1 In the twelfth year of the reign of Nabuchodonosor,
who reigned in Nineve, the great city; in the days of Arphaxad, which reigned
over the Medes in Ecbatane,
2 And built in Ecbatane walls round about
of stones hewn three cubits broad and six cubits long, and made the height
of the wall seventy cubits, and the breadth thereof fifty cubits:
3 And set the towers thereof upon the
gates of it an hundred cubits high, and the breadth thereof in the foundation
threescore cubits:
4 And he made the gates thereof, even
gates that were raised to the height of seventy cubits, and the breadth
of them was forty cubits, for the going forth of his mighty armies, and
for the setting in array of his footmen:
5 Even in those days king Nabuchodonosor
made war with king Arphaxad in the great plain, which is the plain in the
borders of Ragau.
6 And there came unto him all they that
dwelt in the hill country, and all that dwelt by Euphrates, and Tigris
and Hydaspes, and the plain of Arioch the king of the Elymeans, and very
many nations of the sons of Chelod, assembled themselves to the battle.
7 Then Nabuchodonosor king of the Assyrians
sent unto all that dwelt in Persia, and to all that dwelt westward, and
to those that dwelt in Cilicia, and Damascus, and Libanus, and Antilibanus,
and to all that dwelt upon the sea coast,
8 And to those among the nations that
were of Carmel, and Galaad, and the higher Galilee, and the great plain
of Esdrelom,
9 And to all that were in Samaria and
the cities thereof, and beyond Jordan unto Jerusalem, and Betane, and Chelus,
and Kades, and the river of Egypt, and Taphnes, and Ramesse, and all the
land of Gesem,
10 Until ye come beyond Tanis and Memphis,
and to all the inhabitants of Egypt, until ye come to the borders of Ethiopia.
11 But all the inhabitants of the land
made light of the commandment of Nabuchodonosor king of the Assyrians,
neither went they with him to the battle; for they were not afraid of him:
yea, he was before them as one man, and they sent away his ambassadors
from them without effect, and with disgrace.
12 Therefore Nabuchodonosor was very angry
with all this country, and sware by his throne and kingdom, that he would
surely be avenged upon all those coasts of Cilicia, and Damascus, and Syria,
and that he would slay with the sword all the inhabitants of the land of
Moab, and the children of Ammon, and all Judea, and all that were in Egypt,
till ye come to the borders of the two seas.
13 Then he marched in battle array with
his power against king Arphaxad in the seventeenth year, and he prevailed
in his battle: for he overthrew all the power of Arphaxad, and all his
horsemen, and all his chariots,
14 And became lord of his cities, and
came unto Ecbatane, and took the towers, and spoiled the streets thereof,
and turned the beauty thereof into shame.
15 He took also Arphaxad in the mountains
of Ragau, and smote him through with his darts, and destroyed him utterly
that day.
16 So he returned afterward to Nineve,
both he and all his company of sundry nations being a very great multitude
of men of war, and there he took his ease, and banqueted, both he and his
army, an hundred and twenty days.
Judith 2
1 And in the eighteenth year, the two and
twentieth day of the first month, there was talk in the house of Nabuchodonosor
king of the Assyrians that he should, as he said, avenge himself on all
the earth.
2 So he called unto him all his officers,
and all his nobles, and communicated with them his secret counsel, and
concluded the afflicting of the whole earth out of his own mouth.
3 Then they decreed to destroy all flesh,
that did not obey the commandment of his mouth.
4 And when he had ended his counsel, Nabuchodonosor
king of the Assyrians called Holofernes the chief captain of his army,
which was next unto him, and said unto him.
5 Thus saith the great king, the lord
of the whole earth, Behold, thou shalt go forth from my presence, and take
with thee men that trust in their own strength, of footmen an hundred and
twenty thousand; and the number of horses with their riders twelve thousand.
6 And thou shalt go against all the west
country, because they disobeyed my commandment.
7 And thou shalt declare unto that they
prepare for me earth and water: for I will go forth in my wrath against
them and will cover the whole face of the earth with the feet of mine army,
and I will give them for a spoil unto them:
8 So that their slain shall fill their
valleys and brooks and the river shall be filled with their dead, till
it overflow:
9 And I will lead them captives to the
utmost parts of all the earth.
10 Thou therefore shalt go forth. and
take beforehand for me all their coasts: and if they will yield themselves
unto thee, thou shalt reserve them for me till the day of their punishment.
11 But concerning them that rebel, let
not thine eye spare them; but put them to the slaughter, and spoil them
wheresoever thou goest.
12 For as I live, and by the power of
my kingdom, whatsoever I have spoken, that will I do by mine hand.
13 And take thou heed that thou transgress
none of the commandments of thy lord, but accomplish them fully, as I have
commanded thee, and defer not to do them.
14 Then Holofernes went forth from the
presence of his lord, and called ail the governors and captains, and the
officers of the army of Assur;
15 And he mustered the chosen men for
the battle, as his lord had commanded him, unto an hundred and twenty thousand,
and twelve thousand archers on horseback;
16 And he ranged them, as a great army
is ordered for the war.
