Judith 8

¹And it happened that these words were heard by Judith, a widow who was the daughter of Merari, the son of Idox, the son of Joseph, the son of Oziel, the son of Elai, the son of Jamnor, the son of Gideon, the son of Raphaim, the son of Ahitub, the son of Melchiel, the son of Enan, the son of Nathaniel, the son of Salathiel, the son of Simeon, the son of Ruben.

²And her husband was Manasseh, who died in the days of the barley harvest.

³For he was standing over those who bound sheaves in the field, and the heat overcame his head, and he died in Bethulia, his own city, and he was buried there with his fathers.

⁴But Judith, his bereaved, was a widow now for three years and six months.

⁵And she made herself a private chamber in the upper part of her house, in which she stayed enclosed with her handmaids.

⁶And she had haircloth around her waist, and she fasted all the days of her life, except Sabbaths, and new moons, and the feasts of the house of Israel.

⁷Moreover, she was exceedingly elegant in appearance, and her husband left her many riches, and an abundant household, as well as the ownership of plentiful herds of oxen and flocks of sheep.

⁸And she was greatly renowned among all, because she feared the Lord very much, nor was there anyone who spoke an ill word about her.

⁹And so, when she heard that Uzziah had promised that he would hand over the city with the passing of five days, she sent to the elders Chabris and Charmis.

¹⁰And they came to her, and she said to them: “What is this word, by which Uzziah has consented to hand over the city to the Assyrians, if within five days no help arrives for us?

¹¹And who are you to test the Lord?

¹²This is not a word that will provoke mercy, but rather one that may excite wrath and enkindle fury.

¹³You have set a time limit for the mercy of the Lord, and you have established a day for him, according to your choice.

¹⁴But, since the Lord is patient, let us be repentant about this same matter, and let us beg his indulgence with many tears.

¹⁵For God will not threaten like man, nor will he be inflamed to anger like a son of man.

¹⁶And, for this reason, let us humble our souls before him, and, continuing to serve him in a spirit of humility,

¹⁷let us speak to the Lord with tears, so that he may act according to his will in his mercy toward us. So then, just as our heart is disturbed by their arrogance, so also may we glory in our humility.

¹⁸For we have not followed the sins of our fathers, who abandoned their God in order to worship strange gods.

¹⁹Because of this crime, they were given over to their enemies: to the sword, and to pillaging, and to confusion. But we know no other God except him.

²⁰Let us wait with humility for his consolation, and the Lord our God will requite our blood by the afflictions of our enemies, and he will humble all the nations that will rise up against us, and he will cause them to be without honor.

²¹And now, brothers, because you are the elders among the people of God, and their very soul hangs upon you, rescue their hearts by your eloquence, so that they may remember that our fathers were tested in order to prove whether or not they truly worshiped their God.

²²They are obliged to remember how our father Abraham was tested, and being proved by many tribulations, he was made the friend of God.

²³So Isaac, so Jacob, so Moses, and all that have pleased God, passed through many tribulations, remaining faithful.

²⁴But those who did not accept the trials with the fear of the Lord, and who brought forward their impatience and the disgrace of their murmuring against the Lord,

²⁵were exterminated by the exterminator, and they perished by serpents.

²⁶And as for us, therefore, let us not revenge ourselves for these things that we suffer.

²⁷But, in considering these same sufferings to be less than our sins deserve, let us believe that the scourges of the Lord, by which we are corrected like servants, have occurred for our improvement and not for our destruction.”

²⁸And Uzziah and the elders said to her: “All the things that you have spoken are true, and there is nothing reprehensible in your words.

²⁹Now, therefore, pray for us, because you are a holy woman, and one fearing God.”

³⁰And Judith said to them: “You know that what I have been able to say is of God.

³¹So, concerning that which I propose to do, examine whether or not it is from God, and pray that God may act to strengthen my plan.

³²You will stand at the gate this night, and I will go forth with my handmaid. And pray that, just as you have said, within five days the Lord may look kindly on his people Israel.

³³But I am not willing to have you examine my actions, and, until I report to you, let nothing else be done, except to pray for me to the Lord our God.”

³⁴And Uzziah, the leader of Judah, said to her, “Go in peace, and may the Lord be with you to take revenge among our enemies.” So, turning back, they departed.

Judith 8

¹Now at that time Judith heard thereof, which was the daughter of Merari, the son of Ox, the son of Joseph, the son of Ozel, the son of Elcia, the son of Ananias, the son of Gedeon, the son of Raphaim, the son of Acitho, the son of Eliu, the son of Eliab, the son of Nathanael, the son of Samael, the son of Salasadal, the son of Israel.

²And Manasses was her husband, of her tribe and kindred, who died in the barley harvest.

