1. Now Arphaxad king of the Medes had brought many
nations under his dominions, and he built a very strong
city, which he called Ecbatana,
2. Of stones squared and hewed: he made the walls
thereof seventy cubits broad, and thirty cubits high,
and the towers thereof he made a hundred cubits high.
But on the square of them, each side was extended the
space of twenty feet.
3. And he made the gates thereof according to the height
of the towers:
4. And he gloried as a mighty one in the force of his
army and in the glory of his chariots.
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5. Now in the twelfth year of his reign, Nabuchodonosor
king of the Assyrians, who reigned in Ninive the great
city, fought against Arphaxad and overcame him,
6. In the great plain which is called Ragua, about the
Euphrates, and the Tigris, and the Jadason, in the plain
of Erioch the king of the Elicians.
7. Then was the kingdom of Nabuchodonosor exalted,
and his heart was elevated: and he sent to all that
dwelt in Cilicia and Damascus, and Libanus,
8. And to the nations that are in Carmelus, and Cedar,
and to the inhabitants of Galilee in the great plain of
Asdrelon,
9. And to all that were in Samaria, and beyond the river
Jordan even to Jerusalem, and all the land of Jesse till
you come to the borders of Ethiopia.
10. To all these Nabuchodonosor king of the
Assyrians, sent messengers:
11. But they all with one mind refused, and sent them
back empty, and rejected them without honour.
12. Then king Nabuchodonosor being angry against
all that land, swore by his throne and kingdom that he
would revenge himself of all those countries.
1. In the thirteenth year of the reign of Nabuchodonosor,
the two and twentieth day of the first month, the word
was given out in the house of Nabuchodonosor king of
the Assyrians, that he would revenge himself.
2. And he called all the ancients, and all the governors,
and his officers of war, and communicated to them the
secret of his counsel:
3. And he said that his thoughts were to bring all the
earth under his empire.
4. And when this saying pleased them all,
Nabuchodonosor, the king, called Holofernes the
general of his armies,
5. And said to him: Go out against all the kingdoms of
the west, and against them especially that despised my
commandment.
6. Thy eye shall not spare any kingdom, and all the
strong cities thou shalt bring under my yoke.
7. Then Holofernes called the captains and officers of the
power of the Assyrians: and he mustered men for the
expedition, as the king commanded him, a hundred
and twenty thousand fighting men on foot, and twelve
thousand archers, horsemen.
8. And he made all his warlike preparations to go before
with a multitude of innumerable camels, with all
provisions sufficient for the armies in abundance, and
herds of oxen, and flocks of sheep, without number.
9. He appointed corn to be prepared out of all Syria in
his passage.
10. But gold and silver he took out of the king's
house in great abundance.
11. And he went forth he and all the army, with the
chariots, and horsemen, and archers, who covered the
face of the earth, like locusts.
12. And when he had passed through the borders of
the Assyrians, he came to the great mountains of
Ange, which are on the left of Cilicia: and he went up
to all their castles, and took all the strong places.
13. And he took by assault the renowned city of
Melothus, and pillaged all the children of Tharsis, and
the children of Ismahel, who were over against the
face of the desert, and on the south of the land of
Cellon.
14. And he passed over the Euphrates and came into
Mesopotamia: and he forced all the stately cities that
were there, from the torrent of Mambre, till one comes
to the sea:
15. And he took the borders thereof from Cilicia to
the coasts of Japheth, which are towards the south.
16. And he carried away all the children of Madian,
and stripped them of all their riches, and all that
resisted him he slew with the edge of the sword.
17. And after these things he went down into the
plains of Damascus in the days of the harvest, and he
set all the corn on fire, and he caused all the trees and
vineyards to be cut down
18. And the fear of them fell upon alit the inhabitants
of the land.
1. Then the kings and the princes of all the cities and
provinces, of Syria, Mesopotamia, and Syria Sobal,
and Libya, and Cilicia sent their ambassadors, who
coming to Holofernes, said:
2. Let thy indignation towards us cease: for it is better for
us to live and serve Nabuchodonosor the great king,
and be subject to thee, than to die and to perish, or
suffer the miseries of slavery.
3. All our cities and our possessions, all mountains and
hills, and fields, and herds of oxen, and flocks of
cheep, and goats, and horses, and camels, and all our
goods, and families are in thy sight:
4. Let all we have be subject to thy law.
5. Both we and our children are thy servants.
6. Come to us a peaceable lord, and use our service as it
shall please thee.
7. Then he came down from the mountains with
horsemen, in great power, and made himself master of
every city, and all the inhabitants of the land.
8. And from all the cities he took auxiliaries valiant men,
and chosen for war.
9. And so great a fear lay upon all those provinces, that
the inhabitants of all the cities, both princes and
nobles, as well as the people, went out to meet him at
his coming.
10. And received him with garlands, and lights, and
dances, and tumbrels, and flutes.
11. And though they did these things, they could not
for all that mitigate the fierceness of his heart:
12. For he both destroyed their cities and cut down
their groves.
13. For Nabuchodonosor the king had commanded
him to destroy all the gods of the earth, that he only
might be called God by those nations which could be
brought under him by the power of Holofernes.
14. And when he had passed through all Syria Sobal,
and all Apamea, and all Mesopotamia, he came to the
Idumeans into the land of Gabaa,
15. And he took possession of their cities, and stayed
there for thirty days, in which days he commanded all
the troops of his army to be united.
1. Then the children of Israel, who dwelt in the land of
Juda, hearing these things, were exceedingly afraid of
him.
