Judith 16

¹Then Judith sang this canticle to the Lord, saying:

²“Call to the Lord with drums, sing to the Lord with cymbals, play for him a new psalm, exalt and invoke his name.

³The Lord crushes wars; the Lord is his name.

⁴He has set up his camp in the midst of his people, to rescue us from the hand of all our enemies.

⁵Assur came from the mountains, from the North, with the multitude of his strength. His multitude blockaded the torrents, and their horses covered the valleys.

⁶He told himself that he would set fire to my borders, and kill my young men with the sword, to give my children into plunder and my virgins into captivity.

⁷But the almighty Lord has harmed him, and he has delivered him into the hands of a woman, and he has pierced him through.

⁸For their powerful one did not fall by young men, nor did the sons of Titan strike him, nor did lofty giants set themselves against him, but Judith, the daughter of Merari, dissolved him with the splendor of her face.

⁹For she put away from herself the garments of widowhood, and she clothed herself with the garments of rejoicing, for the sake of the exultation of the sons of Israel.

¹⁰She anointed her face with ointment, and she gathered the locks of her hair with a headdress; she accepted a new dress in order to deceive him.

¹¹Her sandals ravished his eyes; her beauty made his soul her captive; with a blade, she cut off his head.

¹²The Persians were horrified at her constancy, and the Medes at her boldness.

¹³Then the camp of the Assyrians howled, when my humble ones appeared, parched with thirst.

¹⁴The sons of the servant girls have pierced them through, and, like fleeing servants, they have killed them. They perished in battle before the face of the Lord, my God.

¹⁵Let us sing a canticle to the Lord; let us sing a new hymn to our God.

¹⁶O Adonai, O Lord, you are great, and splendor is in your virtue, and no one is able to overcome you.

¹⁷Let all your creatures serve you. For you spoke, and they became. You sent forth your Spirit, and they were created. And there is no one who can withstand your voice.

¹⁸The mountains will be moved from the foundations by the waters. The rocks, like wax, will liquefy before your face.

¹⁹But those who fear you will be great with you, throughout all things.

²⁰Woe to the people that rises up against my people. For the Lord almighty will be vindicated against them; in the day of judgment, he will visit them.

²¹For he will bestow fire and worms on their flesh, so that they may burn and have sensations without ceasing.”

²²And it happened that, after these things, all the people came to Jerusalem after the victory, to adore the Lord. And as soon as they were purified, they all offered holocausts, and vows, and their promises.

²³Moreover, Judith offered all the implements of war from Holofernes, which the people gave to her, and the canopy that she had taken away from his chamber, as an anathema unto oblivion.

²⁴But the people were cheerful before the face of the sanctuary, and for three months the gladness of this victory was celebrated with Judith.

²⁵And after those days, each one returned to his own house, and Judith became great in Bethulia, and she had great splendor in all the land of Israel.

²⁶For chastity was one with her virtue, so that she did not know man all the days of her life, after the passing away of her husband, Manasseh.

²⁷And then, on feast days, she came forth with great glory.

²⁸But she remained in her husband’s house for one hundred and five years, and she set her handmaid free. And she passed away and was buried with her husband in Bethulia.

²⁹And all the people mourned her, for seven days.

³⁰And, during all the time of her life, there was no one who disturbed Israel, nor for many years after her death.

³¹Moreover, the day of the festivity of this victory was accepted by the Hebrews in the numbering of holy days, and it was religiously observed by the Jews, from that time, even to the present day.

Judith 16

¹Then Judith began to sing this thanksgiving in all Israel, and all the people sang after her this song of praise.

²And Judith said, Begin unto my God with timbrels, sing unto my Lord with cymbals: tune unto him a new psalm: exalt him, and call upon his name.

³For God breaketh the battles: for among the camps in the midst of the people he hath delivered me out of the hands of them that persecuted me.

⁴Assur came out of the mountains from the north, he came with ten thousands of his army, the multitude whereof stopped the torrents, and their horsemen have covered the hills.

⁵He bragged that he would burn up my borders, and kill my young men with the sword, and dash the sucking children against the ground, and make mine infants as a prey, and my virgins as a spoil.

⁶But the Almighty Lord hath disappointed them by the hand of a woman.

⁷For the mighty one did not fall by the young men, neither did the sons of the Titans smite him, nor high giants set upon him: but Judith the daughter of Merari weakened him with the beauty of her countenance.

⁸For she put off the garment of her widowhood for the exaltation of those that were oppressed in Israel, and anointed her face with ointment, and bound her hair in a tire, and took a linen garment to deceive him.

⁹Her sandals ravished his eyes, her beauty took his mind prisoner, and the fauchion passed through his neck.

¹⁰The Persians quaked at her boldness, and the Medes were daunted at her hardiness.

¹¹Then my afflicted shouted for joy, and my weak ones cried aloud; but they were astonished: these lifted up their voices, but they were overthrown.

¹²The sons of the damsels have pierced them through, and wounded them as fugitives’ children: they perished by the battle of the Lord.

¹³I will sing unto the Lord a new song: O Lord, thou art great and glorious, wonderful in strength, and invincible.

¹⁴Let all creatures serve thee: for thou spakest, and they were made, thou didst send forth thy spirit, and it created them, and there is none that can resist thy voice.

¹⁵For the mountains shall be moved from their foundations with the waters, the rocks shall melt as wax at thy presence: yet thou art merciful to them that fear thee.

¹⁶For all sacrifice is too little for a sweet savour unto thee, and all the fat is not sufficient for thy burnt offering: but he that feareth the Lord is great at all times.

¹⁷Woe to the nations that rise up against my kindred! the Lord Almighty will take vengeance of them in the day of judgment, in putting fire and worms in their flesh; and they shall feel them, and weep for ever.

¹⁸Now as soon as they entered into Jerusalem, they worshipped the Lord; and as soon as the people were purified, they offered their burnt offerings, and their free offerings, and their gifts.

¹⁹Judith also dedicated all the stuff of Holofernes, which the people had given her, and gave the canopy, which she had taken out of his bedchamber, for a gift unto the Lord.

²⁰So the people continued feasting in Jerusalem before the sanctuary for the space of three months and Judith remained with them.

²¹After this time every one returned to his own inheritance, and Judith went to Bethulia, and remained in her own possession, and was in her time honourable in all the country.

²²And many desired her, but none knew her all the days of her life, after that Manasses her husband was dead, and was gathered to his people.

²³But she increased more and more in honour, and waxed old in her husband’s house, being an hundred and five years old, and made her maid free; so she died in Bethulia: and they buried her in the cave of her husband Manasses.

²⁴And the house of Israel lamented her seven days: and before she died, she did distribute her goods to all them that were nearest of kindred to Manasses her husband, and to them that were the nearest of her kindred.

²⁵And there was none that made the children of Israel any more afraid in the days of Judith, nor a long time after her death.