The Holy Scripture
Chapter I
There dwelt a man in Babylon, called Joacim:
and he took a wife, whose name was Susanna, the daughter of Chelcias, a very fair woman, and one that feared the Lord.
Her parents also were righteous, and taught their daughter according to the law of Moses.
Now Joacim was a very rich man, and had a fair garden joining unto his house; and to him resorted the Jews; because he was more honourable than all others.
The same year were appointed two of the ancients of the people to be judges, such as the Lord spake of, that wickedness came from Babylon from ancient judges, who seemed to govern the people.
These kept much at Joacim's house, and all that had any suits in law came unto them.
καὶ ἤρχοντο κρίσεις ἐξ ἄλλων πόλεων πρὸς αὐτούς
Now when the people departed away at noon, Susanna went into her husband's garden to walk.
οὗτοι ἰδόντες γυναῖκα ἀστείαν τῷ εἴδει γυναῖκα ἀδελφοῦ αὐτῶν ἐκ τῶν υἱῶν Ισραηλ ὄνομα Σουσανναν θυγατέρα Χελκιου γυναῖκα Ιωακιμ περιπατοῦσαν ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς αὐτῆς τὸ δειλινὸν καὶ ἐπιθυμήσαντες αὐτῆς
And the two elders saw her going in every day, and walking; so that their lust was inflamed toward her.
And they perverted their own mind, and turned away their eyes, that they might not look unto heaven, nor remember just judgments.
διέστρεψαν τὸν νοῦν αὐτῶν καὶ ἐξέκλιναν τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτῶν τοῦ μὴ βλέπειν εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν μηδὲ μνημονεύειν κριμάτων δικαίων
And albeit they both were wounded with her love, yet durst not one shew another his grief.
καὶ ἀμφότεροι ἦσαν κατανενυγμένοι περὶ αὐτῆς καὶ ἕτερος τῷ ἑτέρῳ οὐ προσεποιεῖτο τὸ κακὸν τὸ ἔχον αὐτοὺς περὶ αὐτῆς οὐδὲ ἡ γυνὴ ἔγνω τὸ πρᾶγμα τοῦτο
For they were ashamed to declare their lust, that they desired to have to do with her.
Yet they watched diligently from day to day to see her.
καὶ ὡς ἐγίνετο ὄρθρος ἐρχόμενοι ἔκλεπτον ἀλλήλους σπεύδοντες τίς φανήσεται αὐτῇ πρότερος καὶ λαλήσει πρὸς αὐτήν
And the one said to the other, Let us now go home: for it is dinner time.
καὶ ἰδοὺ αὕτη κατὰ τὸ εἰωθὸς περιεπάτει καὶ ὁ εἷς τῶν πρεσβυτέρων ἐληλύθει καὶ ἰδοὺ ὁ ἕτερος παρεγένετο καὶ εἷς τὸν ἕτερον ἀνέκρινε λέγων τί σὺ οὕτως ὄρθρου ἐξῆλθες οὐ παραλαβών με καὶ ἐξωμολογήσαντο πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἑκάτερος τὴν ὀδύνην αὐτοῦ
So when they were gone out, they parted the one from the other, and turning back again they came to the same place; and after that they had asked one another the cause, they acknowledged their lust: then appointed they a time both together, when they might find her alone.
And it fell out, as they watched a fit time, she went in as before with two maids only, and she was desirous to wash herself in the garden: for it was hot.
And there was nobody there save the two elders, that had hid themselves, and watched her.
Then she said to her maids, Bring me oil and washing balls, and shut the garden doors, that I may wash.
And they did as she bade them, and shut the garden doors, and went out themselves at private doors to fetch the things that she had commanded them: but they saw not the elders, because they were hid.
Now when the maids were gone forth, the two elders rose up, and ran unto her, saying,
καὶ εἶπεν εἷς τῷ ἑτέρῳ πορευθῶμεν πρὸς αὐτήν καὶ συνθέμενοι προσήλθοσαν αὐτῇ καὶ ἐξεβιάζοντο αὐτήν
Behold, the garden doors are shut, that no man can see us, and we are in love with thee; therefore consent unto us, and lie with us.
If thou wilt not, we will bear witness against thee, that a young man was with thee: and therefore thou didst send away thy maids from thee.
Then Susanna sighed, and said, I am straitened on every side: for if I do this thing, it is death unto me: and if I do it not, I cannot escape your hands.
καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς ἡ Ιουδαία οἶδα ὅτι ἐὰν πράξω τοῦτο θάνατός μοί ἐστι καὶ ἐὰν μὴ πράξω οὐκ ἐκφεύξομαι τὰς χεῖρας ὑμῶν
It is better for me to fall into your hands, and not do it, than to sin in the sight of the Lord.
κάλλιον δέ με μὴ πράξασαν ἐμπεσεῖν εἰς τὰς χεῖρας ὑμῶν ἢ ἁμαρτεῖν ἐνώπιον κυρίου
With that Susanna cried with a loud voice: and the two elders cried out against her.
Then ran the one, and opened the garden door.
So when the servants of the house heard the cry in the garden, they rushed in at a private door, to see what was done unto her.
But when the elders had declared their matter, the servants were greatly ashamed: for there was never such a report made of Susanna.
And it came to pass the next day, when the people were assembled to her husband Joacim, the two elders came also full of mischievous imagination against Susanna to put her to death;
οἱ δὲ παράνομοι ἄνδρες ἀπέστρεψαν ἀπειλοῦντες ἐν ἑαυτοῖς καὶ ἐνεδρεύοντες ἵνα θανατώσουσιν αὐτήν καὶ ἐλθόντες ἐπὶ τὴν συναγωγὴν τῆς πόλεως οὗ παρῳκοῦσαν καὶ συνήδρευσαν οἱ ὄντες ἐκεῖ πάντες οἱ υἱοὶ Ισραηλ
and said before the people, Send for Susanna, the daughter of Chelcias, Joacim's wife. And so they sent.
καὶ ἀναστάντες οἱ δύο πρεσβύτεροι καὶ κριταὶ εἶπαν ἀποστείλατε ἐπὶ Σουσανναν θυγατέρα Χελκιου ἥτις ἐστὶ γυνὴ Ιωακιμ οἱ δὲ εὐθέως ἐκάλεσαν αὐτήν
So she came with her father and mother, her children, and all her kindred.
ὡς δὲ παρεγενήθη ἡ γυνὴ σὺν τῷ πατρὶ ἑαυτῆς καὶ τῇ μητρί καὶ οἱ παῖδες καὶ αἱ παιδίσκαι αὐτῆς ὄντες τὸν ἀριθμὸν πεντακόσιοι παρεγένοντο καὶ τὰ παιδία Σουσαννας τέσσαρα
Now Susanna was a very delicate woman, and beauteous to behold.
ἦν δὲ ἡ γυνὴ τρυφερὰ σφόδρα
And these wicked men commanded to uncover her [face] (for she was covered), that they might be filled with her beauty.
καὶ προσέταξαν οἱ παράνομοι ἀποκαλύψαι αὐτήν ἵνα ἐμπλησθῶσι κάλλους ἐπιθυμίας αὐτῆς
Therefore her friends and all that saw her wept.
καὶ ἐκλαίοσαν οἱ παρ᾿ αὐτῆς πάντες καὶ ὅσοι αὐτὴν ᾔδεισαν πάντες
Then the two elders stood up in the midst of the people, and laid their hands upon her head.
ἀναστάντες δὲ οἱ πρεσβύτεροι καὶ κριταὶ ἐπέθηκαν τὰς χεῖρας αὐτῶν ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς αὐτῆς
And she weeping looked up toward heaven: for her heart trusted in the Lord.
ἡ δὲ καρδία αὐτῆς ἐπεποίθει ἐπὶ κυρίῳ τῷ θεῷ αὐτῆς καὶ ἀνακύψασα ἔκλαυσεν ἐν ἑαυτῇ λέγουσα κύριε ὁ θεὸς ὁ αἰώνιος ὁ εἰδὼς τὰ πάντα πρὶν γενέσεως αὐτῶν σὺ οἶδας ὅτι οὐκ ἐποίησα ἃ πονηρεύονται οἱ ἄνομοι οὗτοι ἐπ᾿ ἐμοί καὶ εἰσήκουσε κύριος τῆς δεήσεως αὐτῆς
And the elders said, As we walked in the garden alone, this woman came in with two maids, and shut the garden doors, and sent the maids away.
οἱ δὲ δύο πρεσβύτεροι εἶπαν ἡμεῖς περιεπατοῦμεν ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς αὐτῆς
Then a young man, who there was hid, came unto her, and lay with her.
καὶ κυκλοῦντες τὸ στάδιον εἴδομεν ταύτην ἀναπαυομένην μετὰ ἀνδρὸς καὶ στάντες ἐθεωροῦμεν αὐτοὺς ὁμιλοῦντας ἀλλήλοις
Then we that stood in a corner of the garden, seeing this wickedness, ran unto them.
