1° The subject, the divisionAs Saint John Chrysostom pointed out, three famous women from the Bible, RuthJudith and Esther, gave their names to the three books in which they are the glorious heroines. The name Judith (in Hebrew, YeHudit; in Greek, 'Ioudith) is the feminine form of Judah; it was once borne by one of Esau's wives. Cf. Gen. 26:34. It is perfectly suited to summarize the interesting little book which recounts the remarkable feat by which what remained of the Jewish people was saved, for a time, from Assyrian servitude.
An Assyrian king, emboldened by the conquest of Media, set out to subjugate all of Western Asia. His commander-in-chief, Holofernes, indeed conquered part of Asia Minor and the Syria The entire army; then he prepares to invade Palestine from the north. Then the high priest Eliachim, driven by religious patriotism, promptly organizes the defense of the country, while also practicing penance and prayer, through which the Jews hoped to touch the heart of the Lord and gain His protection. The victorious conqueror is halted in his advance by the resistance of the city of Bethulia; he surrounds it on all sides to prevent it from obtaining supplies and receiving aid. The inhabitants, reduced to the last extremity, make the painful decision to surrender; but Judith goes to the Assyrian camp and soon returns, bringing as a trophy the bloody head of Holofernes. The enemy army, suddenly attacked by the Jews, is crushed and scattered, and the people of God triumph. Such is the story in its broad outlines.
Two parts: the first, which serves as an introduction and preparation (1,1-6, 21), recounts the events that preceded and led to the siege of Bethulia; the second, which is the main part (7, 1-16, 31), sets forth in detail the deliverance of Bethulia and all of Palestine by the courageous exploit of Judith.
2° The author and the period of composition. — We know absolutely nothing for certain, and are reduced to conjecture regarding the author of the Book of Judith. These conjectures have abounded throughout the centuries, and the composition of this dramatic story has been attributed in turn to Judith herself, to the high priest Eliachim, to the Ammonite Achior, who plays an important role in these pages, and to twenty others, whose names are unnecessary to mention, since these are pure theories without solid foundation. However, one could say, generally speaking, that the author was a Jew who lived in Palestine, for he knew its territory and localities thoroughly.
The same disagreements arise among critics when it comes to simply determining the date of composition: almost every possible period between the 6th century BC and 117 AD has been suggested. It is the rationalists, understandably, who push the date as low as possible in order to strip the book of all authority. But here we have some rather valuable points of reference, which our best Catholic exegetes and Assyriologists have made excellent use of. First, we read in the Vulgate, at the very end of the book (16, 31), that the Jews instituted an annual festival in honor of Judith's exploit and the deliverance of Bethulia; now, this festival no longer existed after the Babylonian exile, from which it follows that our text predates the fall of Jerusalem. But here is another fact that allows us to be even more precise. No Jewish king is mentioned in the narrative, and, in the face of national peril, it is the high priest who takes charge of the country's defense. From this, it has been rightly concluded, firstly, that the kingdom of Israel no longer existed; and secondly, that the kingdom of Judah must then have been without a leader. This is precisely what happened, as the learned Bellarmine had already most aptly surmised, when Manasseh was deported to Babylon for a considerable period (cf. 2 Chronicles 34:11). This period, as we will soon explain with even greater clarity (see page 379, paragraph 4), fits perfectly with the historical data in the book and with the corroboration that this data receives from Assyrian monuments. Finally, let us add that the story of Judith must have been written quite soon after the events of which it is composed, at least not long after the death of the illustrious heroine (The death of Judith is indeed recounted at the end of the small volume, 16, 25 and ss.); this is what emerges from the freshness, the clarity, and the precision of most of the details.
3° the Hebrew text and the main versions— We will find ourselves here facing difficulties similar to those we encountered on this same point regarding the Book of Tobit (See page 336 of this volume). For our book as well, the Hebrew text has long since disappeared; one cannot even say with certainty what its language was. For our book as well, the translations that have been preserved differ markedly from one another: not in substance, which is everywhere the same, but in form and secondary features of the picture.
Saint Jerome (Proef. In libr. JudithHe regarded Chaldean as the original language: an opinion adopted by a number of exegetes. Others decide in favor of Hebrew, perhaps with greater plausibility. It is at least certain that the book was not written in Greek, as has sometimes been claimed, so abundant is the Greek text in turns of phrase and expressions that openly point to a Semitic origin.
The main versions are: 1° that of the Septuagint, which is the oldest of all, and of which there are several recensions quite different from one another (Less divergent, however, than the Greek texts of the Book of Tobit (see p. 336, n. 3). Saint Jerome strongly points them out); 2° and 3° the Itala and the Syriac translation, both based on the Septuagint text; 4° the Vulgate. The latter has important peculiarities, which are due above all to the special method that Saint Jerome followed in translating the Book of Judith. Taking the Chaldean text as his basis, he undertook this work, as he himself recounts ((Proef. In libr. Judith), in a quick and broad manner, during a time of great press. "Due to the many occupations that took up all my time, I devoted only a short evening to this book, translating more from meaning to meaning than from word to word. I eliminated a very vicious variant from several codices. I rendered into Latin only what I could find intelligible in the Chaldean words." We do not know exactly what this Chaldean text was; At least the method of the holy doctor suffices to explain certain omissions (cf. 1, 13-16; 2, 5-6, etc., in the Greek translation). As for the additions or other variants of some importance (cf. 1, 3 ff.; 3, 9; 4, 8-15; 5, 11-20; 6, 13-15 ff.; 7, 2 ff.; 9, 6 ff.; 10, 12 ff.; 15, 11; 16, 25), they come, of course, from the document that Saint Jerome had before him (the Vulgate). By comparing our official version with the Itala, we also see that Saint Jerome was often influenced by the ancient Latin translation, whose expressions he retains in many places. Despite these imperfections, "the Vulgate must be considered, in short, as the most faithful rendering of the original text, even if the Greek text, in certain places, is more accurate (Welte, Encyclopedic Dictionary of Catholic Theology, (Vol. 12, p. 403).»
In these various translations of the Book of Judith, what is no less surprising than the deletions, additions, and transpositions, and what disconcerts the interpreter much more, is the astonishing divergence in the transcription of proper names; for this sometimes results in genuine historical and geographical enigmas, which have not always been easy to solve. For example: 1, 6, Jadason in the Vulgate, 'Γδάσπης in Greek, '‘Ulaï (the river Eulyos of the Greeks) in Syriac; 1, 8, Cedar in the Vulgate, Γαλαάδ in Greek; 1, 9, terra Jesse in the Vulgate, γή Γεσέμ (the land of Gessen) in Greek; 11, 13, Tharsis (i.e., Tarsus in Cilicia) in the Vulgate, 'Ρασσίς in Greek; 2, 14, Chamber in the Vulgate, 'ΐξρώνα in ordinary Greek, (2, 24), Χεξρών in the Codex Sinaiticus, etc. (in such cases, the tendency of the copyist was to replace a name he did not know with a more familiar one).
4° The canonicity and historical character of the book; — Although deuterocanonical like the Book of Tobit, since it is also missing from the Hebrew Bible (see Volume 1, pp. 12 and 13), the Book of Judith has always been regarded by the Christian Church as an integral part of the Bible. Already, Saint Clement of Rome (1 Horn. 55) cites it among the inspired writings, and all the early Fathers do likewise. Saint Jerome states explicitly that the first Council of Nicaea "It was counted among the Holy Scriptures." Moreover, its presence in the Septuagint version, and the existence of two midrašim Hebrews, who recount the same events independently, demonstrate that the Jews, whether from Alexandria or Palestine, also recognized him as having genuine authority.
