Judith, chapters 8 - 16
8 NEWS OF WHAT WAS HAPPENING reached Judith, daughter of
Merari, son of Ox son of Joseph son of Oziel, son of Helkias, son
of Elias, son of Chelkias, son of Eliab, son of Nethaneel, Son of Salamiel,
son of Sarasadae, son of Israel. Her husband Manasses, who belonged to
her own tribe and clan, had died at the time of the barley harvest. While he
was out in the fields supervising the binding of the sheaves, he got sun-
stroke, took to his bed, and died in Bethulia his native town; and they
buried him beside his ancestors in the field between Dothan and Balamon.
For three years and four months Judith h ad lived at home as a widow; she
had a shelter erected on the roof of her house; she put on sackcloth and
always wore mourning. After she became a widow she fasted every day
except sabbath eve, the sabbath itself, the eve of the new moon, the new
moon, and the Israelite feasts and days of public rejoicing. She was a very
beautiful and attractive woman. Her husband Manasses had left her gold
and silver, male and female slaves, livestock and land, and she lived on her
estate. No one spoke ill of her, for she was a very devout woman.
When Judith heard of the shameful attack which the people had made
upon Ozias the magistrate, because they were demoralized by the shortage
of water, and how he had sworn to surrender the town to the Assyrians
after five days, she sent her maid who had charge of all her property to ask
Ozias, Chabris, and Charmis, the elders of the town, to come to see her.
When they arrived she said to them: 'Listen to me, magistrates of Bethulia.
You had no right to speak as you did to the people today, and to bind your-
selves by oath before God to surrender the town to our enemies if the Lord
sends no relief within so many days. Who are you to test God at a time like
this, and openly set yourselves above him? You are putting the Lord
Almighty to the proof. You will never understand! You cannot plumb the
depths of the human heart or understand the way a man's mind works;
how then can you fathom the man's Maker? How can you know God's mind,
and grasp his thought? No, my friends, do not rouse the anger of the Lord
our God. For even if he does not choose to help us within the five days, he
is free to come to our rescue at any time he pleases, or equally to let us be
destroyed by our enemies. It is not for you to impose conditions on the
Lord our God; God will not yield to threats or be bargained with like a
mere man. So we must wait for him to deliver us, and in the mean time
appeal to him for help. If he sees fit he will hear us.
'There is not one of our tribes or clans, districts or towns, that worships
man-made gods today, or has done so within living memory. This did
happen in days gone by, and that was why our ancestors were abandoned
to their enemies to be slaughtered and pillaged, and great was their down-
fall. But we acknowledge no god but the Lord, and so we are confident
that he will not spurn us or any of our race. For our capture will mean the
loss of all Judaea, and our temple will be looted; and God will hold us
responsible for its desecration. The slaughter and deportation of our fellow-
countrymen, and the laying waste of the land we inherited, will bring his
judgement upon us wherever we become slaves among the Gentiles. Our
masters will regard us with disgust and contempt. There will be no happy
ending to our servitude, no return to favour; the Lord our God will use
it to dishonour us.
'So hen, my friends, let us set an example to our fellow-countrymen;
for their lives depend on us, and the fate of the sanctuary, the temple, and
the altar rests with us. We have every reason to give thanks to the Lord our
God; he is putting us to the test as he did our ancestors. Remember how he
dealt with Abraham and how he tested Isaac, and what happened to Jacob
in Syrian Mesopotamia when he was working as a shepherd for his uncle
Laban. He is not subjecting us to the fiery ordeal by which he tested their
loyalty, or taking vengeance on us: it is for discipline that the Lord scourges
his worshippers.'
Ozias replied, 'You are quite right; everything you say is true, and no
one can deny it. This is not the first time that you have given proof of your
wisdom. Throughout your life we have all recognized your good sense and
the soundness of your judgement. But the people were desperate with
thirst and compelled us to make this promise and to pledge ourselves by an
oath we may not break. Now, you are a devout woman; pray for us and
ask the Lord to send rain to fill our cisterns, and then we shall no longer
faint for lack of water.'
'Hear what I have to say', replied Judith. 'I am going to do a deed which
will be remembered among our people for all generations. Be at the gate
tonight yourselves, and I will go out with my maid. Before the day on
which you have promised to surrender the town to our enemies, the Lord
will deliver Israel by my hand. But do not try to find out my plan; I will
nit tell you until I have accomplished what I mean to do.' Ozias and the
magistrates said to her, 'Go with our blessing, and may God be with you
to take vengeance on our enemies.' So they left the roof-shelter and
returned to their posts.
