Judith 4:6-8:14

New American Bible (Revised Edition)

⁶ Joakim, who was high priest^[a] in Jerusalem in those days, wrote to the inhabitants of Bethulia and Betomesthaim, which is opposite Esdraelon, facing the plain near Dothan,^{(A) 7} and instructed them to keep firm hold of the mountain passes, since these offered access to Judea. It would be easy to stop those advancing, as the approach was only wide enough for two at a time.^{[b] 8} The Israelites carried out the orders given them by Joakim, the high priest, and the senate of the whole people of Israel, in session in Jerusalem.^(B)

Israel at Prayer. ⁹ All the men of Israel cried to God with great fervor and humbled themselves. ¹⁰ They, along with their wives, and children, and domestic animals, every resident alien, hired worker, and purchased slave, girded themselves with sackcloth.^{[c](C) 11} And all the Israelite men, women, and children who lived in Jerusalem fell prostrate in front of the temple^[d](D) and sprinkled ashes on their heads, spreading out their sackcloth before the Lord.^{(E) 12} The altar, too, they draped in sackcloth;^[e] and with one accord they cried out fervently to the God of Israel not to allow their children to be seized, their wives to be taken captive, the cities of their inheritance to be ruined, or the sanctuary to be profaned and mocked for the nations to gloat over.

¹³ The Lord heard their cry^[f] and saw their distress. The people continued fasting for many days throughout Judea and before the sanctuary of the Lord Almighty in Jerusalem.^{(F) 14} Also girded with sackcloth, Joakim, the high priest, and all the priests in attendance before the Lord, and those who ministered to the Lord offered the daily burnt offering, the votive offerings, and the voluntary offerings of the people.^{(G) 15} With ashes upon their turbans, they cried to the Lord with all their strength to look with favor on the whole house of Israel.^(H)

Chapter 5

Achior in the Assyrian War Council.^{[g] 1} It was reported to Holofernes, the ranking general of the Assyrian forces, that the Israelites were ready for battle, had blocked the mountain passes, fortified the high hilltops, and placed roadblocks in the plains. ² In great anger he summoned all the rulers of Moab, the governors of Ammon, and all the satraps of the coastland^{(I) 3} and said to them: “Now tell me, you Canaanites, what sort of people is this that lives in the hill country? Which cities do they inhabit? How large is their force? In what does their power and strength consist? Who has set himself up as their king and the leader of their army? ⁴ Why have they alone of all the inhabitants of the west refused to come out to meet me?”

^5 [h]Then Achior, the leader of all the Ammonites, said to him: “My lord, please listen to a report from your servant. I will tell you the truth about this people that lives in the hill country near here. No lie shall escape your servant’s lips.

⁶ “These people are descendants of the Chaldeans. ⁷ They formerly lived in Mesopotamia, for they did not wish to follow the gods of their ancestors who were in the land of the Chaldeans.^{(J) 8} Since they abandoned the way of their ancestors, and worshiped the God of heaven,^[i] the God whom they had come to know, their ancestors expelled them from the presence of their gods. So they fled to Mesopotamia and lived there a long time. ⁹ Their God told them to leave the place where they were living and go to the land of Canaan. Here they settled, and grew very rich in gold, silver, and a great abundance of livestock.^{(K) 10} Later, when famine had gripped the land of Canaan, they went down into Egypt. They stayed there as long as they found sustenance and there they grew into such a great multitude that the number of their people could not be counted.^{(L) 11 (M)}The king of Egypt, however, rose up against them, and shrewdly forced them to labor at brickmaking; they were oppressed and made into slaves. ¹² But they cried to their God, and he struck the whole land of Egypt with plagues for which there was no remedy. So the Egyptians drove them out. ¹³ Then God dried up the Red Sea before them^{(N) 14} and led them along the route to Sinai and Kadesh-barnea. They drove out all the inhabitants of the wilderness ¹⁵ and settled in the land of the Amorites. By their strength they destroyed all the Heshbonites,^(O) crossed the Jordan, and took possession of all the hill country.^{(P) 16} They drove out before them the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Shechemites,^[j] and all the Gergesites,^(Q) and they lived there a long time.

^17 (R)“As long as the Israelites did not sin in the sight of their God, they prospered, for their God, who hates wickedness, was with them. ^18 [k]But when they abandoned the way he had prescribed for them, they were utterly destroyed by frequent wars, and finally taken as captives into foreign lands. The temple of their God was razed to the ground, and their cities were occupied by their enemies.^{(S) 19} But now they have returned to their God, and they have come back from the Diaspora where they were scattered. They have reclaimed Jerusalem, where their sanctuary is, and have settled again in the hill country, because it was unoccupied.

^20 (T)“So now, my master^[l] and lord, if these people are inadvertently at fault, or if they are sinning against their God, and if we verify this offense of theirs, then we will be able to go up and conquer them. ²¹ But if they are not a guilty nation, then let my lord keep his distance; otherwise their Lord and God will shield them, and we will be mocked in the eyes of all the earth.”

