{"collection":"chr","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/chr/apo/jdt.htm","path":"chr/apo/jdt.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/chr/apo/jdt.htm","text":"Jdt 1\nIn the twelfth year of the reign of Nabuchodonosor, who\nreigned in Nineve, the great city; in the days of Arphaxad,\nwhich reigned over the Medes in Ecbatane,\n2\nAnd built in Ecbatane walls round about of stones hewn three\ncubits broad and six cubits long, and made the height of the\nwall seventy cubits, and the breadth thereof fifty cubits:\n3\nAnd set the towers thereof upon the gates of it an hundred\ncubits high, and the breadth thereof in the foundation\nthreescore cubits:\n4\nAnd he made the gates thereof, even gates that were raised to\nthe height of seventy cubits, and the breadth of them was forty\ncubits, for the going forth of his mighty armies, and for the\nsetting in array of his footmen:\n5\nEven in those days king Nabuchodonosor made war with king\nArphaxad in the great plain, which is the plain in the borders\nof Ragau.\n6\nAnd there came unto him all they that dwelt in the hill\ncountry, and all that dwelt by Euphrates, and Tigris and\nHydaspes, and the plain of Arioch the king of the Elymeans, and\nvery many nations of the sons of Chelod, assembled themselves to\nthe battle.\n7\nThen Nabuchodonosor king of the Assyrians sent unto all that\ndwelt in Persia, and to all that dwelt westward, and to those\nthat dwelt in Cilicia, and Damascus, and Libanus, and\nAntilibanus, and to all that dwelt upon the sea coast,\n8\nAnd to those among the nations that were of Carmel, and\nGalaad, and the higher Galilee, and the great plain of Esdrelom,\n9\nAnd to all that were in Samaria and the cities thereof, and\nbeyond Jordan unto Jerusalem, and Betane, and Chelus, and Kades,\nand the river of Egypt, and Taphnes, and Ramesse, and all the\nland of Gesem,\n10\nUntil ye come beyond Tanis and Memphis, and to all the\ninhabitants of Egypt, until ye come to the borders of Ethiopia.\n11\nBut all the inhabitants of the land made light of the\ncommandment of Nabuchodonosor king of the Assyrians, neither\nwent they with him to the battle; for they were not afraid of\nhim: yea, he was before them as one man, and they sent away his\nambassadors from them without effect, and with disgrace.\n12\nTherefore Nabuchodonosor was very angry with all this\ncountry, and sware by his throne and kingdom, that he would\nsurely be avenged upon all those coasts of Cilicia, and\nDamascus, and Syria, and that he would slay with the sword all\nthe inhabitants of the land of Moab, and the children of Ammon,\nand all Judea, and all that were in Egypt, till ye come to the\nborders of the two seas.\n13\nThen he marched in battle array with his power against king\nArphaxad in the seventeenth year, and he prevailed in his\nbattle: for he overthrew all the power of Arphaxad, and all his\nhorsemen, and all his chariots,\n14\nAnd became lord of his cities, and came unto Ecbatane, and\ntook the towers, and spoiled the streets thereof, and turned the\nbeauty thereof into shame.\n15\nHe took also Arphaxad in the mountains of Ragau, and smote\nhim through with his darts, and destroyed him utterly that day.\n16\nSo he returned afterward to Nineve, both he and all his\ncompany of sundry nations being a very great multitude of men of\nwar, and there he took his ease, and banqueted, both he and his\narmy, an hundred and twenty days.\nJdt 2\nAnd in the eighteenth year, the two and twentieth day of the\nfirst month, there was talk in the house of Nabuchodonosor king\nof the Assyrians that he should, as he said, avenge himself on\nall the earth.\n2\nSo he called unto him all his officers, and all his nobles,\nand communicated with them his secret counsel, and concluded the\nafflicting of the whole earth out of his own mouth.\n3\nThen they decreed to destroy all flesh, that did not obey the\ncommandment of his mouth.\n4\nAnd when he had ended his counsel, Nabuchodonosor king of the\nAssyrians called Holofernes the chief captain of his army, which\nwas next unto him, and said unto him.\n5\nThus saith the great king, the lord of the whole earth,\nBehold, thou shalt go forth from my presence, and take with thee\nmen that trust in their own strength, of footmen an hundred and\ntwenty thousand; and the number of horses with their riders\ntwelve thousand.\n6\nAnd thou shalt go against all the west country, because they\ndisobeyed my commandment.\n7\nAnd thou shalt declare unto that they prepare for me earth\nand water: for I will go forth in my wrath against them and will\ncover the whole face of the earth with the feet of mine army,\nand I will give them for a spoil unto them:\n8\nSo that their slain shall fill their valleys and brooks and\nthe river shall be filled with their dead, till it overflow:\n9\nAnd I will lead them captives to the utmost parts of all the\nearth.\n10\nThou therefore shalt go forth. and take beforehand for me all\ntheir coasts: and if they will yield themselves unto thee, thou\nshalt reserve them for me till the day of their punishment.\n11\nBut concerning them that rebel, let not thine eye spare them;\nbut put them to the slaughter, and spoil them wheresoever thou\ngoest.\n12\nFor as I live, and by the power of my kingdom, whatsoever I\nhave spoken, that will I do by mine hand.\n13\nAnd take thou heed that thou transgress none of the\ncommandments of thy lord, but accomplish them fully, as I have\ncommanded thee, and defer not to do them.\n14\nThen Holofernes went forth from the presence of his lord, and\ncalled ail the governors and captains, and the officers of the\narmy of Assur;\n15\nAnd he mustered the chosen men for the battle, as his lord\nhad commanded him, unto an hundred and twenty thousand, and\ntwelve thousand archers on horseback;\n16\nAnd he ranged them, as a great army is ordered for the war.\n17\nAnd he took camels and asses for their carriages, a very\ngreat number; and sheep and oxen and goats without number for\ntheir provision:\n18\nAnd plenty of victual for every man of the army, and very\nmuch gold and silver out of the king's house.\n19\nThen he went forth and all his power to go before king\nNabuchodonosor in the voyage, and to cover all the face of the\nearth westward with their chariots, and horsemen, and their\nchosen footmen.\n20\nA great number also sundry countries came with them like\nlocusts, and like the sand of the earth: for the multitude was\nwithout number.\n21\nAnd they went forth of Nineve three days' journey toward the\nplain of Bectileth, and pitched from Bectileth near the mountain\nwhich is at the left hand of the upper Cilicia.\n22\nThen he took all his army, his footmen, and horsemen and\nchariots, and went from thence into the hill country;\n23\nAnd destroyed Phud and Lud, and spoiled all the children of\nRasses, and the children of Israel, which were toward the\nwilderness at the south of the land of the Chellians.\n24\nThen he went over Euphrates, and went through Mesopotamia,\nand destroyed all the high cities that were upon the river\nArbonai, till ye come to the sea.\n25\nAnd he took the borders of Cilicia, and killed all that\nresisted him, and came to the borders of Japheth, which were\ntoward the south, over against Arabia.\n26\nHe compassed also all the children of Madian, and burned up\ntheir tabernacles, and spoiled their sheepcotes.\n27\nThen he went down into the plain of Damascus in the time of\nwheat harvest, and burnt up all their fields, and destroyed\ntheir flocks and herds, also he spoiled their cities, and\nutterly wasted their countries, and smote all their young men\nwith the edge of the sword.