1Here beginneth an epistle of (or about) holy Susanna. In those days a man was in Babylon, and his name was Joakim./A man was in Babylon, and his name was Joakim.

2And he took a wife, Susanna by name, the daughter of Hilkiah, a woman full fair, and dreading the Lord.

3Forsooth her father and mother, when they were rightful [or just], taught their daughter ⁰by [or after] the law of Moses.

4Soothly Joakim was full rich, and had a garden nigh his house; and the Jews came to him, for he was the most worshipful [or more honourable] of (or than) all (the others).

5And twain eld men [or two old men] were ordained to be judges in that year, of which the Lord spake, that wickedness went out of Babylon, of (or from) the elder judges, that seemed to govern the people.

6These judges used often the house of Joakim; and all men that had dooms came to them. [These often haunted the house of Joakim; and all that had dooms came to them.]

7Forsooth when the people had (re)turned again (home) after midday, Susanna entered, and walked in the garden of her husband.

8And the (two) elder men saw her entering each day, and walking; and they burnt out into the covetousness or concupiscence of (or for) her. [And the (two) elder men saw her each day entering, and walking; and they burned in the covetousness of her.]

9And they turned away their wit, and bowed down [or bowed away] their eyes, (so) that they saw not heaven, neither bethought on just dooms.

10Soothly both were wounded by the love of (or for) her, and they showed not their sorrow to them-selves together (or to each other);

11for they were ashamed to show to themselves (or to each other) their covetousness or concupiscence, will-ing (or desiring) to lie fleshly by [or with] her.

12And they espied each day more busily to see her.

13And the one said to the tother, Go we home, for the hour of meat is.

14And they went out, and parted from themselves. And when they had (re)turned again, they came into one place (or But then they returned again, and they came to the same place); and they asked each of (the) other (or each other) the cause, and they acknowledged their covetousness. And then in common they ordained a time, when they might find her alone.

15Forsooth it was done, when they espied a covenable (or an opportune) day, she entered sometime, as yester-day and the third day ago, with two damsels alone, and would be washed in the garden; for why heat was (or it was hot).

16And there was not any man (there), or And no man was there, except the two eld men [or (the) two old men] hid (there), beholding her.

17Therefore she said to the damsels, Bring ye to me oil, and ointments; and close the doors of the garden, (so) that I (can) be washed. [And she said to the maidens, Bring ye to me oil, and soap, or ointment; and shut ye the doors of the garden, that I be washed.]

18And they did as she commanded; and they closed the doors of the garden, and went out by a postern (or by a back door), to bring those things that she had commanded. And they knew not, that the (two) eld men were hid within.

19Soothly when the damsels were gone out, (the) twain eld men rised (up)[or the two old men rose (up)], and ran to her, and said,

20Lo! the doors of the garden be closed, and no man seeth us, and we be in the covetousness or concupis-cence of (or for) thee. Wherefore assent thou to us, and be thou meddled (or mingled) with us, [or Wherefore accord to us, and be joined with us].

21And if thou wilt not, we shall say witnessing against thee, that a young man was with thee, and for this cause thou sentest out the damsels from thee.

22And Susanna inwardly sorrowed, and said, Anguishes be to me on each side; for if I do this [thing], death is to me; forsooth if I do (it) not, I shall not escape your hands.

23But it is better for me to fall into your hands, without work, than to do sin [or to sin] in the sight of the Lord.

24And (then) Susanna cried with (a) great (or with a loud) voice, but also the eld men [or the old men] cried (out) against her.

25Forsooth one ran [or Soothly the one ran], and opened the door of (or to) the garden.

26Soothly when the servants of the house had heard the cry in the garden, they fell in by the postern (or by the back door), to see what it was.

27But after that the eld men [or the old men] spake, the servants were ashamed greatly, for never was such a word said of (or about) Susanna.

28And the morrow day was made. And when the people was come to Joakim, her husband, also the two priests (or the two eld men) full of wicked thoughts came against Susanna, for to slay her. [And the morrow day is made. And when the people came to her husband Joakim, and the two priests (or the two old men) came full of evil thought against Susanna, for to slay her.]

29And they said before all the people, Send ye to Susanna (or Send for Susanna), the daughter of Hilkiah, the wife of Joakim. And anon (or at once) they sent (for her).

30And she came with her father, and mother, and children, and all [her] kinsmen.

31And certainly Susanna was full delicate, either tender, and fair of shape [or form].

32And those wicked men command-ed, that she should be uncovered, for she was covered; that namely so (or so that namely) they should be filled of [or with] her fairness.

33Therefore her kinsmen[or her nigh friends] wept, and all that knew her.

34Forsooth the two priests (or the two old men) rised together in the midst of the people, and set [or putted] their hands on the head of her.

35And she wept, and beheld to heaven, for her heart had trust in the Lord. [Which weeping beheld to heaven, forsooth the heart of her was having trust in the Lord.]

36And the priests (or the two old men) said, When we walked alone in the garden, this Susanna entered with two damsels [or with two maidens]; and she closed the door of the garden, and let go the damsels.

