The Bible (Old and New Testaments)

And Judith said: As thy soul liveth, my lord, thy handmaid shall not spend all these things till God do by my hand that which I have purposed. And his servants brought her into the tent which he had commanded.

And when she was going in, she desired that she might have liberty to go out at night and before day to prayer, and to beseech the Lord.

And he commanded his chamberlains, that she might go out and in, to adore her God as she pleased, for three days.

And she went out in the nights into the valley of Bethulia, and washed herself in a fountain of water.

And as she came up, she prayed to the Lord the God of Israel, that he would direct her way to the deliverance of his people.

And going in, she remained pure in the tent, until she took her own meat in the evening.

And it came to pass on the fourth day, that Holofernes made a supper for his servants, and said to Vagao his eunuch: Go, and persuade that Hebrew woman, to consent of her own accord to dwell with me.

For it is looked upon as shameful among the Assyrians, if a woman mock a man, by doing so as to pass free from him.

Then Vagao went in to Judith, and said: Let not my good maid be afraid to go in to my lord, that she may be honoured before his face, that she may eat with him and drink wine and be merry.

And Judith answered him: Who am I, that I should gainsay my lord?

All that shall be good and best before his eyes, I will do. And whatsoever shall please him, that shall be best to me all the days of my life.

And she arose and dressed herself out with her garments, and going in she stood before his face.

And the heart of Holofernes was smitten, for he was burning with the desire of her.

And Holofernes said to her: Drink now, and sit down and be merry; for thou hast found favour before me.

And Judith said: I will drink my lord, because my life is magnified this day above all my days.

And she took and ate and drank before him what her maid had prepared for her.

And Holofernes was made merry on her occasion, and drank exceeding much wine, so much as he had never drunk in his life.

And when it was grown late, his servants made haste to their lodgings, and Vagao shut the chamber doors, and went his way.

And they were all overcharged with wine.

And Judith was alone in the chamber.

But Holofernes lay on his bed, fast asleep, being exceedingly drunk.

And Judith spoke to her maid to stand without before the chamber, and to watch:

And Judith stood before the bed praying with tears, and the motion of her lips in silence,

Saying: Strengthen me, O Lord God of Israel, and in this hour look on the works of my hands, that as thou hast promised, thou mayst raise up Jerusalem thy city: and that I may bring to pass that which I have purposed, having a belief that it might be done by thee.

And when she had said this, she went to the pillar that was at his bed's head, and loosed his sword that hung tied upon it.

And when she had drawn it out, she took him by the hair of his head, and said: Strengthen me, O Lord God, at this hour.

And she struck twice upon his neck, and cut off his head, and took off his canopy from the pillars, and rolled away his headless body.

And after a while she went out, and delivered the head of Holofernes to her maid, and bade her put it into her wallet.

And they two went out according to their custom, as it were to prayer, and they passed the camp, and having compassed the valley, they came to the gate of the city.

And Judith from afar off cried to the watchmen upon the walls: Open the gates for God is with us, who hath shewn his power in Israel.

And it came to pass, when the men had heard her voice, that they called the ancients of the city.

And all ran to meet her from the least to the greatest: for they now had no hopes that she would come.

And lighting up lights they all gathered round about her: and she went up to a higher place, and commanded silence to be made. And when all had held their peace,

Judith said: Praise ye the Lord our God, who hath not forsaken them that hope in him.

And by me his handmaid he hath fulfilled his mercy, which he promised to the house of Israel: and he hath killed the enemy of his people by my hand this night.

Then she brought forth the head of Holofernes out of the wallet, and shewed it them, saying: Behold the head of Holofernes the general of the army of the Assyrians, and behold his canopy, wherein he lay in his drunkenness, where the Lord our God slew him by the hand of a woman.

But as the same Lord liveth, his angel hath been my keeper both going hence, and abiding there, and returning from thence hither: and the Lord hath not suffered me his handmaid to be defiled, but hath brought me back to you without pollution of sin, rejoicing for his victory, for my escape, and for your deliverance.

Give all of you glory to him, because he is good, because his mercy endureth for ever.

And they all adored the Lord, and said to her: The Lord hath blessed thee by his power, because by thee he hath brought our enemies to nought.

And Ozias the prince of the people of Israel, said to her: Blessed art thou, O daughter, by the Lord the most high God, above all women upon the earth.

Blessed be the Lord who made heaven and earth, who hath directed thee to the cutting off the head of the prince of our enemies.

Because he hath so magnified thy name this day, that thy praise shall not depart out of the mouth of men who shall be mindful of the power of the Lord for ever, for that thou hast not spared thy life, by reason of the distress and tribulation of thy people, but hast prevented our ruin in the presence of our God.

And all the people said: So be it, so be it.

And Achior being called for came, and Judith said to him: The God of Israel, to whom thou gavest testimony, that he revengeth himself of his enemies, he hath cut off the head of all the unbelievers this night by my hand.

And that thou mayst find that it is so, behold the head of Holofernes, who in the contempt of his pride despised the God of Israel: and threatened them with death, saying: When the people of Israel shall be taken, I will command thy sides to be pierced with a sword.

Then Achior seeing the head of Holofernes, being seized with a great fear he fell on his face upon the earth, and his soul swooned away.

But after he had recovered his spirits he fell down at her feet, and reverenced her, and said:

Blessed art thou by thy God in every tabernacle of Jacob, for in every nation which shall hear thy name, the God of Israel shall be magnified on occasion of thee.

And Judith said to all the people: Hear me, my brethren, hang ye up this head upon our walls.

And as soon as the sun shall rise, let every man take his arms, and rush ye out, not as going down beneath, but as making an assault.