9 Then Judith prostrated herself, put ashes on her head, and uncovered
the sackcloth she was wearing; and at the time when the evening incense
was being offered in the temple in Jerusalem, she cried to the Lord: 'O
Lord , the God of my forefather Simeon! Thou didst put in his hand a
sword to take vengeance on those foreigners who has stripped off a virgin's
veil to defile her, uncovered her thighs to shame her, and polluted her
womb to dishonour her. Thou didst say, "It shall not be done"; yet they
did it. So thou didst give up their rulers to be slain, and their bed, which
blushed for their treachery, to be stained with blood; beneath thy stroke
slaves fell dead upon the bodies of princes, and princes upon their thrones.
Thou didst give up their wives as booty, and their daughters as captives,
and all their spoils to be divided among thy beloved sons, who, aflame with
zeal for thy cause and aghast at the pollution of their blood, called on thee
to help them. O God, thou art my God, hear now a widow's prayer. All
that happened then, and all that happened before and after, thou didst
accomplish. The things that are now, and are yet to be, thou hast designed;
and what thou didst design has come to pass. The things thou hast fore-
ordained present themselves and say, "We are here." Thy ways are pre-
pared beforehand: foreknowledge determines the judgement.
'Thou seest the Assyrians assembled in their strength, proud of their
horses and riders, boasting of the power of their infantry, and putting their
faith in shield and javelin, bow and sling. They do not know that thou art
the Lord who stamps out wars; the Lord is thy name. Shatter their strength
by thy power and crush their might in thy anger. For they have planned
to desecrate thy sanctuary, to pollute the dwelling-place of thy glorious
name, and to strike down the horns of thy altar with the sword. Mark
their arrogance, pour thy wrath on their heads, and give to me, widow as
I am, the strength to achieve my end. Use the deceit upon my lips to strike
them dead, the slave with the ruler, the ruler with the servant; shatter their
pride by a woman's hand. For thy might lies not in numbers nor in thy
sovereign power in strong men; but thou art the God of the humble, the
help of the poor, the support of the weak, the protector of the desperate,
the deliverer of the hopeless. Hear, O hear, thou God of my forefather,
God of Israel's heritage, ruler of heaven and earth, creator of the waters,
king of all thy creation, hear thou my prayer. Grant that my deceitful words
may wound and bruise them; for they have cruel designs against thy cove-
nant, thy sacred house, the summit of Zion, and thy children's home,
their own possession. Give thy whole nation and every tribe the knowledge
that thou alone art God, God of all power and might, and that thou and
thou alone art Israel's shield.'
10 When Judith had ended her prayer, prostrate before the God of Israel,
she rose, called her maid, and went down into the house, where she was
accustomed to spend her sabbaths and festivals. She removed the sack-
cloth she was wearing and took off her widow's weeds; then she washed,
and anointed herself with rich perfume. She did her hair, put on a head-
band, and dressed in her gayest clothes, which she used to wear when her
husband Manasses was alive. She put on sandals and anklets, bracelets
and rings, her ear-rings and all her ornaments, and made herself very
attractive, so as to catch the eye of any man who might see her. She gave
her maid a skin of wine and a flask of oil; then she filled a bag with roasted
grain, cakes of dried figs, and the finest bread, packed everything up, and
gave it all to her maid to carry.
They went out towards the gate of Bethulia and found Ozias standing
there, with Chabris and Charmis the elders of the town. When they saw
Judith transformed in appearance and quite differently dressed, they were
filled with admiration of her beauty, and said to her, 'The God of our
fathers grant you favour and fulfil your plans, so that Israel may triumph
and Jerusalem may be exalted!' Judith bowed to God in worship. Then
she said to them, 'Order the gate to be opened for me, and I will go out to
accomplish all that you say.' They ordered the young men to open the
gate as she had asked. When they had done so, Judith went out, accom-
panied by her maid; and the men of the town watched her until she had
gone down the hill-side and crossed the valley, and then they lost sight
of her.
The women went straight across the valley and were met by an Assyrian
outpost; they seized Judith and questioned her: 'What is your nationality?
Where have you come from? Where are you going?' 'I am Hebrew,' she
replied; 'but I am running away from my people, because they are going to
fall into your hands and be devoured. I am on my way to Holophernes,
your commander-in-chief, with reliable information. I will show him a
route by which he can gain command of the entire hill-country without
losing a single man.'