37And a young man, that was hid, came to her, and lay by her [or did lechery with her].

38Certainly when we were in a corner of the garden, we saw the wickedness, and ran to them, [For-sooth we, when we were in a corner of the garden, seeing the wickedness, ran to them,]

39and we saw them meddled together. And soothly we might not take (hold of)[or catch] him, for he was stronger than we; and when he had opened the doors, he skipped out [or he leapt out].

40But when we had taken (hold of) this woman, we asked, who was the young man; and she would not show to us. Of this thing we be witnesses.

41The multitude believed to them, as to (or because they were) the elder men and judges of the people, and condemned her to death.

42Forsooth Susanna cried loud with (a) great voice, and said, Lord God, without beginning and end [or Lord God everlasting], thou art or that art (the) knower of hid things, that know-est all things before that they be done [or be made];

43thou knowest, that they have borne false witnessing against me. And lo! I die, when I have not done any of these things, which these men have made (out) maliciously against me.

44Forsooth the Lord heard the voice of her.

45And when she was led to the death, the Lord raised (up) the holy spirit of a young child (or of a young man), whose name was Daniel.

46And he cried (out) loud with a great voice, I am clean of (or I am clear from) the blood of this woman.

47And all the people turned again to(wards) him [or And all the people together turned to him], and said, What is this word, which thou hast spoken?

48And when he stood in the midst of them, he said, So ye, fond children of Israel, [or So ye, fools, sons of Israel], not deeming neither knowing that that is true, (have) condemned the daughter of Israel.

49Turn ye again to the doom (or Return to the judgement seat), for they spake false witnessing against her. [Turn ye again to doom, for they have spoken false witnessing against her.]

50Therefore the people (re)turned again with haste. And the (other) eld [or old] men of the people, not those two priests(or not those two old men), said to him, Come thou, and sit in the midst of us, and show (it) to us; for God hath given to thee the honour of (an) elder.

51And Daniel said to them, Part ye (or Separate) them atwain afar, [or each from (the) other], and I shall deem them.

52Therefore, when they were parted one from the other, he called one of them, and said to him, Thou eld man of evil days, now thy sins be come, which thou wroughtest before [or Thou old (man) of evil days, now thy sins come on thee, which thou wroughtest before],

53deeming unjust dooms, oppress-ing innocents, and delivering (or free-ing) guilty men, when the Lord saith, Thou shalt not slay an innocent and just man.

54But now, if thou sawest her, say thou, under what tree thou sawest them speaking together to themselves (or with each other)? Which said, Under an haw(thorn) tree. [Now for-sooth, if thou sawest her, say thou, under what tree thou saw them speaking to themselves (or to each other)? Which said, Under a sloe (or a blackthorn) tree.]

55Forsooth Daniel said, Rightly thou liest in (or against) thine (own) head; for lo! the angel of the Lord, by a sentence taken of (or from) him, shall cut thee by (or across) the middle.

56And when he was (re)moved away, he commanded the tother to come, and said to him, Thou seed of Canaan, and not of Judah, fairness hath deceived thee, and covetousness hath mis-turned thine heart; [And him removed away, he commanded the tother for to come, and said to him, Seed of Canaan, and not of Judah, form, or fairness, deceived thee, and covetousness turned thine heart upside-down;]

57thus ye did to (or with) the daughters of Israel, and they dreaded, and spake to (or with) you, but the daughter of Judah suffered not (or would not allow) your wickedness.

58Now therefore say to me, under what tree thou sawest them speaking together to themselves (or with each other)? Which said, Under a black-thorn (tree)[or Which saith, Under a plum tree].

59Forsooth Daniel said to him, Rightly also thou liest in (or against) thine (own) head; for the angel of the Lord dwelleth, and hath a sword, that he cut thee by (or across) the middle, and slay you.

60Therefore all the people cried (out) loud with (a) great voice, and blessed God, that saveth them that hope in him. [And so all the people cried with great voice, and blessed the Lord, that saveth men hoping in him.]

61And they rised (up) together against the two priests (or the two old men); for Daniel had convicted them by (or with) their (own) mouth(s), (so) that they had borne false witnessing; [And they rose together against the two priests; soothly Daniel had convicted them of their mouth, for to have said false witnessing;]

62and they did to them, as they had done evil (or had intended evilly to do) against the neighbouress, that they should do by the law of Moses, and they killed them. And (so the) guilt-less blood was saved in (or on) that day. [and they did to them, as they had done evil against the neighbour, that they did after the law of Moses, and slew them. And the guiltless blood is saved in that day.]

63Forsooth Hilkiah and his wife praised the Lord in (or on) that day for Susanna, their daughter, with Joakim, her husband, and with all her kins-men, for a foul thing was not found in her. [Forsooth Hilkiah and his wife praised God in that day, for their daughter Susanna, with Joakim, her husband, and all her cousins, for foul thing was not found in her.]

64Forsooth Daniel was made great in the sight of the people, from that day and afterward.