Sefarim
Yehudit8
Judith · Chapter 8
Now at that time Judith heard thereof, which was the daughter of Merari, the son of Ox, the son of Yoseph, the son of Ozel, the son of Elcia, the son of Ananias, the son of Gedeon, the son of Raphaim, the son of Acitho, the son of Eliu, the son of Eliab, the son of Nathanael, the son of Samael, the son of Salasadal, the son of Yisra'el.
And Manasses was her husband, of her tribe and kindred, who died in the barley harvest.
For as he stood overseeing them that bound sheaves in the field, the heat came upon his head, and he fell on his bed, and died in the city of Bethulia: and they buried him with his fathers in the field between Dothaim and Balamo.
So Judith was a widow in her house three years and four months.
And she made her a tent upon the top of her house, and put on sackcloth upon her loins and ware her widow’s apparel.
And she fasted all the days of her widowhood, save the eves of the sabbaths, and the sabbaths, and the eves of the new moons, and the new moons and the feasts and solemn days of the house of Yisra'el.
She was also of a goodly countenance, and very beautiful to behold: and her husband Manasses had left her gold, and silver, and menservants and maidservants, and cattle, and lands; and she remained upon them.
And there was none that gave her an ill word; as she feared Elohim greatly.
Now when she heard the evil words of the people against the governor, that they fainted for lack of water; for Judith had heard all the words that Ozias had spoken unto them, and that he had sworn to deliver the city unto the Assyrians after five days;
Then she sent her waitingwoman, that had the government of all things that she had, to call Ozias and Chabris and Charmis, the ancients of the city.
And they came unto her, and she said unto them, Hear me now, O ye governors of the inhabitants of Bethulia: for your words that ye have spoken before the people this day are not right, touching this oath which ye made and pronounced between Elohim and you, and have promised to deliver the city to our enemies, unless within these days the master turn to help you.
And now who are ye that have tempted Elohim this day, and stand instead of Elohim among the children of men?
And now try the master Almighty, but ye shall never know any thing.
For ye cannot find the depth of the heart of man, neither can ye perceive the things that he thinketh: then how can ye search out Elohim, that hath made all these things, and know his mind, or comprehend his purpose? Nay, my brethren, provoke not the master our Elohim to anger.
For if he will not help us within these five days, he hath power to defend us when he will, even every day, or to destroy us before our enemies.
Do not bind the counsels of the master our Elohim: for Elohim is not as man, that he may be threatened; neither is he as the son of man, that he should be wavering.
Therefore let us wait for salvation of him, and call upon him to help us, and he will hear our voice, if it please him.
For there arose none in our age, neither is there any now in these days neither tribe, nor family, nor people, nor city among us, which worship gods made with hands, as hath been aforetime.
For the which cause our fathers were given to the sword, and for a spoil, and had a great fall before our enemies.
But we know none other elohim, therefore we trust that he will not despise us, nor any of our nation.
For if we be taken so, all Judea shall lie waste, and our sanctuary shall be spoiled; and he will require the profanation thereof at our mouth.
And the slaughter of our brethren, and the captivity of the country, and the desolation of our inheritance, will he turn upon our heads among the Gentiles, wheresoever we shall be in bondage; and we shall be an offence and a reproach to all them that possess us.
For our servitude shall not be directed to favour: but the master our Elohim shall turn it to dishonour.
Now therefore, O brethren, let us shew an example to our brethren, because their hearts depend upon us, and the sanctuary, and the house, and the altar, rest upon us.
Moreover let us give thanks to the master our Elohim, which trieth us, even as he did our fathers.
Remember what things he did to Avraham, and how he tried Yitschaq, and what happened to Ya'aqov in Mesopotamia of Syria, when he kept the sheep of Laban his mother’s brother.
For he hath not tried us in the fire, as he did them, for the examination of their hearts, neither hath he taken vengeance on us: but the master doth scourge them that come near unto him, to admonish them.
Then said Ozias to her, All that thou hast spoken hast thou spoken with a good heart, and there is none that may gainsay thy words.
For this is not the first day wherein thy wisdom is manifested; but from the beginning of thy days all the people have known thy understanding, because the disposition of thine heart is good.
But the people were very thirsty, and compelled us to do unto them as we have spoken, and to bring an oath upon ourselves, which we will not break.
Therefore now pray thou for us, because thou art a godly woman, and the master will send us rain to fill our cisterns, and we shall faint no more.
Then said Judith unto them, Hear me, and I will do a thing, which shall go throughout all generations to the children of our nation.
Ye shall stand this night in the gate, and I will go forth with my waitingwoman: and within the days that ye have promised to deliver the city to our enemies the master will visit Yisra'el by mine hand.
But enquire not ye of mine act: for I will not declare it unto you, till the things be finished that I do.
Then said Ozias and the princes unto her, Go in peace, and the master Elohim be before thee, to take vengeance on our enemies.
So they returned from the tent, and went to their wards.
