JUDETH 9 & 10

Judeth 9

1 Judeth humbles herself before the Lord, and makes her prayers for the deliverance of her people. Against the pride of the Assyrians. 11 God is the help of the humble.

THEN Judeth fell upon her face, and put ashes upon her head, and put off the sackcloth wherewith she was clothed. And about the time that the incense of that evening was offered in Jerusalem in the House of the Lord, Judeth cried with a loud voice, and said,

O Lord God of my father Simeon, to whom thou gavest a sword to take vengeance of the strangers which opened the womb of the maid, and defiled her, and discovered the thigh with shame, and polluted the womb to reproach (for thou hast commanded that it should not be so,

Yet they did things for the which thou gave their princes to the slaughter, for they were deceived and washed their beds with blood) and hast stricken the servants with the governors, and the governors upon their thrones,

And hast given their wives for a pray and their daughters to be captives, and all their spoils for a bootie to the children that thou loved: which were moved with thy zeal, and abhorred the pollution of their blood, and called upon thee for aid, o God, o my God, hear me also a widow.

For thou hast wrought the things afore, and these, and the things that shall be after, and thou considered the things that are present, and the things that are to come..

For the things which you do purpose, are present, and say, Behold, we are here: for all thy ways are ready, and thy judgments are foreknown.

Behold, the Assyrians are multiplied by their power: they have exalted themselves with horses and horsemen: they glory in the strength of their footmen: they trust in shield, spear and bow, and sling, and do not know that thou art the Lord that breakest the battles: the Lord is thy Name.

Break thou their strength by thy power, and break their force by their wrath: for they have purposed to defile thy Sanctuary, and to pollute the tabernacle where thy glorious Name rests, and to cast down with weapons the horns of the altar.

Behold their pride, and send thy wrath upon their heads: give into mind hand which am a widow, the strength that I have conceived.

Smite by the deceit of my lips the servant with the prince, and the prince with the servant: abate their height by the hand of a woman.

For thy power stands not in the multitude, nor thy might in strong men: but thou, o Lord, art the help of the humble and little ones, the defender of the weak, and the protector of them that are forsaken, and the Savior of them that are without hope.

Surely, surely thou art the God of my father, and the God of the inheritance of Israel, the Lord of heaven and earth, the creator of the waters, the King of all creatures: hear thou my prayer,

And grant me words and craft, and a wound, and a stroke against them that enterprise cruel things against thy covenant, and against thine holy House, and against the top of Sion, and against the house of the possession of thy children.

Show evidently among all thy people, and all the tribes, that they may know that thou art the God of all power and strength, and that there is none other that defends the people of Israel, but thou.

Judeth 10

3 Judeth decks hereself and goes forth of the city. 11 She is taken of the watch of the Assyrians and brought to Olosernes.

NOW after she had ceased to cry unto the God of Israel, 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 Sabbath days and in the feast days,

And putting away the sackcloth wherewith she was clad, and putting off the garments of her widowhood, she washed her body with water, and anointed it with much ointment, and dressed the hair of her head, and put attire upon it, and put on her garments of gladness, wherewith she was clad during the life of Manasses her husband.

And she put slippers on her feet, and put on bracelets, and sleeves, and rings, and earrings, and all her ornaments, and she 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 pot of oil, and filled a scrippe [small bag, satchel]* with flour, and with dry figs, and with fine bread: so she lapped up 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 face was changed, and that her garment was changed, they marveled greatly at her wonderful beauty, and said unto her,

The God, the God of our fathers give thee favor, and accomplish thine enterprises to the glory of the children of Israel, and to the exaltation of Jerusalem. Then they worshiped God.

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 which you have spoken to me. So they commanded the young men to open unto her, as she had spoken.

And when they had done so, Judeth 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 til 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 whether 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 come before Olosernes, the chief captain of your army, to declare him true things, and I will show before him the way whereby he shall go and win all the mountains, without losing the body or life of any 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 into his hands.

And when they stand before him, be not afraid in thine heart, but show unto him according as thou hast to say, and he will entreat thee well.

Then they chose out of them an hundred men, and prepared a chariot for her and her maid, and brought her to the tent of Olosernes.

Then there was a running to and fro, throughout the camp: for her coming was bruted among the tents: and they came and stood round about her: for she stood without the sons of Olosernes until they had declared unto him concerning her.

And they marveled at her beauty, and wondered at the children of Israel because of her, and every one said unto his neighbor, Who would despise this people, that have among them such women? surely it is not good that one man of them be left: for if they should remain, they might deceive the whole earth.

Then Olosernes guard went out, and all his servants, and they brought her into the tent.

Now Olosernes rested upon his bed under Sa canopy, which was woven with purple and gold and emeraudes [emeralds]*, and precious stones.

So they showed him of her, and he came forth unto the entry of his tent, and they carried lamps of silver before him.

And when Judeth was come before him and his servants, they all marveled at the beauty of her countenance, and she fell down upon her face, and did reverence unto him, and his servants took her up.

*WP4Y