17 And he took camels and asses for their
carriages, a very great number; and sheep and oxen and goats without number
for their provision:
18 And plenty of victual for every man
of the army, and very much gold and silver out of the king's house.
19 Then he went forth and all his power
to go before king Nabuchodonosor in the voyage, and to cover all the face
of the earth westward with their chariots, and horsemen, and their chosen
footmen.
20 A great number also sundry countries
came with them like locusts, and like the sand of the earth: for the multitude
was without number.
21 And they went forth of Nineve three
days' journey toward the plain of Bectileth, and pitched from Bectileth
near the mountain which is at the left hand of the upper Cilicia.
22 Then he took all his army, his footmen,
and horsemen and chariots, and went from thence into the hill country;
23 And destroyed Phud and Lud, and spoiled
all the children of Rasses, and the children of Israel, which were toward
the wilderness at the south of the land of the Chellians.
24 Then he went over Euphrates, and went
through Mesopotamia, and destroyed all the high cities that were upon the
river Arbonai, till ye come to the sea.
25 And he took the borders of Cilicia,
and killed all that resisted him, and came to the borders of Japheth, which
were toward the south, over against Arabia.
26 He compassed also all the children
of Madian, and burned up their tabernacles, and spoiled their sheepcotes.
27 Then he went down into the plain of
Damascus in the time of wheat harvest, and burnt up all their fields, and
destroyed their flocks and herds, also he spoiled their cities, and utterly
wasted their countries, and smote all their young men with the edge of
the sword.
28 Therefore the fear and dread of him
fell upon all the inhabitants of the sea coasts, which were in Sidon and
Tyrus, and them that dwelt in Sur and Ocina, and all that dwelt in Jemnaan;
and they that dwelt in Azotus and Ascalon feared him greatly.
Judith 3
1 So they sent ambassadors unto him to
treat of peace, saying,
2 Behold, we the servants of Nabuchodonosor
the great king lie before thee; use us as shall be good in thy sight.
3 Behold, our houses, and all our places,
and all our fields of wheat, and flocks, and herds, and all the lodges
of our tents lie before thy face; use them as it pleaseth thee.
4 Behold, even our cities and the inhabitants
thereof are thy servants; come and deal with them as seemeth good unto
thee.
5 So the men came to Holofernes, and declared
unto him after this manner.
6 Then came he down toward the sea coast,
both he and his army, and set garrisons in the high cities, and took out
of them chosen men for aid.
7 So they and all the country round about
received them with garlands, with dances, and with timbrels.
8 Yet he did cast down their frontiers,
and cut down their groves: for he had decreed to destroy all the gods of
the land, that all nations should worship Nabuchodonosor only, and that
all tongues and tribes should call upon him as god.
9 Also he came over against Esdraelon
near unto Judea, over against the great strait of Judea.
10 And he pitched between Geba and Scythopolis,
and there he tarried a whole month, that he might gather together all the
carriages of his army.
Judith 4
1 Now the children of Israel, that dwelt
in Judea, heard all that Holofernes the chief captain of Nabuchodonosor
king of the Assyrians had done to the nations, and after what manner he
had spoiled all their temples, and brought them to nought.
2 Therefore they were exceedingly afraid
of him, and were troubled for Jerusalem, and for the temple of the Lord
their God:
3 For they were newly returned from the
captivity, and all the people of Judea were lately gathered together: and
the vessels, and the altar, and the house, were sanctified after the profanation.
4 Therefore they sent into all the coasts
of Samaria, and the villages and to Bethoron, and Belmen, and Jericho,
and to Choba, and Esora, and to the valley of Salem:
5 And possessed themselves beforehand
of all the tops of the high mountains, and fortified the villages that
were in them, and laid up victuals for the provision of war: for their
fields were of late reaped.
6 Also Joacim the high priest, which was
in those days in Jerusalem, wrote to them that dwelt in Bethulia, and Betomestham,
which is over against Esdraelon toward the open country, near to Dothaim,
7 Charging them to keep the passages of
the hill country: for by them there was an entrance into Judea, and it
was easy to stop them that would come up, because the passage was straight,
for two men at the most.
8 And the children of Israel did as Joacim
the high priest had commanded them, with the ancients of all the people
of Israel, which dwelt at Jerusalem.
9 Then every man of Israel cried to God
with great fervency, and with great vehemency did they humble their souls:
10 Both they, and their wives and their
children, and their cattle, and every stranger and hireling, and their
servants bought with money, put sackcloth upon their loins.
11 Thus every man and women, and the little
children, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, fell before the temple, and
cast ashes upon their heads, and spread out their sackcloth before the
face of the Lord: also they put sackcloth about the altar,
12 And cried to the God of Israel all
with one consent earnestly, that he would not give their children for a
prey, and their wives for a spoil, and the cities of their inheritance
to destruction, and the sanctuary to profanation and reproach, and for
the nations to rejoice at.
13 So God heard their prayers, and looked
upon their afflictions: for the people fasted many days in all Judea and
Jerusalem before the sanctuary of the Lord Almighty.
14 And Joacim the high priest, and all
the priests that stood before the Lord, and they which ministered unto
the Lord, had their loins girt with sackcloth, and offered the daily burnt
offerings, with the vows and free gifts of the people,
15 And had ashes on their mitres, and
cried unto the Lord with all their power, that he would look upon all the
house of Israel graciously.
