The Holy Bible, containing the Old and New Testaments, with the Apocryphal books,

CAP. VIII.

[verse 1] And it was doon, whanne Judith, the widowe, had herd these wordis, whiche Judith [Om. I.] was the douȝter 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 [and the I.] sone of Ruben. [verse 2] And hir hosebonde was [was clepid I.] Manasses, that was deed [verse 3] in the daies of barli heruest; for [certis I.] he stood bisili ouer men byndynge togidere reepis in the feeld, and heete cam on [upon I.] his heed, and he was deed in Bethulia his citee, and was [he was I.] biried there with hise fadris. [verse 4] So|theli [And I.] Judith left of hym [hym or lyuynge aftir him I.] was widewe

thanne thre ȝeer and sixe monethis. And in the hiȝere partis of hir hows sche made to hir a priuy closet, in which sche dwell|ide [verse 6] cloos with hir damesels; and sche hadde an heire on [upon I.] her leendis, and fastide [sche fastide I.] alle the daies of hir lijf, outakun sabatis [the sabot daies I.] , and the `bigynnyngis of monethis [firste daies of the mone I.] , and the feestis of the hows [hows or temple I.] of Israel. [verse 7] Sotheli [And I.] sche was of [Om. O.] ful [a ful C.] semeli biholdyng [in byholdynge O.] , to whom hir hosebonde hadde left many richessis, and plenteuouse meynee, and possessiouns ful of droues of oxis [oxen I.] , and of [Om. C.] flockis of scheep. [verse 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. [verse 9] Therfor whanne this Judith hadde herd, that Ozie hadde bihiȝte, that whanne the fyuethe day was passid, he wolde bitake the citee [citee to Holofernes I.] , sche sente to the prestis [the prestis; Judith spak to the prestis more coupable, for of that consent suede the dis|triyng of God|dis worschip, for which the prestis ouȝten for to loue more feruently, than the princes, for by taking of this citee the weye was redy to enemyes to go to Jerusa|lem, and dis|trie Goddis worschip, wher|for they ouȝten defende that cytee, as longe as they myȝten, ȝhe, in most turment. Lire here. C.] Cambri and Carmy. [verse 10] And thei camen to hir; and sche seide to hem, What is this word, in which Ozie consentide [hath consentid I.] to bitake the [this I.] citee to Assiriens [men of Assirie I.] , if with ynne fyue daies help cometh [come I.] not [nat I.] to vs? [verse 11] And who ben ȝe that tempten the Lord? [verse 12] This `word is not [is no word I.] that stirith merci; but rather that [it I.] stirith ire [Goddis wraththe I.] , and kyndlith woodnesse [his woodnesse I.] . [verse 13] Han ȝe set tyme [a tyme I.] of the merciful [mercy I.] doynge of the Lord, and in ȝoure wille `ȝe han [haue ȝe I.] set a dai to hym? [verse 14] But for the Lord is pacient, do we penaunce for this synne, and axe we with [verse 15] teeris his forȝyuenesse; for [certis I.] God schal not manaasse so as man, nethir as `a sone of man [the sone of man C. mannus sone I.] he schal be enflawmed to wrathful|nesse. [verse 16] And therfor meke we oure soulis to hym, and in contrit [a contrit I.] spirit and maad [ymaad I.] [verse 17] meke serue we [we to I.] hym; 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 [oure enmyes I.] , so haue we glorie `also of [in I.] oure mekenesse. [verse 18] For we `sueden not [haue not sued I.] the synnes of oure fadris,

that [the whiche I.] forsoken her God, and worschipiden [verse 19] alien goddis; for which [the which I.] greet trespas thei [oure fadris I.] weren ȝouun to her enemyes in to swerd, and in to raueyn, and in to confusioun; but we knowen not an othir God outakun hym. [verse 20] `Abide we meke [Therfore, we beynge meke, abide we I.] his coumfort, and he schal seke [seke or venge I.] oure blood of the turmentis of oure enemies; and he schal make meke alle folkis, whiche euer risen [han risen I.] aȝens VS; and oure [the I.] Lord God schal make hem with|out onour. [verse 21] And now, britheren, for ȝe ben prestis in the puple of God, and the soule of hem [the peple I.] hangith of ȝou, reise ȝe [ȝe up I.] her hertis [hertis to God I.] at ȝoure speche, that thei be mynde|ful, that oure fadris weren temptid, that thei schulden be preued, whethir thei wor|schipiden God verili. [verse 22] Thei owen to be myndeful, hou oure fadir Abraham was temptid [assaied I.] , and [and hou I.] he was preuyd bi many tribulaciouns, and [and so he I.] was maad the frend of God. [verse 23] So Isaac, so Jacob, so [and so I.] Moyses, and alle that plesiden `the Lord [to God I.] , passiden [passiden forth I.] feithful [feithfuli A pr. m. S.] bi many tribulaciouns. [verse 24] Sotheli [And I.] thei that resseyueden not temptaciouns with the [Om. I.] drede of the Lord, and brouȝten [aȝens the Lord brouȝten I.] forth her vnpacience, and the schenschip [verse 25] of her grutchyng `aȝens the Lord [Om. I.] , weren [thei weren I.] distried of a distriere, and perischiden [thei perischiden I.] of serpentis. [verse 26] And therfor venge we not vs [verse 27] for these thingis whiche [that I.] we suffren; but arette we, that these same turmentis ben lesse than oure synnes, and bileue we, as seruauntis of the Lord that [whiche I.] ben chastisid, that the betyngis [tourmentis I.] of the Lord ben comun to amendyng [oure amendyng I.] , and not to oure perdicioun. [verse 28] And Ozie and the prestis seiden to hir [Judith I.] , Alle thingis [thes thingis I.] , whiche [that I.] thou hast spoke, ben sothe, and no repreuyng is in thi wordis. [verse 29] Now therfor preie thou for VS, for thou art an hooli womman, and dred|ynge God. [verse 30] And Judith seide to hem, As ȝe knowen, that this [this thing I.] , that Y myȝte speke,

[verse 31] is of God, so preue ȝe, if this that Y pur|poside [haue purposid I.] to do, is of God; and preie ȝe, that [verse 32] God make stidfast my counsel. Ȝe schulen stonde at the ȝate this niȝt, and Y schal go out [forth I.] with my fre handmayde; and preie ȝe, that, as ȝe seiden, the Lord biholde his puple Israel in [thes I.] fyue daies. [verse 33] But Y nyle [wile not I.] , that ȝe enquere my doyng, and til that [Om. I.] Y telle to ȝou, `noon othir thing be doon, no [be ther don noon othir thing of ȝou I.] but preier for me to oure Lord God. [verse 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 [Ozias and the prestis I.] turneden aȝen [Om. I.] , and ȝeden awey.