| 22 καὶ ἀνεστέναξεν Σουσαννα καὶ εἶπεν στενά μοι πάντοθεν ἐάν τε γὰρ τοῦτο πράξω θάνατός μοί ἐστιν ἐάν τε μὴ πράξω οὐκ ἐκφεύξομαι τὰς χεῖρας ὑμῶν 23 αἱρετόν μοί ἐστιν μὴ πράξασαν ἐμπεσεῖν εἰς τὰς χεῖρας ὑμῶν ἢ ἁμαρτεῖν ἐνώπιον κυρίου 24 καὶ ἀνεβόησεν φωνῇ μεγάλῃ Σουσαννα ἐβόησαν δὲ καὶ οἱ δύο πρεσβῦται κατέναντι αὐτῆς 25 καὶ δραμὼν ὁ εἷς ἤνοιξεν τὰς θύρας τοῦ παραδείσου 26 ὡς δὲ ἤκουσαν τὴν κραυγὴν ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ οἱ ἐκ τῆς οἰκίας εἰσεπήδησαν διὰ τῆς πλαγίας θύρας ἰδεῖν τὸ συμβεβηκὸς αὐτῇ 27 ἡνίκα δὲ εἶπαν οἱ πρεσβῦται τοὺς λόγους αὐτῶν κατῃσχύνθησαν οἱ δοῦλοι σφόδρα ὅτι πώποτε οὐκ ἐρρέθη λόγος τοιοῦτος περὶ Σουσαννης 28 καὶ ἐγένετο τῇ ἐπαύριον ὡς συνῆλθεν ὁ λαὸς πρὸς τὸν ἄνδρα αὐτῆς Ιωακιμ ἦλθον οἱ δύο πρεσβῦται πλήρεις τῆς ἀνόμου ἐννοίας κατὰ Σουσαννης τοῦ θανατῶσαι αὐτὴν 29 καὶ εἶπαν ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ λαοῦ ἀποστείλατε ἐπὶ Σουσανναν θυγατέρα Χελκιου ἥ ἐστιν γυνὴ Ιωακιμ οἱ δὲ ἀπέστειλαν 30 καὶ ἦλθεν αὐτὴ καὶ οἱ γονεῖς αὐτῆς καὶ τὰ τέκνα αὐτῆς καὶ πάντες οἱ συγγενεῖς αὐτῆς 31 ἡ δὲ Σουσαννα ἦν τρυφερὰ σφόδρα καὶ καλὴ τῷ εἴδει 32 οἱ δὲ παράνομοι ἐκέλευσαν ἀποκαλυφθῆναι αὐτήν ἦν γὰρ κατακεκαλυμμένη ὅπως ἐμπλησθῶσιν τοῦ κάλλους αὐτῆς 33 ἔκλαιον δὲ οἱ πα{R'} αὐτῆς καὶ πάντες οἱ ἰδόντες αὐτήν 34 ἀναστάντες δὲ οἱ δύο πρεσβῦται ἐν μέσῳ τῷ λαῷ ἔθηκαν τὰς χεῖρας ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτῆς 35 ἡ δὲ κλαίουσα ἀνέβλεψεν εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν ὅτι ἦν ἡ καρδία αὐτῆς πεποιθυῖα ἐπὶ τῷ κυρίῳ 36 εἶπαν δὲ οἱ πρεσβῦται περιπατούντων ἡμῶν ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ μόνων εἰσῆλθεν αὕτη μετὰ δύο παιδισκῶν καὶ ἀπέκλεισεν τὰς θύρας τοῦ παραδείσου καὶ ἀπέλυσεν τὰς παιδίσκας 37 καὶ ἦλθεν πρὸς αὐτὴν νεανίσκος ὃς ἦν κεκρυμμένος καὶ ἀνέπεσε με{T'} αὐτῆς 38 ἡμεῖς δὲ ὄντες ἐν τῇ γωνίᾳ τοῦ παραδείσου ἰδόντες τὴν ἀνομίαν ἐδράμομεν ἐ{P'} αὐτούς 39 καὶ ἰδόντες συγγινομένους αὐτοὺς ἐκείνου μὲν οὐκ ἠδυνήθημεν ἐγκρατεῖς γενέσθαι διὰ τὸ ἰσχύειν αὐτὸν ὑπὲρ ἡμᾶς καὶ ἀνοίξαντα τὰς θύρας ἐκπεπηδηκέναι 40 ταύτης δὲ ἐπιλαβόμενοι ἐπηρωτῶμεν τίς ἦν ὁ νεανίσκος |
22 Whereupon Susanna groaned deeply; There is no escape for me, she said, either way. It is death if I consent, and if I refuse, I shall be at your mercy. 23 Let me rather fall into your power through no act of mine, than commit sin in the Lord’s sight. 24 With that, Susanna cried aloud, and the elders, too, began crying shame on her; 25 meanwhile, one of them ran to the garden door and opened it. 26 And now the servants of the house, hearing such outcry in the garden, came running in through the back entrance to know what was afoot; 27 and they were greatly abashed when the elders told their story; never before had Susanna been defamed thus.
