Judith's Prayer
1 Then Judith put ashes on her head, opened her robe to reveal the sackcloth she was wearing under her clothes, and bowed down with her face to the floor. It was the time that the evening incense was being offered in the Temple in Jerusalem, and Judith prayed in a loud voice: 2 “O Lord, the God of my ancestor Simeon, remember how you armed Simeon with a sword to take revenge on those foreigners who seized Dinah, who was a virgin, tore off her clothes, and defiled her; they stripped her naked and shamed her; they raped her and disgraced her, even though you had forbidden this. 3 That is why you let their leaders be killed—put to death on the same bed where they had raped the woman. You destroyed them all, slaves, princes, and rulers on their thrones. 4 You let their wives be carried off, their daughters taken captive, and their possessions plundered by the Israelites, your chosen people, who were eager to do your will. Dinah's brothers were furious because of this disgrace to their family, so they called on you for help.
“O my God, listen to my prayer, the prayer of a widow. 5 Your hand guided all that happened then, and all that happened before and after. You have planned it all—what is happening now, and what is yet to be. Your plans have always been carried out. 6 Whatever you want to be done is as good as done. You know in advance all that you will do and what decisions you will make. 7 Now the Assyrians are stronger than ever; they take pride in their cavalry and their infantry. They rely on their weapons, but they do not know that you, O Lord, are a warrior who ends war. The Lord is your name. 8 In your anger, use your power to shatter their mighty army. They plan to defile your Temple, where you are worshiped, and to hack off the corners of your altar with their swords. 9 Look how proud and boastful they are! Pour out your fury upon them! I am only a widow, but give me the strength to carry out my plan. 10 Use my deceitful words to strike them all dead, master and slave alike. Let a woman's strength break their pride. 11 Your power does not depend on the size and strength of an army. You are a God who cares for the humble and helps the oppressed. You give support and protection to people who are weak and helpless; you save those who have lost hope. 12 Now hear my prayer, O God of my ancestor Simeon, the God in whom Israel trusts, ruler of heaven and earth, creator of the rivers and the seas, king of all creation. Hear my prayer and 13 let my deceitful words wound and kill those who have planned such cruelty against your covenant and your holy Temple, against Mount Zion and the land you have given your people. 14 Make your whole nation and every tribe recognize that you are God, almighty and all-powerful, and that you alone protect the people of Israel!”
Judits di ǀgores
1 Os ge Juditsa aisǂama ǁnāǁgoe, tsaoba danas âs ai tsoro tsî anaǂamsarab ǃnakas ge ana hâ i ǃoab saraba ge ǁhû. ǁNā ǁaeb ǂûb ais ge tsuxuǁguibas ǃgâihamxūn disa Jerusalems ǃnâ, Tempeli ǃnâ gere dīhe. Os ge Juditsa ǃgari dommi ǀkha ǃKhūb ǃoa ge ǀgore: 2 “ǃKhū, ti aboxab Simeonni Elotse. Sats ge ǁîba Sixems khoegab ǁîgu dīb ǃaroma nî ǀkhaose ge hui. ǁÎgu ge ǁîb di ǂkham ǃgâsas Dinas, oaxae ge isa ǃkhō, sarana ǀkhauǁnâǀkhā, ǀuriǀuri, taotao, ǃgôaoǃnâ kai tsî ge ǀgaiǃkhō, sats ǁnāsa hoaragase ǃkhâi hâ i xawe. 3 ǁNā-amagats ge ǁîn di ǂgaeǂgui-aoga ǁkhā kharob hîa gu ge ǁîsa ǀgaiǃkhō-aib ai ge ǃgam kai. Tsîts ge hoan; khobon, gaoǀgôagu tsî ǂgaeǂgui-aoga ǁîgu di trondi ai ge hîkākā. 4 Sats ge Israelǁaes, sa ǁhûiǂuisa ǁaes, ǀkhaoǂgaoxa ge isa, Sixemǁîn di tarade ǀgaiǃkhō, ǁîn ôade ǃkhōsis ǃnâ ū tsî ǁîn ge ūhâ i xūna ūbasensa ge mā-am. Dinas di ǃgâsagu ge ge ǁaixa hâ i, taosib ǁîn omaris ǂama ge hāb xa tsî ǁnā-amaga sa huiba ge ǂgan.