\n28\nTherefore the fear and dread of him fell upon all the\ninhabitants of the sea coasts, which were in Sidon and Tyrus,\nand them that dwelt in Sur and Ocina, and all that dwelt in\nJemnaan; and they that dwelt in Azotus and Ascalon feared him\ngreatly.\nJdt 3\nSo they sent ambassadors unto him to treat of peace, saying,\n2\nBehold, we the servants of Nabuchodonosor the great king lie\nbefore thee; use us as shall be good in thy sight.\n3\nBehold, our houses, and all our places, and all our fields of\nwheat, and flocks, and herds, and all the lodges of our tents\nlie before thy face; use them as it pleaseth thee.\n4\nBehold, even our cities and the inhabitants thereof are thy\nservants; come and deal with them as seemeth good unto thee.\n5\nSo the men came to Holofernes, and declared unto him after\nthis manner.\n6\nThen came he down toward the sea coast, both he and his army,\nand set garrisons in the high cities, and took out of them\nchosen men for aid.\n7\nSo they and all the country round about received them with\ngarlands, with dances, and with timbrels.\n8\nYet he did cast down their frontiers, and cut down their\ngroves: for he had decreed to destroy all the gods of the land,\nthat all nations should worship Nabuchodonosor only, and that\nall tongues and tribes should call upon him as god.\n9\nAlso he came over against Esdraelon near unto Judea, over\nagainst the great strait of Judea.\n10\nAnd he pitched between Geba and Scythopolis, and there he\ntarried a whole month, that he might gather together all the\ncarriages of his army.\nJdt 4\nNow the children of Israel, that dwelt in Judea, heard all\nthat Holofernes the chief captain of Nabuchodonosor king of the\nAssyrians had done to the nations, and after what manner he had\nspoiled all their temples, and brought them to nought.\n2\nTherefore they were exceedingly afraid of him, and were\ntroubled for Jerusalem, and for the temple of the Lord their God:\n3\nFor they were newly returned from the captivity, and all the\npeople of Judea were lately gathered together: and the vessels,\nand the altar, and the house, were sanctified after the\nprofanation.\n4\nTherefore they sent into all the coasts of Samaria, and the\nvillages and to Bethoron, and Belmen, and Jericho, and to Choba,\nand Esora, and to the valley of Salem:\n5\nAnd possessed themselves beforehand of all the tops of the\nhigh mountains, and fortified the villages that were in them,\nand laid up victuals for the provision of war: for their fields\nwere of late reaped.\n6\nAlso Joacim the high priest, which was in those days in\nJerusalem, wrote to them that dwelt in Bethulia, and\nBetomestham, which is over against Esdraelon toward the open\ncountry, near to Dothaim,\n7\nCharging them to keep the passages of the hill country: for\nby them there was an entrance into Judea, and it was easy to\nstop them that would come up, because the passage was straight,\nfor two men at the most.\n8\nAnd the children of Israel did as Joacim the high priest had\ncommanded them, with the ancients of all the people of Israel,\nwhich dwelt at Jerusalem.\n9\nThen every man of Israel cried to God with great fervency,\nand with great vehemency did they humble their souls:\n10\nBoth they, and their wives and their children, and their\ncattle, and every stranger and hireling, and their servants\nbought with money, put sackcloth upon their loins.\n11\nThus every man and women, and the little children, and the\ninhabitants of Jerusalem, fell before the temple, and cast ashes\nupon their heads, and spread out their sackcloth before the face\nof the Lord: also they put sackcloth about the altar,\n12\nAnd cried to the God of Israel all with one consent\nearnestly, that he would not give their children for a prey, and\ntheir wives for a spoil, and the cities of their inheritance to\ndestruction, and the sanctuary to profanation and reproach, and\nfor the nations to rejoice at.\n13\nSo God heard their prayers, and looked upon their\nafflictions: for the people fasted many days in all Judea and\nJerusalem before the sanctuary of the Lord Almighty.\n14\nAnd Joacim the high priest, and all the priests that stood\nbefore the Lord, and they which ministered unto the Lord, had\ntheir loins girt with sackcloth, and offered the daily burnt\nofferings, with the vows and free gifts of the people,\n15\nAnd had ashes on their mitres, and cried unto the Lord with\nall their power, that he would look upon all the house of Israel\ngraciously.\nJdt 5\nThen was it declared to Holofernes, the chief captain of the\narmy of Assur, that the children of Israel had prepared for war,\nand had shut up the passages of the hill country, and had\nfortified all the tops of the high hills and had laid\nimpediments in the champaign countries:\n2\nWherewith he was very angry, and called all the princes of\nMoab, and the captains of Ammon, and all the governors of the\nsea coast,\n3\nAnd he said unto them, Tell me now, ye sons of Chanaan, who\nthis people is, that dwelleth in the hill country, and what are\nthe cities that they inhabit, and what is the multitude of their\narmy, and wherein is their power and strength, and what king is\nset over them, or captain of their army;\n4\nAnd why have they determined not to come and meet me, more\nthan all the inhabitants of the west.\n5\nThen said Achior, the captain of all the sons of Ammon, Let\nmy lord now hear a word from the mouth of thy servant, and I\nwill declare unto thee the truth concerning this people, which\ndwelleth near thee, and inhabiteth the hill countries: and there\nshall no lie come out of the mouth of thy servant.\n6\nThis people are descended of the Chaldeans:\n7\nAnd they sojourned heretofore in Mesopotamia, because they\nwould not follow the gods of their fathers, which were in the\nland of Chaldea.\n8\nFor they left the way of their ancestors, and worshipped the\nGod of heaven, the God whom they knew: so they cast them out\nfrom the face of their gods, and they fled into Mesopotamia, and\nsojourned there many days.\n9\nThen their God commanded them to depart from the place where\nthey sojourned, and to go into the land of Chanaan: where they\ndwelt, and were increased with gold and silver, and with very\nmuch cattle.\n10\nBut when a famine covered all the land of Chanaan, they went\ndown into Egypt, and sojourned there, while they were nourished,\nand became there a great multitude, so that one could not number\ntheir nation.\n11\nTherefore the king of Egypt rose up against them, and dealt\nsubtilly with them, and brought them low with labouring in\nbrick, and made them slaves.\n12\nThen they cried unto their God, and he smote all the land of\nEgypt with incurable plagues: so the Egyptians cast them out of\ntheir sight.\n13\nAnd God dried the Red sea before them,\n14\nAnd brought them to mount Sina, and Cades-Barne, and cast\nforth all that dwelt in the wilderness.\n15\nSo they dwelt in the land of the Amorites, and they destroyed\nby their strength all them of Esebon, and passing over Jordan\nthey possessed all the hill country.\n16\nAnd they cast forth before them the Chanaanite, the\nPherezite, the Jebusite, and the Sychemite, and all the\nGergesites, and they dwelt in that country many days.\n17\nAnd whilst they sinned not before their God, they prospered,\nbecause the God that hateth iniquity was with them.\n18\nBut when they departed from the way which he appointed them,\nthey were destroyed in many battles very sore, and were led\ncaptives into a land that was not their's, and the temple of\ntheir God was cast to the ground, and their cities were taken by\nthe enemies.