2. Dread and horror seized upon their minds, lest he
should do the same to Jerusalem and to the temple of
the Lord, that he had done to other cities and their
temples.
3. And they sent into all Samaria round about, as far as
Jericho, and seized upon all the tops of the mountains:
4. And they compassed their towns with walls, and
gathered together corn for provision for war.
5. And Eliachim the priest wrote to all that were over
against Esdrelon, which faceth the great plain near
Dothain, and to all by whom there might be a passage
of way, that they should take possession of the ascents
of the mountains, by which there might be any way to
Jerusalem, and should keep watch where the way was
narrow between the mountains.
6. And the children of Israel did as the priest of the Lord
Eliachim had appointed them,
7. And all the people cried to the Lord with great
earnestness, and they
8. humbled their souls in fastings, and prayers, both they
and their wives.
9. And the priests put on haircloths, and they caused the
little children to lie prostrate before the temple of the
Lord, and the altar of the Lord they covered with
haircloth.
10. And they cried to the Lord the God of Israel with
one accord, that their children might not be made a
prey, and their wives carried off, and their cities
destroyed, and their holy things profaned, and that
they might not be made a reproach to the Gentiles.
11. Then Eliachim the high priest of the Lord went
about all Israel and spoke to them,
12. Saying: Know ye that the Lord will hear your
prayers, if you continue with perseverance in fastings
and prayers in the sight of the Lord.
13. Remember Moses the servant of the Lord, who
overcame Amalec that trusted in his own strength, and
in his power, and in his army, and in his shields, and
in his chariots, and in his horsemen, not by fighting
with the sword, but by holy prayers:
14. So shall all the enemies of Israel be, if you
persevere in this work which you have begun.
15. So they being moved by this exhortation of his,
prayed to the Lord, and continued in the sight of the
Lord.
16. So that even they who offered the holocausts to
the Lord, offered the sacrifices to the Lord girded with
haircloths, and with ashes upon their head.
17. And they all begged of God with all their heart,
that he would visit his people Israel.
1. And it was told Holofernes the general of the army of
the Assyrians, that the children of Israel prepared
themselves to resist, and had shut up the ways of the
mountains.
2. And he was transported with exceeding great fury and
indignation, and he called all the princes of Moab and
the leaders of Amman.
3. And he said to them: Tell me what is this people that
besetteth the mountains: or what are their cities, and of
what sort, and how great: also what is their power, or
what is their multitude: or who is the king over their
warfare:
4. And why they above all that dwell in the east, have
despised us, and have not come out to meet us, that
they might receive us with peace?
5. Then Achior captain of all the children of Ammon
answering, said: If thou vouch safe, my lord, to hear, I
will tell the truth in thy sight concerning this people,
that dwelleth in the mountains, and there shall not a
false word come out of my mouth.
6. This people is of the offspring of the Chaldeans.
7. They dwelt first in Mesopotamia, because they would
not follow the gods of their fathers, who were in the
land of the Chaldeans.
8. Wherefore forsaking the ceremonies of their fathers,
which consisted in the worship of many gods,
9. They worshipped one God of heaven, who also
commanded them to depart from thence, and to dwell
in Charan. And when there was a famine over all the
land, they went down into Egypt, and there for four
hundred years were so multiplied, that the army of
them could not be numbered.
10. And when the king of Egypt oppressed them, and
made slaves of them to labour in clay and brick, in the
building of his cities, they cried to their Lord, and he
struck the whole land of Egypt with divers plagues.
11. And when the Egyptians had cast them out from
them, and the plague had ceased from them, and they
had a mind to take them again, and bring them back to
their service,
12. The God of heaven opened the sea to them in
their flight, so that the waters were made to stand firm
as a wall on either side, and they walked through the
bottom of the sea and passed it dry foot.
13. And when an innumerable army of the Egyptians
pursued after them in that place, they were so
overwhelmed with the waters, that there was not one
left, to tell what had happened to posterity.
14. And after they came out of the Red Sea, they
abode in the deserts of mount Sina, in which never
man could dwell, or son of man rested.
15. There bitter fountains were made sweet for them
to drink, and for forty years they received food from
heaven.
16. Wheresoever they went in without bow and
arrow, and without shield and sword, their God fought
for them and overcame.
17. And there was no one that triumphed over this
people, but when they departed from the worship of
the Lord their God.
18. But as often as beside their own God, they
worshipped any other, they were given to spoil, and to
the sword, and to reproach.
19. And as often as they were penitent for having
revolted from the worship of their God, the God of
heaven gave them power to resist.
20. So they overthrew the king of the Chanaanites,
and of the Jebusites, and of the Pherezites, and of the
Hethites, and of the Hevites, and of the Amorrhites,
and all the mighty ones in Hesebon, and they
possessed their lands, and their cities:
21. And as long as they sinned not in the sight of
their God, it was well with them: for their God hateth
iniquity.
22. And even some years ago when they had revolted
from the way which God had given them to walk
therein, they were destroyed in battles by many
nations, and very many of them were led away captive
into a strange land.
23. But of late returning to the Lord their God, from
the different places wherein they were scattered, they
are come together and are gone up into all these
mountains, and possess Jerusalem again, where their
holies are
24. Now therefore, my lord, search if there be any
iniquity of theirs in the sight of their God: let us go up
to them, because their God will surely deliver them to
thee, and they shall be brought under the yoke of thy
power:
25. But if there be no offense of this people in the
sight of their God, we can not resist them, because
their God will defend them: and we shall be a reproach
to the whole earth.