When the morrow came, 28 there was a throng of people in Joakim’s house, and the two elders were there, intent upon their malicious design against Susanna’s life. 29 They asked publicly that Susanna, daughter of Helcias and wife to Joakim, should be sent for; sent for she was, 30 and came out with her parents and her children and all her kindred. 31 So dainty she was, and so fair, 32 these two knaves would have her let down her veil, the better to enjoy the sight of her charms. 33 All her friends, all her acquaintances, were in tears. 34 Then the two elders rose amidst the throng, and laid their hands upon Susanna’s head, 35 while she, weeping, looked up to heaven, in token that her heart had not lost confidence in the Lord. 36 We were walking in the garden apart, said the elders, when this woman came out with two hand-maidens. She had the garden door shut close, and sent the maidens away; 37 whereupon a young man, who had been in hiding till then, came out and had his will with her. 38 We, from a nook in the garden, saw what foul deed was being done, and ran up close, so that we had full view of their dalliance; 39 but lay hold of the man we could not; he was too strong for us, opening the garden door and springing out. 40 The woman we caught, and asked her who her gallant was, but she would not tell us. To all this, we bear witness. |
22 Ingemuit Susanna, et ait: Angustiæ sunt mihi undique: si enim hoc egero, mors mihi est: si autem non egero, non effugiam manus vestras. 23 Sed melius est mihi absque opere incidere in manus vestras, quam peccare in conspectu Domini. 24 Et exclamavit voce magna Susanna: exclamaverunt autem et senes adversus eam. 25 Et cucurrit unus ad ostia pomarii, et aperuit. 26 Cum ergo audissent clamorem famuli domus in pomario, irruerunt per posticum ut viderent quidnam esset. 27 Postquam autem senes locuti sunt, erubuerunt servi vehementer, quia numquam dictus fuerat sermo hujuscemodi de Susanna. Et facta est dies crastina. 28 Cumque venisset populus ad Joakim virum ejus, venerunt et duo presbyteri, pleni iniqua cogitatione adversus Susannam ut interficerent eam. 29 Et dixerunt coram populo: Mittite ad Susannam filiam Helciæ uxorem Joakim. Et statim miserunt. 30 Et venit cum parentibus, et filiis, et universis cognatis suis. 31 Porro Susanna erat delicata nimis, et pulchra specie. 32 At iniqui illi jusserunt ut discooperiretur (erat enim cooperta), ut vel sic satiarentur decore ejus. 33 Flebant igitur sui, et omnes qui noverant eam. 34 Consurgentes autem duo presbyteri in medio populi, posuerunt manus suas super caput ejus. 35 Quæ flens suspexit ad cælum: erat enim cor ejus fiduciam habens in Domino. 36 Et dixerunt presbyteri: Cum deambularemus in pomario soli, ingressa est hæc cum duabus puellis: et clausit ostia pomarii, et dimisit a se puellas. 37 Venitque ad eam adolescens, qui erat absconditus, et concubuit cum ea. 38 Porro nos cum essemus in angulo pomarii, videntes iniquitatem, cucurrimus ad eos, et vidimus eos pariter commisceri. 39 Et illum quidem non quivimus comprehendere, quia fortior nobis erat, et apertis ostiis exilivit: 40 hanc autem cum apprehendissemus, interrogavimus, quisnam esset adolescens, et noluit indicare nobis: hujus rei testes sumus. |