\n19\nBut now are they returned to their God, and are come up from\nthe places where they were scattered, and have possessed\nJerusalem, where their sanctuary is, and are seated in the hill\ncountry; for it was desolate.\n20\nNow therefore, my lord and governor, if there be any error\nagainst this people, and they sin against their God, let us\nconsider that this shall be their ruin, and let us go up, and we\nshall overcome them.\n21\nBut if there be no iniquity in their nation, let my lord now\npass by, lest their Lord defend them, and their God be for them,\nand we become a reproach before all the world.\n22\nAnd when Achior had finished these sayings, all the people\nstanding round about the tent murmured, and the chief men of\nHolofernes, and all that dwelt by the sea side, and in Moab,\nspake that he should kill him.\n23\nFor, say they, we will not be afraid of the face of the\nchildren of Israel: for, lo, it is a people that have no\nstrength nor power for a strong battle\n24\nNow therefore, lord Holofernes, we will go up, and they shall\nbe a prey to be devoured of all thine army.\nJdt 6\nAnd when the tumult of men that were about the council was\nceased, Holofernes the chief captain of the army of Assur said\nunto Achior and all the Moabites before all the company of other\nnations,\n2\nAnd who art thou, Achior, and the hirelings of Ephraim, that\nthou hast prophesied against us as to day, and hast said, that\nwe should not make war with the people of Israel, because their\nGod will defend them? and who is God but Nabuchodonosor?\n3\nHe will send his power, and will destroy them from the face\nof the earth, and their God shall not deliver them: but we his\nservants will destroy them as one man; for they are not able to\nsustain the power of our horses.\n4\nFor with them we will tread them under foot, and their\nmountains shall be drunken with their blood, and their fields\nshall be filled with their dead bodies, and their footsteps\nshall not be able to stand before us, for they shall utterly\nperish, saith king Nabuchodonosor, lord of all the earth: for he\nsaid, None of my words shall be in vain.\n5\nAnd thou, Achior, an hireling of Ammon, which hast spoken\nthese words in the day of thine iniquity, shalt see my face no\nmore from this day, until I take vengeance of this nation that\ncame out of Egypt.\n6\nAnd then shall the sword of mine army, and the multitude of\nthem that serve me, pass through thy sides, and thou shalt fall\namong their slain, when I return.\n7\nNow therefore my servants shall bring thee back into the hill\ncountry, and shall set thee in one of the cities of the\npassages:\n8\nAnd thou shalt not perish, till thou be destroyed with them.\n9\nAnd if thou persuade thyself in thy mind that they shall be\ntaken, let not thy countenance fall: I have spoken it, and none\nof my words shall be in vain.\n10\nThen Holofernes commanded his servants, that waited in his\ntent, to take Achior, and bring him to Bethulia, and deliver him\ninto the hands of the children of Israel.\n11\nSo his servants took him, and brought him out of the camp\ninto the plain, and they went from the midst of the plain into\nthe hill country, and came unto the fountains that were under\nBethulia.\n12\nAnd when the men of the city saw them, they took up their\nweapons, and went out of the city to the top of the hill: and\nevery man that used a sling kept them from coming up by casting\nof stones against them.\n13\nNevertheless having gotten privily under the hill, they bound\nAchior, and cast him down, and left him at the foot of the hill,\nand returned to their lord.\n14\nBut the Israelites descended from their city, and came unto\nhim, and loosed him, and brought him to Bethulia, and presented\nhim to the governors of the city:\n15\nWhich were in those days Ozias the son of Micha, of the tribe\nof Simeon, and Chabris the son of Gothoniel, and Charmis the son\nof Melchiel.\n16\nAnd they called together all the ancients of the city, and\nall their youth ran together, and their women, to the assembly,\nand they set Achior in the midst of all their people. Then Ozias\nasked him of that which was done.\n17\nAnd he answered and declared unto them the words of the\ncouncil of Holofernes, and all the words that he had spoken in\nthe midst of the princes of Assur, and whatsoever Holofernes had\nspoken proudly against the house of Israel.\n18\nThen the people fell down and worshipped God, and cried unto\nGod. saying,\n19\nO Lord God of heaven, behold their pride, and pity the low\nestate of our nation, and look upon the face of those that are\nsanctified unto thee this day.\n20\nThen they comforted Achior, and praised him greatly.\n21\nAnd Ozias took him out of the assembly unto his house, and\nmade a feast to the elders; and they called on the God of Israel\nall that night for help.\nJdt 7\nThe next day Holofernes commanded all his army, and all his\npeople which were come to take his part, that they should remove\ntheir camp against Bethulia, to take aforehand the ascents of\nthe hill country, and to make war against the children of\nIsrael.\n2\nThen their strong men removed their camps in that day, and\nthe army of the men of war was an hundred and seventy thousand\nfootmen, and twelve thousand horsemen, beside the baggage, and\nother men that were afoot among them, a very great multitude.\n3\nAnd they camped in the valley near unto Bethulia, by the\nfountain, and they spread themselves in breadth over Dothaim\neven to Belmaim, and in length from Bethulia unto Cynamon, which\nis over against Esdraelon.\n4\nNow the children of Israel, when they saw the multitude of\nthem, were greatly troubled, and said every one to his\nneighbour, Now will these men lick up the face of the earth; for\nneither the high mountains, nor the valleys, nor the hills, are\nable to bear their weight.\n5\nThen every man took up his weapons of war, and when they had\nkindled fires upon their towers, they remained and watched all\nthat night.\n6\nBut in the second day Holofernes brought forth all his\nhorsemen in the sight of the children of Israel which were in\nBethulia,\n7\nAnd viewed the passages up to the city, and came to the\nfountains of their waters, and took them, and set garrisons of\nmen of war over them, and he himself removed toward his people.\n8\nThen came unto him all the chief of the children of Esau, and\nall the governors of the people of Moab, and the captains of the\nsea coast, and said,\n9\nLet our lord now hear a word, that there be not an overthrow\nin thine army.\n10\nFor this people of the children of Israel do not trust in\ntheir spears, but in the height of the mountains wherein they\ndwell, because it is not easy to come up to the tops of their\nmountains.\n11\nNow therefore, my lord, fight not against them in battle\narray, and there shall not so much as one man of thy people\nperish.\n12\nRemain in thy camp, and keep all the men of thine army, and\nlet thy servants get into their hands the fountain of water,\nwhich issueth forth of the foot of the mountain:\n13\nFor all the inhabitants of Bethulia have their water thence;\nso shall thirst kill them, and they shall give up their city,\nand we and our people shall go up to the tops of the mountains\nthat are near, and will camp upon them, to watch that none go\nout of the city.\n14\nSo they and their wives and their children shall be consumed\nwith fire, and before the sword come against them, they shall be\noverthrown in the streets where they dwell.\n15\nThus shalt thou render them an evil reward; because they\nrebelled, and met not thy person peaceably.\n16\nAnd these words pleased Holofernes and all his servants, and\nhe appointed to do as they had spoken.