Sefarim
Yehudit9
Judith · Chapter 9
Judith fell upon her face, and put ashes upon her head, and uncovered the sackcloth wherewith she was clothed; and about the time that the incense of that evening was offered in Yerushalayim in the house of the master Judith cried with a loud voice, and said,
O master Elohim of my father Simeon, to whom thou gavest a sword to take vengeance of the strangers, who loosened the girdle of a maid to defile her, and discovered the thigh to her shame, and polluted her virginity to her reproach; for thou saidst, It shall not be so; and yet they did so:
Wherefore thou gavest their rulers to be slain, so that they dyed their bed in blood, being deceived, and smotest the servants with their lords, and the lords upon their thrones;
And hast given their wives for a prey, and their daughters to be captives, and all their spoils to be divided among thy dear children; which were moved with thy zeal, and abhorred the pollution of their blood, and called upon thee for aid: O Elohim, O my Elohim, hear me also a widow.
For thou hast wrought not only those things, but also the things which fell out before, and which ensued after; thou hast thought upon the things which are now, and which are to come.
Yea, what things thou didst determine were ready at hand, and said, Lo, we are here: for all thy ways are prepared, and thy judgments are in thy foreknowledge.
For, behold, the Assyrians are multiplied in their power; they are exalted with horse and man; they glory in the strength of their footmen; they trust in shield, and spear, and bow, and sling; and know not that thou art the master that breakest the battles: the master is thy name.
Throw down their strength in thy power, and bring down their force in thy wrath: for they have purposed to defile thy sanctuary, and to pollute the mishkan where thy glorious name resteth and to cast down with sword the horn of thy altar.
Behold their pride, and send thy wrath upon their heads: give into mine hand, which am a widow, the power that I have conceived.
Smite by the deceit of my lips the servant with the prince, and the prince with the servant: break down their stateliness by the hand of a woman.
For thy power standeth not in multitude nor thy might in strong men: for thou art a Elohim of the afflicted, an helper of the oppressed, an upholder of the weak, a protector of the forlorn, a saviour of them that are without hope.
I pray thee, I pray thee, O Elohim of my father, and Elohim of the inheritance of Yisra'el, master of the shamayim and earth, Creator of the waters, king of every creature, hear thou my prayer:
And make my speech and deceit to be their wound and stripe, who have purposed cruel things against thy b'rit, and thy hallowed house, and against the top of Sion, and against the house of the possession of thy children.
And make every nation and tribe to acknowledge that thou art the Elohim of all power and might, and that there is none other that protecteth the people of Yisra'el but thou.
Sefarim
Yehudit10
Judith · Chapter 10
Now after that she had ceased to cry unto the Elohim of Yisra'el, and had made an end of all these words.
She rose where she had fallen down, and called her maid, and went down into the house in the which she abode in the shabbat days, and in her feast days,
And pulled off the sackcloth which she had on, and put off the garments of her widowhood, and washed her body all over with water, and anointed herself with precious ointment, and braided the hair of her head, and put on a tire upon it, and put on her garments of gladness, wherewith she was clad during the life of Manasses her husband.
And she took sandals upon her feet, and put about her her bracelets, and her chains, and her rings, and her earrings, and all her ornaments, and decked herself bravely, to allure the eyes of all men that should see her.
Then she gave her maid a bottle of wine, and a cruse of oil, and filled a bag with parched corn, and lumps of figs, and with fine bread; so she folded all these things together, and laid them upon her.
Thus they went forth to the gate of the city of Bethulia, and found standing there Ozias and the ancients of the city, Chabris and Charmis.
And when they saw her, that her countenance was altered, and her apparel was changed, they wondered at her beauty very greatly, and said unto her.
The Elohim, the Elohim of our fathers give thee favour, and accomplish thine enterprizes to the glory of the children of Yisra'el, and to the exaltation of Yerushalayim. Then they worshipped Elohim.
And she said unto them, Command the gates of the city to be opened unto me, that I may go forth to accomplish the things whereof ye have spoken with me. So they commanded the young men to open unto her, as she had spoken.
And when they had done so, Judith went out, she, and her maid with her; and the men of the city looked after her, until she was gone down the mountain, and till she had passed the valley, and could see her no more.
Thus they went straight forth in the valley: and the first watch of the Assyrians met her,
And took her, and asked her, Of what people art thou? and whence comest thou? and whither goest thou? And she said, I am a woman of the Hebrews, and am fled from them: for they shall be given you to be consumed:
And I am coming before Holofernes the chief captain of your army, to declare words of truth; and I will shew him a way, whereby he shall go, and win all the hill country, without losing the body or life of any one of his men.
Now when the men heard her words, and beheld her countenance, they wondered greatly at her beauty, and said unto her,
Thou hast saved thy life, in that thou hast hasted to come down to the presence of our lord: now therefore come to his tent, and some of us shall conduct thee, until they have delivered thee to his hands.
And when thou standest before him, be not afraid in thine heart, but shew unto him according to thy word; and he will entreat thee well.
Then they chose out of them an hundred men to accompany her and her maid; and they brought her to the tent of Holofernes.
Then was there a concourse throughout all the camp: for her coming was noised among the tents, and they came about her, as she stood without the tent of Holofernes, till they told him of her.
And they wondered at her beauty, and admired the children of Yisra'el because of her, and every one said to his neighbour, Who would despise this people, that have among them such women? surely it is not good that one man of them be left who being let go might deceive the whole earth.
And they that lay near Holofernes went out, and all his servants and they brought her into the tent.
Now Holofernes rested upon his bed under a canopy, which was woven with purple, and gold, and emeralds, and precious stones.
So they shewed him of her; and he came out before his tent with silver lamps going before him.
And when Judith was come before him and his servants they all marvelled at the beauty of her countenance; and she fell down upon her face, and did reverence unto him: and his servants took her up.