καὶ αὐτοὶ οὐκ ᾔδεισαν ὅτι εἱστήκειμεν τότε συνειπάμεθα ἀλλήλοις λέγοντες μάθωμεν τίνες εἰσὶν οὗτοι
And when we saw them together, the man we could not hold: for he was stronger than we, and opened the door, and leaped out.
καὶ προσελθόντες ἐπέγνωμεν αὐτήν ὁ δὲ νεανίσκος ἔφυγε συγκεκαλυμμένος
But having taken this woman, we asked who the young man was, but she would not tell us: these things do we testify.
ταύτης δὲ ἐπιλαβόμενοι ἐπηρωτῶμεν αὐτήν τίς ὁ ἄνθρωπος
Then the assembly believed them, as those that were the elders and judges of the people: so they condemned her to death.
καὶ οὐκ ἀπήγγειλεν ἡμῖν τίς ἦν ταῦτα μαρτυροῦμεν καὶ ἐπίστευσεν αὐτοῖς ἡ συναγωγὴ πᾶσα ὡς πρεσβυτέρων ὄντων καὶ κριτῶν τοῦ λαοῦ
Then Susanna cried out with a loud voice, and said, O everlasting God, that knowest the secrets, and knowest all things before they be:
thou knowest that they have borne false witness against me, and, behold, I must die; whereas I never did such things as these men have maliciously invented against me.
And the Lord heard her voice.
καὶ ἰδοὺ ἄγγελος κυρίου ἐκείνης ἐξαγομένης ἀπολέσθαι καὶ ἔδωκεν ὁ ἄγγελος καθὼς προσετάγη πνεῦμα συνέσεως νεωτέρῳ ὄντι Δανιηλ
Therefore when she was led to be put to death, the Lord raised up the holy spirit of a young youth, whose name was Daniel:
who cried with a loud voice, I am clear from the blood of this woman.
Then all the people turned them toward him, and said, What mean these words that thou hast spoken?
So he standing in the midst of them said, Are ye such fools, ye sons of Israel, that without examination or knowledge of the truth ye have condemned a daughter of Israel?
διαστείλας δὲ Δανιηλ τὸν ὄχλον καὶ στὰς ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῶν εἶπεν οὕτως μωροί υἱοὶ Ισραηλ οὐκ ἀνακρίναντες οὐδὲ τὸ σαφὲς ἐπιγνόντες ἀπεκρίνατε θυγατέρα Ισραηλ
Return again to the place of judgment: for they have borne false witness against her.
Wherefore all the people turned again in haste, and the elders said unto him, Come, sit down among us, and shew it us, seeing God hath given thee the honour of an elder.
Then said Daniel unto them, Put these two aside one far from another, and I will examine them.
καὶ νῦν διαχωρίσατέ μοι αὐτοὺς ἀπ᾿ ἀλλήλων μακράν ἵνα ἐτάσω αὐτούς
So when they were put asunder one from another, he called one of them, and said unto him, O thou that art waxen old in wickedness, now thy sins which thou hast committed aforetime are come [to light]:
ὡς δὲ διεχωρίσθησαν εἶπεν Δανιηλ τῇ συναγωγῇ νῦν μὴ βλέψητε ὅτι οὗτοί εἰσι πρεσβύτεροι λέγοντες οὐ μὴ ψεύσωνται ἀλλὰ ἀνακρινῶ αὐτοὺς κατὰ τὰ ὑποπίπτοντά μοι καὶ ἐκάλεσε τὸν ἕνα αὐτῶν καὶ προσήγαγον τὸν πρεσβύτερον τῷ νεωτέρῳ καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ Δανιηλ ἄκουε ἄκουε πεπαλαιωμένε ἡμερῶν κακῶν νῦν ἥκασί σου αἱ ἁμαρτίαι ἃς ἐποίεις τὸ πρότερον
for thou hast pronounced false judgment, and hast condemned the innocent, and hast let the guilty go free; albeit the Lord saith, The innocent and righteous shalt thou not slay.
πιστευθεὶς ἀκούειν καὶ κρίνειν κρίσεις θάνατον ἐπιφερούσας καὶ τὸν μὲν ἀθῷον κατέκρινας τοὺς δὲ ἐνόχους ἠφίεις τοῦ κυρίου λέγοντος ἀθῷον καὶ δίκαιον οὐκ ἀποκτενεῖς
Now then, if thou hast seen her, tell me, Under what tree sawest thou them companying together? And he said, Under a mastick tree.
