json/Second Temple/Apocrypha/The Book of Susanna/English/Sefaria Community Translation.json

{
    "language": "en",
    "title": "The Book of Susanna",
    "versionSource": "https://www.sefaria.org",
    "versionTitle": "Sefaria Community Translation",
    "versionTitleInHebrew": "תרגום קהילת ספריא",
    "actualLanguage": "en",
    "languageFamilyName": "english",
    "isBaseText": false,
    "isSource": false,
    "direction": "ltr",
    "heTitle": "ספר שושנה",
    "categories": [
        "Second Temple",
        "Apocrypha"
    ],
    "text": [
        [
            "There was a man in the city of Babylon, and his name was Jehoiakim.",
            "He took for himself a woman, Susanna the daughter of Hilkiah; and she was beautiful and feared God",
            "because her parents were righteous and directed her in the paths of the Torah of Moses.",
            "Jehoiakim was very rich and he had a desirable garden by his house; and everyone gathered unto him because he was the most respected of the men of the city. ",
            "In that year, two elders of the city became judges of the nation.",
            "They were among the men about whom the LORD said, \"from Babylon there went out wickedness, and from her elders, the judges of the nation.\"",
            "They came everyday to Jehoiakim's house, and if a person had a concern, he would come to them.",
            "In the afternoon[s], when every person had gone his way, Susanna would go to swim in her husband's garden.",
            "The elders saw the woman walking every day in the garden and they lusted.",
            "Their hearts were turned and instead of turning their eyes to heaven, they turned their eyes toward her; and they did not remember the Torah of the LORD or his judgments.",
            "Even though both were overcome with passion, the elders did not reveal their love to each other because they were embarrassed.",
            "Every day they rushed to the door of the garden to see her.",
            "The elders said to each other, \"let us return to our houses because it is near time for lunch.\"",
            "After they went and after the elders separated from one another, each one turned back and returned to the garden and found themselves together.",
            "And when one questioned the other, saying: \"What is the meaning of this?\". They confessed their evil desire and they took counsel together and set a time to ambush her when she was by herself.",
            "On that day, they were lying in wait and Susanna came as she was accustomed, to wash in the garden during the heat of the day. With her were her two handmaidens. ",
            "And there was no man in the vineyard other than the two old men who hid to ambush her...",
            "And Shoshana said to her daughters, Buy me oil, and a pitcher, and shut the vineyard, until I am washed...",
            "And the girls would do as she requested and close the door in her flock",
            "And they did not see the men because they were hiding",
            "The two old men came out of the hiding place and ran over Shoshana and said:...",
            "Behold, the vineyard is locked, and there is no one here to see, and our soul desires you. So let us come and come to you:",
            "And if you will not listen to us, we will testify that we have seen a man with you in the vineyard, and therefore you sent the girls from you.",
            "And Shoshana sighed and said to him, \"Because I am narrow and clenched,...",
            "If I do what they want, I am the daughter of my own death, and if I cease, who will save me from their hand?...",
            "It is a good thing for me to fall into cleanliness as in the hands of a man who sins to God:",
            "And Shoshana raised her voice and cried out, and the old men shouted at her:...",
            "And one ran to the door and opened it;...",
            "And the people of the house heard her cry and ran to the vineyard to see what was doing:",
            "And when the men brought forth their evil report against her, the maidservants were ashamed, for such a thing had not been heard of since the day of her birth:",
            "And the next day, when the people were gathered together at the house of Jehoiakim, her husband, the two elders also came, and brought upon her false charges so that they will sentence her to death:",
            "And they said to the people, \"Send for Shoshana, the daughter of Hilkiah, the wife of Jehoiakim, to come to us:\"",
            "And they sent for her to bring her, and she came with her parents, her children, and all her family:",
            "And Shoshana was of a beautiful appearance, soft and delightful:",
            "And the wicked men commanded to remove the veil from her face so that they might enjoy her beauty: ",
            "And all her acquaintances and those who stood by her wept with great weeping.",
            "And the two elders arose and stood among the people, and they placed their hands upon the head of Shoshana.",