Not the slightest doubt arose, during the first fifteen centuries of the Christian era, concerning the historical nature of the Book of Judith. It was following Luther that people began to see in this entire story nothing more than a simple "religious fiction... which symbolizes the victory of the Jewish people over all their enemies" (Luther's words in his preface to the Book of Judith); and such is today the unanimous opinion of Protestant and rationalist exegetes (a few, however, consent to recognize here and there genuinely historical features), to which some Catholic writers have imprudently aligned themselves. But this opinion rests on no solid foundation, and we can oppose it with the most convincing extrinsic and intrinsic proofs. 1. Christian tradition is no less unanimous on this point than on that of canonicity. Here is how it was summarized by a contemporary author: "That which Saint Clement of Rome calls blessed, which the author of the Apostolic Constitutions calls very wise; Clement of Alexandria, perfect between women; Origen, magnificent and the noblest of all women; the one that Tertullian places among the saints, which Saint Ambrose proclaims admirable; Saint Augustine, glorious; Saint Fulgentius, a holy and illustrious widow; Saint Chrysostom, most holy This woman was certainly not regarded as worthless (and without historical reality) by such great figures (Nickes, Judithae's book, p. 11) » 2° This Christian tradition, as we have just said, is based on and continues the Jewish tradition; now the latter could not have been formed from supposed events, or from a «historical novel». Let us add that «the ancient Jewish prayers for the first and second Sabbaths of the Feast of Dedication contain a summary of the Book of Judith; which proves that the Israelites believed in the reality of the events recounted therein, for they could not have thanked God for an imaginary deliverance (Man. Bibl., t. 2, n. 537. Cf. Judith, 16, 31). 3. The very substance of the book, whether considered as a whole or in detail, guarantees that the sacred writer intended to recount strictly true and objective facts. Note in particular the genealogical (8, 1), geographical (1, 6-8; 2, 12-17; 3, 1, 14; 4, 3, 5, etc.), chronological (2, 1; 8, 4; 16, 28, etc.), and historical (1, 3-10, etc.) details with which the narrative is interspersed: they are all strikingly truthful. 4. It is true that numerous objections are raised against the veracity of the facts contained in the Book of Judith. We will point them out and refute them one by one briefly in the commentary, and it will be seen that they do not present anything serious (See Cornely, Historica et critica introductio in historicos Vet. Testamenti libros, t. 2, pars 1, pp. 401-412). On the other hand, as eminent Assyriologists have recently demonstrated, the Ninevite documents admirably justify the sacred narrative in its broad outlines and for a host of secondary details, to such an extent that it has been possible to say: "Only one thing is missing from the cuneiform annals, the name of Holofernes" (Vigouroux, Bible and Discoveries, t. 4, p. 303). » We will also take advantage of these valuable discoveries for the explanation; their apologetic character is manifest.
5° The purpose and usefulness of Judith's book. The entire purpose seems to be contained in this reflection by the Ammonite leader Achior to Holofernes, 5, 24-25: «Now then, my lord, investigate; if the Jews are guilty of any iniquity in the sight of their God, let us attack them, for their God will deliver them into your hands, and they will be subject to the yoke of your power; but if there is no offense of this people against their God, we will not be able to resist them, for their God will defend them, and we will be an object of reproach throughout the earth.» The historian thus intended to demonstrate to his coreligionists, through this remarkable episode in their history, that they had nothing to fear as long as they remained the faithful nation of God. This is the thought expressed in such lyrical terms in Psalm 45.
As for the usefulness of this beautiful story, it can be considered from three perspectives. From a historical standpoint, it is quite evident, since we have here an important addition to Jewish history. From a moral standpoint, what could be more edifying than the virtues of Judith, so often highlighted by the Church Fathers, particularly her faith, her spirit of prayer, and her chastity? Finally, from a symbolic standpoint, the valiant heroine has been regarded as a type of Married, the Immaculate Queen, Mother of God, to whom the Church applies the beautiful texts 13, 23, and 15, 10.
6° Authors to consult Didacus of Celada, Judith illustrates perpetuo commentario litterali et morali, Lyons, 1637; the commentaries of Serarius, of Cornelius a Lapide, of Calmet; Montfaucon, The Truth of Judith's Story, Paris, 1690; J. de la Neuville, The Book of Judith with Moral Reflections, Paris, 1728; Gillet, Tobias, Judith and Esther, Paris, 1879; F. Robiou, Two questions of chronology and history clarified by the annals of Ashurbanipal, Paris, 1875; A. Delattre, the The Book of Judith: A Critical and Historical Study, Paris, 1884; Palmieri, De veritate historica libri Judith, Golpen, 1886. See also F. Vigouroux, the Bible and modern discoveries, t. 4, pp. 275-305 of the 5th edition.
Judith 1
1 Arphaxad, king of the Medes, after having subjugated many nations to his empire, built a very strong city of hewn and squared stones, which he called Ecbatana. 2 He surrounded it with walls seventy cubits high and thirty cubits wide, and he built towers one hundred cubits high on it., 3 of square shape, each side being twenty feet wide, and he made the gates in proportion to the height of the towers. 4 He boasted of being invincible because of the power of his army and the multitude of his chariots. 5 Now, in the twelfth year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar, king of the Assyrians, who reigned in Nineveh, the great city, did the war to Arphaxad and defeated him 6 in the great plain called Ragau, with the help of those who live near the Euphrates, the Tigris and the Jadason, in the plain of Erioch, the king of the Elicians. 7 Then Nebuchadnezzar's dominion was enlarged, and his heart was lifted up, and he sent messengers to all who lived in Cilicia, in Damascus, and on Mount... Lebanon, 8 to the people of Carmel, of Cedar, to the inhabitants of Galilee, in the great plain of Esdraelon, 9 to all those who were in Samaria, beyond the Jordan River, as far as Jerusalem and throughout the land of Geshent as far as the borders of Ethiopia, 10 Nebuchadnezzar, king of Assyria, sent messengers to all these peoples. 11 And all, by common agreement, refused, they sent them away without gifts and had nothing but contempt for them. 12 Then King Nebuchadnezzar flew into a rage against all these countries and swore by his throne and by his kingdom to take revenge on all these lands.
Judith 2
1 In the thirteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, on the twenty-second day of the first month, it was decided in the house of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Assyria, that he would take revenge. 2 And he summoned all the elders, all his leaders and his warriors, and held a secret council with them. 3 He told them that his plan was to subjugate the entire earth to his empire. 4 This speech having been approved by all, King Nebuchadnezzar summoned Holofernes, commander-in-chief of his army, 5 and he said to him: «Go forth against all the kingdoms of the West and especially against those who have despised my command. 6 Your eye will spare no kingdom, and you will subdue all fortified cities to me. 7 Then Holofernes, having summoned the leaders and officers of the Assyrian army, enlisted men for the expedition, according to the king's order, numbering one hundred and twenty thousand infantrymen and twelve thousand mounted archers. 8 He preceded his army with an innumerable multitude of camels, with abundant provisions for his soldiers and countless herds of cattle and sheep. 9 He had wheat prepared along his route from all over the Syria. 10 He took immense sums of gold and silver from the king's household. 11 And he set out, he and all the army, with the chariots, the horsemen and the archers, who covered the face of the earth like grasshoppers. 12 Having crossed the border of Assyria, he arrived at the great mountains of Ange, which are north of Cilicia, and he penetrated all their fortresses and seized all the entrenchments. 13 He stormed the famous city of Melitene and plundered all the inhabitants of Tarsus, as well as the children of Ishmael who were opposite the desert and south of the land of Cellon. 14 Crossing the Euphrates, he went into Mesopotamia and forced all the strongholds of the region, from the Chaboras stream to the sea. 15 Then he seized all the countries bordering the Euphrates from Cilicia to the territory of Japheth, which extends southward. 16 He took captive all the sons of Midian, plundered all their riches, and put to death by the sword all those who resisted him. 17 He then went down into the countryside around Damascus at harvest time, burned all the crops, and had all the trees and vines cut down. 18 And the terror of his weapons seized all the inhabitants of the earth.