Judith 5
1 Then was it declared to Holofernes, the
chief captain of the army of Assur, that the children of Israel had prepared
for war, and had shut up the passages of the hill country, and had fortified
all the tops of the high hills and had laid impediments in the champaign
countries:
2 Wherewith he was very angry, and called
all the princes of Moab, and the captains of Ammon, and all the governors
of the sea coast,
3 And he said unto them, Tell me now,
ye sons of Chanaan, who this people is, that dwelleth in the hill country,
and what are the cities that they inhabit, and what is the multitude of
their army, and wherein is their power and strength, and what king is set
over them, or captain of their army;
4 And why have they determined not to
come and meet me, more than all the inhabitants of the west.
5 Then said Achior, the captain of all
the sons of Ammon, Let my lord now hear a word from the mouth of thy servant,
and I will declare unto thee the truth concerning this people, which dwelleth
near thee, and inhabiteth the hill countries: and there shall no lie come
out of the mouth of thy servant.
6 This people are descended of the Chaldeans:
7 And they sojourned heretofore in Mesopotamia,
because they would not follow the gods of their fathers, which were in
the land of Chaldea.
8 For they left the way of their ancestors,
and worshipped the God of heaven, the God whom they knew: so they cast
them out from the face of their gods, and they fled into Mesopotamia, and
sojourned there many days.
9 Then their God commanded them to depart
from the place where they sojourned, and to go into the land of Chanaan:
where they dwelt, and were increased with gold and silver, and with very
much cattle.
10 But when a famine covered all the land
of Chanaan, they went down into Egypt, and sojourned there, while they
were nourished, and became there a great multitude, so that one could not
number their nation.
11 Therefore the king of Egypt rose up
against them, and dealt subtilly with them, and brought them low with labouring
in brick, and made them slaves.
12 Then they cried unto their God, and
he smote all the land of Egypt with incurable plagues: so the Egyptians
cast them out of their sight.
13 And God dried the Red sea before them,
14 And brought them to mount Sina, and
Cades-Barne, and cast forth all that dwelt in the wilderness.
15 So they dwelt in the land of the Amorites,
and they destroyed by their strength all them of Esebon, and passing over
Jordan they possessed all the hill country.
16 And they cast forth before them the
Chanaanite, the Pherezite, the Jebusite, and the Sychemite, and all the
Gergesites, and they dwelt in that country many days.
17 And whilst they sinned not before their
God, they prospered, because the God that hateth iniquity was with them.
18 But when they departed from the way
which he appointed them, they were destroyed in many battles very sore,
and were led captives into a land that was not their's, and the temple
of their God was cast to the ground, and their cities were taken by the
enemies.
19 But now are they returned to their
God, and are come up from the places where they were scattered, and have
possessed Jerusalem, where their sanctuary is, and are seated in the hill
country; for it was desolate.
20 Now therefore, my lord and governor,
if there be any error against this people, and they sin against their God,
let us consider that this shall be their ruin, and let us go up, and we
shall overcome them.
21 But if there be no iniquity in their
nation, let my lord now pass by, lest their Lord defend them, and their
God be for them, and we become a reproach before all the world.
22 And when Achior had finished these
sayings, all the people standing round about the tent murmured, and the
chief men of Holofernes, and all that dwelt by the sea side, and in Moab,
spake that he should kill him.
23 For, say they, we will not be afraid
of the face of the children of Israel: for, lo, it is a people that have
no strength nor power for a strong battle
24 Now therefore, lord Holofernes, we
will go up, and they shall be a prey to be devoured of all thine army.
Judith 6
1 And when the tumult of men that were
about the council was ceased, Holofernes the chief captain of the army
of Assur said unto Achior and all the Moabites before all the company of
other nations,
2 And who art thou, Achior, and the hirelings
of Ephraim, that thou hast prophesied against us as to day, and hast said,
that we should not make war with the people of Israel, because their God
will defend them? and who is God but Nabuchodonosor?
3 He will send his power, and will destroy
them from the face of the earth, and their God shall not deliver them:
but we his servants will destroy them as one man; for they are not able
to sustain the power of our horses.
4 For with them we will tread them under
foot, and their mountains shall be drunken with their blood, and their
fields shall be filled with their dead bodies, and their footsteps shall
not be able to stand before us, for they shall utterly perish, saith king
Nabuchodonosor, lord of all the earth: for he said, None of my words shall
be in vain.
5 And thou, Achior, an hireling of Ammon,
which hast spoken these words in the day of thine iniquity, shalt see my
face no more from this day, until I take vengeance of this nation that
came out of Egypt.
6 And then shall the sword of mine army,
and the multitude of them that serve me, pass through thy sides, and thou
shalt fall among their slain, when I return.
7 Now therefore my servants shall bring
thee back into the hill country, and shall set thee in one of the cities
of the passages:
8 And thou shalt not perish, till thou
be destroyed with them.
9 And if thou persuade thyself in thy
mind that they shall be taken, let not thy countenance fall: I have spoken
it, and none of my words shall be in vain.
