Judith 8-13

New Catholic Bible

Deliverance through a Woman

Judith the God-Fearer

Chapter 8

Pious, Beautiful, and Wealthy. ¹ Now in those days Judith learned about this situation. She was the daughter of Merari, son of Ox, son of Joseph, son of Oziel, son of Elkiah, son of Ananias, son of Gideon, son of Raphain, son of Ahitub, son of Elijah, son of Hilkiah, son of Eliab, son of Nathanael, son of Salamiel, son of Sarasdai, son of Simeon, son of Israel.^{[a] 2} Her husband Manasseh, who belonged to her own tribe and clan, had died at the time of the barley harvest. ³ While he stood in the field supervising the binding of the sheaves, he suffered sunstroke. He took to his bed and died in Bethulia, his native city, and was buried with his ancestors in the field between Dothan and Balamon.

⁴ Judith remained home as a widow for three years and four months. ⁵ She set up a shelter for herself on the roof of her house, wearing sackcloth around her waist and dressed in mourning garb. ⁶ She fasted all the days of her widowhood except on the Sabbath eve and the Sabbath itself, the day before the new moon and the day of the new moon, and the festivals and days of rejoicing of the house of Israel. ⁷ She was beautifully formed and lovely to behold. Her husband Manasseh had left her gold and silver, men and women servants, livestock, and land, and she oversaw this inheritance. ⁸ No one had anything derogatory to say about her, for she was a deeply God-fearing woman.

The Elders Reproached. ⁹ When Judith heard about how the shortage had demoralized the people and about the harsh words of bitter complaint they had spoken against their ruler, and she learned of all that Uzziah had said to them in reply, as he had promised them under oath to hand over the town to the Assyrians at the end of five days, ¹⁰ she dispatched her maid who was in charge of all her possessions to ask Uzziah, Chabris, and Charmis, the elders of the city, to visit her. ¹¹ When they arrived, she said to them:

“Listen to me, rulers of the people of Bethulia. You were wrong to speak to the people as you did today, binding yourself by an oath between God and you, vowing to hand over the town to our enemies at the end of five days unless the Lord comes to our aid by that time. ¹² What right do you have to put God to the test this day, and to set yourselves above him in the disposal of human affairs? ¹³ You are laying down conditions for the Lord Almighty. Will you never understand anything? ¹⁴ If you cannot plumb the depths of the human heart or comprehend the workings of the human mind, how then can you fathom God who has made all these things, discern his mind, and understand his purposes?

“No, my brothers, do not provoke the anger of the Lord, our God. ¹⁵ For even if he does not decide to come to our aid within the next five days, he has the power to protect us at any time he pleases, or even to destroy us in the presence of our enemies. ¹⁶ It is not your right to impose conditions on the Lord, our God.

¹⁷ “Therefore, while we await the deliverance that is his to give, let us call upon him to help us, and he will hear our cry if it pleases him. ¹⁸ For in recent times and even today there has not been a single tribe or clan or district or town of ours that worships gods made with human hands, as was the case in days gone by. ¹⁹ It was due to such conduct that our ancestors were handed over to the sword and pillage and were utterly destroyed by our enemies. ²⁰ However, since we acknowledge no other god but the Lord, we sustain the hope that he will not desert us or any of our people.

²¹ “If we are captured, then all Judea will fall, and our temple will be pillaged, and God will make us pay with our blood for its desecration. ²² The blame for the slaughter and deportation of our kindred and the devastation of our land he will lay on our heads wherever among the nations we shall be enslaved. We will be a source of mockery and contempt in the eyes of our masters. ²³ Our enslavement will not become a source of eventual benefit to us, but the Lord, our God will use it to dishonor us.

²⁴ “Therefore, my brothers, let us set an example for our kindred. Their very lives depend upon us, and the defense of the sanctuary, the temple, and the altar is our responsibility. ²⁵ Despite all this, let us offer thanks to the Lord, our God, for he is putting us to the test as he did our ancestors. ²⁶ Remember how he dealt with Abraham, and how he tested Isaac, and what happened to Jacob in Syrian Mesopotamia while he was tending the sheep of Laban, his mother’s brother. ²⁷ The Lord did not subject them to these fiery ordeals for vengeance but to test their loyalty, and so has he done with us. The Lord chastises those who worship him as a means of admonition.”^[b]

²⁸ The Elders’ Accord. Then Uzziah said to her: “Everything that you have said was spoken with a sincere heart, and there is no one who can deny your words. ²⁹ Today has not been the first time that you have given evidence of your wisdom, for from your earliest years all the people have recognized your good sense and the right disposition of your heart. ³⁰ However, the people were so parched with thirst that they led us to make this promise and to take an oath that cannot be broken. ³¹ But you are a God-fearing woman. Therefore, pray for us now, petitioning the Lord to send rain to fill our cisterns so that we shall no longer be faint with thirst.”