Judith 3
1 Then the kings and princes of all cities and all countries, knowing of the Syria Mesopotamian, of the Syria Soba, Libya, and Cilicia sent their ambassadors, who went to Holofernes and told him: 2 «Appease your anger against us, it is better, with our lives saved, to serve Nebuchadnezzar, the great king, and submit to you, than to die, having suffered, in perishing, the evils of servitude. 3 All our cities, everything we own, all our mountains, our hills, our fields, our herds of cattle, sheep, goats, horses, camels, all our possessions and our families are before you. 4 May everything we have be under your control. 5 We and our children are your servants. 6 Come to us as a peaceful master and use our services as you see fit.» 7 Holofernes then descended from the mountains with his horsemen, in great force, and he took control of all the cities and all the inhabitants of the country. 8 He took men from all the cities to serve as auxiliaries, valiant and chosen men for the war. 9 Such was the fear that gripped these provinces that the inhabitants of all the towns, magistrates and the most honorable people, as well as the common folk, came out to meet him at his approach. 10 and received him with crowns and torches, dancing to the sound of drums and flutes. 11 Nevertheless, even by this conduct, they could not soften the ferocity of his heart. 12 He destroyed their cities and cut down their sacred groves. 13 For Nebuchadnezzar had ordered him to exterminate all the gods of the earth, so that he himself would be called God alone by all the nations that the power of Holofernes could subdue. 14 After traveling the Syria and Soba, all Apamea and all Mesopotamia, he arrived among the Edumeans in the land of Gibeah, 15 And, having taken their cities, he stayed there for thirty days, during which time he mustered all the troops of his army.
Judith 4
1 The children of Israel who lived in the land of Judah, having heard these things, were seized with fear at the approach of Holofernes. 2 They felt a sense of dread and horror at the thought that he might treat Jerusalem and the temple of the Lord as he had treated the other cities and their temples. 3 They sent messengers throughout Samaria and the surrounding areas as far as Jericho, and they occupied all the mountain peaks beforehand. 4 They surrounded their towns with walls and stockpiled wheat to prepare for the fight. 5 The high priest Eliakim also wrote to all those who lived opposite Ezra, across from the great plain near Dothain, and to all those in whose territory the fords were located, 6 recommending that they occupy the mountain slopes through which one could go to Jerusalem and guard the passes that could offer a route between the mountains. 7 The children of Israel carried out the orders of Eliakim, priest of the Lord. 8 And all the people called upon the Lord earnestly, and they humbled their souls in fasting and prayer, they and their wives. 9 The priests put on hair shirts and the children prostrated themselves before the temple of the Lord, and the altar of the Lord was covered with a hair shirt. 10 And with one heart they cried out to the Lord, the God of Israel, that he would not allow their children to become prey to a conqueror and their wives to be plundered, that their cities would be given over to destruction and their sanctuary desecrated, and that they themselves would become an object of reproach among the nations. 11 Then Eliakim, the high priest of the Lord, went throughout the land of Israel and addressed the people, 12 saying: «Know that the Lord will answer your supplications, if you persevere in fasting and prayer in his presence. 13 Remember Moses, the servant of the Lord: Amalek trusted in his strength and in his power, in his army, in his shields, in his chariots and in his horsemen, Moses defeated him, not by fighting with iron, but by offering holy prayers to God. 14 The same will be true of all the enemies of Israel, if you persevere in the work you have begun.» 15 Following this exhortation, they begged the Lord, remaining in his presence: 16 so that even those who offered burnt offerings offered them to the Lord wearing sackcloth and with ashes on their heads. 17 And they all prayed to God with all their hearts, that he might visit his people Israel.
Judith 5
1 Holofernes, commander of the Assyrian army, was informed that the children of Israel were preparing for resistance and had closed the mountain passes. 2 Overcome with fury and burning with anger, he summoned all the princes of Moab and the leaders of Ammon, 3 And he said to them, «Tell me who this people is who occupies the mountains, what are their cities, what is their strength and importance, what is their military power, what is their number and who commands them. 4 Why are they the only ones, among all the peoples of the West, who have despised us and have not come out to meet us and receive us in peace?» 5 Then Achior, chief of all the Ammonites, answered him: «If you will listen to me, my lord, I will tell you the truth about this people who live in the mountains, and no false word will come out of my mouth. 6 This people are of the Chaldean race. 7 He first came to live in Mesopotamia, because they did not want to follow the gods of their fathers, who were in the land of the Chaldeans. 8 Having thus abandoned the rites of their ancestors, which honored a multitude of gods, 9 They worshipped the one God of heaven, who had commanded them to leave their country and go and dwell in Canaan. Famine having swept across the whole land, they went down to Egypt and there they multiplied so much for four hundred years that they became an innumerable multitude. 10 Harshly treated by the king of Egypt and forced to build their cities with mortar and brick, they called upon the Lord, their God, who struck the whole land of Egypt with various plagues. 11 The Egyptians drove them out of their homes and the plague ceased to afflict them, but they wanted to take them again and make them their slaves once more. 12 So the Israelites fled, and God opened the sea before them, so that the waters became solid like a wall on either side, and they were able to walk through the depths of the sea on dry ground. 13 The countless Egyptian army having pursued them there, it was buried under the waters, to the point that not one remained who could transmit to posterity the story of this event. 14 When the Israelites came out of the Red Sea, they occupied the deserts of Mount Sinai, in which no man could ever dwell, nor any son of man establish his residence. 15 There the bitter fountains turned into sweet waters to quench their thirst and for forty years they received their food from heaven. 16 Wherever they advanced without bow and arrow, without shield and sword, their God fought for them and won the victory. 17 And no one has ever triumphed over this people except when they turned away from the service of the Lord, their God. 18 But whenever they worshipped any other God besides him, they were given over to plunder, to the sword, and to disgrace. 19 And every time they repented of having abandoned the service of their God, the God of heaven gave them the strength to resist their enemies. 20 Finally they defeated the kings of the Canaanites, the Jebusites, the Perizzites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Amorites and all the powerful of Hesebon and they took possession of their lands and their cities. 21 As long as they did not sin in the presence of their God, happiness was with them, for their God hates iniquity. 22 Indeed, even before these last years, having strayed from the path God had commanded them to walk, they were cut to pieces in battles by several nations, and many of them were taken captive to a foreign land. 23 But recently, having returned to the Lord their God, they have gathered together after this dispersion, they have occupied all these mountains and they possess Jerusalem again, where their sanctuary is. 24 Now then, my lord, make inquiries: if they are guilty of any iniquity before their God, let us go up against them, for their God will surely deliver them into your hands and they will be subject to the yoke of your power. 25 But if this people has not offended their God, we will not be able to stand against them, for their God will defend them, and we will become an object of ridicule throughout the earth.» 26 When Achior had finished speaking, all of Holofernes' nobles, overcome with anger, plotted to kill him, saying to one another: 27 "Who is this man who dares to say that the children of Israel can resist King Nebuchadnezzar and his armies, they, people without weapons, without strength, strangers to the art of war?" the war ? 28 Therefore, to show Achior that he is deceiving us, let us climb these mountains, and when the strongest among them are in our hands, we will put him and them to the sword: 29 so that all nations may know that Nebuchadnezzar is the God of the earth and that there is no other besides him.»