\n17\nSo the camp of the children of Ammon departed, and with them\nfive thousand of the Assyrians, and they pitched in the valley,\nand took the waters, and the fountains of the waters of the\nchildren of Israel.\n18\nThen the children of Esau went up with the children of Ammon,\nand camped in the hill country over against Dothaim: and they\nsent some of them toward the south, and toward the east over\nagainst Ekrebel, which is near unto Chusi, that is upon the\nbrook Mochmur; and the rest of the army of the Assyrians camped\nin the plain, and covered the face of the whole land; and their\ntents and carriages were pitched to a very great multitude.\n19\nThen the children of Israel cried unto the Lord their God,\nbecause their heart failed, for all their enemies had compassed\nthem round about, and there was no way to escape out from among\nthem.\n20\nThus all the company of Assur remained about them, both their\nfootmen, chariots, and horsemen, four and thirty days, so that\nall their vessels of water failed all the inhibitants of\nBethulia.\n21\nAnd the cisterns were emptied, and they had not water to\ndrink their fill for one day; for they gave them drink by\nmeasure.\n22\nTherefore their young children were out of heart, and their\nwomen and young men fainted for thirst, and fell down in the\nstreets of the city, and by the passages of the gates, and there\nwas no longer any strength in them.\n23\nThen all the people assembled to Ozias, and to the chief of\nthe city, both young men, and women, and children, and cried\nwith a loud voice, and said before all the elders,\n24\nGod be judge between us and you: for ye have done us great\ninjury, in that ye have not required peace of the children of\nAssur.\n25\nFor now we have no helper: but God hath sold us into their\nhands, that we should be thrown down before them with thirst and\ngreat destruction.\n26\nNow therefore call them unto you, and deliver the whole city\nfor a spoil to the people of Holofernes, and to all his army.\n27\nFor it is better for us to be made a spoil unto them, than to\ndie for thirst: for we will be his servants, that our souls may\nlive, and not see the death of our infants before our eyes, nor\nour wives nor our children to die.\n28\nWe take to witness against you the heaven and the earth, and\nour God and Lord of our fathers, which punisheth us according to\nour sins and the sins of our fathers, that he do not according\nas we have said this day.\n29\nThen there was great weeping with one consent in the midst of\nthe assembly; and they cried unto the Lord God with a loud\nvoice.\n30\nThen said Ozias to them, Brethren, be of good courage, let us\nyet endure five days, in the which space the Lord our God may\nturn his mercy toward us; for he will not forsake us utterly.\n31\nAnd if these days pass, and there come no help unto us, I\nwill do according to your word.\n32\nAnd he dispersed the people, every one to their own charge;\nand they went unto the walls and towers of their city, and sent\nthe women and children into their houses: and they were very low\nbrought in the city.\nJdt 8\nNow at that time Judith heard thereof, which was the daughter\nof Merari, the son of Ox, the son of Joseph, the son of Ozel,\nthe son of Elcia, the son of Ananias, the son of Gedeon, the son\nof Raphaim, the son of Acitho, the son of Eliu, the son of\nEliab, the son of Nathanael, the son of Samael, the son of\nSalasadal, the son of Israel.\n2\nAnd Manasses was her husband, of her tribe and kindred, who\ndied in the barley harvest.\n3\nFor as he stood overseeing them that bound sheaves in the\nfield, the heat came upon his head, and he fell on his bed, and\ndied in the city of Bethulia: and they buried him with his\nfathers in the field between Dothaim and Balamo.\n4\nSo Judith was a widow in her house three years and four\nmonths.\n5\nAnd she made her a tent upon the top of her house, and put on\nsackcloth upon her loins and ware her widow's apparel.\n6\nAnd she fasted all the days of her widowhood, save the eves\nof the sabbaths, and the sabbaths, and the eves of the new\nmoons, and the new moons and the feasts and solemn days of the\nhouse of Israel.\n7\nShe was also of a goodly countenance, and very beautiful to\nbehold: and her husband Manasses had left her gold, and silver,\nand menservants and maidservants, and cattle, and lands; and she\nremained upon them.\n8\nAnd there was none that gave her an ill word; ar she feared\nGod greatly.\n9\nNow when she heard the evil words of the people against the\ngovernor, that they fainted for lack of water; for Judith had\nheard all the words that Ozias had spoken unto them, and that he\nhad sworn to deliver the city unto the Assyrians after five\ndays;\n10\nThen she sent her waitingwoman, that had the government of\nall things that she had, to call Ozias and Chabris and Charmis,\nthe ancients of the city.\n11\nAnd they came unto her, and she said unto them, Hear me now,\nO ye governors of the inhabitants of Bethulia: for your words\nthat ye have spoken before the people this day are not right,\ntouching this oath which ye made and pronounced between God and\nyou, and have promised to deliver the city to our enemies,\nunless within these days the Lord turn to help you.\n12\nAnd now who are ye that have tempted God this day, and stand\ninstead of God among the children of men?\n13\nAnd now try the Lord Almighty, but ye shall never know any\nthing.\n14\nFor ye cannot find the depth of the heart of man, neither can\nye perceive the things that he thinketh: then how can ye search\nout God, that hath made all these things, and know his mind, or\ncomprehend his purpose? Nay, my brethren, provoke not the Lord\nour God to anger.\n15\nFor if he will not help us within these five days, he hath\npower to defend us when he will, even every day, or to destroy\nus before our enemies.\n16\nDo not bind the counsels of the Lord our God: for God is not\nas man, that he may be threatened; neither is he as the son of\nman, that he should be wavering.\n17\nTherefore let us wait for salvation of him, and call upon him\nto help us, and he will hear our voice, if it please him.\n18\nFor there arose none in our age, neither is there any now in\nthese days neither tribe, nor family, nor people, nor city among\nus, which worship gods made with hands, as hath been aforetime.\n19\nFor the which cause our fathers were given to the sword, and\nfor a spoil, and had a great fall before our enemies.\n20\nBut we know none other god, therefore we trust that he will\nnot dispise us, nor any of our nation.\n21\nFor if we be taken so, all Judea shall lie waste, and our\nsanctuary shall be spoiled; and he will require the profanation\nthereof at our mouth.\n22\nAnd the slaughter of our brethren, and the captivity of the\ncountry, and the desolation of our inheritance, will he turn\nupon our heads among the Gentiles, wheresoever we shall be in\nbondage; and we shall be an offence and a reproach to all them\nthat possess us.\n23\nFor our servitude shall not be directed to favour: but the\nLord our God shall turn it to dishonour.\n24\nNow therefore, O brethren, let us shew an example to our\nbrethren, because their hearts depend upon us, and the\nsanctuary, and the house, and the altar, rest upon us.\n25\nMoreover let us give thanks to the Lord our God, which trieth\nus, even as he did our fathers.\n26\nRemember what things he did to Abraham, and how he tried\nIsaac, and what happened to Jacob in Mesopotamia of Syria, when\nhe kept the sheep of Laban his mother's brother.