“Ti Elotse, ti Elots hîa ta ra ǂgaiǀîtse, ti ǃoatarata di ǀgoresa toxopa ǁnâu re. 5 Sats ge hoan nēsi go īn tsî ǁîn aiǃâ ge īn tsî ǁnān khaoǃgâ nî īna ge ǃaroma. Sats ge hoana ge ǀapeǁgui hâ i. 6 Sats dīts nîse ǂâiǃnâǁgui hân hoan ge ǀnai dīhe hâ ǃkhais ase ī. Sats ge hugaǀgui ǁaeb aiǃâ tare-ets nî dī tsî mâ mîǁguigats ra ū ǂgao ǃkhaisa a ǂan. 7 Nēsin ge Asiriaǁîna ǂguros ǃgâ-ai a ǀgaisa; ǁîn ge ǁîn di hātoroǃkhamaogu tsî ǀnūtoroǃkhamaogu ai a ǂnīsa. ǁÎn ge ǁîn di ǁâtanin ai ǂgomǃgâ hâ, xawen ge ǃKhūtse sats hoa xūn ǂamai a kai ǂGaeǂgui-ao tsîts khākhoen toroǃkhamaoga hîkākā ǁkhā ǃkhaisa a ǀū. 8 Sa ǁaib ǃnâ sa ǁkhāsiba sîsenū, î ǁîn di ǀgaisa toroǂnubisa ǂkhūǂkhū. ǁÎn ge sats ra ǀgoreǀîǃnâhe Tempela anuoǃnâ kai tsî altars di ǁnâkha ǀā gôagu ǀkha ǁhāǁnâsa ra ǀape. 9 ǁÎn di ǂnīsasib tsî koasensa kō re, î ǁîn ai sa ǁaiba hā kai. Tita ge ǃoataras ǀguisa i, xawe ǀgaiba mā te re, î ta ti ǀapesa dīǂui. 10 Ti gāxaǃnâ ra mîde hoan, ǀhonkhoeb tsî khobon tsîna nî ǃgamse sîsenū. Ab tarekhoes di ǀgaiba ǁîgu di ǂnīsasiba khôaǂkhū. 11 Sa ǀgaib ge toroǂnubis di kaisib tsî ǀgaib ai ǂgomaiǂnûi tama hâ. Sats ge Elots hîa ǃgamǃgamsen rana ǃkhōǂhomi tsî ǁgâiǀāhe rana ra huitsa. Sats ge ǂkhabusa tsî huio khoena mâxōǀkhā tsî ra sâu tsî ǁnān ǂkhabuǂâi rana ra huiǂui. 12 Ti aboxab Simeonni di Elotse, sida ge nē ǃhūba mā Elotse, ǀhommi tsî ǃhūbaib tsîkha di Elotse, ǃāgu tsî hurigu di ǂNubi-aotse, hoaraga kurus di Gao-aotse, toxopa ti ǀgoresa ǁnâu-am re, 13 î di ti gāxaǃnâ mîde ǁnān hîa sa ǃGaeǀhaos, sa ǃanu Tempeli, Sionǃhommi tsî sa khoenats ge mā ǃhūb ǃoagu ge ora xūna ǀapena tsui tsî ǃgam. 14 As sa hoaraga ǁaes tsî mâ ǃhaos hoasa ǁnâu tsî mûǂan, sats a Elo ǃkhaisa. Sats a hoa ǀgaib tsî ǁkhāsib di Elo, tsîts sats ǀguitsa Israelǁaesa ra sâusa.”