Judith 6
1 When they had finished speaking, Holofernes, overcome with fury, said to Achior: 2 «Since, setting yourself up as a prophet, you announce to us that the people of Israel will be defended by their God, I want to show you that there is no God but Nebuchadnezzar. 3 When we have struck them all down as one man, you yourself will perish by the sword of the Assyrians, and all Israel will be destroyed with you. 4 You will then know that Nebuchadnezzar is the master of the whole earth. And then the sword of my soldiers will pierce your side; you will fall pierced among the wounded of Israel, and you will not breathe again, until you are destroyed with them. 5 If you believe that your prophecy is true, let your face cease to be downcast and let the pallor that covers it depart from you, if you imagine that my words cannot be fulfilled. 6 But so that you may know that you will perish with them, from this moment you will be associated with this people, so that when my sword inflicts upon them the punishment they deserve, you will fall with them under my vengeance.» 7 Then Holofernes ordered his servants to seize Achior, bring him to Bethulia, and deliver him into the hands of the children of Israel. 8 Holofernes' servants, having seized him, crossed the plain, but when they were near the mountain, the slingers came out against them. 9 The Assyrians turned away, skirting the mountain, tied Achior to a tree by his hands and feet, and, having left him there, they returned to their master. 10 Then the children of Israel, descendants of Bethulia, came to him and, having untied him, they brought him to Bethulia, then they brought him in the midst of the people and asked him why the Assyrians had abandoned him thus bound. 11 In those days, Ozias, son of Micha, of the tribe of Simeon and Charmi, also called Gothoniel, were the leaders who ruled in the city. 12 Achior then recounted, in the midst of the elders and in the presence of all the people, everything he had answered to Holofernes' questions, how Holofernes' people had wanted to kill him because of what he had said, 13 and how Holofernes himself had ordered, in his anger, that he be handed over to the Israelites for this reason, so that after his victory over the children of Israel, he would also put Achior to death by various tortures, because he had said that the God of heaven was their defender. 14 When Achior had finished his story, all the people prostrated themselves with their faces to the ground, worshiping the Lord, and, mingling their groans and tears, they poured out their prayers before the Lord with one heart., 15 saying: «Lord, God of heaven and earth, look upon their pride and consider our humiliation; turn your gaze upon the faces of your saints and show that you do not abandon those who put their trust in you, and that you humble those who presume upon themselves and are proud of their power.» 16 When the people had ceased weeping and had spent the whole day in prayer, they comforted Achior, 17 saying: "The God of our fathers, whose power you have proclaimed, will grant you in return to see their ruin. 18 And when the Lord our God has given this deliverance to his servants, may God still be with you among us, so that, as you please, you and all your family may live with us.» 19 When the assembly had separated, Ozias received Achior in his house and offered him a great feast. 20 He invited the elders and, the fast having been over, they ate together. 21 Then all the people gathered again and they prayed all night in the place where they were gathered, imploring the help of the God of Israel.
Judith 7
1 The next day, Holofernes ordered his troops to march against Bethulia. 2 His army consisted of one hundred and twenty thousand foot soldiers and twenty-two thousand cavalry, not counting the men who were able to the war whom he had taken prisoner, and the young men whom he had brought from the provinces and cities. 3 All together they prepared for battle against the children of Israel and, marching along the mountain to the summit which looks out onto Dothain, they camped from the place called Belma, to Chelmon, which is opposite Ezra. 4 When the children of Israel saw this multitude, they prostrated themselves on the ground and, covering their heads with ashes, they all prayed together to the God of Israel to show his mercy upon his people. 5 Then, having taken up their weapons of war, they occupied the places where small paths allowed passage between the mountains and they kept guard there day and night. 6 While exploring the surrounding area, Holofernes discovered a fountain outside the city, on the south side, which brought its waters there by an aqueduct, and he had this aqueduct cut. 7 However, not far from the walls, there were other springs where the besieged would secretly draw a little water, more, it seems, to relieve their thirst than to quench it. 8 But the sons of Ammon and Moab came to Holofernes, saying, «The children of Israel do not trust in their spears or in their arrows, but these mountains defend them and these hills hanging over precipices are their strength. 9 "So that you may triumph over them without giving battle, place guards near the springs to prevent them from drawing water; you will thus cause them to perish without a fight, or else, exhausted by thirst, they will surrender their city, which they consider impregnable because it is situated on the mountains."» 10 The advice pleased Holofernes and his officers, and he had a post of one hundred men stationed around each fountain. 11 This watch having been kept for twenty days, all the cisterns and reservoirs of water were dry for all the inhabitants of Bethulia, so that there was not enough left in the city to quench their thirst even for a single day, for water was distributed to the people by measure every day. 12 Then all the men and womenThe young people and children gathered around Ozias and, with one voice 13 They all said to him, «May God judge between you and us, for you have acted to our misfortune by refusing to make peace proposals to the Assyrians, and that is why God has delivered us into their hands. 14 That is why there is no one to come to our aid, even though thirst and great misery cause us to faint under their gaze. 15 Now then, gather together all those who are in the city, so that we may all surrender voluntarily to the people of Holofernes. 16 For it is better for us to have our lives spared and to bless God in captivity than to die and be disgraced by all men, after seeing our wives and children perish before our eyes. 17 Calling upon heaven and earth and the God of our fathers, who punishes us according to our sins, as witnesses today, we beseech you to deliver the city without delay into the hands of Holofernes' soldiers, so that we may meet a swift death by the sword, instead of a slow death in the throes of thirst.» 18 When they had spoken thus, there was lamentation and a loud cry throughout all the assembly, and all with one voice, for many hours, they cried out to God, saying: 19 «We have sinned with our fathers, we have been unfaithful, we have committed iniquity. 20 You, who are merciful, have pity on us, or else avenge our crimes by punishing us yourself, and do not hand over those who glorify you to a people who do not know you., 21 so that it will not be said among the nations, »Where is their God?” 22 After growing tired of shouting and crying, they fell silent. 23 Then Ozias stood up, his eyes filled with tears, and said: "Take courage, my brothers, and let us wait for five days." mercy of the Lord. 24 For perhaps he will turn away his anger and give glory to his name. 25 If help hasn't arrived after these five days, we will do what you suggested.»
Judith 8
1 These words were reported to Judith, a widow, daughter of Merari, son of Idox, son of Joseph, son of Uzziah, son of Elai, son of Jamnor, son of Gideon, son of Raphaim, son of Ahitob, son of Melkiah, son of Enan, son of Nathaniah, son of Shealtiel, son of Simeon, son of Israel. 2 Her husband, named Manasseh, had died at the time of the barley harvest. 3 As he was watching the harvesters, who were binding the sheaves in the fields, the heat of the sun struck him on the head and he died in Bethulia, his city, and was buried there with his ancestors. 4 Judith had been a widow for three years and six months. 5 She had built herself a secluded room on the roof of her house, where she remained locked up with her servants. 6 With her loins covered by a hair shirt, she fasted every day of her life, except on Sabbath days and new moon days and the festivals of the house of Israel. 7 She was very beautiful and her husband had left her great wealth, many servants and estates filled with herds of cattle and sheep. 8 She was held in high esteem by everyone, because she greatly feared the Lord, and no one said a word of blame about her. 9 Having learned that Ozias had promised to surrender the city after the fifth day, she sent Chabri and Charmi to the elders of the people. 10 They went to her and she said to them, "How could Ozias say that he would hand the city over to the Assyrians if help does not come to you in five days? 11 And who are you, to put the Lord to the test like this? 12 This is not a statement that attracts attention. mercy, but rather that which stirs up anger and ignites fury. 13 You have set a time for the Lord to exercise his mercy, and you have designated a day for him according to your good pleasure. 14 But because the Lord is patient, let us repent of this sin and implore his forgiveness with tears. 15 For God does not threaten as a man does, nor is he quick to anger like a son of man. 16 Let us therefore humble our souls before him and put within ourselves a spirit ofhumility, as befits his servants. 17 Let us pray to the Lord with tears that He may make us feel, in whatever way He pleases, the effects of His mercy, so that, as the pride of our enemies has sown discord in our hearts, so our humility that we may become a source of glory. 18 For we have not imitated the sins of our fathers, who abandoned their God and worshiped foreign gods. 19 It is because of this crime that they were handed over to the sword, to plunder, and to the mockery of their enemies, but we know no other God besides him. 20 Let us humbly await his consolation and he will avenge our blood on our enemies who afflict us, he will humble all the nations that rise up against us and he will cover them with shame, he, the Lord our God. 21 And now, my brothers, since you are the elders of God’s people and their lives depend on you, raise their hearts with your words, so that they may remember that our fathers were tested to see whether they truly served their God. 22 They must remember how Abraham, our father, was tempted and how, tested by many tribulations, he became a friend of God. 23 Likewise, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and all who pleased God went through many afflictions yet remained faithful. 24 But those who did not accept these trials with the fear of the Lord, and who gave free rein to their impatience and to abusive murmurings against the Lord, 25 Those were struck down by the exterminator, and the snakes destroyed them. 26 Let us not give in to impatience because of the ills we suffer. 27 But let us consider these torments, lesser than our sins, as the sticks with which the Lord chastises us, as his servants, to amend our ways, and let us believe that they were not sent to us for our destruction.» 28 Ozias and the elders answered him: «Everything you have said is true and there is nothing to criticize in your words. 29 Now then, pray to God for us, for you are a holy and God-fearing woman.» 30 And Judith said to them, "Since you acknowledge that what I have said is from God, 31 Test whether what I have resolved to do is also from Him, and pray that God will give me the strength to accomplish my purpose. 32 You will stand at the gate tonight and I will go out with my companion and pray that in five days, as you said, the Lord will look upon his people Israel. 33 But I do not want you to inquire about what I am undertaking until I return to give you news; do nothing but pray for me to the Lord our God.» 34 Uzziah, the prince of Judah, said to her, «Go in peace, and may the Lord be with you to take vengeance on our enemies.» And they left her and went away.