³² “Listen to me,” Judith said to them. “I intend to do something that will be remembered by our descendants through all future generations. ³³ Be present at the town gate tonight to let me go out with my maid. Before the days have ended that have been designated by you to surrender the town to our enemies, the Lord will deliver Israel by my hand.

^34 [c]“But do not question me about the plan I have in mind, for I will not reveal anything to you until I have accomplished what I intend to do.” ³⁵ Uzziah and the rulers said to her, “Go in peace, and may the Lord God be with you to take vengeance on our enemies.” ³⁶ Then they left her roof shelter and returned to their posts.

The Prayer of Judith^[d]

Chapter 9

Tribal Memories. ¹ Then Judith prostrated herself, strewed ashes on her head, and uncovered the sackcloth she was wearing. At the same time when the evening incense was being offered in the temple of God in Jerusalem, Judith besought the Lord in a loud voice:

Trust Only in God

Judith Goes to War

Chapter 10

The Preparations. ¹ When Judith had concluded her petition to the God of Israel and had ended all these words, ² she rose from the ground where she had been lying prostrate, summoned her maid, and went down into the house, whose use she restricted only to Sabbaths and feast days. ³ Removing the sackcloth she had been wearing and laying aside her widow’s garb, she bathed her body with water and anointed herself with precious perfumes. She arranged her hair, tied a ribbon around it, and donned the festive attire she was accustomed to wear when her husband Manasseh was still alive. ⁴ She put sandals on her feet and arrayed herself with anklets, bracelets, rings, earrings, and all her jewelry. In this way she made herself beautiful enough to entice the eyes of all the men who might see her.

⁵ She gave her maid a skin of wine and a flask of oil, and she filled a bag with roasted grain, cakes of dried figs, bread, and cheese. Wrapping up all these provisions, she gave them to the maid as well.^[g]

⁶ They then went out to the town gate of Bethulia, where they found Uzziah waiting with the elders of the city, Chabris and Charmis. ⁷ When they beheld Judith transformed in looks and dressed quite differently, they were amazed at her beauty and said to her, ⁸ “May the God of our ancestors grant his favor to you and crown your efforts with success, so that the Israelites may be glorified and Jerusalem may be exalted.”

Judith bowed down to God. Then she said to them, ⁹ “Order that the town gate be opened for me so that I may go forth and carry out the things you have just said to me.” They complied with her request and ordered the young men to open the gate for her. ¹⁰ When they had done so, Judith went out, accompanied by her maid. The men of the city continued to watch her until she went down the mountain and crossed the valley, at which point they lost sight of her.

¹¹ In the Enemy Camp. As the two women were proceeding straight across the valley, they were intercepted by an Assyrian patrol. ^12 [h]The soldiers took Judith into custody and asked her, “To what people do you belong? Where have you come from, and where are you going?” “I am a daughter of the Hebrews,” she replied, “and I am fleeing from them, because they are about to be delivered into your hands and become your prey. ¹³ I am on my way to see Holofernes, the commander-in-chief of your army, to give him a trustworthy intelligence report. I will show him a route by which he can gain control of the entire hill country without a single one of his men being either injured or slain.”

¹⁴ As the soldiers listened to what she had to say, they gazed upon her face and marveled at her beauty. ¹⁵ “By coming down so promptly to see our master, you have saved your life,” they said. “Go immediately to his tent. Some of us will escort you and present you to him. ¹⁶ When you are in his presence, do not be afraid. Just report to him what you have told us, and he will treat you well.” ¹⁷ Then they detailed a hundred of their men to serve as an escort for her and her maid, and they brought them to the tent of Holofernes.

¹⁸ When the news of her arrival spread through the tents of the camp, a crowd gathered around her as she stood outside the tent of Holofernes while he was being informed about her. ¹⁹ They were filled with admiration for her beauty, which caused them to feel a sense of wonder in respect to all the Israelites. They said to one another, “How can anyone despise these people who have women like this among them? It would be a wise move on our part not to leave a single one of their men alive, for if they get away, they will be able to beguile the entire world.”

Judith Meets Holofernes

²⁰ First Meeting. Then the bodyguards of Holofernes and all of his attendants came out and escorted her into the tent. ²¹ Holofernes was reclining on his bed under a canopy of purple and gold decorated with emeralds and other precious stones. ²² When they announced her to him, he came to the entrance of the tent, with lamps of silver borne before him. ²³ As Judith came into the presence of Holofernes and his attendants, they all marveled at the beauty of her face. She prostrated herself before him and paid him homage, but his attendants raised her up.

