Content

CAP 8
1 And it was doon, whanne Judith, the widowe, had herd these wordis, whiche Judith was the douyter of Merary, the sone of Idor, the sone of Joseph, the sone of Ozie, the sone of Elai, the sone of Jamnor, the sone of Jedeon, the sone of Raphony, the sone of Achitob, the sone of Melchie, the sone of Euam, the sone of Mathanye, the sone of Salatiel, the sone of Symeon, the sone of Ruben.
2 And hir hosebonde was Manasses, that was deed in the daies of barli heruest;
3 for he stood bisili ouer men byndynge togidere reepis in the feeld, and heete cam on his heed, and he was deed in Bethulia his citee, and was biried there with hise fadris.
4 Sotheli Judith left of hym was widewe thanne thre yeer and sixe monethis. And in the hiyere partis of hir hows sche made to hir a priuy closet, in which sche dwellide cloos with hir damesels;
6 and sche hadde an heire on her leendis, and fastide alle the daies of hir lijf, outakun sabatis, and the `bigynnyngis of monethis, and the feestis of the hows of Israel.
7 Sotheli sche was of ful semeli biholdyng, to whom hir hosebonde hadde left many richessis, and plenteuouse meynee, and possessiouns ful of droues of oxis, and of flockis of scheep.
8 And this Judith was moost famouse among alle men; for sche dredde God greetli, nethir ony was that spak of hir an yuel word.
9 Therfor whanne this Judith hadde herd, that Ozie hadde bihiyte, that whanne the fyuethe day was passid, he wolde bitake the citee, sche sente to the prestis Cambri and Carmy.
10 And thei camen to hir; and sche seide to hem, What is this word, in which Ozie consentide to bitake the citee to Assiriens, if with ynne fyue daies help cometh not to vs?
11 And who ben ye that tempten the Lord?
12 This `word is not that stirith merci; but rather that stirith ire, and kyndlith woodnesse.
13 Han ye set tyme of the merciful doynge of the Lord, and in youre wille `ye han set a dai to hym?
14 But for the Lord is pacient, do we penaunce for this synne, and axe we with teeris his foryyuenesse;
15 for God schal not manaasse so as man, nethir as `a sone of man he schal be enflawmed to wrathfulnesse.
16 And therfor meke we oure soulis to hym, and in contrit spirit and maad meke serue we hym;
17 and seie we wepynge to the Lord, that aftir his wille so he do his merci with vs; and as oure herte is troblid in the pride of hem, so haue we glorie `also of oure mekenesse.
18 For we `sueden not the synnes of oure fadris, that forsoken her God, and worschipiden alien goddis;
19 for which greet trespas thei weren youun to her enemyes in to swerd, and in to raueyn, and in to confusioun; but we knowen not an othir God outakun hym.
20 `Abide we meke his coumfort, and he schal seke oure blood of the turmentis of oure enemies; and he schal make meke alle folkis, whiche euer risen ayens vs; and oure Lord God schal make hem without onour.
21 And now, britheren, for ye ben prestis in the puple of God, and the soule of hem hangith of you, reise ye her hertis at youre speche, that thei be myndeful, that oure fadris weren temptid, that thei schulden be preued, whethir thei worschipiden God verili.
22 Thei owen to be myndeful, hou oure fadir Abraham was temptid, and he was preuyd bi many tribulaciouns, and was maad the frend of God.
23 So Isaac, so Jacob, so Moyses, and alle that plesiden `the Lord, passiden feithful bi many tribulaciouns.
24 Sotheli thei that resseyueden not temptaciouns with the drede of the Lord, and brouyten forth her vnpacience, and the schenschip of her grutchyng `ayens the Lord,
25 weren distried of a distriere, and perischiden of serpentis.
26 And therfor venge we not vs for these thingis whiche we suffren;
27 but arette we, that these same turmentis ben lesse than oure synnes, and bileue we, as seruauntis of the Lord that ben chastisid, that the betyngis of the Lord ben comun to amendyng, and not to oure perdicioun.
28 And Ozie and the prestis seiden to hir, Alle thingis, whiche thou hast spoke, ben sothe, and no repreuyng is in thi wordis.
29 Now therfor preie thou for vs, for thou art an hooli womman, and dredynge God.
30 And Judith seide to hem, As ye knowen, that this, that Y myyte speke, is of God,
31 so preue ye, if this that Y purposide to do, is of God; and preie ye, that God make stidfast my counsel.
32 Ye schulen stonde at the yate this niyt, and Y schal go out with my fre handmayde; and preie ye, that, as ye seiden, the Lord biholde his puple Israel in fyue daies.
33 But Y nyle, that ye enquere my doyng, and til that Y telle to you, `noon othir thing be doon, no but preier for me to oure Lord God.
34 And Ozie, the prince of Juda, seide to hir, Go thou in pees, and the Lord be with thee in the veniaunce of oure enemyes. And thei turneden ayen, and yeden awey.