26. And it came to pass, when Achior had ceased to
speak these words, all the great men of Holofernes
were angry, and they had a mind to kill him, saying to
each other:
27. Who is this, that saith the children of Israel can
resist king Nabuchodonosor, and his armies, men
unarmed, and without force, and without skill in the
art of war?
28. That Achior therefore may know that he
deceiveth us, let us go up into the mountains: and
when the bravest of them shall be taken, then shall he
with them be stabbed with the sword:
29. That every nation may know that
Nabuchodonosor is god of the earth, and besides him
there is no other.
1. And it came to pass when they had left off speaking,
that Holofernes being in a violent passion, said to
Achior:
2. Because thou hast prophesied unto us, saying: That the
nation of Israel is defended by their God, to shew thee
that there is no God, but Nabuehodonosor:
3. When we shall slay them all as one man, then thou
also shalt die with them by the sword of the Assyrians,
and all Israel shall perish with thee:
4. And thou shalt find that Nabuchodonosor is lord of the
whole earth: and then the sword of my soldiers shall
pass through thy sides, and thou shalt be stabbed and
fall among the wounded of Israel, and thou shalt
breathe no more till thou be destroyed with them.
5. But if thou think thy prophecy true, let not thy
countenance sink, and let the paleness that is in thy
face, depart from thee, if thou imaginest these my
words cannot be accomplished.
6. And that thou mayst know that thou shalt experience
these things together with them, behold from this hour
thou shalt be associated to their people, that when they
shall receive the punishment they deserve from my
sword, thou mayst fall under the same vengeance.
7. Then Holofernes commanded his servants to take
Achior, and to lead him to Bethulia, and to deliver him
into the hands of the children of Israel.
8. And the servants of Holofernes taking him, went
through the plains: but when they came near the
mountains, the slingers came out against them.
9. Then turning out of the way by the side of the
mountain, they tied Achior to a tree hand and foot, and
so left him bound with ropes, and returned to their
master.
10. And the children of Israel coming down from
Bethulia, came to him, and loosing him they brought
him to Bethulia, and setting him in the midst of the
people, asked him what was the matter, that the
Assyrians had left him bound.
11. In those days the rulers there, were Ozias the son
of Micha of the tribe of Simeon, and Charmi, called
also Gothoniel.
12. And Achior related in the midst of the ancients,
and in the presence of all the people, all that he had
said being asked by Holofernes: and how the people of
Holofernes would have killed him for this word,
13. And how Holofernes himself being angry had
commanded him to be delivered for this cause to the
Israelites: that when he should overcome the children
of Israel, then he might command Achior also himself
to be put to death by diverse torments, for having said:
The God of heaven is their defender.
14. And when Achior had declared all these things,
all the people fell upon their faces, adoring the Lord,
and all of them together mourning and weeping
poured out their prayers with one accord to the Lord,
15. Saying: O Lord God of heaven and earth, behold
their pride, and look on our low condition, and have
regard to the face of thy saints, and shew that thou
forsakes not them that trust on thee, and that thou
humblest them that presume of themselves, and glory
in their own strength.
16. So when their weeping was ended, and the
peoples prayer, in which they continued all the day,
was concluded, they comforted Achior,
17. Saying: the God of our fathers, whose power thou
hast set forth, will make this return to thee, that thou
rather shalt see their destruction.
18. And when the Lord our God shall give this
liberty to his servants, let God be with thee also in the
midst of us: that as it shall please thee, so thou with all
thine mayst converse with us.
19. Then Ozias, after the assembly was broken up,
received him into his house, and made him a great
supper.
20. And all the ancients were invited, and they
refreshed themselves together after their fast was over.
21. And afterwards all the people were called
together, and they prayed all the night long within the
church, desiring help of the God of Israel.
1. But Holofernes on the next day gave orders to his
army, to go up against Bethulia.
2. Now there were in his troops a hundred and twenty
thousand footmen, and two and twenty thousand
horsemen, besides the preparations of those men who
had been taken, and who had been brought away out
of the provinces and cities of all the youth.
3. All these prepared themselves together to fight against
the children of Israel, and they came by the hillside to
the top, which looketh toward Dothain, from the place
which is called Behlma, unto Chelmon, which is over
against Esdrelon.
4. But the children of Israel, when they saw the multitude
of them, prostrated themselves upon the ground,
putting ashes upon their heads, praying with one
accord, that the God of Israel would shew his mercy
upon his people.
5. And taking their arms of war, they posted themselves
at the places, which by a narrow pathway lead directly
between the mountains, and they guarded them all day
and night.
6. Now Holofernes, in going round about, found that the
fountains which supplied them with water, ran through
an aqueduct without the city on the south side: and he
commanded their aqueduct to he cut off.
7. Nevertheless there were springs not far from the walls,
out of which they were seen secretly to draw water, to
refresh themselves a little rather than to drink their fill.
8. But the children of Ammon and Moab came to
Holofernes, saying: The children of Israel trust not in
their spears, nor in their arrows, but the mountains are
their defense, and the steep hires and precipices guard
them.
9. Wherefore that thou mayst overcome them without
joining battle, set guards at the springs that they may
not draw water out of them, and thou shalt destroy
them without sword, or at least being wearied out they
will yield up their city, which they suppose, because it
is situate in the mountains, to be impregnable.
10. And these words pleased Holofernes, and his
officers, and he placed all round about a hundred men
at every spring.
11. And when they had kept this watch for full
twenty days, the cisterns, and the reserve of waters
failed among all the inhabitants of Bethulia, so that
there was not within the city, enough to satisfy them,
no not for one day, for water was daily given out to
the people by measure.