Chapter 11

¹ Then Holofernes said to her, “Have courage, woman! You have no reason to fear. I have never done harm to anyone who chose to serve Nebuchadnezzar, the king of the whole earth. ² As for your people who dwell in the hill country, if they had not insulted me, I would never have raised my spear against them. They have brought this on themselves. ³ But now tell me why you have fled from them and have come over to us. In any case, you have guaranteed your safety by joining us. Have courage! You will survive this night and countless nights thereafter. ⁴ No one will harm you. On the contrary, you will be well treated, as is true of all the subjects of my lord, King Nebuchadnezzar.”

⁵ Judith replied, “Please listen to the words of your servant, and allow your handmaid to speak in your presence. I will utter no deceitful untruth to my lord this night. ⁶ If you follow the advice of your handmaid, God will grant success to your efforts, and my lord will not fail to achieve any of his purposes. ⁷ By the life of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of all the earth, and by the power of him who has sent you to bring a sense of order to the lives of all creatures! Not only do all people serve him through you, but even the wild beasts, the cattle, and the birds of the air as a result of your power will live in the service of Nebuchadnezzar and his entire house! ⁸ We have indeed heard of your wisdom and cleverness. You are renowned everywhere throughout the whole world as being unsurpassed in ability anywhere in the kingdom, a man of superior intellect and brilliant as a military tactician.

⁹ “We have also learned of Achior’s speech to your council. When the men of Bethulia spared him, he told them everything he had said to you. ¹⁰ Please do not disregard his words, but keep them in mind, for what he said is true. Our people cannot be punished nor will the sword prevail over them unless they sin against their God. ¹¹ But now, my lord, you will not experience any defeat or failure, for sin has permeated their lives and they are doomed to die.

¹² “Since their food supply is exhausted and their water is desperately low, they have decided to slaughter their animals, and they are determined to consume all the things that God by his laws has forbidden them to eat. ¹³ They have decided to eat the firstfruits of the grain and the tithes of oil and wine that they had consecrated and reserved for the priests who minister in the presence of our God in Jerusalem—things it is unlawful for any layperson to so much as touch. ¹⁴ They have sent messengers to Jerusalem to seek authorization from the council of elders, since even the people there have been doing these things. ¹⁵ On the very day that authorization arrives and they act upon it, they will be handed over to you to be destroyed.

¹⁶ “When I, your servant, learned all this, I fled from them. God has sent me to accomplish with you such deeds that will astonish people throughout the world whenever they learn about them. ^17 [i]I, your servant, am a God-fearing woman, and I worship the God of heaven night and day. Now, my lord, I ask your authorization to remain with you. Every night your servant will go out into the valley and pray to God. He will reveal to me when they have committed their sinful acts. ¹⁸ Then I will come and let you know, so that you may go out with your whole army, and none of them will be able to withstand you. ¹⁹ I will guide you through Judea until you reach Jerusalem, and there I will set up your throne in the very center of the city. You will drive them as if they were sheep without a shepherd, and not even a dog will dare to growl at you. I have been granted foreknowledge of this; it was revealed to me, and I have been sent to proclaim it to you.”

²⁰ No Other Woman Is Her Equal! Her words pleased Holofernes and all his attendants. They marveled at her wisdom and exclaimed, ²¹ “No other woman from one end of the earth to the other is her equal in beauty and in wisdom of speech!” ²² Then Holofernes said to her, “God has done well in sending you ahead of your people so that victory will be ours and destruction will be the fate of those who have insulted my lord. ²³ Not only are you beautiful to behold, but you are eloquent in your wisdom. If you do as you have promised, your God shall be my God; furthermore, you shall dwell in the palace of King Nebuchadnezzar and you shall be renowned throughout the entire world.”

Chapter 12

Judith’s Conduct. ¹ Then he commanded them to bring her to the room where his silver dinnerware was kept, and he gave orders that a table be set for her with some of his own delicacies to eat and his own wine to drink. ² But Judith said, “I cannot partake of these, in case doing so might cause me to break our law. What I have brought with me will be sufficient for my needs.” ³ “Should your provisions run out,” Holofernes asked her, “where can we acquire more of the same kind to replenish your supply? None of your people are here with us.” ⁴ Judith replied, “As surely as you live, my lord, your servant will not use up the supplies I have with me before the Lord accomplishes by my hand what he has foreordained.”

⁵ Then the attendants of Holofernes led her into the tent, where she slept until midnight. Shortly before the morning watch she arose ⁶ and sent this message to Holofernes: “Please give orders, my lord, to allow your servant to go out and pray.” ⁷ Holofernes commanded his guards not to restrict her movements. She remained in the camp for three days, going out each night to the Valley of Bethulia and bathing in the spring of the camp. ⁸ After bathing, she would implore the Lord, the God of Israel, to guide her way toward the triumph of his people. ⁹ Then she would return, purified, to the camp and remain in the tent until she took her evening meal.