\n27\nFor he hath not tried us in the fire, as he did them, for the\nexamination of their hearts, neither hath he taken vengeance on\nus: but the Lord doth scourge them that come near unto him, to\nadmonish them.\n28\nThen said Ozias to her, All that thou hast spoken hast thou\nspoken with a good heart, and there is none that may gainsay thy\nwords.\n29\nFor this is not the first day wherein thy wisdom is\nmanifested; but from the beginning of thy days all the people\nhave known thy understanding, because the disposition of thine\nheart is good.\n30\nBut the people were very thirsty, and compelled us to do unto\nthem as we have spoken, and to bring an oath upon ourselves,\nwhich we will not break.\n31\nTherefore now pray thou for us, because thou art a godly\nwoman, and the Lord will send us rain to fill our cisterns, and\nwe shall faint no more.\n32\nThen said Judith unto them, Hear me, and I will do a thing,\nwhich shall go throughout all generations to the children of our\nnation.\n33\nYe shall stand this night in the gate, and I will go forth\nwith my waitingwoman: and within the days that ye have promised\nto deliver the city to our enemies the Lord will visit Israel by\nmine hand.\n34\nBut enquire not ye of mine act: for I will not declare it\nunto you, till the things be finished that I do.\n35\nThen said Ozias and the princes unto her, Go in peace, and\nthe Lord God be before thee, to take vengeance on our enemies.\n36\nSo they returned from the tent, and went to their wards.\nJdt 9\nJudith fell upon her face, and put ashes upon her head, and\nuncovered the sackcloth wherewith she was clothed; and about the\ntime that the incense of that evening was offered in Jerusalem\nin the house of the Lord Judith cried with a loud voice, and\nsaid,\n2\nO Lord God of my father Simeon, to whom thou gavest a sword\nto take vengeance of the strangers, who loosened the girdle of a\nmaid to defile her, and discovered the thigh to her shame, and\npolluted her virginity to her reproach; for thou saidst, It\nshall not be so; and yet they did so:\n3\nWherefore thou gavest their rulers to be slain, so that they\ndyed their bed in blood, being deceived, and smotest the\nservants with their lords, and the lords upon their thrones;\n4\nAnd hast given their wives for a prey, and their daughters to\nbe captives, and all their spoils to be divided among thy dear\nchildren; which were moved with thy zeal, and abhorred the\npollution of their blood, and called upon thee for aid: O God, O\nmy God, hear me also a widow.\n5\nFor thou hast wrought not only those things, but also the\nthings which fell out before, and which ensued after; thou hast\nthought upon the things which are now, and which are to come.\n6\nYea, what things thou didst determine were ready at hand, and\nsaid, Lo, we are here: for all thy ways are prepared, and thy\njudgments are in thy foreknowledge.\n7\nFor, behold, the Assyrians are multiplied in their power;\nthey are exalted with horse and man; they glory in the strength\nof their footmen; they trust in shield, and spear, and bow, and\nsling; and know not that thou art the Lord that breakest the\nbattles: the Lord is thy name.\n8\nThrow down their strength in thy power, and bring down their\nforce in thy wrath: for they have purposed to defile thy\nsanctuary, and to pollute the tabernacle where thy glorious name\nresteth and to cast down with sword the horn of thy altar.\n9\nBehold their pride, and send thy wrath upon their heads: give\ninto mine hand, which am a widow, the power that I have\nconceived.\n10\nSmite by the deceit of my lips the servant with the prince,\nand the prince with the servant: break down their stateliness by\nthe hand of a woman.\n11\nFor thy power standeth not in multitude nor thy might in\nstrong men: for thou art a God of the afflicted, an helper of\nthe oppressed, an upholder of the weak, a protector of the\nforlorn, a saviour of them that are without hope.\n12\nI pray thee, I pray thee, O God of my father, and God of the\ninheritance of Israel, Lord of the heavens and earth, Creator of\nthe waters, king of every creature, hear thou my prayer:\n13\nAnd make my speech and deceit to be their wound and stripe,\nwho have purposed cruel things against thy covenant, and thy\nhallowed house, and against the top of Sion, and against the\nhouse of the possession of thy children.\n14\nAnd make every nation and tribe to acknowledge that thou art\nthe God of all power and might, and that there is none other\nthat protecteth the people of Israel but thou.\nJdt 10\nNow after that she had ceased to cry unto the God of Israel,\nand bad made an end of all these words.\n2\nShe rose where she had fallen down, and called her maid, and\nwent down into the house in the which she abode in the sabbath\ndays, and in her feast days,\n3\nAnd pulled off the sackcloth which she had on, and put off\nthe garments of her widowhood, and washed her body all over with\nwater, and anointed herself with precious ointment, and braided\nthe hair of her head, and put on a tire upon it, and put on her\ngarments of gladness, wherewith she was clad during the life of\nManasses her husband.\n4\nAnd she took sandals upon her feet, and put about her her\nbracelets, and her chains, and her rings, and her earrings, and\nall her ornaments, and decked herself bravely, to allure the\neyes of all men that should see her.\n5\nThen she gave her maid a bottle of wine, and a cruse of oil,\nand filled a bag with parched corn, and lumps of figs, and with\nfine bread; so she folded all these things together, and laid\nthem upon her.\n6\nThus they went forth to the gate of the city of Bethulia, and\nfound standing there Ozias and the ancients of the city, Chabris\nand Charmis.\n7\nAnd when they saw her, that her countenance was altered, and\nher apparel was changed, they wondered at her beauty very\ngreatly, and said unto her.\n8\nThe God, the God of our fathers give thee favour, and\naccomplish thine enterprizes to the glory of the children of\nIsrael, and to the exaltation of Jerusalem. Then they worshipped\nGod.\n9\nAnd she said unto them, Command the gates of the city to be\nopened unto me, that I may go forth to accomplish the things\nwhereof ye have spoken with me. So they commanded the young men\nto open unto her, as she had spoken.\n10\nAnd when they had done so, Judith went out, she, and her maid\nwith her; and the men of the city looked after her, until she\nwas gone down the mountain, and till she had passed the valley,\nand could see her no more.\n11\nThus they went straight forth in the valley: and the first\nwatch of the Assyrians met her,\n12\nAnd took her, and asked her, Of what people art thou? and\nwhence comest thou? and whither goest thou? And she said, I am a\nwoman of the Hebrews, and am fled from them: for they shall be\ngiven you to be consumed:\n13\nAnd I am coming before Holofernes the chief captain of your\narmy, to declare words of truth; and I will shew him a way,\nwhereby he shall go, and win all the hill country, without\nlosing the body or life of any one of his men.\n14\nNow when the men heard her words, and beheld her countenance,\nthey wondered greatly at her beauty, and said unto her,\n15\nThou hast saved thy life, in that thou hast hasted to come\ndown to the presence of our lord: now therefore come to his\ntent, and some of us shall conduct thee, until they have\ndelivered thee to his hands.\n16\nAnd when thou standest before him, be not afraid in thine\nheart, but shew unto him according to thy word; and he will\nentreat thee well.\n17\nThen they chose out of them an hundred men to accompany her\nand her maid; and they brought her to the tent of Holofernes.