As the men listened to her story they looked at her face and were amazed
at her beauty. 'You have saved your life', they said, 'by coming down at
once to see our master. Go o his tent straight away. Some of us will escort
you and hand you over to him. When you are in his presence, do not be
afraid; just tell him what you have told us, and he will treat you kindly.'
They detailed a hundred of their number to accompany her and her maid
and they brought the two women to Holophernes' tent.
AS THE NEWS of her arrival spread from tent to tent, men came running
from all parts of the camp. They gathered round her as she stood outside
Holophernes' tent waiting until he had been told about her. Her wonderful
beauty made them think that the Israelites must be a wonderful people.
They said to each other, 'Who can despise a nation which has such women
as this? We had better not leave a man of them alive, for if they get away
they will be able to outwit the whole world.'
Then Holophernes' bodyguard and all his attendants came out and took
her into the tent. He was resting on his bed under a mosquito-net of purple
interwoven with gold, emeralds, and precious stones. When Judith was
announced he came out into the front part of the tent, with silver lamps
carried before him. He and his attendants were all amazed at the beauty
of her face as she stood before them. She prostrated herself and did obei-
sance to him; but his slaves raised her up.
11 'Take heart, madam,' said Holophernes; 'do not be afraid. I have never
harmed anyone who chose to serve Nebuchadnezzar, king of all the earth.
I should never have raised my spear against your people in the hill-
country if they had not insulted me; they brought it on themselves. Now
tell me why you have to run away from them and join us. By coming here
you have saved your life. Take heart! You are in no danger tonight or in
the future; no one will harm you. You will enjoy the good treatment which
is given to the subjects of my master King Nebuchadnezzar.'
Judith replied, 'My lord, grant your slave a hearing and listen to what I
have to say to you. The information I am giving you tonight is the truth.
If you follow my advice, God will do some great things through you, and my
lord will not fail to attain his ends. By the life of Nebuchadnezzar, king
of all the earth, and by the living might of him who sent you to bring order
to all creatures, I swear: not only do men serve him, thanks to you, but wild
animals also, cattle, and birds, will owe their lives to your power as long
as Nebuchadnezzar and his dynasty reign. We have heard how wise
and clever you are. You are known throughout the world as the man of
ability unrivalled in the whole empire, of powerful intelligence and amazing
skill in the art of war. We know about the speech that Achior made in your
council, because the men of Bethulia rescued him, and he told them what
he had said to you. Do not disregard what he said, my lord and master,
but give full weight to his words. They are true. No punishment ever falls
on our race and the sword does not subdue them, except when they sin
against their God. But now, my lord, you are not to be thwarted and cheated
of success, for they are doomed to die. Sin has them in its power, and
when they do wrong they will arouse their God's anger. Because they have
run out of food and their water-supply is low, they have decided to lay
hands on their cattle; they mean to consume everything that God by his
laws has prohibited as food; and they have resolved to use up the first-
fruits of the grain and the tithes of wine and oil, although these are dedi-
cated and reserved for the priests who stand in attendance before our God
in Jerusalem, and no layman may so much as handle them. They have sent
men to Jerusalem to get permission from the senate, because even the
people there have done this. As soon as ever word reaches them and they
act on it, on that very day they will be given up to you to be destroyed.
'So, my lord, when I learnt all this, I ran away from them; and God
has sent me to do with you things that will be the wonder of the world,
wherever men hear about them. For I, your servant, am a religious woman:
day and night I worship the God of heaven. I will stay with you now, my
lord; and each night I shall go out into the valley and pray to God, and he
will tell me when they have committed their sins. Then, hen I return and
bring you word, you may lead out or whole army, and you will meet
with no resistance from any of them. I will guide you across Judaea until
you reach Jerusalem, and I will set up your throne in the heart of the city.
They will follow you like sheep that have lost their shepherd, and not a
dog will so much as growl at you. I have been given foreknowledge of this.
It has been revealed to me, and I have been sent to announce it to you.'
Judith's words delighted Holophernes and all his attendants, and they
were amazed at her wisdom. 'In the whole wide world', they said, 'there is
not a woman to compare with her for beauty of face or shrewdness of
speech.' Holophernes said to her, 'Thank God for sending you out from
your people, to bring strength to us and destruction to those who have
insulted my lord! You are a beautiful woman and your words are good. If
you do as you have promised, your God shall be my God, and you shall live
in Nebuchadnezzar's palace and be renowned throughout the world.'