²² Now when Achior had finished saying these things, all the people standing round about the tent murmured; and the officers of Holofernes and all the inhabitants of the seacoast and of Moab alike said he should be cut to pieces. ^23 (U)“We are not afraid of the Israelites,” they said, “for they are a powerless people, incapable of a strong defense. ²⁴ Therefore let us attack, master Holofernes. They will become fodder for your great army.”

Chapter 6

¹ When the noise of the crowd surrounding the council had subsided, Holofernes, the ranking general of the Assyrian forces, said to Achior, in the presence of the whole throng of foreigners, of the Moabites, and of the Ammonite mercenaries: ² “Who are you,^[m] Achior and the mercenaries of Ephraim, to prophesy among us as you have done today, and to tell us not to fight against the people of Israel because their God shields them? Who is God beside Nebuchadnezzar? He will send his force and destroy them from the face of the earth. Their God will not save them;^{(V) 3} but we, the servants of Nebuchadnezzar, will strike them down with one blow, for they will be unable to withstand the force of our cavalry. ⁴ We will overwhelm them with it, and their mountains shall be drunk with their blood, and their plains filled with their corpses. Not a trace of them shall survive our attack; they will utterly perish. So says King Nebuchadnezzar, lord of all the earth. For he has spoken, and his words will not be in vain. ⁵ As for you, Achior, you Ammonite mercenary, for saying these things in a moment of perversity, you will not see my face after today, until I have taken revenge on this people that came out of Egypt. ⁶ Then at my return, the sword of my army or the spear of my attendants will pierce your sides, and you will fall among their wounded. ⁷ My servants will now conduct you to the hill country, and leave you at one of the cities beside the passes. ⁸ You will not die until you are destroyed together with them. ⁹ If you still harbor the hope that they will not be taken, then there is no need for you to be downcast.^(W) I have spoken, and not one of my words will fail to be fulfilled.”

¹⁰ Then Holofernes ordered the servants who were standing by in his tent to seize Achior, conduct him to Bethulia, and hand him over to the Israelites. ¹¹ So the servants seized him and took him out of the camp into the plain. From the plain they led him up into the hill country until they reached the springs below Bethulia.

¹² When the men of the city saw them, they seized their weapons and ran out of the city to the top of the hill, and all the slingers kept them from coming up by hurling stones at them. ¹³ So, taking cover below the hill, they bound Achior and left him lying at the foot of the hill; then they returned to their lord.

Achior in Bethulia.^{[n] 14} The Israelites came down from their city and found him, untied him, and brought him into Bethulia. They placed him before the rulers of the city, ¹⁵ who in those days were Uzziah,^[o] son of Micah of the tribe of Simeon, and Chabris, son of Gothoniel, and Charmis, son of Melchiel.^{(X) 16} They then convened all the elders of the city, and all their young men, as well as the women, gathered in haste at the place of assembly. They placed Achior in the center of the people, and Uzziah questioned him about what had happened. ¹⁷ He replied by giving them an account of what was said in the council of Holofernes, and of all his own words among the Assyrian rulers, and of all the boasting threats of Holofernes against the house of Israel.

¹⁸ At this the people fell prostrate and worshiped God,^[p] and they cried out: ¹⁹ “Lord, God of heaven, look at their arrogance! Have mercy on our people in their abject state, and look with favor this day on the faces of those who are consecrated to you.” ²⁰ Then they reassured Achior and praised him highly. ²¹ Uzziah brought him from the place of assembly to his home, where he gave a banquet for the elders. That whole night they called upon the God of Israel for help.

Chapter 7

The Campaign Against Israel.^{[q] 1} The following day Holofernes ordered his whole army, and all the troops who had come to join him, to break camp and move against Bethulia, seize the passes into the hills, and make war on the Israelites. ² That same day all their fighting men went into action. Their forces numbered a hundred and seventy thousand infantry and twelve thousand cavalry, not counting the baggage train or the men who accompanied it on foot, a very great army. ³ They encamped at the spring in the valley near Bethulia, and spread crosswise toward Dothan as far as Balbaim, and lengthwise from Bethulia to Cyamon, which faces Esdraelon.

⁴ When the Israelites saw how many there were, they were greatly distressed and said to one another, “Soon they will strip the whole land bare. Neither the high mountains nor the valleys nor the hills will bear their weight.” ⁵ Yet they all seized their weapons, lighted fires on their towers, and kept watch throughout the night.^(Y)

The Siege of Bethulia.^{[r] 6} On the second day Holofernes led out all his cavalry in the sight of the Israelites who were in Bethulia. ⁷ He reconnoitered the ascents to their city and located their springs of water; these he seized, stationing armed detachments around them, while he himself returned to his troops.

⁸ All the rulers of the Edomites, all the leaders of the Moabites, together with the generals of the coastal region, came to Holofernes and said:^{(Z) 9} “Master, please listen to what we have to say, that there may be no losses among your forces. ¹⁰ These Israelite troops do not rely on their spears, but on the height of the mountains where they dwell, for it is not easy to reach the summit of their mountains.^{(AA) 11} Therefore, master, do not attack them in regular formation, and not a single one of your troops will fall. ¹² Stay in your camp, and spare every man of your force. Have some of your servants keep control of the spring of water that flows out at the base of the mountain, ¹³ for that is where the inhabitants of Bethulia get their water. Then thirst will destroy them, and they will surrender their city. Meanwhile, we and our troops will go up to the nearby hilltops and encamp there to guard against anyone’s leaving the city. ¹⁴ They and their wives and children will languish with hunger, and even before the sword strikes them they will be laid low in the streets where they live. ¹⁵ Thus you will render them dire punishment for their rebellion and their refusal to meet you peacefully.”