\n18\nThen was there a concourse throughout all the camp: for her\ncoming was noised among the tents, and they came about her, as\nshe stood without the tent of Holofernes, till they told him of\nher.\n19\nAnd they wondered at her beauty, and admired the children of\nIsrael because of her, and every one said to his neighbour, Who\nwould despise this people, that have among them such women?\nsurely it is not good that one man of them be left who being let\ngo might deceive the whole earth.\n20\nAnd they that lay near Holofernes went out, and all his\nservants and they brought her into the tent.\n21\nNow Holofernes rested upon his bed under a canopy, which was\nwoven with purple, and gold, and emeralds, and precious stones.\n22\nSo they shewed him of her; and he came out before his tent\nwith silver lamps going before him.\n23\nAnd when Judith was come before him and his servants they all\nmarvelled at the beauty of her countenance; and she fell down\nupon her face, and did reverence unto him: and his servants took\nher up.\nJdt 11\nThen said Holofernes unto her, Woman, be of good comfort,\nfear not in thine heart: for I never hurt any that was willing\nto serve Nabuchodonosor, the king of all the earth.\n2\nNow therefore, if thy people that dwelleth in the mountains\nhad not set light by me, I would not have lifted up my spear\nagainst them: but they have done these things to themselves.\n3\nBut now tell me wherefore thou art fled from them, and art\ncome unto us: for thou art come for safeguard; be of good\ncomfort, thou shalt live this night, and hereafter:\n4\nFor none shall hurt thee, but entreat thee well, as they do\nthe servants of king Nabuchodonosor my lord.\n5\nThen Judith said unto him, Receive the words of thy servant,\nand suffer thine handmaid to speak in thy presence, and I will\ndeclare no lie to my lord this night.\n6\nAnd if thou wilt follow the words of thine handmaid, God will\nbring the thing perfectly to pass by thee; and my lord shall not\nfail of his purposes.\n7\nAs Nabuchodonosor king of all the earth liveth, and as his\npower liveth, who hath sent thee for the upholding of every\nliving thing: for not only men shall serve him by thee, but also\nthe beasts of the field, and the cattle, and the fowls of the\nair, shall live by thy power under Nabuchodonosor and all his\nhouse.\n8\nFor we have heard of thy wisdom and thy policies, and it is\nreported in all the earth, that thou only art excellent in all\nthe kingdom, and mighty in knowledge, and wonderful in feats of\nwar.\n9\nNow as concerning the matter, which Achior did speak in thy\ncouncil, we have heard his words; for the men of Bethulia saved\nhim, and he declared unto them all that he had spoken unto thee.\n10\nTherefore, O lord and governor, respect not his word; but lay\nit up in thine heart, for it is true: for our nation shall not\nbe punished, neither can sword prevail against them, except they\nsin against their God.\n11\nAnd now, that my lord be not defeated and frustrate of his\npurpose, even death is now fallen upon them, and their sin hath\novertaken them, wherewith they will provoke their God to anger\nwhensoever they shall do that which is not fit to be done:\n12\nFor their victuals fail them, and all their water is scant,\nand they have determined to lay hands upon their cattle, and\npurposed to consume all those things, that God hath forbidden\nthem to eat by his laws:\n13\nAnd are resolved to spend the firstfruits of the the tenths\nof wine and oil, which they had sanctified, and reserved for the\npriests that serve in Jerusalem before the face of our God; the\nwhich things it is not lawful for any of the people so much as\nto touch with their hands.\n14\nFor they have sent some to Jerusalem, because they also that\ndwell there have done the like, to bring them a licence from the\nsenate.\n15\nNow when they shall bring them word, they will forthwith do\nit, and they shall be given to thee to be destroyed the same\nday.\n16\nWherefore I thine handmaid, knowing all this, am fled from\ntheir presence; and God hath sent me to work things with thee,\nwhereat all the earth shall be astonished, and whosoever shall\nhear it.\n17\nFor thy servant is religious, and serveth the God of heaven\nday and night: now therefore, my lord, I will remain with thee,\nand thy servant will go out by night into the valley, and I will\npray unto God, and he will tell me when they have committed\ntheir sins:\n18\nAnd I will come and shew it unto thee: then thou shalt go\nforth with all thine army, and there shall be none of them that\nshall resist thee.\n19\nAnd I will lead thee through the midst of Judea, until thou\ncome before Jerusalem; and I will set thy throne in the midst\nthereof; and thou shalt drive them as sheep that have no\nshepherd, and a dog shall not so much as open his mouth at thee:\nfor these things were told me according to my foreknowledge, and\nthey were declared unto me, and I am sent to tell thee.\n20\nThen her words pleased Holofernes and all his servants; and\nthey marvelled at her wisdom, and said,\n21\nThere is not such a woman from one end of the earth to the\nother, both for beauty of face, and wisdom of words.\n22\nLikewise Holofernes said unto her. God hath done well to send\nthee before the people, that strength might be in our hands and\ndestruction upon them that lightly regard my lord.\n23\nAnd now thou art both beautiful in thy countenance, and witty\nin thy words: surely if thou do as thou hast spoken thy God\nshall be my God, and thou shalt dwell in the house of king\nNabuchodonosor, and shalt be renowned through the whole earth.\nJdt 12\nThen he commanded to bring her in where his plate was set;\nand bade that they should prepare for her of his own meats, and\nthat she should drink of his own wine.\n2\nAnd Judith said, I will not eat thereof, lest there be an\noffence: but provision shall be made for me of the things that I\nhave brought.\n3\nThen Holofernes said unto her, If thy provision should fail,\nhow should we give thee the like? for there be none with us of\nthy nation.\n4\nThen said Judith unto him As thy soul liveth, my lord, thine\nhandmaid shall not spend those things that I have, before the\nLord work by mine hand the things that he hath determined.\n5\nThen the servants of Holofernes brought her into the tent,\nand she slept till midnight, and she arose when it was toward\nthe morning watch,\n6\nAnd sent to Holofernes, saving, Let my lord now command that\nthine handmaid may go forth unto prayer.\n7\nThen Holofernes commanded his guard that they should not stay\nher: thus she abode in the camp three days, and went out in the\nnight into the valley of Bethulia, and washed herself in a\nfountain of water by the camp.\n8\nAnd when she came out, she besought the Lord God of Israel to\ndirect her way to the raising up of the children of her people.\n9\nSo she came in clean, and remained in the tent, until she did\neat her meat at evening.\n10\nAnd in the fourth day Holofernes made a feast to his own\nservants only, and called none of the officers to the banquet.\n11\nThen said he to Bagoas the eunuch, who had charge over all\nthat he had, Go now, and persuade this Hebrew woman which is\nwith thee, that she come unto us, and eat and drink with us.\n12\nFor, lo, it will be a shame for our person, if we shall let\nsuch a woman go, not having had her company; for if we draw her\nnot unto us, she will laugh us to scorn.\n13\nThen went Bagoas from the presence of Holofernes, and came to\nher, and he said, Let not this fair damsel fear to come to my\nlord, and to be honoured in his presence, and drink wine, and be\nmerry with us and be made this day as one of the daughters of\nthe Assyrians, which serve in the house of Nabuchodonosor.