Judith 9
1 When they had left, Judith entered her oratory and, wearing a hair shirt, her head covered with ashes, she prostrated herself before the Lord and invoked him, saying: 2 «Lord, God of my father Simeon, who gave him the sword to avenge himself on the foreigners who, driven by passion, had raped a virgin and outraged her to her shame, 3 You who have given their wives to the kidnappers, their daughters into slavery, and all their spoils as an inheritance to your servants burning with zeal for your cause, help me, I beg you, Lord, my God, help a widow. 4 It was you who performed the wonders of old and who planned those that followed, and they were accomplished because you willed it. 5 All your paths are laid out in advance, and you have arranged your judgments by your foresight. 6 Look now at the camp of the Assyrians, as you once deigned to look at that of the Egyptians, when they pursued your servants with weapons in hand, trusting in their chariots, in their horsemen and in the multitude of their fighters. 7 But you looked at their camp and the darkness took away their strength. 8 The abyss caught their feet, and the waters swallowed them up. 9 May it be the same, Lord, with those who trust in their multitude, in their chariots, in their javelins, in their shields and in their arrows, and who are proud of their spears. 10 They do not know that you are our God, you who from the beginning subdue armies and whose name is Lord. 11 Raise your arm, as in ages past, break their power with your power, let their strength fall before your anger, they who promise to violate your sanctuary, to profane the tabernacle of your name and to cut down with their sword the horns of your altar. 12 Lord, grant that this man's pride may be struck down by his own sword. 13 Let him be captivated by the lakes of his gaze upon me and strike him with the sweet words of my lips. 14 Put in my heart enough firmness to despise it, enough strength to lose it. 15 It will be a memorable glory for your name if it is struck down by the hand of a woman. 16 For your power, Lord, is not in great numbers and your will does not depend on the strength of horses, and from the beginning the proud have not pleased you, but you have always been pleased with the prayer of humble and gentle men. 17 God of heaven, Creator of the waters and Lord of all creation, hear me, wretched one, who begs you and puts my trust in your mercy. 18 Remember, Lord, your covenant; give speech to my mouth, and strength to the purpose that is in my heart, so that your house may retain the holiness with which you have clothed it. 19 and that all nations acknowledge that you are God and that there is no other besides you.»
Judith 10
1 When she had finished her prayer to the Lord, Judith rose from the place where she had been prostrate on the ground before the Lord. 2 She called her servant and, having gone down to her house, she removed her hair shirt and stripped herself of her widow's clothes. 3 She washed her body, anointed herself with the finest myrrh, arranged her hair, put the turban on her head, dressed in her festive clothes, fastened sandals to her feet, took her bracelets, her necklace, her earrings and her rings, in short, adorned herself with all her ornaments. 4 The Lord further enhanced its splendor, because all this adjustment had its principle, not in voluptuousness, but in virtue; therefore the Lord increased its beauty in such a way that it shone in the eyes of all with an incomparable splendor. 5 Then she sent her servant a skin of wine, a jar of oil, roasted flour, dried fruit, bread and cheese, and she left. 6 Upon arriving, she and her servant, at the city gate, she found Ozias and the elders waiting for her. 7 Upon seeing her, they were filled with admiration for her beauty. 8 However, they did not ask her any questions and let her pass, saying, «May the God of our fathers grant you his grace, and may he strengthen by his power all the purposes that are in your heart, so that Jerusalem may be glorified because of you, and that your name may be listed among the saints and the righteous.» 9 Those present all responded with one voice: "Amen. Amen."« 10 And Judith and her servant went through the gates, praying to the Lord. 11 As she descended the mountain at daybreak, the Assyrian outposts met her and stopped her, saying, "Where do you come from and where are you going?"« 12 She replied, «I am a daughter of the Hebrews and I fled from among them, having recognized that they shall be given over to you as plunder, because they despised you and would not surrender willingly to you, to find favor in your sight. 13 That is why I said to myself: "I will present myself before Prince Holofernes, to reveal their secrets to him and show him a way in which he can capture them without losing a single man in his army."» 14 When these men had heard his words, they considered his face, and surprise was in their eyes, so great was their admiration for his beauty: 15 «You have saved your life,” they told him, “by making this decision to go down to our Lord.”. 16 You can be assured that when you appear before him, he will treat you well and you will be very pleasing to his heart.» Then, having led her to Holofernes’ tent, they announced it. 17 As soon as she entered his presence, Holofernes was immediately captivated by her eyes. 18 His officers said to him, “Who could despise the Hebrew people, who have such beautiful women? Do they not deserve that we should make them our possessions?” the war ? » 19 Judith saw Holofernes sitting under his pavilion, whose purple and gold fabric was adorned with emeralds and precious stones. 20 Having fixed her eyes on his face, she worshipped him, prostrating herself to the ground. Immediately, at their master's command, Holofernes' servants helped her up.
Judith 11
1 Then Holofernes said to him: "Be reassured and banish fear from your heart, for I have never harmed anyone who wanted to serve King Nebuchadnezzar. 2 If your people had not despised me, I would not have raised my spear against them. 3 Now tell me, why did you distance yourself from them and choose to come to us?» 4 Judith replied to her: «Accept the words of your servant, for if you follow the words of your servant, the Lord will fully accomplish his plans for you.”, 5 as surely as Nebuchadnezzar, the king of the earth, lives and his power lives, that power which you are the custodian of for the punishment of all who are astray, for not only are men brought by you to serve him, but even the animals of the field obey him. 6 Indeed, the wisdom of your mind is renowned throughout all nations; everyone knows that throughout his kingdom you alone are good and powerful, and your government is praised in all the provinces. 7 We also know what Achior said and we are not unaware of how you ordered him to be treated. 8 For it is certain that our God is so offended by the sins of his people, that he has announced to them by his prophets that he will deliver them to their enemies because of their unfaithfulness. 9 And because the children of Israel know that they have offended their God, they tremble with fear before you. 10 In addition, famine is pressing them and, with the water reservoirs dried up, they are already among the dead. 11 They even resolved to kill their livestock and drink their blood. 12 They have even resolved to use the things consecrated to the Lord their God, which God has forbidden them to touch—the grain, wine, and oil of the tithes and firstfruits—daring to feed themselves on things they are not even permitted to touch. Since they act in this way, they are sure to be destroyed. 13 This is what I, your servant, know, and I fled from them, and the Lord sent me to inform you. 14 For I, your servant, serve God, even now that I am with you, and your servant will go out of the camp to pray to God. 15 And he will let me know when he must punish them for their sin, and I will come and tell you. I will then lead you through Judea to Jerusalem, and you will find all the people of Israel like sheep without a shepherd, and not even a dog will bark at you. 16 It was God's foreknowledge that revealed these things to me., 17 And because he is angry with them, I have been commissioned to tell you about them.» 18 All this speech pleased Holofernes and his servants. They admired Judith's wisdom and said to one another: 19 «"There is no woman on earth like her in poise, beauty, and wisdom of speech." Holofernes said to her: 20 «God did well to send you before this people, to deliver them into our hands. 21 »Because your proposal is good, if your God does this for me, he will also be my God, and you will be great in the house of Nebuchadnezzar, and your name will become famous throughout the earth.”