³For as he stood overseeing them that bound sheaves in the field, the heat came upon his head, and he fell on his bed, and died in the city of Bethulia: and they buried him with his fathers in the field between Dothaim and Balamo.

⁴So Judith was a widow in her house three years and four months.

⁵And she made her a tent upon the top of her house, and put on sackcloth upon her loins and ware her widow’s apparel.

⁶And she fasted all the days of her widowhood, save the eves of the sabbaths, and the sabbaths, and the eves of the new moons, and the new moons and the feasts and solemn days of the house of Israel.

⁷She was also of a goodly countenance, and very beautiful to behold: and her husband Manasses had left her gold, and silver, and menservants and maidservants, and cattle, and lands; and she remained upon them.

⁸And there was none that gave her an ill word; as she feared God greatly.

⁹Now when she heard the evil words of the people against the governor, that they fainted for lack of water; for Judith had heard all the words that Ozias had spoken unto them, and that he had sworn to deliver the city unto the Assyrians after five days;

¹⁰Then she sent her waitingwoman, that had the government of all things that she had, to call Ozias and Chabris and Charmis, the ancients of the city.

¹¹And they came unto her, and she said unto them, Hear me now, O ye governors of the inhabitants of Bethulia: for your words that ye have spoken before the people this day are not right, touching this oath which ye made and pronounced between God and you, and have promised to deliver the city to our enemies, unless within these days the Lord turn to help you.

¹²And now who are ye that have tempted God this day, and stand instead of God among the children of men?

¹³And now try the Lord Almighty, but ye shall never know any thing.

¹⁴For ye cannot find the depth of the heart of man, neither can ye perceive the things that he thinketh: then how can ye search out God, that hath made all these things, and know his mind, or comprehend his purpose? Nay, my brethren, provoke not the Lord our God to anger.

¹⁵For if he will not help us within these five days, he hath power to defend us when he will, even every day, or to destroy us before our enemies.

¹⁶Do not bind the counsels of the Lord our God: for God is not as man, that he may be threatened; neither is he as the son of man, that he should be wavering.

¹⁷Therefore let us wait for salvation of him, and call upon him to help us, and he will hear our voice, if it please him.

¹⁸For there arose none in our age, neither is there any now in these days neither tribe, nor family, nor people, nor city among us, which worship gods made with hands, as hath been aforetime.

¹⁹For the which cause our fathers were given to the sword, and for a spoil, and had a great fall before our enemies.

²⁰But we know none other god, therefore we trust that he will not despise us, nor any of our nation.

²¹For if we be taken so, all Judea shall lie waste, and our sanctuary shall be spoiled; and he will require the profanation thereof at our mouth.

²²And the slaughter of our brethren, and the captivity of the country, and the desolation of our inheritance, will he turn upon our heads among the Gentiles, wheresoever we shall be in bondage; and we shall be an offence and a reproach to all them that possess us.

²³For our servitude shall not be directed to favour: but the Lord our God shall turn it to dishonour.

²⁴Now therefore, O brethren, let us shew an example to our brethren, because their hearts depend upon us, and the sanctuary, and the house, and the altar, rest upon us.

²⁵Moreover let us give thanks to the Lord our God, which trieth us, even as he did our fathers.

²⁶Remember what things he did to Abraham, and how he tried Isaac, and what happened to Jacob in Mesopotamia of Syria, when he kept the sheep of Laban his mother’s brother.

²⁷For he hath not tried us in the fire, as he did them, for the examination of their hearts, neither hath he taken vengeance on us: but the Lord doth scourge them that come near unto him, to admonish them.

²⁸Then said Ozias to her, All that thou hast spoken hast thou spoken with a good heart, and there is none that may gainsay thy words.

²⁹For this is not the first day wherein thy wisdom is manifested; but from the beginning of thy days all the people have known thy understanding, because the disposition of thine heart is good.

³⁰But the people were very thirsty, and compelled us to do unto them as we have spoken, and to bring an oath upon ourselves, which we will not break.

³¹Therefore now pray thou for us, because thou art a godly woman, and the Lord will send us rain to fill our cisterns, and we shall faint no more.

³²Then said Judith unto them, Hear me, and I will do a thing, which shall go throughout all generations to the children of our nation.

³³Ye shall stand this night in the gate, and I will go forth with my waitingwoman: and within the days that ye have promised to deliver the city to our enemies the Lord will visit Israel by mine hand.

³⁴But enquire not ye of mine act: for I will not declare it unto you, till the things be finished that I do.

³⁵Then said Ozias and the princes unto her, Go in peace, and the Lord God be before thee, to take vengeance on our enemies.

³⁶So they returned from the tent, and went to their wards.