\n14\nThen said Judith unto him, Who am I now, that I should\ngainsay my lord? surely whatsoever pleaseth him I will do\nspeedily, and it shall be my joy unto the day of my death.\n15\nSo she arose, and decked herself with her apparel and all her\nwoman's attire, and her maid went and laid soft skins on the\nground for her over against Holofernes, which she had received\nof Bagoas far her daily use, that she might sit and eat upon\nthem.\n16\nNow when Judith came in and sat down, Holofernes his heart\nwas ravished with her, and his mind was moved, and he desired\ngreatly her company; for he waited a time to deceive her, from\nthe day that he had seen her.\n17\nThen said Holofernes unto her, Drink now, and be merry with\nus.\n18\nSo Judith said, I will drink now, my lord, because my life is\nmagnified in me this day more than all the days since I was\nborn.\n19\nThen she took and ate and drank before him what her maid had\nprepared.\n20\nAnd Holofernes took great delight in her, and drank more wine\nthan he had drunk at any time in one day since he was born.\nJdt 13\nNow when the evening was come, his servants made haste to\ndepart, and Bagoas shut his tent without, and dismissed the\nwaiters from the presence of his lord; and they went to their\nbeds: for they were all weary, because the feast had been long.\n2\nAnd Judith was left along in the tent, and Holofernes lying\nalong upon his bed: for he was filled with wine.\n3\nNow Judith had commanded her maid to stand without her\nbedchamber, and to wait for her. coming forth, as she did daily:\nfor she said she would go forth to her prayers, and she spake to\nBagoas according to the same purpose.\n4\nSo all went forth and none was left in the bedchamber,\nneither little nor great. Then Judith, standing by his bed, said\nin her heart, O Lord God of all power, look at this present upon\nthe works of mine hands for the exaltation of Jerusalem.\n5\nFor now is the time to help thine inheritance, and to execute\nthine enterprizes to the destruction of the enemies which are\nrisen against us.\n6\nThen she came to the pillar of the bed, which was at\nHolofernes' head, and took down his fauchion from thence,\n7\nAnd approached to his bed, and took hold of the hair of his\nhead, and said, Strengthen me, O Lord God of Israel, this day.\n8\nAnd she smote twice upon his neck with all her might, and she\ntook away his head from him.\n9\nAnd tumbled his body down from the bed, and pulled down the\ncanopy from the pillars; and anon after she went forth, and gave\nHolofernes his head to her maid;\n10\nAnd she put it in her bag of meat: so they twain went\ntogether according to their custom unto prayer: and when they\npassed the camp, they compassed the valley, and went up the\nmountain of Bethulia, and came to the gates thereof.\n11\nThen said Judith afar off, to the watchmen at the gate, Open,\nopen now the gate: God, even our God, is with us, to shew his\npower yet in Jerusalem, and his forces against the enemy, as he\nhath even done this day.\n12\nNow when the men of her city heard her voice, they made haste\nto go down to the gate of their city, and they called the elders\nof the city.\n13\nAnd then they ran all together, both small and great, for it\nwas strange unto them that she was come: so they opened the\ngate, and received them, and made a fire for a light, and stood\nround about them.\n14\nThen she said to them with a loud voice, Praise, praise God,\npraise God, I say, for he hath not taken away his mercy from the\nhouse of Israel, but hath destroyed our enemies by mine hands\nthis night.\n15\nSo she took the head out of the bag, and shewed it, and said\nunto them, behold the head of Holofernes, the chief captain of\nthe army of Assur, and behold the canopy, wherein he did lie in\nhis drunkenness; and the Lord hath smitten him by the hand of a\nwoman.\n16\nAs the Lord liveth, who hath kept me in my way that I went,\nmy countenance hath deceived him to his destruction, and yet\nhath he not committed sin with me, to defile and shame me.\n17\nThen all the people were wonderfully astonished, and bowed\nthemselves and worshipped God, and said with one accord, Blessed\nbe thou, O our God, which hast this day brought to nought the\nenemies of thy people.\n18\nThen said Ozias unto her, O daughter, blessed art thou of the\nmost high God above all the women upon the earth; and blessed be\nthe Lord God, which hath created the heavens and the earth,\nwhich hath directed thee to the cutting off of the head of the\nchief of our enemies.\n19\nFor this thy confidence shall not depart from the heart of\nmen, which remember the power of God for ever.\n20\nAnd God turn these things to thee for a perpetual praise, to\nvisit thee in good things because thou hast not spared thy life\nfor the affliction of our nation, but hast revenged our ruin,\nwalking a straight way before our God. And all the people said;\nSo be it, so be it.\nJdt 14\nThen said Judith unto them, Hear me now, my brethren, and\ntake this head, and hang it upon the highest place of your\nwalls.\n2\nAnd so soon as the morning shall appear, and the sun shall\ncome forth upon the earth, take ye every one his weapons, and go\nforth every valiant man out of the city, and set ye a captain\nover them, as though ye would go down into the field toward the\nwatch of the Assyrians; but go not down.\n3\nThen they shall take their armour, and shall go into their\ncamp, and raise up the captains of the army of Assur, and shall\nrun to the tent of Holofernes, but shall not find him: then fear\nshall fall upon them, and they shall flee before your face.\n4\nSo ye, and all that inhabit the coast of Israel, shall pursue\nthem, and overthrow them as they go.\n5\nBut before ye do these things, call me Achior the Ammonite,\nthat he may see and know him that despised the house of Israel,\nand that sent him to us as it were to his death.\n6\nThen they called Achior out of the house of Ozias; and when\nhe was come, and saw the head of Holofernes in a man's hand in\nthe assembly of the people, he fell down on his face, and his\nspirit failed.\n7\nBut when they had recovered him, he fell at Judith's feet,\nand reverenced her, and said, Blessed art thou in all the\ntabernacles of Juda, and in all nations, which hearing thy name\nshall be astonished.\n8\nNow therefore tell me all the things that thou hast done in\nthese days. Then Judith declared unto him in the midst of the\npeople all that she had done, from the day that she went forth\nuntil that hour she spake unto them.\n9\nAnd when she had left off speaking, the people shouted with a\nloud voice, and made a joyful noise in their city.\n10\nAnd when Achior had seen all that the God of Israel had done,\nhe believed in God greatly, and circumcised the flesh of his\nforeskin, and was joined unto the house of Israel unto this day.\n11\nAnd as soon as the morning arose, they hanged the head of\nHolofernes upon the wall, and every man took his weapons, and\nthey went forth by bands unto the straits of the mountain.\n12\nBut when the Assyrians saw them, they sent to their leaders,\nwhich came to their captains and tribunes, and to every one of\ntheir rulers.\n13\nSo they came to Holofernes' tent, and said to him that had\nthe charge of all his things, Waken now our lord: for the slaves\nhave been bold to come down against us to battle, that they may\nbe utterly destroyed.\n14\nThen went in Bagoas, and knocked at the door of the tent; for\nhe thought that he had slept with Judith.