12. Then all the men and women, young men, and
children, gathering themselves together to Ozias, all
together with one voice,
13. Said: God be judge between us and thee, for thou
hast done evil against us, in that thou wouldst not
speak peaceably with the Assyrians, and for this cause
God hath sold us into their hands.
14. And therefore there is no one to help us, while we
are cast down before their eyes in thirst, and sad
destruction.
15. And now assemble ye all that are in the city, that
we may of our own accord yield ourselves all up to the
people of Holofernes.
16. For it is better, that being captives we should live
and bless the Lord, than that we should die, and be a
reproach to all flesh, after we have seen our wives and
our infants die before our eyes.
17. We call to witness this day heaven and earth, and
the God of our fathers, who taketh vengeance upon us
according to our sins, conjuring you to deliver now the
city into the hand of the army of Holofernes, that our
end may be short by the edge of the sword, which is
made longer by the drought of thirst.
18. And when they had said these things, there was
great weeping and lamentation of all in the assembly,
and for many hours with one voice they cried to God,
saying:
19. We have sinned with our fathers we have done
unjustly, we have commited iniquity:
20. Have thou mercy on us, because thou art good, or
punish our iniquities by chastising us thyself, and
deliver not them that trust in thee to a people that
knoweth not thee,
21. That they may not say among the gentiles: Where
is their God?
22. And when being wearied with these cries, and
tired with these weepings, they held their peace,
23. Ozias rising up all in tears, said: Be of good
courage, my brethren, and let us wait these five days
for mercy from the Lord.
24. For perhaps he will put a stop to his indignation,
and will give glory to his own name.
25. But if after five days be past there come no aid,
we will do the things which you leave spoken.
1. Now it came to pass, when Judith a widow had heard
these words, who was the daughter of Merari, the son
of Idox, the son of Joseph, the son of Ozias, the son of
Elai, the son of Jamnor, the son of Gedeon, the son of
Raphaim, the son of Achitob, the son of Melehias, the
son of Enan, the son of Nathanias, the son of Salathiel,
the son of Simeon, the son of Ruben:
2. And her husband was Manasses, who died in the time
of the barley harvest:
3. For he was standing over them that bound sheaves in
the field ; and the heat came upon his head, and he
died in Bethulia his own city, and was buried there
with his fathers.
4. And Judith his relict was a widow now three years and
six months.
5. And she made herself a private chamber in the upper
part of her house, in which she abode shut up with her
maids.
6. And she wore haircloth upon her loins, and fasted all
the days of her life, except the sabbaths, and new
moons, and the feasts of the house of Israel.
7. And she was exceedingly beautiful, and her husband
left her great riches, and very many servants, and large
possessions of herds of oxen, and flocks of sheep.
8. And she was greatly renowned among all, because she
feared the Lord very much, neither was there any one
that spoke an ill word of her.
9. When therefore she had heard that Ozias had promised
that he would deliver up the city after the fifth day, she
sent to the ancients Chabri and Charmi.
10. And they came to her, and she said to them: What
is this word, by which Ozias hath consented to give up
the city to the Assyrians, if within five days there
come no aid to us?
11. And who are you that tempt the Lord?
12. This is not a word that may draw down mercy,
but rather that may stir up wrath, and enkindle
indignation.
13. You have set a time for the mercy of the Lord,
and you have appointed him a day, according to your
pleasure.
14. But forasmuch as the Lord is patient, let us be
penitent for this same thing, and with many tears let us
beg his pardon:
15. For God will not threaten like man, nor be
inflamed to anger like the son of man.
16. And therefore let us humble our souls before him,
and continuing in an humble spirit, in his service:
17. Let us ask the Lord with tears, that according to
his will so he would shew his mercy to us: that as our
heart is troubled by their pride, so also we may glorify
in our humility.
18. For we have not followed the sins of our fathers,
who forsook their God, and worshipped strange gods.
19. For which crime they were given up to their
enemies, to the sword, and to pillage, and to
confusion: but we know no other God but him.
20. Let us humbly wait for his consolation, and the
Lord our God will require our blood of the afflictions
of our enemies, and he will humble all the nations that
shall rise up against us, and bring them to disgrace.
21. And now, brethren, as you are the ancients
among the people of God, and their very soul resteth
upon you: comfort their hearts by your speech, that
they may be mindful how our fathers were tempted
that they might be proved, whether they worshipped
their God truly.
22. They must remember how our father Abraham
was tempted, and being proved by many tribulations,
was made the friend of God.
23. So Isaac, so Jacob, so Moses, and all that have
pleased God, passed through many tribulations,
remaining faithful.
24. But they that did not receive the trials with the
fear of the Lord, but uttered their impatience and the
reproach of their murmuring against the Lord,
25. Were destroyed by the destroyer, and perished by
serpents.
26. As for us therefore let us not revenge ourselves
for these things which we suffer
27. But esteeming these very punishments to be less
than our sins deserve, let us believe that these scourges
of the Lord, with which like servants we are chastised,
have happened for our amendment, and not for our
destruction.
28. And Ozias and the ancients said to her: All things
which thou hast spoken are true, and there is nothing
to be reprehended in thy words.
29. Now therefore pray for us, for thou art a holy
woman, and one fearing God.
30. And Judith said to them: As you know that what I
have been able to say is of God:
31. So that which I intend to do prove ye if it be of
God, and pray that God may strengthen my design.
32. You shall stand at the gate this night, and I will
go out with my maidservant: and pray ye, that as you
have said, in five days the Lord may look down upon
his people Israel.
