Judith 13

¹So then, when it had become late, his servants hurried to their lodgings, and Vagao closed the chamber doors, and he went away.

²But they were all drowsy from the wine.

³And Judith was alone in the chamber.

⁴Moreover, Holofernes, being very inebriated, was fast asleep, reclining on his bed.

⁵And Judith told her handmaid to stand outside before the chamber, and to watch.

⁶And Judith stood in front of the bed, praying with tears, and her lips moved in silence,

⁷saying: “Confirm me, O Lord God of Israel, and in this hour look kindly upon the works of my hands, so that, just as you promised, you may raise up Jerusalem, your city, and so that, believing through you that this plan is able to be accomplished, I may succeed.”

⁸And when she had said this, she approached the pillar, which was at the head of the bed, and she released his blade, which was hanging tied to it.

⁹And when she had unsheathed it, she grabbed him by the hair of his head, and she said, “Confirm me, O Lord God, in this hour.”

¹⁰And she struck him twice on his neck, and she cut off his head, and she took off his canopy from the pillars, and she rolled away the trunk of his body.

¹¹And after a little while, she went out, and she delivered the head of Holofernes to her handmaid, and she ordered her to put it in her bag.

¹²And the two went out, according to their custom, as if to prayer, and they passed through the camp, and having circled around the valley, they came to the gate of the city.

¹³And Judith, from a distance, spoke to the watchmen on the walls, “Open the gates, for God is with us, and he has acted with his power in Israel.”

¹⁴And it happened that, when the men had heard her voice, they called the elders of the city.

¹⁵And all rushed toward her, from the least to the greatest. For, until then, they held no hope that she would return.

¹⁶And, enflaming the lights, they gathered all around her. But she climbed up to a higher place, and she ordered them to be made silent. And when all had quieted down,

¹⁷Judith said: “Praise the Lord our God, who has not abandoned those who hope in him.

¹⁸And by me, his handmaid, he has fulfilled his mercy, which he promised to the house of Israel. And he has killed the enemy of his people, by my hand this night.”

¹⁹Then, taking the head of Holofernes from the bag, she displayed it to them, saying: “Behold, the head of Holofernes the leader of the military of the Assyrians, and behold his canopy, under which he reclined in his drunkenness, where the Lord our God struck him by the hand of a woman.

²⁰But, as the Lord himself lives, his angel has been my guardian both from my departure, and while staying there, and when returning from there. And the Lord has not permitted me, his handmaid, to be defiled, but he has called me back to you without the pollution of sin, rejoicing in his victory, in my escape, and in your liberation.

²¹Confess everything to him, for he is good, for his mercy is with every generation.”

²²Then everyone adored the Lord, and they said to her, “The Lord has blessed you by his power, because, through you, he has reduced our enemies to nothing.”

²³Furthermore, Uzziah, the leader of the people of Israel, said to her: “O daughter, you have been blessed by the Lord, the most high God, above all the women on earth.

²⁴Blessed is the Lord, who made heaven and earth, who has guided you in harming the head of the leader of our enemies.

²⁵For he has so magnified your name this day, that your praise will not retire from the mouth of men, who will be mindful of the power of the Lord forever, because you have risked your life for the sake of the distress and tribulation of your people, and you have prevented our ruin before the sight of our God.”

²⁶And all the people said: “Amen. Amen.”

²⁷And so, Achior was called, and he drew near, and Judith said to him: “The God of Israel, to whom you gave testimony, has avenged himself on his enemies. He has cut down the head of all unbelievers, by my hand this night.

²⁸And, so that you may determine that this is so, behold, the head of Holofernes, who, in the contempt of his pride, despised the God of Israel and threatened Israel with ruin, saying, ‘When the people of Israel have been captured, I will instruct your sides to be pierced through with a sword.’ ”

²⁹Then Achior, seeing the head of Holofernes, and being distressed by fear, fell upon his face on the ground, and his soul became agitated.

³⁰In truth, after this, when he had recovered his breath, he fell down before her feet, and he showed reverence for her, and he said:

³¹“Blessed are you by your God, in every tabernacle of Jacob, for in every nation that will hear of your name, the God of Israel will be magnified over you.”

Judith 13

¹Now when the evening was come, his servants made haste to depart, and Bagoas shut his tent without, and dismissed the waiters from the presence of his lord; and they went to their beds: for they were all weary, because the feast had been long.

²And Judith was left along in the tent, and Holofernes lying along upon his bed: for he was filled with wine.

³Now Judith had commanded her maid to stand without her bedchamber, and to wait for her. coming forth, as she did daily: for she said she would go forth to her prayers, and she spake to Bagoas according to the same purpose.

⁴So all went forth and none was left in the bedchamber, neither little nor great. Then Judith, standing by his bed, said in her heart, O Lord God of all power, look at this present upon the works of mine hands for the exaltation of Jerusalem.

⁵For now is the time to help thine inheritance, and to execute thine enterprizes to the destruction of the enemies which are risen against us.

⁶Then she came to the pillar of the bed, which was at Holofernes’ head, and took down his fauchion from thence,

⁷And approached to his bed, and took hold of the hair of his head, and said, Strengthen me, O Lord God of Israel, this day.

⁸And she smote twice upon his neck with all her might, and she took away his head from him.

⁹And tumbled his body down from the bed, and pulled down the canopy from the pillars; and anon after she went forth, and gave Holofernes his head to her maid;

¹⁰And she put it in her bag of meat: so they twain went together according to their custom unto prayer: and when they passed the camp, they compassed the valley, and went up the mountain of Bethulia, and came to the gates thereof.

¹¹Then said Judith afar off, to the watchmen at the gate, Open, open now the gate: God, even our God, is with us, to shew his power yet in Jerusalem, and his forces against the enemy, as he hath even done this day.

¹²Now when the men of her city heard her voice, they made haste to go down to the gate of their city, and they called the elders of the city.

¹³And then they ran all together, both small and great, for it was strange unto them that she was come: so they opened the gate, and received them, and made a fire for a light, and stood round about them.

¹⁴Then she said to them with a loud voice, Praise, praise God, praise God, I say, for he hath not taken away his mercy from the house of Israel, but hath destroyed our enemies by mine hands this night.

¹⁵So she took the head out of the bag, and shewed it, and said unto them, behold the head of Holofernes, the chief captain of the army of Assur, and behold the canopy, wherein he did lie in his drunkenness; and the Lord hath smitten him by the hand of a woman.

¹⁶As the Lord liveth, who hath kept me in my way that I went, my countenance hath deceived him to his destruction, and yet hath he not committed sin with me, to defile and shame me.

¹⁷Then all the people were wonderfully astonished, and bowed themselves and worshipped God, and said with one accord, Blessed be thou, O our God, which hast this day brought to nought the enemies of thy people.

¹⁸Then said Ozias unto her, O daughter, blessed art thou of the most high God above all the women upon the earth; and blessed be the Lord God, which hath created the heavens and the earth, which hath directed thee to the cutting off of the head of the chief of our enemies.

¹⁹For this thy confidence shall not depart from the heart of men, which remember the power of God for ever.

²⁰And God turn these things to thee for a perpetual praise, to visit thee in good things because thou hast not spared thy life for the affliction of our nation, but hast revenged our ruin, walking a straight way before our God. And all the people said; So be it, so be it.