Sefarim
Yehudit15
Judith · Chapter 15
And when they that were in the tents heard, they were astonished at the thing that was done.
And fear and trembling fell upon them, so that there was no man that durst abide in the sight of his neighbour, but rushing out all together, they fled into every way of the plain, and of the hill country.
They also that had camped in the mountains round about Bethulia fled away. Then the children of Yisra'el, every one that was a warrior among them, rushed out upon them.
Then sent Ozias to Betomasthem, and to Bebai, and Chobai, and Cola and to all the coasts of Yisra'el, such as should tell the things that were done, and that all should rush forth upon their enemies to destroy them.
Now when the children of Yisra'el heard it, they all fell upon them with one consent, and slew them unto Chobai: likewise also they that came from Yerushalayim, and from all the hill country, (for men had told them what things were done in the camp of their enemies) and they that were in Galaad, and in Galilee, chased them with a great slaughter, until they were past Damascus and the borders thereof.
And the residue that dwelt at Bethulia, fell upon the camp of Assur, and spoiled them, and were greatly enriched.
And the children of Yisra'el that returned from the slaughter had that which remained; and the villages and the cities, that were in the mountains and in the plain, gat many spoils: for the multitude was very great.
Then Joacim the high kohen, and the ancients of the children of Yisra'el that dwelt in Yerushalayim, came to behold the good things that Elohim had shewed to Yisra'el, and to see Judith, and to salute her.
And when they came unto her, they blessed her with one accord, and said unto her, Thou art the exaltation of Yerushalayim, thou art the great glory of Yisra'el, thou art the great rejoicing of our nation:
Thou hast done all these things by thine hand: thou hast done much good to Yisra'el, and Elohim is pleased therewith: blessed be thou of the Almighty master for evermore. And all the people said, So be it.
And the people spoiled the camp the space of thirty days: and they gave unto Judith Holofernes his tent, and all his plate, and beds, and vessels, and all his stuff: and she took it and laid it on her mule; and made ready her carts, and laid them thereon.
Then all the women of Yisra'el ran together to see her, and blessed her, and made a dance among them for her: and she took branches in her hand, and gave also to the women that were with her.
And they put a garland of olive upon her and her maid that was with her, and she went before all the people in the dance, leading all the women: and all the men of Yisra'el followed in their armour with garlands, and with songs in their mouths.
Sefarim
Yehudit16
Judith · Chapter 16
Then Judith began to sing this thanksgiving in all Yisra'el, and all the people sang after her this song of praise.
And Judith said, Begin unto my Elohim with timbrels, sing unto my master with cymbals: tune unto him a new psalm: exalt him, and call upon his name.
For Elohim breaketh the battles: for among the camps in the midst of the people he hath delivered me out of the hands of them that persecuted me.
Assur came out of the mountains from the north, he came with ten thousands of his army, the multitude whereof stopped the torrents, and their horsemen have covered the hills.
He bragged that he would burn up my borders, and kill my young men with the sword, and dash the sucking children against the ground, and make mine infants as a prey, and my virgins as a spoil.
But the Almighty master hath disappointed them by the hand of a woman.
For the mighty one did not fall by the young men, neither did the sons of the Titans smite him, nor high giants set upon him: but Judith the daughter of Merari weakened him with the beauty of her countenance.
For she put off the garment of her widowhood for the exaltation of those that were oppressed in Yisra'el, and anointed her face with ointment, and bound her hair in a tire, and took a linen garment to deceive him.
Her sandals ravished his eyes, her beauty took his mind prisoner, and the fauchion passed through his neck.
The Persians quaked at her boldness, and the Medes were daunted at her hardiness.
Then my afflicted shouted for joy, and my weak ones cried aloud; but they were astonished: these lifted up their voices, but they were overthrown.
The sons of the damsels have pierced them through, and wounded them as fugatives’ children: they perished by the battle of the master.
I will sing unto the master a new song: O master, thou art great and glorious, wonderful in strength, and invincible.
Let all creatures serve thee: for thou spakest, and they were made, thou didst send forth thy spirit, and it created them, and there is none that can resist thy voice.