12 Holophernes then commanded them to bring her in where his silver was
set out, and he ordered a meal to be served for her from his own food and
wine. But Judith said, 'I will not eat any of it, in case I should be breaking
our law. What I have brought with me will meet my needs.' Holophernes
said to her, 'But if you use up all you have with you, where can we get you
a fresh supply of the same kind? There is no one of your race here among
us.' Judith replied, 'As sure as you live, my lord, I shall not finish what I
have brought with me before the Lord accomplishes through me what he
has planned.'
Holophernes' attendants brought her into the tent; and she slept until
midnight. Shortly before morning watch she got up and sent this
message to Holophernes: 'My lord, will you give orders for me to be
allowed to go out and pray?' Holophernes ordered his bodyguard to let
her pass. She remained in the camp for three days, going out each night
into the valley of Bethulia and bathing in the spring. When she came up
from the spring, she prayed the Lord, the God of Israel, to prosper her
undertaking to restore her people. Then she returned to the camp purified,
and remained in the tent until she took her meal towards evening.
ON THE FOURTH DAY Holophernes gave a banquet for his personal
servants only, and did not invite any of the army officers. He said to Bagoas,
the eunuch in charge of all his affairs: 'Go to the Hebrew woman who is in
your care, and persuade her to join us and to eat and drink with us. It
would be a disgrace if we let such a woman go without enjoying her
company. If we do not win her favours she will laugh at us.' Bagoas left
Holophernes' presence, and went to Judith and said, 'Now, my beauty,
do not be bashful; come along to my master and give yourself the honour
of his company. Drink with us and enjoy yourself, and behave today like
one of the Assyrian women in attendance at Nebuchadnezzar's palace.'
'Who am I to refuse my master?' said Judith. 'I am eager to do whatever
pleases him; and it will be something to boast of till my dying day.' She
proceeded to dress herself up and put on all her feminine finery. Her maid
went ahead of her, and spread on the ground in front of Holophernes the
fleeces which she had received from Bagoas for her daily use, so that she
might recline on them when she ate. When Judith came in and took her
place, Holophernes was beside himself with desire for her. He shook with
passion and was filled with an ardent longing to possess her; indeed he had
been looking for an opportunity to seduce her ever since he first set eyes on
her. So he said to her, 'Drink and enjoy yourself with us.' Indeed I will, my
lord,' said Judith; today is the greatest day of my whole life.' Then she
took what her servant had prepared, and ate and drank in his presence.
Holophernes was delighted with her, and drank a great deal of wine, more,
indeed, than he had ever drunk on any single day since he was born.
13 When it grew late, Holophernes' servants quickly withdrew. Bagoas
closed the tent from outside, shutting out all the attendants from his
master's presence, and they went to bed; the banquet had lasted so long
that they were all worn out. Judith was left alone in the tent, with Holo-
phernes lying sprawled on his bed, dead drunk.
Judith had told her maid to stand outside the sleeping apartment and
wait for her mistress to go out, as she did every day; she had said that she
would be going out to pray, and had explained this to Bagoas also. When
they had all gone and not a soul was left, Judith stood beside Holophernes'
bed and prayed silently: 'O Lord, God of all power, look favourably now
on what I am about to do to bring glory to Jerusalem, for now is the time
to help my heritage and to give success to my plan for crushing the enemies
who have risen up against us.' She went to the bed-rail beside Holophernes'
head and took down his sword, and stepping close to the bed she grasped
his hair. 'Now give me strength, O Lord, God of Israel', she said; then
she struck at his neck twice with all her might, and cut off his head. She
rolled the body off the bed and took the mosquito-net from its posts; a
moment later she went out and gave Holophernes' head to the maid, who
put it in her food-bag. The two of them went out together, as they had
usually done for prayer. Through the camp they went, and round that
valley, and up the hill to Bethulia till they reached the gates.
From a distance Judith called to the sentries at the gates: 'Open! Open
the gate! God, our God, is with us, still showing his strength in Israel
and his might against our enemies. He has shown it today!' When the
citizens heard her voice, they hurried down to the gate and summoned the
elders of the town. Everyone high and low came running, hardly able to
believe that Judith had returned. They opened the gate and let the two
women in; they lit a fire to see by, and gathered round them. Then Judith
raised her voice and cried, 'Praise God! O praise him! Praise God, who
has not withdrawn his mercy from the house of Israel, but as crushed our
enemies by my hand this very night!' Then she took the head from the bag
and showed it to them. 'Look!' she said. 'The head of Holophernes, the
Assyrian commander-in-chief! And here is the net under which he lay
drunk! The Lord has struck him down by the hand of a woman! And I
swear by the Lord who has brought me safely along the way I have travelled
that , though my face lured him to destruction, he committed no sin with
me, and my honour is unblemished.'
