; and han glorie in her speris;

¹⁰and witen not, that thou thi silf art oure God, that `al to-brekist batels fro the bigynnyng, and the Lord is name to thee.

¹¹Reise thin arm as at the bigynnyng, and hurle doun the power of hem `in thi vertu; the power of hem falle doun in thi wrathfulnesse, whiche biheten hem to defoule `thin hooli thingis, and to defoule the tabernacle of thi name, and to cast doun with her swerd the horn of thin auter.

¹²Lord, make thou that the pride of hem be kit of with her owne swerd;

¹³be he takun with the snare of hise iyen in me; and thou schalt smyte hym with the lippis of my charite.

¹⁴Yyue thou to me stidfastnesse in soule, that Y dispise hym and his vertu, and distrie hym.

¹⁵For it schal be a memorial of thi name, whanne the hondis of a womman han cast hym doun.

¹⁶For whi, Lord, thi vertu is not in multitude, nether thi wille is in the strengthis of horsis; and proude spiritis plesiden not thee at the bigynnyng, but the preier of meke men and mylde `pleside euere thee.

¹⁷God of heuenes, the creatour of watris, and Lord of alle creature, here thou me wretchid womman preiynge and tristynge of thi merci.

¹⁸Lord, haue thou mynde of thi testament, and yyue thou a word in my mouth, and make thou strong the counsel in myn herte, that thin hows dwelle perfitly in thin halewyng;

¹⁹and that alle folkis knowe, that thou art God, and noon other is outakun thee.

Judith 9

¹Judith fell upon her face, and put ashes upon her head, and uncovered the sackcloth wherewith she was clothed; and about the time that the incense of that evening was offered in Jerusalem in the house of the Lord Judith cried with a loud voice, and said,

²O Lord God of my father Simeon, to whom thou gavest a sword to take vengeance of the strangers, who loosened the girdle of a maid to defile her, and discovered the thigh to her shame, and polluted her virginity to her reproach; for thou saidst, It shall not be so; and yet they did so:

³Wherefore thou gavest their rulers to be slain, so that they dyed their bed in blood, being deceived, and smotest the servants with their lords, and the lords upon their thrones;

⁴And hast given their wives for a prey, and their daughters to be captives, and all their spoils to be divided among thy dear children; which were moved with thy zeal, and abhorred the pollution of their blood, and called upon thee for aid: O God, O my God, hear me also a widow.

⁵For thou hast wrought not only those things, but also the things which fell out before, and which ensued after; thou hast thought upon the things which are now, and which are to come.

⁶Yea, what things thou didst determine were ready at hand, and said, Lo, we are here: for all thy ways are prepared, and thy judgments are in thy foreknowledge.

⁷For, behold, the Assyrians are multiplied in their power; they are exalted with horse and man; they glory in the strength of their footmen; they trust in shield, and spear, and bow, and sling; and know not that thou art the Lord that breakest the battles: the Lord is thy name.

⁸Throw down their strength in thy power, and bring down their force in thy wrath: for they have purposed to defile thy sanctuary, and to pollute the tabernacle where thy glorious name resteth and to cast down with sword the horn of thy altar.

⁹Behold their pride, and send thy wrath upon their heads: give into mine hand, which am a widow, the power that I have conceived.

¹⁰Smite by the deceit of my lips the servant with the prince, and the prince with the servant: break down their stateliness by the hand of a woman.

¹¹For thy power standeth not in multitude nor thy might in strong men: for thou art a God of the afflicted, an helper of the oppressed, an upholder of the weak, a protector of the forlorn, a saviour of them that are without hope.

¹²I pray thee, I pray thee, O God of my father, and God of the inheritance of Israel, Lord of the heavens and earth, Creator of the waters, king of every creature, hear thou my prayer:

¹³And make my speech and deceit to be their wound and stripe, who have purposed cruel things against thy covenant, and thy hallowed house, and against the top of Sion, and against the house of the possession of thy children.

¹⁴And make every nation and tribe to acknowledge that thou art the God of all power and might, and that there is none other that protecteth the people of Israel but thou.