1Now in those days Judith heard—daughter of Merari, son of Ox, son of Joseph, son of Oziel, son of Elkiah, son of Ananias, son of Chelcias, son of Eliab, son of Nathanael, son of Salamiel, son of Sarasadai, son of Israel.
2Her husband was Manasseh, of her own tribe and clan; and he died in the days of the barley harvest.
3For he was supervising the binders of sheaves in the field when the burning heat came upon his head. He fell on his bed and died in Bethulia, his city, and they buried him with his fathers in the field between Dothan and Balamon.
4And Judith remained a widow in her house for three years and four months.
5She had made for herself a tent on the roof of her house, and she put sackcloth on her waist and wore her widow’s garments.
6She fasted all the days of her widowhood, except for the eves of the Sabbaths and the Sabbaths themselves, the eves of the new moons, and the feasts and joyous occasions of the house of Israel.
7She was beautiful in form and very lovely in appearance. Manasseh her husband had left her gold and silver, male and female servants, livestock, and fields; and she managed them.
8And no one spoke an evil word against her, because she feared God greatly.
9She heard the bitter complaints of the people against the ruler, because they had become fainthearted over the lack of water. Judith also heard all the words that Uzziah had spoken to them, how he had sworn to them to hand over the city to the Assyrians after five days.
10So she sent her maidservant, who was in charge of all her possessions, and summoned Chabris and Charmis, the elders of her city.
11And they came to her, and she said to them, “Listen to me, you rulers of the inhabitants of Bethulia! The word you spoke before the people today is not right. You have established this oath that you spoke between God and yourselves, saying you will surrender the city to our enemies unless the Lord turns to help you within these days.
12And now, who are you to have tested God this day, and to stand in the place of God among human beings?
13And now you are examining the Lord Almighty, yet you will understand nothing, forever.
14For you cannot find the depth of a human heart or grasp the thoughts of the mind. How then will you search out God who made all these things, and know his mind, and understand his reasoning? By no means, brothers! Do not provoke the Lord our God to anger.
15For if he does not wish to help us in these five days, he himself has the authority to protect us on whatever days he wishes, or even to destroy us before our enemies.
16But you, do not demand a pledge for the counsels of the Lord our God, because God is not like a man, to be threatened, nor like a son of man, to be reasoned with.
17Therefore, while we wait for salvation from him, let us call upon him for our help, and he will hear our voice, if it is pleasing to him.
18For in our generations no tribe or clan or people or city among us has arisen that worships man-made gods, as happened in former days.
19It was for this reason our fathers were given over to the sword and to plunder, and they suffered a great fall before our enemies.
20But we have known no other god but him; therefore we hope that he will not overlook us or our nation.
21For if we are captured, all Judea will fall with us, and our sanctuary will be plundered; and he will demand an accounting for its profanation with our blood.
22And the slaughter of our brothers, the captivity of the land, and the desolation of our inheritance he will turn back upon our own heads among the nations where we may serve as slaves. And we will become an offense and a reproach before our masters.
23For our slavery will not lead to favor, but the Lord our God will turn it into dishonor.
24And now, brothers, let us show our kinsmen that their lives depend on us, and that the sanctuary, the temple, and the altar rest upon us.
25In addition to all this, let us give thanks to the Lord our God, who is testing us just as he did our fathers.
26Remember all that he did with Abraham, and how he tested Isaac, and all that happened to Jacob in Syrian Mesopotamia while he was shepherding the flocks of Laban, his mother’s brother.
27For he did not test them by fire to search their hearts, nor has he taken vengeance on us; rather, the Lord scourges those who draw near to him for a warning.”
28And Uzziah said to her, “All that you have said, you have spoken from a good heart, and there is no one who can oppose your words.
29For your wisdom is not evident for the first time today; from the beginning of your days all the people have known your understanding, because the disposition of your heart is good.
30But the people were extremely thirsty, and they compelled us to do as we said to them and to bring upon ourselves an oath that we will not break.”
31So now, pray for us, because you are a devout woman, and the Lord will send the rain to fill our cisterns, and we will no longer perish.
32And Judith said to them, “Listen to me, and I will do a deed that will be remembered for all generations among the sons of our people.
33You are to stand at the gate this night, and I will go out with my maidservant. And within the days in which you said you would surrender the city to our enemies, the Lord will visit Israel by my hand.
34But you are not to investigate my plan of action, for I will not tell you what I am doing until it is accomplished.”
35And Uzziah and the rulers said to her, “Go in peace, and may the Lord God go before you to take vengeance on our enemies.”
36And turning away from her tent, they went to their posts.
Open in the interactive reader →