The people were all astounded; and bowing down in worship to God,
they said with one voice, 'Praise be to thee, O Lord our God, who hast
humiliated the enemies of thy people this day.' And Ozias said to Judith,
'My daughter, the blessing of God Most High is upon you, you more than
all other women on earth; praise be to the Lord, the God who created
heaven and earth, and guided you when you struck off the head of the
enemy commander. The sure hope which inspired you will never fade
from men's minds while they commemorate the power of God. May God
make your deed redound to your honour for ever, ad shower blessings
upon you! You risked your life for our country when it was faced with
humiliation. You went boldly to meet the disaster that threatened us, and
held firm to God's straight road.' All the people responded: 'Amen!
Amen!'
14 THEN JUDITH SAID TO THEM, 'Listen to me, my friends; take this
head and hang it out on the battlements of your wall. As soon as dawn
breaks and the sun rises, take up your weapons, every able-bodied man of
you, and march out of the town. You must set a commander at your head,
as if you were going down to the plain to attack the Assyrian outpost; but
do not go down. The Assyrians will take up their weapons and make for
their camp, an rouse the commanders, who will run to Holophernes' tent
but will not find him. They will all be seized with panic and will flee from
you; then pursue them, you and all who live within Israel's borders, and cut
them down in their tracks. But first of all summon Achior the Ammonite
to me, so that he may see and recognize the man who treated Israel with
contempt and sent him to us as if to his death.'
They summoned Achior from Ozias's house. When he came and saw
Holophernes' head held by one of the men in the assembly of the people,
he fainted and fell down. They lifted him up, and he threw himself at
Judith's feet and did obeisance to her, and said, 'Your praises will be sung
in every camp in Judah and among all nations. They will tremble when
they hear your name. Tell me now the whole story of what you have done
during these days.' Then Judith, in the hearing of the people, told him
everything from the day she left until that very moment. As she ended her
story, the people raised a great shout and made the town ring with their
cheers. And when Achior realized all that the God of Israel had done, he
came to full belief in God, and was circumcised, and admitted as a member
of the community of Israel, as his descendants still are.
When dawn came they hung Holophernes' head on the wall; then they
all took their weapons and went out in companies into the approaches to
the town. When the Assyrians saw them, they sent word to their leaders,
who then went to the generals, captains, ad all the other officers. They
came to Holophernes' tent and said to the steward: 'Wake our master.
These slaves have the audacity to offer us battle; they are asking to be
utterly wiped out.' Bagoas went in and knocked at the screen of the inner
tent, supposing that Holophernes was sleeping with Judith. When there
was no reply, he drew aside the screen, went into the sleeping-apartment,
and found the dead body sprawling over a footstool, and the head gone. He
gave a great cry, wailing and groaning aloud, and tore his clothes. Then
he went into the tent which Judith had occupied; and not finding her he
rushed out to the people shouting, 'The slaves have played us false. One
Hebrew woman has brought shame on Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom. Look!
Holophernes is lying on the ground, and his head is gone!' His words filled
the officers of the Assyrian army with dismay; they tore their clothes, and
the camp rang with their shouts and cries.
15 When the news spread to the men in the camp, they were thrown into
consternation at what had happened. In terror and panic they all scattered
at once, with no attempt to keep together, and fled by every path across the
plain and the hill-country. Those who were encamped in the hills round
Bethulia also too to flight. Then all the Israelites of military age sallied out
after them. Ozias sent men to Bethomesthaim, Choba, and Chola, and the
whole territory of Israel, to give news of what had happened and to tell them
to sally out against the enemy and destroy them. When the news reached
them, every man in Israel joined the attack and cut them down, going as far
as Choba. The men from Jerusalem and all the hill-country also joined in,
for they had been told what had happened in the enemy camp. The men of
Gilead and Galilee outflanked the Asyrians and inflicted heavy losses on
them, continuing beyond Damascus and the district round it. The rest of
the inhabitants of Bethulia fell upon the camp and made themselves rich
with spoils. When the Israelites returned from the slaughter, they took
possession of what remained. The villages and hamlets in the hill-country
and in the plain got masses of booty, for there was a huge quantity of it.