Judith Overcomes Holofernes

¹⁰ The Tragic Banquet. On the fourth day Holofernes held a banquet for his personal attendants only. None of his army officers was invited. ¹¹ He said to Bagoas, the eunuch in charge of his personal affairs, “Go to the Hebrew woman who is in your care and persuade her to come and join us and to eat and drink in our company. ¹² We would be disgraced if we let such a woman go without enjoying her favors. If we do not seduce her, she will laugh us to scorn.”

¹³ So Bagoas left the presence of Holofernes and approached Judith. “My fair maiden,” he said, “do not be reluctant to come to my lord and enjoy the honor of his company. Enjoy yourself, drink wine with us, and behave today like one of the Assyrian women who are in attendance at the palace of Nebuchadnezzar.” ¹⁴ “Who am I to refuse my lord?” Judith replied. “I am eager to do promptly whatever is pleasing to him, and that will be a source of joy to me until the day of my death.”

¹⁵ Thereupon she proceeded to adorn herself with her festive garments and all her feminine finery. Her maid went ahead of her and spread out on the ground for her in front of Holofernes the fleece^[j] she had received from Bagoas on which she might recline while dining. ¹⁶ Then Judith came in and took her place. Holofernes was overcome with desire for her, and his passion was aroused. He had been waiting for an opportunity to seduce her from the day he had first laid eyes on her. ¹⁷ He said to her, “Drink, and be merry with us!” ¹⁸ “I will gladly do so, my lord,” Judith replied, “for today is the greatest day of my life.” ¹⁹ Then she took what her maid had prepared, and she ate and drank in his presence. ²⁰ Holofernes was so enchanted with her that he drank a great quantity of wine, more than he had ever drunk on any one day in his entire life.

Chapter 13

The Critical Moment. ¹ When the hour grew late, his attendants quickly withdrew. Bagoas closed the tent from the outside and excluded the attendants from the master’s presence. They withdrew to their beds, for the banquet had lasted so long that they were all exhausted.^{[k] 2} Judith was left alone in the tent with Holofernes, who was sprawled on his bed, completely intoxicated. ³ Judith had instructed her maid to stand outside the bedchamber and to wait for her to come out, as was the case on the previous days. She had said that she would be going out to pray, and she explained this also to Bagoas.

Death of Holofernes. ⁴ When all had departed and no one of either great or minor importance was left in the bedchamber, Judith stood beside the bed of Holofernes and silently uttered this prayer: “O Lord, God of all power, look favorably in this hour on what I am doing for the glory of Jerusalem. ⁵ Now is the time to come to the aid of your heritage and to carry out my plan to crush the enemies who have risen up against us.”

⁶ She then went to the bedpost near the head of Holofernes and took the sword that hung there. ⁷ She drew close to his bed, grasped the hair of his head, and said, “Give me strength this moment, O Lord, God of Israel.” ⁸ Then with all her might she struck his neck twice and cut off his head.^{[l] 9} Next she rolled his body off the bed and pulled down the canopy from its posts. After this she came out and handed over the head of Holofernes to her maid, ¹⁰ who put it in the food pouch. The two of them then left the camp together, as they were accustomed to do when going out to pray.

Liberation Proclaimed. They passed through the camp, circled around the valley, and ascended the mountain to Bethulia. As they approached its gates, ¹¹ Judith called out to the sentries from a distance, “Open up! Open the gate! God, our God, is with us, still exhibiting his power in Israel and his strength against our enemies. He has done so this very day.” ¹² When the people of the town heard her voice, they hurried down to the town gate and summoned the elders. ¹³ All the people, of both high and low rank, came running, for it hardly seemed credible that she had returned safely. They opened the gate and welcomed the women, lighting a fire to provide light, and gathering around them.

¹⁴ Judith then cried out in a loud voice: “Praise God! Praise him! Praise God who has not withdrawn his mercy from the house of Israel but has destroyed our enemies by my hand this very night!”

¹⁵ Then she removed the head from the food pouch and held it up for them to see. “Behold the head of Holofernes,” she said, “the commander-in-chief of the Assyrian army, and here is the canopy under which he lay in a drunken daze. The Lord has struck him down by the hand of a woman. ¹⁶ As the Lord lives, who has protected me on my journey, I swear that it was my face that seduced him to his destruction, and that he committed no sinful act with me to cause my defilement or my disgrace.”^[m]

¹⁷ Blessed Are You above All Other Women!^[n] All the people were greatly astonished, and, bowing in worship to God, they spoke with a single voice: “Blessed are you, our God, for this day you have humiliated the enemies of your people.” ¹⁸ Then Uzziah said to her:

And all the people responded, “Amen! Amen!”