For the mountains shall be moved from their foundations with the waters, the rocks shall melt as wax at thy presence: yet thou art merciful to them that fear thee.
For all sacrifice is too little for a sweet savour unto thee, and all the fat is not sufficient for thy burnt offering: but he that feareth the master is great at all times.
Woe to the nations that rise up against my kindred! the master Almighty will take vengeance of them in the day of judgment, in putting fire and worms in their flesh; and they shall feel them, and weep for ever.
Now as soon as they entered into Yerushalayim, they worshipped the master; and as soon as the people were purified, they offered their burnt offerings, and their free offerings, and their gifts.
Judith also dedicated all the stuff of Holofernes, which the people had given her, and gave the canopy, which she had taken out of his bedchamber, for a gift unto the master.
So the people continued feasting in Yerushalayim before the sanctuary for the space of three months and Judith remained with them.
After this time every one returned to his own inheritance, and Judith went to Bethulia, and remained in her own possession, and was in her time honourable in all the country.
And many desired her, but none knew her all the days of her life, after that Manasses her husband was dead, and was gathered to his people.
But she increased more and more in honour, and waxed old in her husband’s house, being an hundred and five years old, and made her maid free; so she died in Bethulia: and they buried her in the cave of her husband Manasses.
And the house of Yisra'el lamented her seven days: and before she died, she did distribute her goods to all them that were nearest of kindred to Manasses her husband, and to them that were the nearest of her kindred.
And there was none that made the children of Yisra'el any more afraid in the days of Judith, nor a long time after her death.
Sefarim
Maqabim Alef1
1 Maccabees · Chapter 1
And it happened, after that Alexander son of Philip, the Macedonian, who came out of the land of Chettiim, had smitten Darius king of the Persians and Medes, that he reigned in his stead, the first over Greece,
And made many wars, and won many strong holds, and slew the kings of the earth,
And went through to the ends of the earth, and took spoils of many nations, insomuch that the earth was quiet before him; whereupon he was exalted and his heart was lifted up.
And he gathered a mighty strong host and ruled over countries, and nations, and kings, who became tributaries unto him.
And after these things he fell sick, and perceived that he should die.
Wherefore he called his servants, such as were honourable, and had been brought up with him from his youth, and parted his kingdom among them, while he was yet alive.
So Alexander reigned twelves years, and then died.
And his servants bare rule every one in his place.
And after his death they all put crowns upon themselves; so did their sons after them many years: and evils were multiplied in the earth.
And there came out of them a wicked root Antiochus surnamed Epiphanes, son of Antiochus the king, who had been an hostage at Rome, and he reigned in the hundred and thirty and seventh year of the kingdom of the Greeks.
In those days went there out of Yisra'el wicked men, who persuaded many, saying, Let us go and make a b'rit with the heathen that are round about us: for since we departed from them we have had much sorrow.
So this device pleased them well.
Then certain of the people were so forward herein, that they went to the king, who gave them licence to do after the ordinances of the heathen:
Whereupon they built a place of exercise at Yerushalayim according to the customs of the heathen:
And made themselves uncircumcised, and forsook the holy b'rit, and joined themselves to the heathen, and were sold to do mischief.
Now when the kingdom was established before Antiochus, he thought to reign over Mitsrayim that he might have the dominion of two realms.
Wherefore he entered into Mitsrayim with a great multitude, with chariots, and elephants, and horsemen, and a great navy,
And made war against Ptolemee king of Mitsrayim: but Ptolemee was afraid of him, and fled; and many were wounded to death.
Thus they got the strong cities in the land of Mitsrayim and he took the spoils thereof.
And after that Antiochus had smitten Mitsrayim, he returned again in the hundred forty and third year, and went up against Yisra'el and Yerushalayim with a great multitude,
And entered proudly into the sanctuary, and took away the golden altar, and the candlestick of light, and all the vessels thereof,
And the table of the shewbread, and the pouring vessels, and the vials. and the censers of gold, and the veil, and the crown, and the golden ornaments that were before the heikhal, all which he pulled off.
