Esther 2

¹ that hath set hise castels in the myddis of his puple, for to deliuere vs fro the hond of alle oure enemyes. ² Assur cam fro the hillis, fro the north, in the multitude of his strengthe; whose multitude stoppide strondis, and the horsis of hem hiliden valeis. ³ And he seide, that he schulde brenne my coostis, and sle my yonge men bi swerd, to yiue my yonge children in to prei, virgyns in to caitifte. ⁴ But the Lord Almyyti anoiede hym, and bitook hym in to the hondis of a womman, and schente hym. ⁵ For the myyti of hem felde not doun of yonge men, nether the sones of giauntis killiden hym, nether hiye giauntis puttiden hem silf to hym; but Judith, the douytir of Merari, ouercam hym bi the fairnesse of hir face. ⁶ For sche vnclothide hir fro the cloth of widewehod, and clothide hir with the cloth of gladnesse, in the ful ioiyng of the sones of Israel. ⁷ Sche anoyntide hir face with oynement, and boond togidere the tressis of hir heeris with a coronal, to disseyue hym. ⁸ Hir sandalies rauyschiden hise iyen, hir fairnesse made his soule caitif; with a swerd sche kittide of his necke. 9 Men of Persis hadden hidousnesse of hir stidfastnesse, and Medeis of hyr hardynesse. 10 Thanne the castels of Assiriens yelliden, whanne my meke men, wexinge drie for thirst, apperiden. 11 The sones of damesels prickiden hem, and killiden hem as children fleynge; thei perischiden in batel fro the face of my God. 12 Synge we an ympne to the Lord, synge we a newe ympne to oure God. ¹³ Lord, Lord God, thou art grete, and ful cleer in thi vertu, and whom no man may ouercome. ¹⁴ Ech creature of thin serue thee, for thou seidist, and thingis weren maad; thou sentist thi spirit, and thingis weren maad of nouyt; and noon is that ayenstondith thi comaundement. ¹⁵ Hillis schulen be moued fro foundementis with watris; stonys schulen flete a brood as wex bifor thi face. ¹⁶ Sotheli thei that dreden thee, schulen be grete anentis thee bi alle thingis. ¹⁷ Woo to the folk rysynge on my kyn; for the Lord Almyyti schal take veniaunce in hem, in the dai of doom he schal visite hem. ¹⁸ For he schal yyue fier and wormes in the fleischis of hem, that thei be brent, and lyue, and feele til in to with outen ende. ¹⁹ And it was doon aftir these thingis, al the puple aftir the victorie cam to Jerusalem to worschipe the Lord; and anoon as thei weren clensid, alle men offriden brent sacrifices, and a vowis, and her biheestis. ²⁰ Certis Judith yaf in to the cursyng of foryetyng alle the armuris of batel of Holofernes, whiche the puple yaf to hir, and the curteyn, which sche hadde take awei. ²¹ Forsothe al the puple was myrie aftir the face of hooli men; and bi thre monethis the ioye of this victorie was halewid with Judith. ²² Sotheli aftir tho daies ech man yede ayen in to his owne; and Judith was maad greet in Bethulia, and sche was more cleer thanne alle wymmen of the lond of Israel. ²³ For chastite was ioyned to hir vertu, so that sche knewe not man alle the daies of hir lijf, sithen Manasses, hir hosebonde, was deed.