Chapter 90

8:13. You have set a time for the mercy of the Lord, and you have appointed him a day, according to your pleasure.

8:14. But forasmuch as the Lord is patient, let us be penitent for this same thing, and with many tears let us beg his pardon:

8:15. For God will not threaten like man, nor be inflamed to anger like the son of man.

8:16. And therefore let us humble our souls before him, and continuing in an humble spirit, in his service:

8:17. 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.

8:18. For we have not followed the sins of our fathers, who forsook their God, and worshipped strange gods.

8:19. 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.

8:20. 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.

8:21. 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.

8:22. They must remember how our father Abraham was tempted, and being proved by many tribulations, was made the friend of God.

8:23. So Isaac, so Jacob, so Moses, and all that have pleased God, passed through many tribulations, remaining faithful.

8:24. 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,

8:25. Were destroyed by the destroyer, and perished by serpents.

8:26. As for us therefore let us not revenge ourselves for these things which we suffer.

8:27. 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.

8:28. 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.

8:29. Now therefore pray for us, for thou art a holy woman, and one fearing God.

8:30. And Judith said to them: As you know that what I have been able to say is of God:

8:31. So that which I intend to do prove ye if it be of God, and pray that God may strengthen my design.

8:32. 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.

8:33. 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.

8:34. 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.

Judith Chapter 9

Judith's prayer, to beg of God to fortify her in her undertaking.

9:1. 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:

9:2. 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:

Gavest him a sword, etc. . .The justice of God is here praised, in punishing by the sword of Simeon the crime of the Sichemites: and not the act of Simeon, which was justly condemned by his father, Gen. 49.5. Though even with regard to this act, we may distinguish between his zeal against the crime committed by the ravishers of his sister, which zeal may be considered just: and the manner of his punishing that crime, which was irregular and excessive.

9:3. And who gavest their wives to be made a prey, and their daughters into captivity: and all their spoils to be divided to the servants, who were zealous with thy zeal: assist, I beseech thee, O Lord God, me a widow.

9:4. For thou hast done the things of old, and hast devised one thing after another: and what thou hast designed hath been done.

9:5. For all thy ways are prepared, and in thy providence thou hast placed thy judgments.

9:6. 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.

9:7. But thou lookedst over their camp, and darkness wearied them.

9:8. The deep held their feet, and the waters overwhelmed them.

9:9. 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,

9:10. And know not that thou art our God, who destroyest wars from the beginning, and the Lord is thy name.

9:11. 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.

9:12. Bring to pass, O Lord, that his pride may be cut off with his own sword.

9:13. 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.

9:14. Give me constancy in my mind, that I may despise him: and fortitude that I may overthrow him.

9:15. For this will be a glorious monument for thy name, when he shall fall by the hand of a woman.

9:16. 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.

9:17. 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.

9:18. 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:

9:19. And all nations may acknowledge that thou art God, and there is no other besides thee.

Judith Chapter 10

Judith goeth out towards the camp, and is taken, and brought to Holofernes.

10:1. 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.

10:2. And she called her maid, and going down into her house she took off her haircloth, and put away the garments of her widowhood,

10:3. 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.

10:4. And the Lord also gave her more beauty: because all this dressing up did not proceed from sensuality, but from virtue: and therefore the Lord increased this her beauty, so that she appeared to all men's eyes incomparably lovely.

10:5. 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.

10:6. And when they came to the gate of the city, they found Ozias, and the ancients of the city waiting.

10:7. And when they saw her they were astonished, and admired her beauty exceedingly.

10:8. 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.

10:9. And they that were there said, all with one voice: So be it, so be it.

10:10. But Judith praying to the Lord, passed through the gates, she and her maid.

10:11. 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?

10:12. 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.

Because I knew, etc. . .In this and the following chapter, some things are related to have been said by Judith, which seem hard to reconcile with truth. But all that is related in scripture of the servants of God is not approved by the scripture; and even the saints in their good enterprises may sometimes slip into venial sins.

10:13. 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.

10:14. And when the men had heard her words, they beheld her face, and their eyes were amazed, for they wondered exceedingly at her beauty.

10:15. And they said to her: Thou hast saved thy life by taking this resolution, to come down to our lord.

10:16. 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.

10:17. And when she was come into his presence, forthwith Holofernes was caught by his eyes.

10:18. 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?

10:19. And Judith seeing Holofernes sitting under a canopy, which was woven of purple and gold, with emeralds and precious stones:

10:20. 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.

Judith Chapter 11

Judith's speech to Holofernes.

11:1. 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.

11:2. And if thy people had not despised me, I would never have lifted up my spear against them.

11:3. But now tell me, for what cause hast thou left them, and why it hath pleased thee to come to us?

11:4. 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.

11:5. 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.

11:6. 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.

11:7. It is known also what Achior said, nor are we ignorant of what thou hast commanded to be done to him.

11:8. 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.

11:9. And because the children of Israel know they have offended their God, thy dread is upon them.

11:10. Moreover also a famine hath come upon them, and for drought of water they are already to be counted among the dead.

11:11. And they have a design even to kill their cattle, and to drink the blood of them.

