Judith 13–14

Chapter 13

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

²And they were all overcharged with wine.

³And Judith was alone in the chamber.

⁴But Holofernes lay on his bed, fast asleep, being exceedingly drunk.

⁵And Judith spoke to her maid to stand without before the chamber, and to watch:

⁶And Judith stood before the bed praying with tears, and the motion of her lips in silence,

⁷Saying: 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.

⁸And 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.

⁹And 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.

¹⁰And 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.

¹¹And after a while she went out, and delivered the head of Holofernes to her maid, and bade her put it into her wallet.

¹²And 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.

¹³And 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.

¹⁴And it came to pass, when the men had heard her voice, that they called the ancients of the city.

¹⁵And all ran to meet her from the least to the greatest: for they now had no hopes that she would come.

¹⁶And 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,

¹⁷Judith said: Praise ye the Lord our God, who hath not forsaken them that hope in him.

¹⁸And 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.

¹⁹Then 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.

²⁰But 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.

²¹Give all of you glory to him, because he is good, because his mercy endureth for ever.

²²And 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.

²³And 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.

²⁴Blessed be the Lord who made heaven and earth, who hath directed thee to the cutting off the head of the prince of our enemies.

²⁵Because 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.

²⁶And all the people said: So be it, so be it.

²⁷And 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.

²⁸And 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.

²⁹Then 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.

³⁰But after he had recovered his spirits he fell down at her feet, and reverenced her, and said:

³¹Blessed 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.

Chapter 14

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

²And 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.

³Then the watchmen must needs run to awake their prince for the battle.

⁴And 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.

⁵And when you shall know that they are fleeing, go after them securely, for the Lord will destroy them under your feet.

⁶Then 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.

⁷And 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.

⁸And the watchmen seeing this, ran to the tent of Holofernes.

⁹And 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.

¹⁰For no man durst knock, or open and go into the chamber of the general of the Assyrians.

¹¹But 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:

¹²Go in, and awake him, for the mice, coming out of their holes, have presumed to challenge us to fight.

¹³Then 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.

¹⁴But 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.

¹⁵And he went into the tent of Judith, and not finding her, he ran out to the people,

¹⁶And 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.

¹⁷Now 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.

¹⁸And there was a very great cry in the midst of their camp.