Then the watchmen must needs run to awake their prince for the battle.

And when the captains of them shall run to the tent of Holofernes, and shall find him without his head wallowing in his blood, fear shall fall upon them.

And when you shall know that they are fleeing, go after them securely, for the Lord will destroy them under your feet.

Then Achior seeing the power that the God of Israel had wrought, leaving the religion of the Gentiles, he believed God, and circumcised the flesh of his foreskin, and was joined to the people of Israel, with all the succession of his kindred until this present day.

And immediately at break of day, they hung up the head of Holofernes upon the walls, and every man took his arms, and they went out with a great noise and shouting.

And the watchmen seeing this, ran to the tent of Holofernes.

And they that were in the tent came, and made a noise, before the door of the chamber to awake him, endeavouring by art to break his rest, that Holofernes might awake, not by their calling him, but by their noise.

For no man durst knock, or open and go into the chamber of the general of the Assyrians.

But when his captains and tribunes were come, and all the chiefs of the army of the king of the Assyrians, they said to the chamberlains:

Go in, and awake him, for the mice, coming out of their holes, have presumed to challenge us to fight.

Then Vagao going into his chamber, stood before the curtain, and made a clapping with his hands: for he thought that he was sleeping with Judith.

But when with hearkening, he perceived no motion of one lying, he came near to the curtain, and lifting it up, and seeing the body of Holofernes, lying upon the ground, without the head, weltering in his blood, he cried out with a loud voice, with weeping, and rent his garments.

And he went into the tent of Judith, and not finding her, he ran out to the people,

And said: One Hebrew woman hath made confusion in the house of king Nabuchodonosor: for behold Holofernes lieth upon the ground, and his head is not upon him.

Now when the chiefs of the army of the Assyrians had heard this, they all rent their garments, and an intolerable fear and dread fell upon them, and their minds were troubled exceedingly.

And there was a very great cry in the midst of their camp.

And when all the army heard that Holofernes was beheaded, courage and counsel fled from them, and being seized with trembling and fear they thought only to save themselves by flight.

So that no one spoke to his neighbour, but hanging down the head, leaving all things behind, they made haste to escape from the Hebrews, who, as they heard, were coming armed upon them, and fled by the ways of the fields, and the paths of the hills.

So the children of Israel seeing them fleeing, followed after them. And they went down sounding with trumpets and shouting after them.

And because the Assyrians were not united together, they went without order in their flight; but the children of Israel pursuing in one body, defeated all that they could find.

And Ozias sent messengers through all the cities and countries of Israel.

And every country, and every city, sent their chosen young men armed after them, and they pursued them with the edge of the sword until they came to the extremities of their confines.

And the rest that were in Bethulia went into the camp of the Assyrians, and took away the spoils which the Assyrians in their flight had left behind them, and they were laden exceedingly,

But they that returned conquerors to Bethulia, brought with them all things that were theirs, so that there was no numbering of their cattle, and beasts, and all their moveables, insomuch that from the least to the greatest all were made rich by their spoils.

And Joachim the high priest came from Jerusalem to Bethulia with all his ancients to see Judith.

And when she was come out to him, they all blessed her with one voice, saying: Thou art the glory of Jerusalem, thou art the joy of Israel, thou art the honour of our people:

For thou hast done manfully, and thy heart has been strengthened, because thou hast loved chastity, and after thy husband hast not known any other: therefore also the hand of the Lord hath strengthened thee, and therefore thou shalt be blessed for ever.

And all the people said: So be it, so be it.

And thirty days were scarce sufficient for the people of Israel to gather up the spoils of the Assyrians.

But all those things that were proved to be the peculiar goods of Holofernes, they gave to Judith in gold, and silver, and garments and precious stones, and all household stuff, and they all were delivered to her by the people.

And all the people rejoiced, with the women, and virgins, and young men, playing on instruments and harps.

Then Judith sung this canticle to the Lord, saying:

Begin ye to the Lord with timbrels, sing ye to the Lord with cymbals, tune unto him a new psalm, extol and call upon his name.

The Lord putteth an end to wars, the Lord is his name.

He hath set his camp in the midst of his people, to deliver us from the hand of all our enemies.

The Assyrian came out of the mountains from the north in the multitude of his strength: his multitude stopped up the torrents, and their horses covered the valleys.

He bragged that he would set my borders on fire, and kill my young men with the sword, to make my infants a prey, and my virgins captives.

But the almighty Lord hath struck him, and hath delivered him into the hands of a woman, and hath slain him.

For their mighty one did not fall by young men, neither did the sons of Titan strike him, nor tall giants oppose themselves to him, but Judith the daughter of Merari weakened him with the beauty of her face.

For she put off her the garments of widowhood, and put on her the garments of joy, to give joy to the children of Israel.

She anointed her face with ointment, and bound up her locks with a crown, she took a new robe to deceive him.

Her sandals ravished his eyes, her beauty made his soul her captive, with a sword she cut off his head.

The Persians quaked at her constancy, and the Medes at her boldness.

Then the camp of the Assyrians howled, when my lowly ones appeared, parched with thirst.

The sons of the damsels have pierced them through, and they have killed them like children fleeing away: they perished in battle before the face of the Lord my God.

Let us sing a hymn to the Lord, let us sing a new hymn to our God.

O Adonai, Lord, great art thou, and glorious in thy power, and no one can overcome thee.

Let all thy creatures serve thee: because thou hast spoken, and they were made: thou didst send forth thy spirit, and they were created, and there is no one that can resist thy voice.

The mountains shall be moved from the foundations with the waters: the rocks shall melt as wax before thy face.

But they that fear thee, shall be great with thee in all things.