10 Then Holofernes commanded his servants,
that waited in his tent, to take Achior, and bring him to Bethulia, and
deliver him into the hands of the children of Israel.
11 So his servants took him, and brought
him out of the camp into the plain, and they went from the midst of the
plain into the hill country, and came unto the fountains that were under
Bethulia.
12 And when the men of the city saw them,
they took up their weapons, and went out of the city to the top of the
hill: and every man that used a sling kept them from coming up by casting
of stones against them.
13 Nevertheless having gotten privily
under the hill, they bound Achior, and cast him down, and left him at the
foot of the hill, and returned to their lord.
14 But the Israelites descended from their
city, and came unto him, and loosed him, and brought him to Bethulia, and
presented him to the governors of the city:
15 Which were in those days Ozias the
son of Micha, of the tribe of Simeon, and Chabris the son of Gothoniel,
and Charmis the son of Melchiel.
16 And they called together all the ancients
of the city, and all their youth ran together, and their women, to the
assembly, and they set Achior in the midst of all their people. Then Ozias
asked him of that which was done.
17 And he answered and declared unto them
the words of the council of Holofernes, and all the words that he had spoken
in the midst of the princes of Assur, and whatsoever Holofernes had spoken
proudly against the house of Israel.
18 Then the people fell down and worshipped
God, and cried unto God. saying,
19 O Lord God of heaven, behold their
pride, and pity the low estate of our nation, and look upon the face of
those that are sanctified unto thee this day.
20 Then they comforted Achior, and praised
him greatly.
21 And Ozias took him out of the assembly
unto his house, and made a feast to the elders; and they called on the
God of Israel all that night for help.
Judith 7
1 The next day Holofernes commanded all
his army, and all his people which were come to take his part, that they
should remove their camp against Bethulia, to take aforehand the ascents
of the hill country, and to make war against the children of Israel.
2 Then their strong men removed their
camps in that day, and the army of the men of war was an hundred and seventy
thousand footmen, and twelve thousand horsemen, beside the baggage, and
other men that were afoot among them, a very great multitude.
3 And they camped in the valley near unto
Bethulia, by the fountain, and they spread themselves in breadth over Dothaim
even to Belmaim, and in length from Bethulia unto Cynamon, which is over
against Esdraelon.
4 Now the children of Israel, when they
saw the multitude of them, were greatly troubled, and said every one to
his neighbour, Now will these men lick up the face of the earth; for neither
the high mountains, nor the valleys, nor the hills, are able to bear their
weight.
5 Then every man took up his weapons of
war, and when they had kindled fires upon their towers, they remained and
watched all that night.
6 But in the second day Holofernes brought
forth all his horsemen in the sight of the children of Israel which were
in Bethulia,
7 And viewed the passages up to the city,
and came to the fountains of their waters, and took them, and set garrisons
of men of war over them, and he himself removed toward his people.
8 Then came unto him all the chief of
the children of Esau, and all the governors of the people of Moab, and
the captains of the sea coast, and said,
9 Let our lord now hear a word, that there
be not an overthrow in thine army.
10 For this people of the children of
Israel do not trust in their spears, but in the height of the mountains
wherein they dwell, because it is not easy to come up to the tops of their
mountains.
11 Now therefore, my lord, fight not against
them in battle array, and there shall not so much as one man of thy people
perish.
12 Remain in thy camp, and keep all the
men of thine army, and let thy servants get into their hands the fountain
of water, which issueth forth of the foot of the mountain:
13 For all the inhabitants of Bethulia
have their water thence; so shall thirst kill them, and they shall give
up their city, and we and our people shall go up to the tops of the mountains
that are near, and will camp upon them, to watch that none go out of the
city.
14 So they and their wives and their children
shall be consumed with fire, and before the sword come against them, they
shall be overthrown in the streets where they dwell.
15 Thus shalt thou render them an evil
reward; because they rebelled, and met not thy person peaceably.
16 And these words pleased Holofernes
and all his servants, and he appointed to do as they had spoken.
17 So the camp of the children of Ammon
departed, and with them five thousand of the Assyrians, and they pitched
in the valley, and took the waters, and the fountains of the waters of
the children of Israel.
18 Then the children of Esau went up with
the children of Ammon, and camped in the hill country over against Dothaim:
and they sent some of them toward the south, and toward the east over against
Ekrebel, which is near unto Chusi, that is upon the brook Mochmur; and
the rest of the army of the Assyrians camped in the plain, and covered
the face of the whole land; and their tents and carriages were pitched
to a very great multitude.
19 Then the children of Israel cried unto
the Lord their God, because their heart failed, for all their enemies had
compassed them round about, and there was no way to escape out from among
them.
20 Thus all the company of Assur remained
about them, both their footmen, chariots, and horsemen, four and thirty
days, so that all their vessels of water failed all the inhibitants of
Bethulia.
21 And the cisterns were emptied, and
they had not water to drink their fill for one day; for they gave them
drink by measure.
22 Therefore their young children were
out of heart, and their women and young men fainted for thirst, and fell
down in the streets of the city, and by the passages of the gates, and
there was no longer any strength in them.