Judith 12
1 Then Holofernes ordered that Judith be brought into the tent where her treasures were kept, so that she might stay there, and he arranged what was to be given to her from his table. 2 Judith replied, "I cannot eat the things you command me to be given now, for fear of committing a sin; I will eat what I have brought for myself."« 3 Holofernes said to him, "When the provisions you brought run out, what will we do for you?"« 4 «My lord,» replied Judith, “I swear by your life that your servant will not have consumed all these provisions before God has accomplished through my hand the plan I have formed.” And his servants led her into the tent he had designated. 5 Upon entering, she asked to be granted permission to go out at night and before daybreak to pray and invoke the Lord. 6 And Holofernes ordered his servants to let her come and go as she pleased, for three days to worship her God. 7 So every night she went out into the valley of Bethulia and washed herself in a fountain. 8 When she had gone back up, she prayed to the Lord, the God of Israel, to direct her way for the deliverance of his people. 9 Then, returning to her tent, she remained pure there until she ate her food towards evening. 10 On the fourth day, Holofernes gave a feast to his servants and he said to Vagao, his eunuch: "Go and persuade this Jewess to willingly agree to live with me. 11 It would be a disgrace for a man among the Assyrians if a woman mocked him and left him without having yielded to her desires.» 12 Then Vagao went to Judith and said to her, "Let the good girl not be afraid to come to my lord, to be honored in his presence, to eat with him and drink wine with joy."« 13 «"Who am I," replied Judith, "to resist my lord?" 14 "Whatever is good and excellent in his eyes, I will do, and whatever he prefers will be best for me, every day of my life."» 15 And she rose and, having adorned herself with her ornaments, she entered and presented herself before Holofernes. 16 Holofernes' heart was stirred, because he burned with desire for her. Holofernes said to her: 17 «"So drink and eat with joy, for you have found favor in my sight."» 18 Judith replied, "I will drink, my lord, for my soul is more honored this day than it has been all the days of my life."« 19 And taking what her servant had prepared for her, she ate and drank in his presence. 20 Holofernes was overcome with joy because of her and drank wine to excess, more than he had ever drunk in his life.
Judith 13
1 When evening came, Holofernes' servants hurried back to their tents and Vagao, having closed the doors of the chamber, left. 2 They were all weighed down by the wine, 3 and Judith remained alone in the room. 4 Holofernes was lying on his bed, deep in the drowsiness of complete drunkenness. 5 Judith had told her maid to stand outside the room and keep watch. 6 Standing before the bed, Judith prayed for some time with tears, silently moving her lips: 7 «Lord, God of Israel,» she said, “strengthen me and look favorably on the work of my hands, so that, according to your promise, you may rebuild your city of Jerusalem and that I may accomplish what I believed possible through your assistance.” 8 Having said these words, she approached the column that stood at the head of Holofernes' bed, detached his sword which was hanging from it, and, 9 Having drawn it from its sheath, she seized Holofernes' hair, saying, "Lord God, strengthen me at this hour."« 10 And with two blows to the back of his neck, she severed his head. Then she detached the curtain from the columns and rolled the decapitated body on the ground., 11 and, leaving without delay, she gave Holofernes' head to her servant, ordering her to put it in her bag. 12 They then both left, according to their custom, as if to go and pray, and after crossing the camp and going around the valley, they arrived at the city gate. 13 Judith called out from afar to the guardians of the walls: "Open the gate, for God is with us and he has shown his power in favor of Israel."« 14 Having heard his words, the guards called for the elders of the city. 15 Immediately all the inhabitants rushed towards her, from the smallest to the greatest, for they were beginning to despair of her return. 16 Lighting torches, they all gathered around her. Judith, ascending to a high place, commanded silence, and when all had fallen silent, 17 She said to them, «Praise the Lord our God, who has not abandoned those who hoped in him. 18 Through me, his servant, he has fulfilled his promises of mercy to the house of Israel, and this night he has killed by my hand the enemy of his people.» 19 Then, taking Holofernes' head out of the bag, she showed it to them, saying: "Here is the head of Holofernes, commander of the Assyrian army, and here is the curtain under which he lay in his drunkenness, when the Lord our God struck him by the hand of a woman. 20 As surely as the Lord lives, his angel guarded me when I left, during my stay among them, and when I returned, and the Lord did not allow his servant to be defiled, but he restored me to you without any stain of sin, full of joy at his victory, at my preservation, and at your deliverance. 21 All of you, sing his praises, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever.» 22 All of them, worshiping the Lord, said to him, «The Lord has blessed you in his strength, for through you he has destroyed all our enemies.» 23 Uzziah, the prince of the people of Israel, said to her, “My daughter, you are blessed by the Lord, the Most High God, more than all women who are on the earth. 24 Blessed be the Lord, creator of heaven and earth, who guided your hand to cut off the head of our greatest enemy. 25 He has made your name so glorious today that your praise will never disappear from the mouths of men, who will forever remember the power of the Lord, for you did not spare your life on their behalf when you saw the suffering and distress of your people, but you saved us from ruin by walking uprightly before our God.» 26 And all the people responded, "Amen. Amen."« 27 Then Achior was brought in and Judith said to him: "The God of Israel, to whom you gave this testimony that he takes vengeance on his enemies, himself cut off this night, by my hand, the head of the leader of all the infidels. 28 And to convince you that this is so, here is the head of Holofernes who, in the insolence of his pride, scorned the God of Israel and threatened you with death, saying: "When the people of Israel are defeated, I will put you to the sword."» 29 At the sight of Holofernes' head, Achior shuddered with horror, fell face down to the ground and fainted. 30 When he had regained his senses and come to, he prostrated himself at Judith's feet and said to her: 31 «Be proclaimed blessed by your God in all the tents of Jacob. Among all the peoples who hear your name, the God of Israel will be glorified because of you.»
Judith 14
1 Then Judith said to all the people: «Listen to me, my brothers, hang this head on the top of our walls. 2 And when the sun has risen, let each one take up his weapons, then go out impetuously, not just to go down into the valley, but as if to make a general attack. 3 The outposts will then have to flee towards their general, in order to wake him up for the fight. 4 And when their leaders have run to Holofernes' tent and find him beheaded, bathed in his blood, terror will seize them. 5 And when you see them fleeing, boldly pursue them, for the Lord will crush them before your eyes.» 6 Then Achior, seeing the power that the God of Israel exercised, abandoned the worship of the nations, believed in God, was circumcised, and was incorporated into the people of Israel, as were all his descendants, to this day. 7 As soon as day broke, the inhabitants of Bethulia hung Holofernes' head on the walls and, each man having taken up his weapons, they left the city with a great tumult and loud cries. 8 The outposts, having noticed this, ran to Holofernes' tent. 9 Those who were in the tent came and made noise at the bedroom door to wake him, deliberately increasing the tumult so that Holofernes would be roused from his sleep by all this noise, without one of his men needing to wake him. 10 For no one dared, either by knocking or by entering, to open the door of the bedroom of the greatest of the Assyrians. 11 But when his generals, his commanders, and all the officers of the army of the king of Assyria had arrived, they said to the chamberlains: 12 «"Go in and wake him, for these rats have come out of their holes and dared to challenge us to a fight."» 13 Then Vagao, having entered the room, stopped in front of the curtain and clapped his hands, for he imagined that his master was sleeping with Judith. 14 But when, listening intently, he heard no movement from a man who might have been lying there, he approached the curtain and, having raised it, he saw the corpse of Holofernes lying on the ground, headless and bathed in his own blood. At once he gave a loud cry, weeping, and tore his clothes. 15 And, having entered Judith's tent, he did not find her. He went out in haste to the people, 16 and said: "One Jewish woman has caused confusion in the house of King Nebuchadnezzar; now Holofernes is lying on the ground, his head no longer attached to his body."« 17 Upon hearing these words, all the princes of the Assyrian army tore their clothes; extreme fear and terror seized them, and their minds were shaken., 18 and an unspeakable clamor resounded in the middle of their camp.