\n15\nBut because none answered, he opened it, and went into the\nbedchamber, and found him cast upon the floor dead, and his head\nwas taken from him.\n16\nTherefore he cried with a loud voice, with weeping, and\nsighing, and a mighty cry, and rent his garments.\n17\nAfter he went into the tent where Judith lodged: and when he\nfound her not, he leaped out to the people, and cried,\n18\nThese slaves have dealt treacherously; one woman of the\nHebrews hath brought shame upon the house of king\nNabuchodonosor: for, behold, Holofernes lieth upon the ground\nwithout a head.\n19\nWhen the captains of the Assyrians' army heard these words,\nthey rent their coats and their minds were wonderfully troubled,\nand there was a cry and a very great noise throughout the camp.\nJdt 15\nAnd when they that were in the tents heard, they were\nastonished at the thing that was done.\n2\nAnd fear and trembling fell upon them, so that there was no\nman that durst abide in the sight of his neighbour, but rushing\nout all together, they fled into every way of the plain, and of\nthe hill country.\n3\nThey also that had camped in the mountains round about\nBethulia fled away. Then the children of Israel, every one that\nwas a warrior among them, rushed out upon them.\n4\nThen sent Ozias to Betomasthem, and to Bebai, and Chobai, and\nCola and to all the coasts of Israel, such as should tell the\nthings that were done, and that all should rush forth upon their\nenemies to destroy them.\n5\nNow when the children of Israel heard it, they all fell upon\nthem with one consent, and slew them unto Chobai: likewise also\nthey that came from Jerusalem, and from all the hill country,\n(for men had told them what things were done in the camp of\ntheir enemies) and they that were in Galaad, and in Galilee,\nchased them with a great slaughter, until they were past\nDamascus and the borders thereof.\n6\nAnd the residue that dwelt at Bethulia, fell upon the camp of\nAssur, and spoiled them, and were greatly enriched.\n7\nAnd the children of Israel that returned from the slaughter\nhad that which remained; and the villages and the cities, that\nwere in the mountains and in the plain, gat many spoils: for the\nmultitude was very great.\n8\nThen Joacim the high priest, and the ancients of the children\nof Israel that dwelt in Jerusalem, came to behold the good\nthings that God had shewed to Israel, and to see Judith, and to\nsalute her.\n9\nAnd when they came unto her, they blessed her with one\naccord, and said unto her, Thou art the exaltation of Jerusalem,\nthou art the great glory of Israel, thou art the great rejoicing\nof our nation:\n10\nThou hast done all these things by thine hand: thou hast done\nmuch good to Israel, and God is pleased therewith: blessed be\nthou of the Almighty Lord for evermore. And all the people said,\nSo be it.\n11\nAnd the people spoiled the camp the space of thirty days: and\nthey gave unto Judith Holofernes his tent, and all his plate,\nand beds, and vessels, and all his stuff: and she took it and\nlaid it on her mule; and made ready her carts, and laid them\nthereon.\n12\nThen all the women of Israel ran together to see her, and\nblessed her, and made a dance among them for her: and she took\nbranches in her hand, and gave also to the women that were with\nher.\n13\nAnd they put a garland of olive upon her and her maid that\nwas with her, and she went before all the people in the dance,\nleading all the women: and all the men of Israel followed in\ntheir armour with garlands, and with songs in their mouths.\nJdt 16\nThen Judith began to sing this thanksgiving in all Israel,\nand all the people sang after her this song of praise.\n2\nAnd Judith said, Begin unto my God with timbrels, sing unto\nmy Lord with cymbals: tune unto him a new psalm: exalt him, and\ncall upon his name.\n3\nFor God breaketh the battles: for among the camps in the\nmidst of the people he hath delivered me out of the hands of\nthem that persecuted me.\n4\nAssur came out of the mountains from the north, he came with\nten thousands of his army, the multitude whereof stopped the\ntorrents, and their horsemen have covered the hills.\n5\nHe bragged that he would burn up my borders, and kill my\nyoung men with the sword, and dash the sucking children against\nthe ground, and make mine infants as a prey, and my virgins as a\nspoil.\n6\nBut the Almighty Lord hath disappointed them by the hand of a\nwoman.\n7\nFor the mighty one did not fall by the young men, neither did\nthe sons of the Titans smite him, nor high giants set upon him:\nbut Judith the daughter of Merari weakened him with the beauty\nof her countenance.\n8\nFor she put off the garment of her widowhood for the\nexaltation of those that were oppressed in Israel, and anointed\nher face with ointment, and bound her hair in a tire, and took a\nlinen garment to deceive him.\n9\nHer sandals ravished his eyes, her beauty took his mind\nprisoner, and the fauchion passed through his neck.\n10\nThe Persians quaked at her boldness, and the Medes were\ndaunted at her hardiness.\n11\nThen my afflicted shouted for joy, and my weak ones cried\naloud; but they were astonished: these lifted up their voices,\nbut they were overthrown.\n12\nThe sons of the damsels have pierced them through, and\nwounded them as fugatives' children: they perished by the battle\nof the Lord.\n13\nI will sing unto the Lord a new song: O Lord, thou art great\nand glorious, wonderful in strength, and invincible.\n14\nLet all creatures serve thee: for thou spakest, and they were\nmade, thou didst send forth thy spirit, and it created them, and\nthere is none that can resist thy voice.\n15\nFor the mountains shall be moved from their foundations with\nthe waters, the rocks shall melt as wax at thy presence: yet\nthou art merciful to them that fear thee.\n16\nFor all sacrifice is too little for a sweet savour unto thee,\nand all the fat is not sufficient for thy burnt offering: but he\nthat feareth the Lord is great at all times.\n17\nWoe to the nations that rise up against my kindred! the Lord\nAlmighty will take vengeance of them in the day of judgment, in\nputting fire and worms in their flesh; and they shall feel them,\nand weep for ever.\n18\nNow as soon as they entered into Jerusalem, they worshipped\nthe Lord; and as soon as the people were purified, they offered\ntheir burnt offerings, and their free offerings, and their\ngifts.\n19\nJudith also dedicated all the stuff of Holofernes, which the\npeople had given her, and gave the canopy, which she had taken\nout of his bedchamber, for a gift unto the Lord.\n20\nSo the people continued feasting in Jerusalem before the\nsanctuary for the space of three months and Judith remained with\nthem.\n21\nAfter this time every one returned to his own inheritance,\nand Judith went to Bethulia, and remained in her own possession,\nand was in her time honourable in all the country.\n22\nAnd many desired her, but none knew her all the days of her\nlife, after that Manasses her husband was dead, and was gathered\nto his people.\n23\nBut she increased more and more in honour, and waxed old in\nher husband's house, being an hundred and five years old, and\nmade her maid free; so she died in Bethulia: and they buried her\nin the cave of her husband Manasses.\n24\nAnd the house of Israel lamented her seven days: and before\nshe died, she did distribute her goods to all them that were\nnearest of kindred to Manasses her husband, and to them that\nwere the nearest of her kindred.\n25\nAnd there was none that made the children of Israel any more\nafraid in the days of Judith, nor a long time after her death.","title":"The Book of Judith","type":"page"}