23 Then all the people assembled to Ozias,
and to the chief of the city, both young men, and women, and children,
and cried with a loud voice, and said before all the elders,
24 God be judge between us and you: for
ye have done us great injury, in that ye have not required peace of the
children of Assur.
25 For now we have no helper: but God
hath sold us into their hands, that we should be thrown down before them
with thirst and great destruction.
26 Now therefore call them unto you, and
deliver the whole city for a spoil to the people of Holofernes, and to
all his army.
27 For it is better for us to be made
a spoil unto them, than to die for thirst: for we will be his servants,
that our souls may live, and not see the death of our infants before our
eyes, nor our wives nor our children to die.
28 We take to witness against you the
heaven and the earth, and our God and Lord of our fathers, which punisheth
us according to our sins and the sins of our fathers, that he do not according
as we have said this day.
29 Then there was great weeping with one
consent in the midst of the assembly; and they cried unto the Lord God
with a loud voice.
30 Then said Ozias to them, Brethren,
be of good courage, let us yet endure five days, in the which space the
Lord our God may turn his mercy toward us; for he will not forsake us utterly.
31 And if these days pass, and there come
no help unto us, I will do according to your word.
32 And he dispersed the people, every
one to their own charge; and they went unto the walls and towers of their
city, and sent the women and children into their houses: and they were
very low brought in the city.
Judith 8
1 Now at that time Judith heard thereof,
which was the daughter of Merari, the son of Ox, the son of Joseph, the
son of Ozel, 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 Salasadal, the son of Israel.
2 And Manasses was her husband, of her
tribe and kindred, who died in the barley harvest.
3 For as he stood overseeing them that
bound sheaves in the field, the 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 Dothaim and Balamo.
4 So Judith was a widow in her house three
years and four months.
5 And she made her a tent upon the top
of her house, and put on sackcloth upon her loins and ware her widow's
apparel.
6 And she fasted all the days of her widowhood,
save the eves of the sabbaths, and the sabbaths, and the eves of the new
moons, and the new moons and the feasts and solemn days of the house of
Israel.
7 She 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.
8 And there was none that gave her an
ill word; ar she feared God greatly.
9 Now when she heard the evil words of
the people against the governor, that they fainted for lack of water; for
Judith had heard all the words that Ozias had spoken unto them, and that
he had sworn to deliver the city unto the Assyrians after five days;
10 Then she sent her waitingwoman, that
had the government of all things that she had, to call Ozias and Chabris
and Charmis, the ancients of the city.
11 And they came unto her, and she said
unto them, Hear me now, O ye governors of the inhabitants of Bethulia:
for your words that ye 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.
12 And now who are ye that have tempted
God this day, and stand instead of God among the children of men?
13 And now try the Lord Almighty, but
ye shall never know any thing.
14 For ye cannot find the depth of the
heart of man, neither can ye perceive the things that he thinketh: then
how can ye search out God, that hath made all these things, and know his
mind, or comprehend his purpose? Nay, my brethren, provoke not the Lord
our God to anger.
15 For 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.
16 Do not bind the counsels of the Lord
our God: for God is not as man, that he may be threatened; neither is he
as the son of man, that he should be wavering.
17 Therefore let us wait for salvation
of him, and call upon him to help us, and he will hear our voice, if it
please him.
18 For 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, as hath been aforetime.
19 For the which cause our fathers were
given to the sword, and for a spoil, and had a great fall before our enemies.
20 But we know none other god, therefore
we trust that he will not dispise us, nor any of our nation.
21 For 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.
22 And 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 an offence and a reproach to all them that
possess us.
23 For our servitude shall not be directed
to favour: but the Lord our God shall turn it to dishonour.
24 Now 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.
25 Moreover let us give thanks to the
Lord our God, which trieth us, even as he did our fathers.
26 Remember what things he did to Abraham,
and how he tried Isaac, and what happened to Jacob in Mesopotamia of Syria,
when he kept the sheep of Laban his mother's brother.
27 For 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 the Lord doth scourge them that come near unto him,
to admonish them.
28 Then 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.
29 For 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.
30 But the 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.
31 Therefore now pray thou for us, because
thou art a godly woman, and the Lord will send us rain to fill our cisterns,
and we shall faint no more.
32 Then said Judith unto them, Hear me,
and I will do a thing, which shall go throughout all generations to the
children of our nation.
33 Ye shall stand this night in the gate,
and I will go forth with my waitingwoman: and within the days that ye have
promised to deliver the city to our enemies the Lord will visit Israel
by mine hand.
34 But enquire not ye of mine act: for
I will not declare it unto you, till the things be finished that I do.
35 Then said Ozias and the princes unto
her, Go in peace, and the Lord God be before thee, to take vengeance on
our enemies.
36 So they returned from the tent, and
went to their wards.
Judith 9
1 Judith fell upon her face, and put ashes
upon her head, and uncovered 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 Judith cried with a loud voice, and said,
2 O Lord God of my father Simeon, to whom
thou gavest a sword to take vengeance of the strangers, who loosened the
girdle of a maid to defile her, and discovered the thigh to her shame,
and polluted her virginity to her reproach; for thou saidst, It shall not
be so; and yet they did so:
3 Wherefore thou gavest their rulers to
be slain, so that they dyed their bed in blood, being deceived, and smotest
the servants with their lords, and the lords upon their thrones;
4 And hast given their wives for a prey,
and their daughters to be captives, and all their spoils to be divided
among thy dear children; 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.