33. But I desire that you search not into what I am
doing, and till I bring you word let nothing else be
done but to pray for me to the Lord our God.
34. And Ozias the prince of Juda said to her: Go in
peace, and the Lord be with thee to take revenge of
our enemies. So returning they departed.
1. And when they were gone, Judith went into her
oratory: and putting on haircloth, laid ashes on her
head: and falling down prostrate before the Lord, she
cried to the Lord, saying:
2. O Lord God of my father Simeon, who gavest him a
sword to execute vengeance against strangers, who
had defiled by their uncleanness, and uncovered the
virgin unto confusion:
3. And who gavest their wives to he made a prey, and
their daughters into captivity: and all their spoils to be
divided to thy servants, who were zealous with thy
zeal: assist, I beseech thee, O Lord God, me a widow.
4. For thou hast done the things of old, and hast devised
one thing after another: and what thou hast designed
hath been done.
5. For all thy ways are prepared, and in thy providence
thou hast placed thy judgments.
6. Look upon the camp of the Assyrians now, as thou
wast pleased to look upon the camp of the Egyptians,
when they pursued armed after thy servants, trusting
in their chariots, and in their horsemen, and in a
multitude of warriors.
7. But thou lookedst over their camp, and darkness
wearied them.
8. The deep held their feet, and the waters overwhelmed them.
9. So may it be with these also, O Lord, who trust in their
multitude, and in their chariots, and in their pikes, and
in their shields, and in their arrows, and glory in their
spears,
10. And know not that thou art our God, who
destroyest wars from the beginning, and the Lord is
thy name.
11. Lift up thy arm as from the beginning, and crush
their power with thy power: let their power fall in their
wrath, who promise themselves to violate thy
sanctuary, and defile the dwelling place of thy name,
and to beat down with their sword the horn of thy
altar.
12. Bring to pass, O Lord, that his pride may be cut off with his own sword.
13. Let him be caught in the net of his own eyes in
my regard, and do thou strike him by the graces of the
words of my lips.
14. Give me constancy in my mind, that I may
despise him: and fortitude that I may overthrow him.
15. For this will be a glorious monument for thy
name, when he shall fall by the hand of a woman.
16. For thy power, O Lord, is not in a multitude, nor
is thy pleasure in the strength of horses, nor from the
beginning have the proud been acceptable to thee: but
the prayer of the humble and the meek hath always
pleased thee.
17. O God of the heavens, creator of the waters, and
Lord of the whole creation, hear me a poor wretch,
making supplication to thee, and presuming of thy
mercy.
18. Remember, O Lord, thy covenant, and put thou
words in my mouth, and strengthen the resolution in
my heart, that thy house may continue in thy holiness:
19. And all nations may acknowledge that thou art
God, and there is no other besides thee.
1. And it came to pass, when she had ceased to cry to the
Lord, that she rose from the place wherein she lay
prostrate before the Lord.
2. And she called her maid, and going down into her
house she took off her haircloth, and put away the
garments of her widowhood,
3. And she washed her body, and anointed herself with
the best ointment, and plaited the hair of her head, and
put a bonnet upon her head, and clothed herself with
the garments of her gladness, and put sandals on her
feet, and took her bracelets, and lilies, and earlets, and
rings, and adorned herself with all her ornaments.
4. And the Lord also gave her more beauty: because all
this dressing up did not proceed from sensuality, lent
from virtue: and therefore the Lord increased this her
beauty, so that she appeared to all men's eyes
incomparably lovely.
5. And she gave to her maid a bottle of wine to carry,
and a vessel of oil, and parched corn, and dry figs, and
bread and cheese, and went out.
6. And when they came to the gate of the city, they found
Ozias, and the ancients of the city waiting.
7. And when they saw her they were astonished, and
admired her beauty exceedingly.
8. But they asked her no question, only they let her pass,
saying: The God of our fathers give thee grace, and
may he strengthen all the counsel of thy heart with his
power, that Jerusalem may glory in thee, and thy name
may be in the number of the holy and just.
9. And they that were there said, all with one voice: So
be it, so be it.
10. But Judith praying to the Lord, passed through
the gates, she and her maid.
11. And it came to pass, when she went down the
hill, about break of day, that the watchmen of the
Assyrians met her and stopped her, saying: Whence
comest thou? or whither goest thou?
12. And she answered: I am a daughter of the
Hebrews, and I am fled from them, because I knew
they would be made a prey to you, because they
despised you, and would not of their own accord yield
themselves, that they might find mercy in your sight.
13. For this reason I thought with myself, saying: I
will go to the presence of the prince Holofernes, that I
may tell him their secrets, and shew him by what way
he may take them, without the loss of one man of his
army.
14. And when the men had heard her words, they
beheld her face, and their eyes were amazed, for they
wondered exceedingly at her beauty.
15. And they said to her: Thou hast saved thy life by
taking this resolution, to come down to our lord.
16. And be assured of this, that when thou shalt stand
before him, he will treat thee well, and thou wilt be
most acceptable to his heart. And they brought her to
the tent of Holofernes, telling him of her.
17. And when she was come into his presence,
forthwith Holofernes was caught by his eyes.
18. And his officers said to him: Who can despise the
people of the Hebrews who have such beautiful
women, that we should not think it worth our while for
their sakes to fight against them?
19. And Judith seeing Holofernes sitting under a
canopy, which was woven of purple and gold, with
emeralds and precious stones:
20. After she had looked on his face bowed down to
him, prostrating herself to the ground. And the
servants of Holofernes lifted her up, by the command
of their master.
