Apr 30 - Judith 6-8
Judith
1But when they had ceased speaking, it happened that Holofernes, being very indignant, said to Achior2"Because you have prophesied to us, saying that the people of Israel may be defended by their God, and so as to reveal to you that there is no God, except Nebuchadnezzar3when we will have struck them all as one man, then you also will pass away with them by the sword of the Assyrians, and all Israel will perish into perdition with you4And you will be shown that Nebuchadnezzar is the lord of the whole earth. And then, the sword of my army will pass through your sides, and, being stabbed, you will fall among the wounded of Israel, and you will breathe no longer, when you have been destroyed with them5And furthermore, if you consider your prophecy to be true, do not let your countenance fall, and let the paleness that has taken hold of your face depart from you, if you claim that these my words cannot be fulfilled6But so that you may know that you will experience these things together with them, behold, from this hour you will be associated with their people, so that, when they receive the punishment that they deserve from my sword, you will fall under the same vengeance.7Then Holofernes instructed his servants to apprehend Achior, and to lead him through to Bethulia, and to deliver him into the hands of the sons of Israel8And, taking him, the servants of Holofernes traveled through the plains. But when they approached close to the mountains, the slingers of stones went forth against them9Then, diverting by the side of the mountain, they tied Achior, hands and feet, to a tree, and so they abandoned him, bound with ropes, and they returned to their lord10Thereafter, the sons of Israel, descending from Bethulia, came to him. Releasing him, they brought him to Bethulia. And so, standing him in the midst of the people, they interrogated him as to what event caused the Assyrians to abandon him, bound11In those days, the rulers of that place were Uzziah, the son of Micah of the tribe of Simeon, and Chabris, also called Gothoniel12And so, in the midst of the elders and in the sight of everyone, Achior explained all that he had said in reply to the questioning of Holofernes, and in what manner the people of Holofernes wanted to have him killed because of this word13and how Holofernes himself, being angry, had ordered him to be handed over to the Israelites, for this reason: so that when he would prevail over the sons of Israel, then he would also command Achior himself to be executed by diverse torments, because he had said that the God of heaven is their defender14And when Achior had declared all these things, all the people fell on their faces, adoring the Lord, and, communing together with mourning and weeping, they poured out their prayers with one mind to the Lord15saying: "O Lord, God of heaven and earth, behold their arrogance, and gaze upon our humility, and attend to the face of your holy ones, and reveal that you do not abandon those who rely on you, and that those who rely on themselves and who glory in their own strength, you humble.16And so, when their weeping was ended, and the prayer of the people throughout the entire day was completed, they consoled Achior17saying: "The God of our fathers, whose power you have predicted, will give to you this in return: that you, instead, will see the destruction of them18Truly, when the Lord our God will give this freedom to his servants, may God also be with you in our midst, so that, just as it pleases you, everyone who is with you may keep company with us.19Then Uzziah, after the council was ended, received him into his own house, and he made him a great supper20And all the elders were invited; together they refreshed themselves at the completion of their fast21In truth, after this, all the people were called together, and they prayed throughout the entire night within the assembly, petitioning help from the God of Israel
1But Holofernes, on another day, instructed his army to ascend against Bethulia2Moreover, there were one hundred and twenty thousand foot-soldiers, and twenty-two thousand horsemen, besides the contingents of those men who had been taken captive, and all the youths who had been abducted from the provinces and the cities3All these prepared themselves together to fight against the sons of Israel, and they came through the foothills of the mountain, even to the apex, which looks down upon Dothain, from the place which is called Belma, up to Chelmon, which is opposite Esdrelon4But the sons of Israel, when they saw the multitude of them, prostrated themselves upon the ground, scattering ashes over their heads, praying with one accord that the God of Israel would show his mercy upon his people5And, taking up their arms of war, they set up positions at the places that lead along a narrow footpath between the mountains, and they guarded them all day and night6Now Holofernes, while circling around, discovered that the fountain that flowed in to them, led directly through an aqueduct on the south side, beyond the city. And he instructed their aqueduct to be cut off7Even so, there were springs not far from the walls, from which they were seen to draw water secretly, to refresh themselves a little rather than to drink their fill8But the sons of Ammon and Moab approached Holofernes, saying: "The sons of Israel do not trust in their lances, nor in their arrows, but the mountains are their defense, and the steep hills and precipices constitute their fortifications9Therefore, so that you may be able to overcome them without joining battle, set guards at the springs so that they may not draw water from them, and you will put them to death without the sword, or at least, being weary, they will hand over their city, which they suppose to be, by its position in the mountains, unable to be conquered.10And these words were pleasing before Holofernes and before his attendants, and so he stationed a hundred men around every spring11And when they had kept this watch through twenty full days, the cisterns and collections of waters failed among all the inhabitants of Bethulia, so that there was within the city not enough to satisfy them for even one day, because water was given out to the people daily by measure12Then, all the men and women, youths and little ones, gathering together before Uzziah, all with one voice together13said: "May God be judge between us and you, for you have done evil with us, in not being willing to speak peacefully with the Assyrians, and because of this, God has sold us into their hands14And therefore, there is no one to help us, while we are prostrated before their eyes with thirst and great destruction15And now, gather together all who are in the city, so that we may willingly deliver everyone of us to the people of Holofernes16For it is better that as captives, being alive, we should bless the Lord, than that we should die and become a disgrace to all flesh, after we have seen our wives and our children die before our eyes17We call to witness this day heaven and earth, and the God of our fathers, who takes vengeance upon us according to our sins, so that now you may deliver the city into the hand of the military of Holofernes. And may our end be brief, by the edge of the sword, that would be made longer by the dryness of thirst.18And when they had said these things, there happened a great weeping and a loud lamentation within the assembly. From everyone and for many hours, with one voice, they cried out to God, saying19"We have sinned like our fathers, we have acted unjustly, we have committed iniquity20May you have mercy on us, for you are pious, or with your own scourges avenge our iniquities, but do not be willing to deliver those trusting in you to a people who are ignorant of you21so that they may not say among the Gentiles, ‘Where is their God?’ 22And when, being weary from these outcries, and tired from these weepings, they became silent23Uzziah, rising up covered in tears, said: "Be steadfast in soul, brothers, and let us wait these five days for mercy from the Lord24For perhaps he will break off his indignation and give glory to his own name25But if, with five days passing, help does not arrive, we will accomplish the words that you have spoken.