            "She wept bitterly with a heavy heart and lifted her eyes to the sky, for her heart trusted in God.",
            "And the elders responded and said, \"Behold, both of us were walking in the vineyard, and Shoshana came with her two maids.\"",
            "And afterward, she sent her maids away from her, and she locked up the vineyard.",
            "And a young man who was hidden in the garden approached her and lay with her.",
            "And when we saw this wickedness in the corner of the garden, we approached her and saw that she was lying with him.",
            "However, we were not able to seize the young man, for he was stronger than us, and he opened the door and fled.",
            "And when we restrained her and asked her, 'Who is the young man?' she refused to answer anything.",
            "Now we are witnesses to this matter.\"",
            "And the people believed in the words of the elders, and the judges judged her with the death penalty.",
            "And Shoshana cried out in her distress and said:",
            "\"Adonoy Our lord, all mysteries and hidden things are revealed to you; You know them before they come to be.",
            "You also know there is no truth in their mouths, and that they testify falsely against me",
            "And now behold, I am going to die, though I have done nothing that these wicked men have charged me within their malicious hearts.\"",
            "And God heard her cry and he showed favor to her.",
            "She was about to die, but God raised up the spirit of a young boy named Daniel, and he spoke up and said:",
            "\"I am innocent of the blood that will be shed.\"",
            "And all the people turned and asked him, \"what is this thing you have spoken?\"",
            "And Daniel took his stand among the people and said,",
            "\"Listen now, Israelites, you have acted foolishly in bringing charges against an Israelite woman without investigating and studying the matter before.",
            "Return now to the court and see that these men have lied about her.\" And all the people hurried back to the court, and they judged her innocent. ",
            "And the elders said to Daniel, 'Please sit with us, and let us discern if God has appointed you as a man of judgment and justice.",
            "And Daniel answered and said, 'Let the two witnesses be separated, each from the other, and I will question each man individually.'",
            "And after they had parted, he called the first [elder] and said to him, \"The elder in days and in crimes now will lay his hands on your head.",
            "Please know that you have judged unfairly, justifying the wicked and condemning the righteous, even though God has said, 'Do not kill the innocent and the righteous.'",
            "Now, if you have seen what you spoke of, tell me the name of the tree under which you found them.\" And he answered and said, \"Under the terebinth tree.\"",
            "And Daniel said, \"May God judge to curse you, and may He command His angels to cut you off.\"",
            "And he sent him away from him, and he commanded to bring the second, and he said to him, \"You are a son of Canaan and not a son of Judah.\"",
            "Indeed, the beauty of the woman has seduced you, and the spirit of promiscuity has changed your heart.",
            "Thus, this is what your deeds have been all along: to prostitute the daughters of Israel, and by their fear, you have bent them to fulfill your every desire.",
            "Except for this daughter of Judah, who did not listen to your voice of prostitution.",
            "And now, tell me the name of the tree that you saw, under which you find them.\" And he answered and said, \"Under an oak tree.\"",
            "And Daniel said, \"May falsehood cover your face in disgrace! See,  the angel of the Lord is waving his sword over you to destroy you.\"",
            "And all the people heard and lifted up their voices to give thanks to God, the savior of all those who hope for His kindness.",
            "And all of them rose up against the two elders who had been caught by the sayings of their mouths, by the hand of Daniel, for they had testified falsely against Sussana.",
            "And they did to them according to the law of Moses, \"And you shall do to him as he had intended to do to his brother.\"",
            "And they killed them, and they were saved on that day from shedding innocent blood in Israel.",
            "And Hilkiah and his wife gave praise and glory to God for the matter of their daughter, for no shameful thing was found in her.",
            "And so her husband Jehoiakim and his entire family did too.",
            "And Daniel became great and esteemed in the eyes of the people from that day forward, and further until the day of his death."
        ]
    ],
    "sectionNames": [
        "Chapter",
        "Verse"
    ]
}