Judith 15
1 When the whole army learned that Holofernes had been beheaded, they lost all sense and all prudence and, listening only to fear and terror, they sought their salvation in flight. 2 Without saying a word to each other, heads bowed and leaving everything behind, eager to escape the Hebrews whom they heard coming towards them with weapons in hand, they fled across fields and along mountain paths. 3 The children of Israel, seeing them flee, began to pursue them; they went down blowing trumpets and shouting loudly behind them. 4 And as the Assyrians fled scattered and in great haste, the children of Israel, who pursued them united in one body, cut to pieces all those they could reach. 5 At the same time, Ozias sent messages to all the cities and all the countryside of Israel. 6 Thus each village and each town, having made the elite of their young men take up arms, sent them after the Assyrians and they pursued them at swordpoint to their extreme border. 7 Those who had remained in Bethulia entered the Assyrian camp, carried off the spoils that the Assyrians had abandoned in their flight and returned laden with them. 8 On the other hand, those who returned to Bethulia after the victory brought with them everything that had belonged to the Assyrians, countless cattle, draft animals and all their baggage, so that everyone, from the smallest to the greatest, became rich from their spoils. 9 Joakim, the high priest, came from Jerusalem to Bethulia, with all his elders, to see Judith. 10 When she came out to meet him, they all blessed her with one voice, saying, “You are the glory of Jerusalem, you are joy of Israel, you are the honor of our people 11 For you have shown a manly soul and your heart has been full of valor. Because you have loved chastity and, after losing your husband, you have not wished to know another, the hand of the Lord has clothed you with strength, and you will be blessed forever.» 12 All the people responded, "Amen. Amen."« 13 It took the people of Israel barely thirty days to collect the spoils of the Assyrians. 14 Everything that was recognized as having belonged to Holofernes, the gold and silver, the clothes, the precious stones and all the various objects, was given to Judith and all of it was abandoned to her by the people. 15 And all the people rejoiced, with womenThe young girls and young men, to the sound of harps and zithers.
Judith 16
1 Then Judith sang this hymn to the Lord, saying: 2 «Sing praises to the Lord with tambourines, sing praises to the Lord with cymbals, play a new song in his honor, exalt and acclaim his name. 3 The Lord puts an end to wars; the Lord is his name. 4 He pitched his camp in the midst of his people, to deliver us from the hands of all our enemies. 5 Assur came from the mountains, from the north side, with myriads of his warriors; their multitude stopped the torrents and their horses covered the valleys. 6 He vowed to ravage my territory with fire, to sacrifice my young men with the sword, to make my children his spoils, and my virgins his captives. 7 But the Almighty Lord covered him with shame, he delivered him into the hands of a woman, and she triumphed over him. 8 Their hero did not fall to the blows of the youths, the sons of the brave did not strike him, the towering giants did not challenge him. It was Judith, the daughter of Merari, who overcame him with the beauty of her face. 9 She has taken off the garments of her widowhood, she has adorned herself with her festive garments, for the triumph of the children of Israel, 10 She poured perfumed oil over her face, arranged the curls of her hair under her turban, and put on a new dress to seduce him. 11 The brilliance of her sandal dazzled her eyes, her beauty captivated her soul, and she cut off his head with the sword. 12 The Persians trembled at his valor, the Medes at his audacity, 13 The Assyrian camp resounded with shouts when my men appeared, exhausted and parched with thirst. 14 The sons of young women pierced them and killed them like fleeing children: they perished in the battle, before the face of the Lord my God. 15 Let us sing a hymn to the Lord, let us sing to the Lord a new hymn: 16 Sovereign master, Lord, you are great and magnificent in your power and none can surpass you. 17 May all your creatures serve you, because you spoke and all was done, you sent your spirit and all was created, and none can resist your voice. 18 The mountains, as well as the waters, are shaken to their foundations, the stones melt like wax before your face, 19 But those who fear you are great before you in all things. 20 Woe to the nation that rises up against my people, for the Lord Almighty will take vengeance on it; he will visit it on the day of judgment., 21 He will give their flesh over to fire and worms, so that they may burn and suffer this torment eternally.» 22 After this victory, all the people went to Jerusalem to worship the Lord and, as soon as they were purified, they offered all the burnt offerings and fulfilled their vows and promises. 23 Judith offered all of Holofernes' weapons, which the people had given her, and the curtain that she herself had removed from the bed, as anathema of forgetfulness. 24 All the people were rejoicing in front of the sanctuary and joy This victory was celebrated with Judith for three months. 25 When these festive days had passed, everyone returned to their homes, Judith was honored in Bethulia and she enjoyed a great renown throughout the land of Israel. 26 Combining courage with chastity, she did not know a man for the rest of her life, after the death of Manasseh, her husband. 27 On festive days, she appeared magnificently adorned. 28 After living for one hundred and five years in her husband's house and setting her servant free, she died and was buried in Bethulia with her husband., 29 And all the people mourned her for seven days. 30 Throughout his life and after his death, there was no one, for many years, who disturbed peace of Israel. 31 The feast day instituted in remembrance of this victory is counted by the Hebrews among the holy days and it has been celebrated by the Jews from that time until today.
Notes on the Book of Judith
The Book of Judith is yet another one that Jews and Protestants wrongly classify as apocryphal.
1.1 SO. This particle, which is absent in Greek, presupposes something preceding it, so it is quite likely that this story is taken from the ancient annals of the Hebrews. Ecbatana. See 1 Ezra, note 6.2. ― On Arphaxad, see the’Introduction. ― Built ; that is to say, he rebuilt, enlarged, and embellished Ecbatana, which Deioces his father had built.
1.2 The edition published in Rome in 1861 by PC Vercellone bears the following inscription: Seventy cubits high, and thirty cubits wide ; a lesson which, in all respects, should be preferred.
1.3 It stretched out in a square, That is to say, the towers were square.
1.5 Nebuchadnezzar, The king of Nineveh was likely Ashurbanipal. No king of Assyria bore the name Nebuchadnezzar (meaning, "May the god Nebo protect the crown"), because the god Nebo was not worshipped in that country, but only in Babylonia. However, since Ashurbanipal ruled over both Babylonia and Assyria, it can be assumed that, as king of Babylon, he adopted a name that paid homage to the god of that region. Ashurbanipal recounts in his inscriptions that he defeated the Medes. After this victory, he sought to re-establish his power over Western Asia, which had revolted, from Lydia, where Gyges reigned, to Memphis in Egypt, where Psammetichus, son of Necho, reigned.
1.8 Cedar. See Psalm 119, 5.
1.10 To all these peoples. Some of these peoples were already subject to him; but he wanted to be rendered all divine honors.
1.11 Empty hands without bringing gifts, a sign of their submission to Nebuchadnezzar.
2.6 Your eye will spare no one, etc., Hebraism, for, you will strike with your eyes closed ; That is to say, without any consideration or distinction whatsoever.
2.12 Mountains of Angé, Argea of Greek authors, main peak of the mountains in central Cappadocia.
2.13 Melothi, Melitene, a city in Cappadocia. ― Tharse, Tarsus, a city in Cilicia. See Acts of the Apostles, note 9.30.
3.2 What if, upon dying, etc.; that is to say, if we were to die after having suffered the evils attached to servitude.
3.10 By holy things we commonly hear the sanctuary.
4.12 If you still persevere ; literally and through Hebraism, If you are persistent, you will persevere.
4.13 See Exodus 17:12. Amalec. See Exodus note 17.8.
5.3 The king ; that is to say the chief; this is indeed the meaning that it often has in Greek and Hebrew.
5.7 See Genesis 11:31.
5.9 See Genesis 12, 1; 46, 6. ― The Israelites remained only two hundred and some years in Egypt; but one could find these four hundred by including the stay they made in the land of Canaan since Abraham had withdrawn there.