1And it happened that these words were heard by Judith, a widow who was the daughter of Merari, the son of Idox, the son of Joseph, the son of Oziel, the son of Elai, the son of Jamnor, the son of Gideon, the son of Raphaim, the son of Ahitub, the son of Melchiel, the son of Enan, the son of Nathaniel, the son of Salathiel, the son of Simeon, the son of Ruben2And her husband was Manasseh, who died in the days of the barley harvest3For he was standing over those who bound sheaves in the field, and the heat overcame his head, and he died in Bethulia, his own city, and he was buried there with his fathers4But Judith, his bereaved, was a widow now for three years and six months5And she made herself a private chamber in the upper part of her house, in which she stayed enclosed with her handmaids6And she had haircloth around her waist, and she fasted all the days of her life, except Sabbaths, and new moons, and the feasts of the house of Israel7Moreover, she was exceedingly elegant in appearance, and her husband left her many riches, and an abundant household, as well as the ownership of plentiful herds of oxen and flocks of sheep8And she was greatly renowned among all, because she feared the Lord very much, nor was there anyone who spoke an ill word about her9And so, when she heard that Uzziah had promised that he would hand over the city with the passing of five days, she sent to the elders Chabris and Charmis10And they came to her, and she said to them: "What is this word, by which Uzziah has consented to hand over the city to the Assyrians, if within five days no help arrives for us11And who are you to test the Lord12This is not a word that will provoke mercy, but rather one that may excite wrath and enkindle fury13You have set a time limit for the mercy of the Lord, and you have established a day for him, according to your choice14But, since the Lord is patient, let us be repentant about this same matter, and let us beg his indulgence with many tears15For God will not threaten like man, nor will he be inflamed to anger like a son of man16And, for this reason, let us humble our souls before him, and, continuing to serve him in a spirit of humility17let us speak to the Lord with tears, so that he may act according to his will in his mercy toward us. So then, just as our heart is disturbed by their arrogance, so also may we glory in our humility18For we have not followed the sins of our fathers, who abandoned their God in order to worship strange gods19Because of this crime, they were given over to their enemies: to the sword, and to pillaging, and to confusion. But we know no other God except him20Let us wait with humility for his consolation, and the Lord our God will requite our blood by the afflictions of our enemies, and he will humble all the nations that will rise up against us, and he will cause them to be without honor21And now, brothers, because you are the elders among the people of God, and their very soul hangs upon you, rescue their hearts by your eloquence, so that they may remember that our fathers were tested in order to prove whether or not they truly worshiped their God22They are obliged to remember how our father Abraham was tested, and being proved by many tribulations, he was made the friend of God23So Isaac, so Jacob, so Moses, and all that have pleased God, passed through many tribulations, remaining faithful24But those who did not accept the trials with the fear of the Lord, and who brought forward their impatience and the disgrace of their murmuring against the Lord25were exterminated by the exterminator, and they perished by serpents26And as for us, therefore, let us not revenge ourselves for these things that we suffer27But, in considering these same sufferings to be less than our sins deserve, let us believe that the scourges of the Lord, by which we are corrected like servants, have occurred for our improvement and not for our destruction.28And Uzziah and the elders said to her: "All the things that you have spoken are true, and there is nothing reprehensible in your words29Now, therefore, pray for us, because you are a holy woman, and one fearing God.30And Judith said to them: "You know that what I have been able to say is of God31So, concerning that which I propose to do, examine whether or not it is from God, and pray that God may act to strengthen my plan32You will stand at the gate this night, and I will go forth with my handmaid. And pray that, just as you have said, within five days the Lord may look kindly on his people Israel33But I am not willing to have you examine my actions, and, until I report to you, let nothing else be done, except to pray for me to the Lord our God.34And Uzziah, the leader of Judah, said to her, "Go in peace, and may the Lord be with you to take revenge among our enemies." So, turning back, they departed