νῦν οὖν ὑπὸ τί δένδρον καὶ ποταπῷ τοῦ παραδείσου τόπῳ ἑώρακας αὐτοὺς ὄντας σὺν ἑαυτοῖς καὶ εἶπεν ὁ ἀσεβής ὑπὸ σχῖνον
And Daniel said, Very well; thou hast lied against thine own head; for even now the angel of God hath received the sentence of God to cut thee in two.
εἶπεν δὲ ὁ νεώτερος ὀρθῶς ἔψευσαι εἰς τὴν σεαυτοῦ ψυχήν ὁ γὰρ ἄγγελος κυρίου σχίσει σου τὴν ψυχὴν σήμερον
So he put him aside, and commanded to bring the other, and said unto him, O thou seed of Chanaan, and not of Juda, beauty hath deceived thee, and lust hath perverted thine heart.
καὶ τοῦτον μεταστήσας εἶπε προσαγαγεῖν αὐτῷ τὸν ἕτερον καὶ τούτῳ δὲ εἶπεν διὰ τί διεστραμμένον τὸ σπέρμα σου ὡς Σιδῶνος καὶ οὐχ ὡς Ιουδα τὸ κάλλος σε ἠπάτησεν ἡ μιαρὰ ἐπιθυμία
Thus have ye dealt with the daughters of Israel, and they for fear companied with you: but the daughter of Juda would not abide your wickedness.
καὶ οὕτως ἐποιεῖτε θυγατράσιν Ισραηλ καὶ ἐκεῖναι φοβούμεναι ὡμιλοῦσαν ὑμῖν ἀλλ᾿ οὐ θυγάτηρ Ιουδα ὑπέμεινε τὴν νόσον ὑμῶν ἐν ἀνομίᾳ ὑπενεγκεῖν
Now therefore tell me, Under what tree didst thou take them companying together? And he said, Under a holm tree.
νῦν οὖν λέγε μοι ὑπὸ τί δένδρον καὶ ἐν ποίῳ τοῦ κήπου τόπῳ κατέλαβες αὐτοὺς ὁμιλοῦντας ἀλλήλοις ὁ δὲ εἶπεν ὑπὸ πρῖνον
Then said Daniel unto him, Well; thou hast also lied against thine own head: for the angel of God waiteth with the sword to cut thee in two, that he may destroy you.
καὶ εἶπεν Δανιηλ ἁμαρτωλέ νῦν ὁ ἄγγελος κυρίου τὴν ῥομφαίαν ἕστηκεν ἔχων ἕως ὁ λαὸς ἐξολεθρεύσει ὑμᾶς ἵνα καταπρίσῃ σε
With that all the assembly cried out with a loud voice, and praised God, who saveth them that trust in him.
καὶ πᾶσα ἡ συναγωγὴ ἀνεβόησεν ἐπὶ τῷ νεωτέρῳ ὡς ἐκ τοῦ ἰδίου στόματος ὁμολόγους αὐτοὺς κατέστησεν ἀμφοτέρους ψευδομάρτυρας καὶ ὡς ὁ νόμος διαγορεύει ἐποίησαν αὐτοῖς καθὼς ἐπονηρεύσαντο κατὰ τῆς ἀδελφῆς καὶ ἐφίμωσαν αὐτοὺς καὶ ἐξαγαγόντες ἔρριψαν εἰς φάραγγα τότε ὁ ἄγγελος κυρίου ἔρριψε πῦρ διὰ μέσου αὐτῶν καὶ ἐσώθη αἷμα ἀναίτιον ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ
And they arose against the two elders, for Daniel had convicted them of false witness by their own mouth:
and according to the law of Moses they did unto them in such sort as they maliciously intended to do to their neighbour: and they put them to death. Thus the innocent blood was saved the same day.
Therefore Chelcias and his wife praised God for their daughter Susanna, with Joacim her husband, and all their kindred, because there was no dishonesty found in her.
διὰ τοῦτο οἱ νεώτεροι ἀγαπητοὶ Ιακωβ ἐν τῇ ἁπλότητι αὐτῶν καὶ ἡμεῖς φυλασσώμεθα εἰς υἱοὺς δυνατοὺς νεωτέρους εὐσεβήσουσι γὰρ νεώτεροι καὶ ἔσται ἐν αὐτοῖς πνεῦμα ἐπιστήμης καὶ συνέσεως εἰς αἰῶνα αἰῶνος
From that day forth was Daniel had in great reputation in the sight of the people.