5 For thou hast wrought not only those
things, but also the things which fell out before, and which ensued after;
thou hast thought upon the things which are now, and which are to come.
6 Yea, what things thou didst determine
were ready at hand, and said, Lo, we are here: for all thy ways are prepared,
and thy judgments are in thy foreknowledge.
7 For, behold, the Assyrians are multiplied
in their power; they are exalted with horse and man; they glory in the
strength of their footmen; they trust in shield, and spear, and bow, and
sling; and know not that thou art the Lord that breakest the battles: the
Lord is thy name.
8 Throw down their strength in thy power,
and bring down their force in thy wrath: for they have purposed to defile
thy sanctuary, and to pollute the tabernacle where thy glorious name resteth
and to cast down with sword the horn of thy altar.
9 Behold their pride, and send thy wrath
upon their heads: give into mine hand, which am a widow, the power that
I have conceived.
10 Smite by the deceit of my lips the
servant with the prince, and the prince with the servant: break down their
stateliness by the hand of a woman.
11 For thy power standeth not in multitude
nor thy might in strong men: for thou art a God of the afflicted, an helper
of the oppressed, an upholder of the weak, a protector of the forlorn,
a saviour of them that are without hope.
12 I pray thee, I pray thee, O God of
my father, and God of the inheritance of Israel, Lord of the heavens and
earth, Creator of the waters, king of every creature, hear thou my prayer:
13 And make my speech and deceit to be
their wound and stripe, who have purposed cruel things against thy covenant,
and thy hallowed house, and against the top of Sion, and against the house
of the possession of thy children.
14 And make every nation and tribe to
acknowledge that thou art the God of all power and might, and that there
is none other that protecteth the people of Israel but thou.
Judith 10
1 Now after that she had ceased to cry
unto the God of Israel, and bad made an end of all these words.
2 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 her feast days,
3 And pulled off the sackcloth which she
had on, and put off the garments of her widowhood, and washed her body
all over with water, and anointed herself with precious ointment, and braided
the hair of her head, and put on a tire upon it, and put on her garments
of gladness, wherewith she was clad during the life of Manasses her husband.
4 And she took sandals upon her feet,
and put about her her bracelets, and her chains, and her rings, and her
earrings, and all her ornaments, and decked herself bravely, to allure
the eyes of all men that should see her.
5 Then she gave her maid a bottle of wine,
and a cruse of oil, and filled a bag with parched corn, and lumps of figs,
and with fine bread; so she folded all these things together, and laid
them upon her.
6 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.
7 And when they saw her, that her countenance
was altered, and her apparel was changed, they wondered at her beauty very
greatly, and said unto her.
8 The God, the God of our fathers give
thee favour, and accomplish thine enterprizes to the glory of the children
of Israel, and to the exaltation of Jerusalem. Then they worshipped God.
9 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 whereof ye have spoken with me. So they commanded the young
men to open unto her, as she had spoken.
10 And when they had done so, Judith 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 till she had passed the valley,
and could see her no more.
11 Thus they went straight forth in the
valley: and the first watch of the Assyrians met her,
12 And took her, and asked her, Of what
people art thou? and whence comest thou? and whither 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:
13 And I am coming before Holofernes the
chief captain of your army, to declare words of truth; and I will shew
him a way, whereby he shall go, and win all the hill country, without losing
the body or life of any one of his men.
14 Now when the men heard her words, and
beheld her countenance, they wondered greatly at her beauty, and said unto
her,
15 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 to his hands.
16 And when thou standest before him,
be not afraid in thine heart, but shew unto him according to thy word;
and he will entreat thee well.
17 Then they chose out of them an hundred
men to accompany her and her maid; and they brought her to the tent of
Holofernes.
18 Then was there a concourse throughout
all the camp: for her coming was noised among the tents, and they came
about her, as she stood without the tent of Holofernes, till they told
him of her.
19 And they wondered at her beauty, and
admired the children of Israel because of her, and every one said to his
neighbour, Who would despise this people, that have among them such women?
surely it is not good that one man of them be left who being let go might
deceive the whole earth.
20 And they that lay near Holofernes went
out, and all his servants and they brought her into the tent.
21 Now Holofernes rested upon his bed
under a canopy, which was woven with purple, and gold, and emeralds, and
precious stones.
22 So they shewed him of her; and he came
out before his tent with silver lamps going before him.
23 And when Judith was come before him
and his servants they all marvelled at the beauty of her countenance; and
she fell down upon her face, and did reverence unto him: and his servants
took her up.
Judith 11
1 Then said Holofernes unto her, Woman,
be of good comfort, fear not in thine heart: for I never hurt any that
was willing to serve Nabuchodonosor, the king of all the earth.
2 Now therefore, if thy people that dwelleth
in the mountains had not set light by me, I would not have lifted up my
spear against them: but they have done these things to themselves.