5.11 See Exodus 12:33.
5.12 See Exodus 14:29.
5.14 See Jeremiah 2:6.
5.21 The property, etc., were with them ; They were happy, they were content.
5.22 Before these last ones, etc. The ten tribes had recently been taken captive by Shalmaneser to Assyria, and Manasseh must have only recently been brought to Babylon (see 2 Kings, 17, vv. 3, 6; 2 Chronicles, 33, 11).
5.23 Their holy things. See Judith, 4, 10.
6.3 Will perish completely ; literally and through Hebraism will perish by loss.
6.11 Towards Bethulia. House of the ascent.
6.14 See Judith, 5, 6-25.
6.17 It will be you, etc. By these words the Israelites allude to the completely opposite words that Holofernes had spoken (see verses 3 to 6).
6.21 The meeting placeThat is to say, prayer. The Jews in the cities far from Jerusalem had places where they gathered to praying together.
7.2 Besides armed men ; literally Besides the preparations or the arming of the men ; For, in the language of Scripture, these two words are synonymous when referring to wars and battles. That captivity had reached ; who had been taken captive by Holofernes.
7.7 To cool off, etc.; that is to say, to relieve their thirst, rather than to quench it; for the little water they could take was not enough to quench their thirst.
7.13 See Exodus 5:21.
7.19 See Psalm 105:6.
7.23 Ozias was probably convinced that the people could suffer from thirst for five days, and he hoped at the same time that in that interval the high priest would send them some help to defend themselves.
7.24 Will he give, etc., that is to say, will he glorify his name, will he cause the glory of his name to shine forth?
8.1 It happened that Judith learned ; literally that Judith having learned ; which leaves the sentence suspended and unfinished. The Greek simply says: And Judith learned. - Instead of Ruben, Greek and Syriac read Israel. Reuben, in fact, was a son of Israel or Jacob. Moreover, Judith expressly names as patriarch of her tribe this Simeon who was the son of Jacob (see Judith, 9, 2). Finally, we do not read the name of Simeon among the sons of Reuben, in any of the various genealogical lists of the patriarchs.
8.3 The intense heat came over his head ; He was struck by sunstroke, a common accident in Palestine.
8.5 A secret room, in Greek, a tent. She had set up a kind of tent on the terrace of her house, which formed its roof, where she lived in seclusion.
8.6 The neomenia, the days of the new moon, which marked the beginning of a month.
8.7 By large family We usually hear a large number of servants.
8.10 What is, etc. In other words: What is the reason why.
8.12 A word ; or one thing.
8.21 Their soul ; Hebraism, for their life.
8.22 See Genesis 22:1.
8.24 Who gave testimony, etc. See Numbers,11, 1 ; 14, 2 ; 20, 2-6.
8.25 See 1 Corinthians 10:9.
8.26 Let us not take revenge out of impatience; let's not get irritated.
8.32 With my servant, in Latin abra mea. This was not an ordinary servant, but a trusted woman, undoubtedly the one among her servants who was placed at the head of all the others.
9.2 See Genesis 34:26. — Judith here praises the zeal Simeon displayed in avenging God's glory and the outrage committed by the Shechemites against his sister; but by no means the inhumane manner in which he carried out this vengeance. See Genesis 34, 30; 49, 5-7.
9.3 Who burned, etc., literally and through Hebraism, who have been zealous, Or were zealous with zeal.
9.6 See Exodus 14:9.
9.7 They tired them. At the crossing of the Red Sea, the Egyptians were anxious; they could not advance because of the darkness that enveloped them. See Exodus 14, vv. 19, 24.
9.10 You break up ; YOU Stop it, you halt it.
9.11 Your holy things. See Judith, 4, 10. ― The horn of your altar. At the four corners of the altar of burnt offerings were four horn-shaped protuberances.
9.13 Through my gracious words ; literally through the lips of my grace. Compare (Psalm 44, 3) to the expression Grace is poured upon your lipsHere, as often elsewhere, Saint Jerome gave a Latin word, derived from Greek, the meaning it has in that language. Judith intended to use her beauty to destroy Holofernes, but her sole aim was to save her people by killing the leader of the enemy army. It is her intention that gives merit to her action. She risked her own life for the salvation of Israel. Moreover, she had the right to kill Holofernes, either by trickery or by violence, since the Assyrian general was the war to the inhabitants of Bethulia.
9.15 See Judges 4:21; 5:26.
10.3 A mitre, high hairstyle. ― Small ornaments on the right hand, bracelets. ― Lilies, a necklace or other ornament with lily-shaped flowers.
10.12 and following Without condoning the lies Judith tells, one can say with Saint Thomas Aquinas that, through an invincible error, she imagined they were permitted because of the circumstances in which she found herself. The same can be said of the rest of her conduct.
10.15 You have, etc.; Hebraism for, you saved your life.
10.19 In a pavilion, This was undoubtedly a mosquito net, highly ornate as befitted the general of a large army. A mosquito net is a fabric that prevents mosquitoes, very numerous in the East, from entering, thus protecting against their bites and their whistling. flag is translated further on, see Judith, 13, 10, by curtain.
10.20 She bowed, etc.; as was the custom when one appeared before the great ones.
11.4 Will finish, etc.; will give you complete success.
11.7 See Judith, 5, 5.
11.10 The lack of water ; literally the water drought ; ellipsis for, the drought produced by the lack of water.
11.12 Holy things, etc. Things consecrated to the Lord, such as the first fruits of the wheat, etc.
11.19 For the meaning of the words ; That is to say, for the wisdom that is in his words.
12.2 What a scandal!, etc.; that I cause scandal by using unclean meats. Compare to Tobie, 1, 12.
12.7 Among the Jews, as among several other peoples of the East, people washed themselves before prayer.
12.10 That she consents, etc. Judith could have married Holofernes without breaking the law.
12.18 More than ever before. ; ellipsis for, more than she said in, etc.
13.9 It is important to note that, among the peoples of antiquity, the murder of an enemy was always permissible. Thus, Judith, with the consent of the leaders of Bethulia, and having the liberation of that city upon her, was able to legitimately put to death the unjust aggressor of her homeland.
13.10 Curtain. The curtain served as a mosquito net. See Judith, 10, 19.
13.18 God did indeed promise that he would protect the Israelites from their enemies, as long as they served him faithfully and observed his law. See Leviticus, 26, vv. 3, 7-8.
13.20 The Lord himself lives! Oath formula, which is equivalent to: I swear by the Lord himself that.
13.21 See Psalm 105:1; 106:1.
13.25 For love of which. According to some exegetes, because. ― Your soul ; Hebraism for your life.
14.10 From the general ; literally Power ; ellipsis for, of the head of the power, that is, the commander of the army. Compare to verse 17.
14.13 In front of the curtain, probably a curtain that insulated the part of the tent where the bed was.
14.14 Listening ; literally by the sense of the ears.
14.17 From the army ; literally power. Compare to verse 10.
15.9 His priests ; or the elders of the people. The Greek word for it is: The senate Or the elders of the children of Israel who lived in Jerusalem.
15.15 All peoples ; that is to say, the entire multitude of men.
16.3 Breaks the wars. See Judith, 9, 10.
16.5 Its large multitude ; literally and through Hebraism the multitude of its strength.
16.8 Sons of Titans… giants. These words probably translate the words Raphael And Enacim which were supposed to be in the Hebrew text.
16.12 The Persians… and the Medes They were probably part of Holofernes' army as auxiliaries.
16.16 Adonai means in Hebrew, master, lord.
16.17 See Genesis 2, 1; Psalm 32, 9.
16.23 Anathema of oblivion ; That is to say, according to some, as a monument consecrated to God, and which was to prevent the Israelites forever from forgetting the remarkable victory that the Lord had just granted them; or, according to others, a monument consecrated to God, and intended to make them forget past evils.
16.24 Holy things. See Judith, 4, 10.