He took also the silver and the gold, and the precious vessels: also he took the hidden treasures which he found.
And when he had taken all away, he went into his own land, having made a great massacre, and spoken very proudly.
Therefore there was a great mourning in Yisra'el, in every place where they were;
So that the princes and elders mourned, the virgins and young men were made feeble, and the beauty of women was changed.
Every bridegroom took up lamentation, and she that sat in the marriage chamber was in heaviness,
The land also was moved for the inhabitants thereof, and all the house of Ya'aqov was covered with confusion.
And after two years fully expired the king sent his chief collector of tribute unto the cities of Juda, who came unto Yerushalayim with a great multitude,
And spake peaceable words unto them, but all was deceit: for when they had given him credence, he fell suddenly upon the city, and smote it very sore, and destroyed much people of Yisra'el.
And when he had taken the spoils of the city, he set it on fire, and pulled down the houses and walls thereof on every side.
But the women and children took they captive, and possessed the cattle.
Then builded they the city of Dawid with a great and strong wall, and with mighty towers, and made it a strong hold for them.
And they put therein a sinful nation, wicked men, and fortified themselves therein.
They stored it also with armour and victuals, and when they had gathered together the spoils of Yerushalayim, they laid them up there, and so they became a sore snare:
For it was a place to lie in wait against the sanctuary, and an evil adversary to Yisra'el.
Thus they shed innocent blood on every side of the sanctuary, and defiled it:
Insomuch that the inhabitants of Yerushalayim fled because of them: whereupon the city was made an habitation of strangers, and became strange to those that were born in her; and her own children left her.
Her sanctuary was laid waste like a wilderness, her feasts were turned into mourning, her sabbaths into reproach her honour into contempt.
As had been her glory, so was her dishonour increased, and her excellency was turned into mourning.
Moreover king Antiochus wrote to his whole kingdom, that all should be one people,
And every one should leave his laws: so all the heathen agreed according to the mitsvah of the king.
Yea, many also of the Israelites consented to his religion, and sacrificed unto idols, and profaned the shabbat.
For the king had sent letters by messengers unto Yerushalayim and the cities of Juda that they should follow the strange laws of the land,
And forbid burnt offerings, and sacrifice, and drink offerings, in the heikhal; and that they should profane the sabbaths and festival days:
And pollute the sanctuary and holy people:
Set up altars, and groves, and chapels of idols, and sacrifice swine’s flesh, and unclean beasts:
That they should also leave their children uncircumcised, and make their souls abominable with all manner of uncleanness and profanation:
To the end they might forget the torah, and change all the ordinances.
And whosoever would not do according to the mitsvah of the king, he said, he should die.
In the selfsame manner wrote he to his whole kingdom, and appointed overseers over all the people, commanding the cities of Juda to sacrifice, city by city.
Then many of the people were gathered unto them, to wit every one that forsook the torah; and so they committed evils in the land;
And drove the Israelites into secret places, even wheresoever they could flee for succour.
Now the fifteenth day of the month Casleu, in the hundred forty and fifth year, they set up the abomination of desolation upon the altar, and builded idol altars throughout the cities of Juda on every side;
And burnt incense at the doors of their houses, and in the streets.
And when they had rent in pieces the books of the torah which they found, they burnt them with fire.
And whosoever was found with any the book of the testament, or if any committed to the torah, the king’s mitsvah was, that they should put him to death.
Thus did they by their authority unto the Israelites every month, to as many as were found in the cities.
Now the five and twentieth day of the month they did sacrifice upon the idol altar, which was upon the altar of Elohim.
At which time according to the mitsvah they put to death certain women, that had caused their children to be circumcised.
And they hanged the infants about their necks, and rifled their houses, and slew them that had circumcised them.
Howbeit many in Yisra'el were fully resolved and confirmed in themselves not to eat any unclean thing.
Wherefore the rather to die, that they might not be defiled with meats, and that they might not profane the holy b'rit: so then they died.
And there was very great wrath upon Yisra'el.