1. Then Holofernes said to her: Be of good comfort, and
fear not in thy heart: for I have never hurt a man that
was willing to serve Nabuchodonosor the king.
2. And if thy people had not despised me, I would never
have lifted up my spear against them.
3. But now tell me, for what cause hast thou left them,
and why it hath pleased thee to come to us?
4. And Judith said to him: Receive the words of thy
handmaid, for if thou wilt follow the words of thy
handmaid, the Lord will do with thee a perfect thing.
5. For as Nabuchodonosor the king of the earth liveth,
and his power liveth which is in thee for chastising of
all straying souls: not only men serve him through
thee, but also the beasts of the field obey him.
6. For the industry of thy mind is spoken of among all
nations, and it is told through the whole world, that
thou only art excellent, and mighty in all his kingdom,
and thy discipline is cried up in all provinces.
7. It is known also what Achior said, nor are we ignorant
of what thou hast commanded to be done to him.
8. For it is certain that our God is so offended with sins,
that he hath sent word by his prophets to the people,
that he will deliver them up for their sins.
9. And because the children of Israel know they have
offended their God, thy dread is upon them.
10. Moreover also a famine hath come upon them,
and for drought of water they are already to be
counted among the dead.
11. And they have a design even to kill their cattle,
and to drink the blood of them.
12. And the consecrated things of the Lord their God
which God forbade them to touch, in corn, wine, and
oil, these have they purposed to make use of, and they
design to consume the things which they ought not to
touch with their hands: therefore because they do these
things, it is certain they will be given up to
destruction.
13. And I thy handmaid knowing this, am fled from
them, and the Lord hath sent me to tell thee these very
things.
14. For I thy handmaid worship God even now that I
am with thee, and thy handmaid will go out, and I will
pray to God,
15. And he will tell me when he will repay them for
their sins, and I will come and tell thee, so that I may
bring thee through the midst of Jerusalem, and thou
shalt have all the people of Israel, as sheep that have
no shepherd, and there shall not so much as one dog
bark against thee:
16. Because these things are told me by the
providence of God.
17. And because God is angry with them, I am sent
to tell these very things to thee.
18. And all these words pleased Holofernes, and his
servants, and they admired her wisdom, and they said
one to another:
19. There is not such another woman upon earth in
look, in beauty, and in sense of words.
20. And Holofernes said to her: God hath done well
who sent thee before the people, that thou mightest
give them into our hands:
21. And because thy promise is good, if thy God
shall do this for me, he shall also be my God, and thou
shalt be great in the house of Nabuchodonosor, and
thy name shall be renowned through all the earth.
1. Then he ordered that she should go in where his
treasures were laid up, and bade her tarry there, and he
appointed what should be given her from his own
table.
2. And Judith answered him and said: Now I cannot eat
of these things which thou commandest to be given
me, lest sin come upon me: but I will eat of the things
which I have brought.
3. And Holofernes said to her: If these things which thou
hast brought with thee fail thee, what shall we do for
thee?
4. And Judith said: As thy soul liveth, my lord, thy
handmaid shall not spend all these things till God do
by my hand that which I have purposed. And his
servants brought her into the tent which he had
commanded.
5. And when she was going in, she desired that she might
have liberty to go out at night and before day to
prayer, and to beseech the Lord.
6. And he commanded his chamberlains, that she might
go out and in, to adore her God as she pleased, for
three days.
7. And she went out in the nights into the valley of
Bethulia, and washed herself in a fountain of water.
8. And as she came up, she prayed to the Lord the God
of Israel, that he would direct her way to the
deliverance of his people.
9. And going in, she remained pure in the tent, until she
took her own meat in the evening.
10. And it came to pass on the fourth day, that
Holofernes made a supper for his servants, and said to
Vagao his eunuch: so, and persuade that Hebrew
woman, to consent of her own accord to dwell with me.
11. For it is looked upon as shameful among the
Assyrians, if a woman mock a man, by doing so as to
pass free from him.
12. Then Vagao went in to Judith, and said: Let not
my good maid be afraid to go in to my lord, that she
may be honoured before his face, that she may eat
with him and drink wine and be merry.
13. And Judith answered him: Who am I, that I
should gainsay my lord?
14. All that shall be good and best before his eyes, I
will do. And whatsoever shall please him, that shall be
best to me all the days of my life.
15. And she arose and dressed herself out with her
garments, and going in she stood before his face.
16. And the heart of Holofernes was smitten, for he
was burning with the desire of her.
17. And Holofernes said to her: Drink now, and sit
down and be merry for thou hast found favour before
me.
18. And Judith said: I will drink my lord, because my
life is magnified this day above all my days.
19. And she took and ate and drank before him what
her maid had prepared for her.
20. And Holofernes was made merry on her
occasion, and drank exceeding much wine, so much as
he had never drunk in his life.
1. And when it was grown late, his servants made haste
to their lodgings, and Vagao shut the chamber doors,
and went his way.
2. And they were all overcharged with wine.
3. And Judith was alone in the chamber.
4. But Holofernes lay on his bed, fast asleep, being exceedingly drunk.
5. And Judith spoke to her maid to stand without before
the chamber, and to watch:
6. And Judith stood before the bed praying with tears,
and the motion of her lips in silence,
7. Saying: Strengthen me, O Lord God of Israel, and in
this hour look on the works of my hands, that as thou
hast promised, thou mayst raise up Jerusalem thy city:
and that I may bring to pass that which I have
purposed, having a belief that it might be done by
thee.
