Judith 8

Now at that time Judith heard thereof, which was the daughter of Merari, the son of Ox, the son of Joseph, the son of Oziel, 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 Salasadai, ^athe son of Israel. ²And Manasses was her husband, of her tribe and kindred, who died in ^bthe barley harvest. ³For as he stood overseeing them that bound sheaves in the field, ^cthe 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 ^dDothaim and ^eBalamo. ⁴So Judith was a widow in her house three years and ^ffour months. ⁵And she made her a tent upon ^gthe top of her house, and ^hput on sackcloth upon her loins, and ware ⁱher widow’s apparel. ⁶And she fasted all the days of her widowhood, save ^kthe eves of the sabbath, and ^lthe sabbaths, and the eves of the new moons, and ^lthe new moons, and the feasts and solemn days of the house of Israel. ⁷She 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. ⁸And there was none that gave her an ill word; for she feared God greatly. ⁹Now when she heard the evil words of the people against the governor, ^mthat they fainted for lack of water (for Judith had heard ⁿall the words that Ozias had spoken unto them, and ⁿthat he had sworn to deliver the city unto the Assyrians after five days;) ¹⁰then she sent her waiting woman, that had the government of all things that she had, to call ^oOzias and Chabris and Charmis, ^pthe ancients of the city. ¹¹And they came unto her, and she said unto them,

Hear me now, O ye governors of the inhabitants of Bethulia: for your words that you have spoken before the people this day are not right, touching this oath which ye made and pronounced between God and you, and have promised to deliver the city to our enemies, unless within these days the Lord turn to help you. ¹²And now who are you ^qthat have tempted God this day, and stand instead of God amongst the children of men? ¹³And now try the Lord ^rAlmighty, but you shall never know any thing. ¹⁴For ^syou cannot find the depth of the heart of man, neither can ye perceive the things that he thinketh: then how can you search out God, that hath made all these things, and ^tknow his mind, or comprehend his purpose? Nay, my brethren, ^uprovoke not the Lord our God to anger. ¹⁵For 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. ¹⁶Do not bind the counsels of the Lord our God: for ^xGod is not as man, that he may be threatened; ^xneither is he as the son of man, that he should be wavering. ¹⁷Therefore let us wait for salvation of him, and call upon him to help us, and he will hear our voice, if it please him. ¹⁸For 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, ^yas hath been aforetime. ¹⁹For the which cause our fathers were given to the sword, and for a spoil, and had a great fall before our enemies. ²⁰But we know none other god, therefore we trust that he will not despise us, nor any of our nation. ²¹For 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. ²²And 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 ^zan offence and a reproach to all them that possess us. ²³For our servitude shall not be directed to favour: but the Lord our God shall turn it to dishonour. ²⁴Now 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. ²⁵Moreover let us give thanks to the Lord our God, which trieth us, even as he did our fathers. ²⁶Remember what things he did to ^aAbraham, and how he tried ^aIsaac, and ^bwhat happened to Jacob in Mesopotamia of Syria, when he kept the sheep of Laban his mother’s brother. ²⁷For 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 ^cthe Lord doth scourge them that come near unto him, to admonish them.

²⁸Then 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. ²⁹For 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. ³⁰But ^dthe 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. ³¹Therefore now pray thou for us, because thou art a godly woman, and the Lord will send us rain to fill our ^ecisterns, and we shall faint no more. ³²Then said Judith unto them, Hear me, and I will do a thing, which shall go throughout all generations to the children of our nation. ³³You shall stand this night in the gate, and I will go forth with my ^fwaiting woman: and within the days that you have promised to deliver the city to our enemies ^gthe Lord will visit Israel by mine hand. ³⁴But inquire not you of mine act: for I will not declare it unto you, till the things be finished that I do. ³⁵Then said Ozias and the princes unto her, ^hGo in peace, and the Lord God be before thee, to take vengeance on our enemies. ³⁶So they returned from ⁱthe tent, and went to their wards.

IX.