Joakim the high priest and the senate of Israel came from Jerusalem to
see for themselves the great things the Lord had done for his people, and
to meet Judith and wish her well. When they arrived they praised her with
one voice and said, 'You are the glory of Jerusalem, the heroine of Israel,
the proud boast of our people! With your own hand you have done all this,
you have restored the fortunes of Israel, and God has shown his approval.
Blessings on you from the Lord Almighty, for all time to come!' And all
the people responded, 'Amen!'
The looting of the tent went on for thirty days. They gave Judith
Holophernes' tent, with all his silver, and his couches, bowls, and furni-
ture. She took them and loaded her mule, then got her wagons ready and
piled the goods on them. All the Israelite women came running to see her;
they sang her praises, and some of them performed a dance in her honour.
She took garlanded wands in her hands and gave some also to the women
who accompanied her; and she and those who were with her crowned
themselves with olive leaves. Then, at the head of all the people, she led
the women in the dance; and the men of Israel, in full armour and with
garlands on their heads, followed them singing hymns.
16 IN THE PRESENCE of all Israel, Judith struck up this hymn of praise
and thanksgiving, in which all the people joined lustily:
'Strike up a song to my God with tambourines;
sing to the Lord with cymbals;
raise a psalm of praise to him;
honour him and invoke his name.
The Lord is a God who stamps out wars;
he has brought me safe from my pursuers
into his camp among his people.
The Assyrian came from the mountains of the north;
his armies came in such myriads
that his troops choked the valleys,
his cavalry covered the hills.
He threatened to set fire to my land,
put my young men to the sword,
dash my infants to the ground,
take my children as booty,
and my maidens as spoil.
The Lord Almighty has thwarted them by a woman's hand.
It was no young man that brought their champion low;
no Titan struck him down,
no tall giant set upon him;
but Judith daughter of Merari disarmed him by the beauty of her face.
She put off her widow's weeds
to raise up the afflicted in Israel;
she anointed her face with perfume,
and bound her hair with a headband,
and put on a linen gown to beguile him.
Her sandal entranced his eye,
her beauty took his heart captive;
and the sword cut through his neck.
The Persians shuddered at her daring,
the Medes were daunted by her boldness.
Then my oppressed people shouted in triumph, and the enemy were
afraid;
my weak ones shouted, and the enemy cowered in fear;
they raised their voices, and the enemy took to flight.
The sons of servant girls ran them through,
wounding them like runaway slaves;
they were destroyed by the army of my Lord.
'I will sing a new hymn to my God.
O Lord, thou art great and glorious,
thou art marvellous in thy strength, invincible.
Let thy whole creation serve thee;
for thou didst speak and all things came to be;
thou didst send out thy spirit and it formed them.
No one can resist thy voice;
mountains and seas are stirred to their depths,
rocks melt away like wax at thy presence;
but to those who revere thee
thou dost still show mercy.
For no sacrifice is sufficient to please thee with its fragrance,
and all the fat in the world is not enough for a burnt-offering,
but he who fears the Lord is always great.
Woe to the nations which rise up against my people!
The Lord Almighty will punish them on the day of judgement;
he will consign their bodies to fire and worms;
they will weep in pain for ever.'
When they arrived at Jerusalem they worshipped God. As soon as the
people were purified, they offered their burnt-offerings, freewill offerings,
and gifts. Judith dedicated to God all that Holophernes' possessions, which the
people had given to her; and the net, which she had taken for herself from
the sleeping-apartment, she presented as a votive offering. For three
months the people continued their celebrations in Jerusalem in front of the
sanctuary; and Judith remained with them.
At the end of that time they all returned to their own homes. Judith went
back to Bethulia and lived on her estate. In her time she was famous
throughout the whole country. She had many suitors; but she remained
unmarried all her life after her husband Manasses died and was gathered
to his fathers. Her fame continued to increase; and she lived on in her
husband's house until she was a hundred and five years old. She gave her
maid her liberty. She died in Bethulia and was buried in the same tomb as
her husband Manasses, and Israel observed mourning for her for seven
days. Before her death she divided her property among all those who were
most closely related to her husband Manasses, and among her own nearest
relations.
No one dared to threaten the Israelites again in Judith's lifetime, or for
a long time after her death.
The New English Bible (with Apocrypha)
Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, 1970
Posted Mar 31, 2019, 4:34 AM UTC
10