3 But now tell me wherefore thou art fled
from them, and art come unto us: for thou art come for safeguard; be of
good comfort, thou shalt live this night, and hereafter:
4 For none shall hurt thee, but entreat
thee well, as they do the servants of king Nabuchodonosor my lord.
5 Then Judith said unto him, Receive the
words of thy servant, and suffer thine handmaid to speak in thy presence,
and I will declare no lie to my lord this night.
6 And if thou wilt follow the words of
thine handmaid, God will bring the thing perfectly to pass by thee; and
my lord shall not fail of his purposes.
7 As Nabuchodonosor king of all the earth
liveth, and as his power liveth, who hath sent thee for the upholding of
every living thing: for not only men shall serve him by thee, but also
the beasts of the field, and the cattle, and the fowls of the air, shall
live by thy power under Nabuchodonosor and all his house.
8 For we have heard of thy wisdom and
thy policies, and it is reported in all the earth, that thou only art excellent
in all the kingdom, and mighty in knowledge, and wonderful in feats of
war.
9 Now as concerning the matter, which
Achior did speak in thy council, we have heard his words; for the men of
Bethulia saved him, and he declared unto them all that he had spoken unto
thee.
10 Therefore, O lord and governor, respect
not his word; but lay it up in thine heart, for it is true: for our nation
shall not be punished, neither can sword prevail against them, except they
sin against their God.
11 And now, that my lord be not defeated
and frustrate of his purpose, even death is now fallen upon them, and their
sin hath overtaken them, wherewith they will provoke their God to anger
whensoever they shall do that which is not fit to be done:
12 For their victuals fail them, and all
their water is scant, and they have determined to lay hands upon their
cattle, and purposed to consume all those things, that God hath forbidden
them to eat by his laws:
13 And are resolved to spend the firstfruits
of the the tenths of wine and oil, which they had sanctified, and reserved
for the priests that serve in Jerusalem before the face of our God; the
which things it is not lawful for any of the people so much as to touch
with their hands.
14 For they have sent some to Jerusalem,
because they also that dwell there have done the like, to bring them a
licence from the senate.
15 Now when they shall bring them word,
they will forthwith do it, and they shall be given to thee to be destroyed
the same day.
16 Wherefore I thine handmaid, knowing
all this, am fled from their presence; and God hath sent me to work things
with thee, whereat all the earth shall be astonished, and whosoever shall
hear it.
17 For thy servant is religious, and serveth
the God of heaven day and night: now therefore, my lord, I will remain
with thee, and thy servant will go out by night into the valley, and I
will pray unto God, and he will tell me when they have committed their
sins:
18 And I will come and shew it unto thee:
then thou shalt go forth with all thine army, and there shall be none of
them that shall resist thee.
19 And I will lead thee through the midst
of Judea, until thou come before Jerusalem; and I will set thy throne in
the midst thereof; and thou shalt drive them as sheep that have no shepherd,
and a dog shall not so much as open his mouth at thee: for these things
were told me according to my foreknowledge, and they were declared unto
me, and I am sent to tell thee.
20 Then her words pleased Holofernes and
all his servants; and they marvelled at her wisdom, and said,
21 There is not such a woman from one
end of the earth to the other, both for beauty of face, and wisdom of words.
22 Likewise Holofernes said unto her.
God hath done well to send thee before the people, that strength might
be in our hands and destruction upon them that lightly regard my lord.
23 And now thou art both beautiful in
thy countenance, and witty in thy words: surely if thou do as thou hast
spoken thy God shall be my God, and thou shalt dwell in the house of king
Nabuchodonosor, and shalt be renowned through the whole earth.
Judith 12
1 Then he commanded to bring her in where
his plate was set; and bade that they should prepare for her of his own
meats, and that she should drink of his own wine.
2 And Judith said, I will not eat thereof,
lest there be an offence: but provision shall be made for me of the things
that I have brought.
3 Then Holofernes said unto her, If thy
provision should fail, how should we give thee the like? for there be none
with us of thy nation.
4 Then said Judith unto him As thy soul
liveth, my lord, thine handmaid shall not spend those things that I have,
before the Lord work by mine hand the things that he hath determined.
5 Then the servants of Holofernes brought
her into the tent, and she slept till midnight, and she arose when it was
toward the morning watch,
6 And sent to Holofernes, saving, Let
my lord now command that thine handmaid may go forth unto prayer.
7 Then Holofernes commanded his guard
that they should not stay her: thus she abode in the camp three days, and
went out in the night into the valley of Bethulia, and washed herself in
a fountain of water by the camp.
8 And when she came out, she besought
the Lord God of Israel to direct her way to the raising up of the children
of her people.
9 So she came in clean, and remained in
the tent, until she did eat her meat at evening.
10 And in the fourth day Holofernes made
a feast to his own servants only, and called none of the officers to the
banquet.
11 Then said he to Bagoas the eunuch,
who had charge over all that he had, Go now, and persuade this Hebrew woman
which is with thee, that she come unto us, and eat and drink with us.
12 For, lo, it will be a shame for our
person, if we shall let such a woman go, not having had her company; for
if we draw her not unto us, she will laugh us to scorn.