8. And when she had said this, she went to the pillar that
was at his bed's head, and loosed his sword that hung
tied upon it.
9. And when she had drawn it out, she took him by the
hair of his head, and said: Strengthen me, O Lord God,
at this hour.
10. And she struck twice upon his neck, and out off
his head, and took off his canopy from the pillars, and
rolled away his headless body.
11. And after a while she went out, and delivered the
head of Holofernes to her maid, and bade her put it
into her wallet.
12. And they two went out according to their custom,
as it were to prayer, and they passed the camp, and
having compassed the valley, they came to the gate of
the city.
13. And Judith from afar off cried to the watchmen
upon the walls: Open the gates for God is with us, who
hath shewn his power in Israel.
14. And it came to pass, when the men had heard her
voice, that they called the ancients of the city.
15. And all ran to meet her from the least to the
greatest: for they now had no hopes that she would
come.
16. And lighting up lights they all gathered round
about her: and she went up to a higher place, and
commanded silence to be made. And when all had
held their peace,
17. Judith said: Praise ye the Lord our God, who hath
not forsaken them that hope in him.
18. And by me his handmaid he hath fulfilled his
mercy, which he promised to the house of Israel: and
he hath killed the enemy of his people by my hand this
night.
19. Then she brought forth the head of Holofernes
out of the wallet, and shewed it them, saying: Behold
the head of Holofernes the general of the army of the
Assyrians, and behold his canopy, wherein he lay in
his drunkenness, where the Lord our God slew him by
the hand of a woman.
20. But as the same Lord liveth, his angel hath been
my keeper both going hence, and abiding there, and
returning from thence hither: and the Lord hath not
suffered me his handmaid to be defiled, but hath
brought me back to you without pollution of sin,
rejoicing for his victory, for my escape, and for your
deliverance.
21. Give all of you glory to him, because he is good,
because his mercy endureth for ever.
22. And they all adored the Lord, and said to her:
The Lord hath blessed thee by his power, because by
thee he hath brought our enemies to nought.
23. And Ozias the prince of the people of Israel, said
to her: Blessed art thou, O daughter, by the Lord the
most high God, above all women upon the earth.
24. Blessed be the Lord who made heaven and earth,
who hath directed thee to the cutting off the head of
the prince of our enemies.
25. Because he hath so magnified thy name this day,
that thy praise shall not depart out of the mouth of
men who shall be mindful of the power of the Lord for
ever, for that thou hast not spared thy life, by reason of
the distress and tribulation of thy people, but hast
prevented our ruin in the presence of our God.
26. And all the people said: So be it, so be it.
27. And Achior being called for came, and Judith
said to him: The God of Israel, to whom thou gavest
testimony, that he revengeth himself of his enemies,
he hath cut off the head of all the unbelievers this
night by my hand.
28. And that thou mayst find that it is so, behold the
head of Holofernes, who in the contempt of his pride
despised the God of Israel: and threatened thee with
death, saying: When the people of Israel shall be
taken, I will command thy sides to be pierced with a
sword.
29. Then Achior seeing the head of Holofernes, being
seized with a great fear he fell on his face upon the
earth, and his soul swooned away.
30. But after he had recovered his spirits he fell down
at her feet, and reverenced her and said:
31. Blessed art thou by thy God in every tabernacle
of Jacob, for in every nation which shall hear thy
name, the God of Israel shall be magnified on
occasion of thee.
1. And Judith said to all the people: Hear me, my
brethren, hang ye up this head upon our walls.
2. And as soon as the sun shall rise, let every man take
his arms, and rush ye out, not as going down beneath,
but as making an assault.
3. Then the watchmen must needs run to awake their
prince for the battle.
4. And when the captains of them shall run to the tent of
Holofernes, and shall find him without his head
wallowing in his blood, fear shall fall upon them.
5. And when you shall know that they are fleeing, go
after them securely, for the Lord will destroy them
under your feet.
6. Then Achior seeing the power that the God of Israel
had wrought, leaving the religion of the gentiles, he
believed God, and circumcised the flesh of his
foreskin, and was joined to the people of Israel, with
all the succession of his kindred until this present day.
7. And immediately at break of day, they hung up the
head of Holofernes upon the walls, and every man
took his arms, and they sent out with a great noise and
shouting.
8. And the watchmen seeing this, ran to the tent of Holofernes.
9. And they that were in the tent came, and made a noise
before the door of the chamber to awake him,
endeavoring by art to break his rest, that Holofernes
might awake, not by their calling him, but by their
noise.
10. For no man durst knock, or open and go into the
chamber of the general of the Assyrians.
11. But when his captains and tribunes were come,
and all the chiefs of the army of the king of the
Assyrians, they said to the chamberlains
12. Go in, and awake him, for the mice coming out of
their holes, have presumed to challenge us to fight.
13. Then Vagao going into his chamber, stood before
the curtain, and made a clapping with his hands: for he
thought that he was sleeping with Judith.
14. But when with hearkening, he perceived no
motion of one lying, he came near to the curtain, and
lifting it up, and seeing the body of Holofernes, lying
upon the ground, without the head, sweltering in his
blood, he cried out with a loud voice, with weeping,
and rent his garments.
15. And he went into the tent of Judith, and not
finding her, he ran out to the people,
16. And said: One Hebrew woman hath made
confusion in the house of king Nabuchodonosor: for
behold Holofernes lieth upon the ground, and his head
is not upon him.
17. Now when the chiefs of the army of the
Assyrians had heard this, they all rent their garments,
and an intolerable fear and dread fell upon them, and
their minds were troubled exceedingly.