¹⁶ Their words pleased Holofernes and all his attendants, and he ordered their proposal to be carried out. ¹⁷ So the Ammonites moved camp, together with five thousand Assyrians. They encamped in the valley and held the water supply and the springs of the Israelites. ¹⁸ The Edomites and the Ammonites went up and encamped in the hill country opposite Dothan; and they sent some of their men to the southeast opposite Egrebel, near Chusi, which is on Wadi Mochmur. The rest of the Assyrian army was encamped in the plain, covering all the land. Their tents and equipment were spread out in profusion everywhere, and they formed a vast multitude.

The Distress of the Israelites. ¹⁹ The Israelites cried to the Lord, their God, for they were disheartened, since all their enemies had them surrounded, and there was no way of escaping from them.^{[s] 20} The whole Assyrian army, infantry, chariots, and cavalry, kept them thus surrounded for thirty-four days.^[t] All the reservoirs of water failed the inhabitants of Bethulia, ²¹ and the cisterns ran dry, so that on no day did they have enough water to drink, for their drinking water was rationed. ²² Their children were listless, and the women and youths were fainting from thirst and were collapsing in the streets and gateways of the city, with no strength left in them.

²³ So all the people, including youths, women, and children, went in a crowd to Uzziah and the rulers of the city. They cried out loudly and said before all the elders: ²⁴ “May God judge between you and us! You have done us grave injustice in not making peace with the Assyrians.^{(AB) 25} There is no one to help us now! God has sold us into their hands by laying us prostrate before them in thirst and utter exhaustion.^{(AC) 26} So now, summon them and deliver the whole city as plunder to the troops of Holofernes and to all his forces; ²⁷ we would be better off to become their prey. Although we would be made slaves, at least we would live, and not have to see our little ones dying before our eyes, and our wives and children breathing their last.^{(AD) 28} We adjure you by heaven and earth and by our God, the Lord of our ancestors, who is punishing us for our sins and the sins of our ancestors,^[u] that this very day you do as we have proposed.”^(AE)

²⁹ All in the assembly with one accord broke into shrill wailing and cried loudly to the Lord their God. ³⁰ But Uzziah said to them, “Courage, my brothers and sisters! Let us endure patiently five days more for the Lord our God to show mercy toward us; for God will not utterly forsake us. ³¹ But if these days pass and help does not come to us, I will do as you say.” ³² Then he dismissed the people. The men returned to their posts on the walls and towers of the city, the women and children went back to their homes. Throughout the city they were in great misery.

III. Judith, Instrument of the Lord^[v]

Chapter 8

Description of Judith. ^1 [w](AF)Now in those days Judith, daughter of Merari,^(AG) 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 Sarasadai, son of Simeon, son of Israel, heard of this. ² Her husband, Manasseh,^[x] of her own tribe and clan, had died at the time of the barley harvest. ³ While he was supervising those who bound the sheaves in the field, he was overcome by the heat; and he collapsed on his bed and died in Bethulia, his native city. He was buried with his ancestors in the field between Dothan and Balamon. ^4 (AH)Judith was living as a widow^[y] in her home for three years and four months. ⁵ She set up a tent for herself on the roof of her house, put sackcloth about her waist, and wore widow’s clothing.^{(AI) 6} She fasted all the days of her widowhood, except sabbath eves and sabbaths, new moon eves and new moons, feastdays and holidays of the house of Israel.^{(AJ) 7} She was beautiful in appearance and very lovely to behold.^(AK) Her husband, Manasseh, had left her gold and silver, male and female servants, livestock and fields, which she was maintaining. ⁸ No one had a bad word to say about her, for she feared God greatly.

Judith and the Elders.^{[z] 9} So when Judith heard of the harsh words that the people, discouraged by their lack of water, had spoken against their ruler, and of all that Uzziah had said to them in reply, swearing that he would hand over the city to the Assyrians at the end of five days, ¹⁰ she sent her maid who was in charge of all her things^[aa] to summon Uzziah, Chabris, and Charmis, the elders of her city. ¹¹ When they came, she said to them: “Listen to me, you rulers of the people of Bethulia. What you said to the people today is not right. You pronounced this oath, made between God and yourselves, and promised to hand over the city to our enemies unless within a certain time the Lord comes to our aid. ¹² Who are you to put God to the test today, setting yourselves in the place of God in human affairs?^{[ab](AL) 13} And now it is the Lord Almighty you are putting to the test, but you will never understand anything! ¹⁴ You cannot plumb the depths of the human heart or grasp the workings of the human mind; how then can you fathom God, who has made all these things, or discern his mind, or understand his plan?^(AM)

“No, my brothers, do not anger the Lord our God.