11:12. 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.

11:13. And I thy handmaid knowing this, am fled from them, and the Lord hath sent me to tell thee these very things.

11:14. 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,

11:15. 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:

11:16. Because these things are told me by the providence of God.

11:17. And because God is angry with them, I am sent to tell these very things to thee.

11:18. And all these words pleased Holofernes, and his servants, and they admired her wisdom, and they said one to another:

11:19. There is not such another woman upon earth in look, in beauty, and in sense of words.

11:20. And Holofernes said to her: God hath done well who sent thee before the people, that thou mightest give them into our hands:

11:21. 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.

Judith Chapter 12

Judith goeth out in the night to pray: she is invited to a banquet with Holofernes.

12:1. 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.

12:2. 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.

12:3. And Holofernes said to her: If these things which thou hast brought with thee fail thee, what shall we do for thee?

12:4. 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.

12:5. 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.

12:6. And he commanded his chamberlains, that she might go out and in, to adore her God as she pleased, for three days.

12:7. And she went out in the nights into the valley of Bethulia, and washed herself in a fountain of water.

12:8. 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.

12:9. And going in, she remained pure in the tent, until she took her own meat in the evening.

12:10. And it came to pass on the fourth day, that Holofernes made a supper for his servants, and said to Vagao his eunuch: Go, and persuade that Hebrew woman, to consent of her own accord to dwell with me.

12:11. 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.

12:12. 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.

12:13. And Judith answered him: Who am I, that I should gainsay my lord?

12:14. 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.

12:15. And she arose and dressed herself out with her garments, and going in she stood before his face.

12:16. And the heart of Holofernes was smitten, for he was burning with the desire of her.

12:17. And Holofernes said to her: Drink now, and sit down and be merry; for thou hast found favour before me.

12:18. And Judith said: I will drink my lord, because my life is magnified this day above all my days.

12:19. And she took and ate and drank before him what her maid had prepared for her.

12:20. And Holofernes was made merry on her occasion, and drank exceeding much wine, so much as he had never drunk in his life.

Judith Chapter 13

Judith cutteth off the head of Holofernes, and returneth to Bethulia.

13:1. And when it was grown late, his servants made haste to their lodgings, and Vagao shut the chamber doors, and went his way.

13:2. And they were all overcharged with wine.

13:3. And Judith was alone in the chamber.

13:4. But Holofernes lay on his bed, fast asleep, being exceedingly drunk.

13:5. And Judith spoke to her maid to stand without before the chamber, and to watch:

13:6. And Judith stood before the bed praying with tears, and the motion of her lips in silence,

13:7. 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.

13:8. 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.

13:9. 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.

13:10. And she struck twice upon his neck, and cut off his head, and took off his canopy from the pillars, and rolled away his headless body.

13:11. And after a while she went out, and delivered the head of Holofernes to her maid, and bade her put it into her wallet.

13:12. 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.

13:13. 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.

13:14. And it came to pass, when the men had heard her voice, that they called the ancients of the city.

13:15. And all ran to meet her from the least to the greatest: for they now had no hopes that she would come.

13:16. 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,

13:17. Judith said: Praise ye the Lord our God, who hath not forsaken them that hope in him.

13:18. 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.

13:19. 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.

13:20. 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.

13:21. Give all of you glory to him, because he is good, because his mercy endureth for ever.

13:22. 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.

13:23. 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.

13:24. 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.

13:25. 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.

13:26. And all the people said: So be it, so be it.

13:27. 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.

13:28. 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 them with death, saying: When the people of Israel shall be taken, I will command thy sides to be pierced with a sword.

13:29. 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.

13:30. But after he had recovered his spirits he fell down at her feet, and reverenced her, and said:

13:31. 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.

Judith Chapter 14

The Israelites assault the Assyrians, who finding their general slain, are seized with a panic fear.

14:1. And Judith said to all the people: Hear me, my brethren, hang ye up this head upon our walls.

14:2. 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.

14:3. Then the watchmen must needs run to awake their prince for the battle.

14:4. 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.

14:5. And when you shall know that they are fleeing, go after them securely, for the Lord will destroy them under your feet.

14:6. 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.

14:7. And immediately at break of day, they hung up the head of Holofernes upon the walls, and every man took his arms, and they went out with a great noise and shouting.

14:8. And the watchmen seeing this, ran to the tent of Holofernes.

14:9. And they that were in the tent came, and made a noise, before the door of the chamber to awake him, endeavouring by art to break his rest, that Holofernes might awake, not by their calling him, but by their noise.

14:10. For no man durst knock, or open and go into the chamber of the general of the Assyrians.

14:11. 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:

14:12. Go in, and awake him, for the mice, coming out of their holes, have presumed to challenge us to fight.

14:13. 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.

14:14. 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, weltering in his blood, he cried out with a loud voice, with weeping, and rent his garments.

14:15. And he went into the tent of Judith, and not finding her, he ran out to the people,

14:16. 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.

14:17. 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.

14:18. And there was a very great cry in the midst of their camp.

Judith Chapter 15

The Assyrians flee: the Hebrews pursue after them, and are enriched by their spoils.