18. And there was a very great cry in the midst of
their camp.
1. And when all the army heard that Holofernes was
beheaded, courage and counsel fled from them, and
being seized with trembling and fear they thought only
to save themselves by flight:
2. So that no one spoke to his neighbor, but hanging
down the head, leaving all things behind, they made
haste to escape from the Hebrews, who, as they heard,
were coming armed upon them, and fled by the ways
of the fields, and the paths of the hills.
3. So the children of Israel seeing them fleeing, followed
after them. And they went down sounding with
trumpets and shouting after them.
4. And because the Assyrians were not united together,
they went without order in their flight ; but the
children of Israel pursuing in one body, defeated all
that they could find.
5. And Ozias sent messengers through all the cities and
countries of Israel.
6. And every country, and every city, sent their chosen
young men armed after them, and they pursued them
with the edge of the sword until they came to the
extremities of their confines.
7. And the rest that were in Bethulia went into the camp
of the Assyrians, and took away the spoils, which the
Assyrians in their flight had left behind them, and they
were laden exceedingly.
8. But they that returned conquerors to Bethulia, brought
with them all things that were theirs, so that there was
no numbering of their cattle, and beasts, and all their
moveables, insomuch that from the least to the
greatest all were made rich by their spoils.
9. And Joachim the high priest came from Jerusalem to
Bethulia with all his ancients to see Judith.
10. And when she was come out to him, they all
blessed her with one voice, saying: Thou art the glory
of Jerusalem, thou art the joy of Israel, thou art the
honour of our people:
11. For thou hast done manfully, and thy heart has
been strengthened, because thou hast loved chastity,
and after thy husband hast not known any other:
therefore also the hand of the Lord hath strengthened
thee, and therefore thou shalt be blessed for ever.
12. And all the people said: So be it, so be it
13. And thirty days were scarce sufficient for the
people of Israel to gather up the spoils of the
Assyrians.
14. But all those things that were proved to be the
peculiar goods of Holofernes, they gave to Judith in
gold, and silver, and garments and precious stones,
and all household stuff, and they all were delivered to
her by the people.
15. And all the people rejoiced, with the women, and
virgins, and young men, playing on instruments and
harps.
1. Then Judith sung this canticle to the Lord, saying:
2. Begin ye to the Lord with timbrels, sing ye to the Lord
with cymbals, tune unto him a new psalm, extol and
call upon his name.
3. The Lord putteth an end to wars, the Lord is his name.
4. He hath set his camp in the midst of his people, to
deliver us from the hand of all our enemies.
5. The Assyrians came out of the mountains from the
north in the multitude of his strength: his multitude
stopped up the torrents, and their horses covered the
valleys.
6. He bragged that he would set my borders on fire, and
kill my young men with the sword, to make my infants
a prey, and my virgins captives.
7. But the almighty Lord hath struck him, and hath
delivered him into the hands of a woman, and hath
slain him.
8. For their mighty one did not fall by young men,
neither did the sons of Titan strike him, nor tall giants
oppose themselves to him, but Judith the daughter of
Merari weakened him with the beauty of her face.
9. For she put off her the garments of widowhood, and
put on her the garments of joy, to give joy to the
children of Israel.
10. She anointed her face with ointment, and bound
up her locks with a crown, she took a new robe to
deceive him.
11. Her sandals ravished his eyes, her beauty made
his soul her captive, with a sword she cut off his head.
12. The Persians quaked at her constancy, and the
Medes at her boldness.
13. Then the camp of the Assyrians howled, when
my lowly ones appeared, parched with thirst.
14. The sons of the damsels have pierced them
through, and they have killed them like children
fleeing away: they perished in battle before the face of
the Lord my God.
15. Let us sing a hymn to the Lord, let us sing a new
hymn to our God.
16. O Adonai, Lord, great art thou, and glorious in
thy power, and no one can overcome thee.
17. Let all thy creatures serve thee: because thou hast
spoken, and they were made: thou didst send forth thy
spirit, and they were created, and there is no one that
can resist thy voice.
18. The mountains shall be moved from the
foundations with the waters: the rooks shall melt as
wax before thy face.
19. But they that fear thee, shall be great with thee in
all things.
20. Woe be to the nation that riseth up against my
people: for the Lord almighty will take revenge on
them, in the day of judgment he will visit them.
21. For he will give fire, and worms into their flesh,
that they may burn, and may feel for ever.
22. And it came to pass after these things, that all the
people, after the victory, came to Jerusalem to adore
the Lord: and as soon as they were purified, they all
offered holocausts, and vows, and their promises.
23. And Judith offered for an anathema of oblivion
all the arms of Holofernes, which the people gave her,
and the canopy that she had taken away out of his
chamber.
24. And the people were joyful in the sight of the
sanctuary, and for three months the joy of this victory
was celebrated with Judith.
25. And after those days every man returned to his
house, and Judith was made great in Bethulia, and she
was most renowned in all the land of Israel.
26. And chastity was joined to her virtue, so that she
knew no man all the days of her life, after the death of
Manasses her husband.
27. And on festival days she came forth with great
glory.
28. And she abode in her husband's house a hundred
and five years, and made her handmaid free, and she
died, and was buried with her husband in Bethulia.
29. And all the people mourned for seven days.
30. And all the time of her life there was none that
troubled Israel, nor many years after her death.
31. But the day of the festivity of this victory is
received by the Hebrews in the number of holy days,
and is religiously observed by the Jews from that time
until this day.
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