13 Then went Bagoas from the presence
of Holofernes, and came to her, and he said, Let not this fair damsel fear
to come to my lord, and to be honoured in his presence, and drink wine,
and be merry with us and be made this day as one of the daughters of the
Assyrians, which serve in the house of Nabuchodonosor.
14 Then said Judith unto him, Who am I
now, that I should gainsay my lord? surely whatsoever pleaseth him I will
do speedily, and it shall be my joy unto the day of my death.
15 So she arose, and decked herself with
her apparel and all her woman's attire, and her maid went and laid soft
skins on the ground for her over against Holofernes, which she had received
of Bagoas far her daily use, that she might sit and eat upon them.
16 Now when Judith came in and sat down,
Holofernes his heart was ravished with her, and his mind was moved, and
he desired greatly her company; for he waited a time to deceive her, from
the day that he had seen her.
17 Then said Holofernes unto her, Drink
now, and be merry with us.
18 So Judith said, I will drink now, my
lord, because my life is magnified in me this day more than all the days
since I was born.
19 Then she took and ate and drank before
him what her maid had prepared.
20 And Holofernes took great delight in
her, and drank more wine than he had drunk at any time in one day since
he was born.
Judith 13
1 Now when the evening was come, his servants
made haste to depart, and Bagoas shut his tent without, and dismissed the
waiters from the presence of his lord; and they went to their beds: for
they were all weary, because the feast had been long.
2 And Judith was left along in the tent,
and Holofernes lying along upon his bed: for he was filled with wine.
3 Now Judith had commanded her maid to
stand without her bedchamber, and to wait for her. coming forth, as she
did daily: for she said she would go forth to her prayers, and she spake
to Bagoas according to the same purpose.
4 So all went forth and none was left
in the bedchamber, neither little nor great. Then Judith, standing by his
bed, said in her heart, O Lord God of all power, look at this present upon
the works of mine hands for the exaltation of Jerusalem.
5 For now is the time to help thine inheritance,
and to execute thine enterprizes to the destruction of the enemies which
are risen against us.
6 Then she came to the pillar of the bed,
which was at Holofernes' head, and took down his fauchion from thence,
7 And approached to his bed, and took
hold of the hair of his head, and said, Strengthen me, O Lord God of Israel,
this day.
8 And she smote twice upon his neck with
all her might, and she took away his head from him.
9 And tumbled his body down from the bed,
and pulled down the canopy from the pillars; and anon after she went forth,
and gave Holofernes his head to her maid;
10 And she put it in her bag of meat:
so they twain went together according to their custom unto prayer: and
when they passed the camp, they compassed the valley, and went up the mountain
of Bethulia, and came to the gates thereof.
11 Then said Judith afar off, to the watchmen
at the gate, Open, open now the gate: God, even our God, is with us, to
shew his power yet in Jerusalem, and his forces against the enemy, as he
hath even done this day.
12 Now when the men of her city heard
her voice, they made haste to go down to the gate of their city, and they
called the elders of the city.
13 And then they ran all together, both
small and great, for it was strange unto them that she was come: so they
opened the gate, and received them, and made a fire for a light, and stood
round about them.
14 Then she said to them with a loud voice,
Praise, praise God, praise God, I say, for he hath not taken away his mercy
from the house of Israel, but hath destroyed our enemies by mine hands
this night.
15 So she took the head out of the bag,
and shewed it, and said unto them, behold the head of Holofernes, the chief
captain of the army of Assur, and behold the canopy, wherein he did lie
in his drunkenness; and the Lord hath smitten him by the hand of a woman.
16 As the Lord liveth, who hath kept me
in my way that I went, my countenance hath deceived him to his destruction,
and yet hath he not committed sin with me, to defile and shame me.
17 Then all the people were wonderfully
astonished, and bowed themselves and worshipped God, and said with one
accord, Blessed be thou, O our God, which hast this day brought to nought
the enemies of thy people.
18 Then said Ozias unto her, O daughter,
blessed art thou of the most high God above all the women upon the earth;
and blessed be the Lord God, which hath created the heavens and the earth,
which hath directed thee to the cutting off of the head of the chief of
our enemies.
19 For this thy confidence shall not depart
from the heart of men, which remember the power of God for ever.
20 And God turn these things to thee for
a perpetual praise, to visit thee in good things because thou hast not
spared thy life for the affliction of our nation, but hast revenged our
ruin, walking a straight way before our God. And all the people said; So
be it, so be it.
Judith 14
1 Then said Judith unto them, Hear me now,
my brethren, and take this head, and hang it upon the highest place of
your walls.
2 And so soon as the morning shall appear,
and the sun shall come forth upon the earth, take ye every one his weapons,
and go forth every valiant man out of the city, and set ye a captain over
them, as though ye would go down into the field toward the watch of the
Assyrians; but go not down.
3 Then they shall take their armour, and
shall go into their camp, and raise up the captains of the army of Assur,
and shall run to the tent of Holofernes, but shall not find him: then fear
shall fall upon them, and they shall flee before your face.
4 So ye, and all that inhabit the coast
of Israel, shall pursue them, and overthrow them as they go.
5 But before ye do these things, call
me Achior the Ammonite, that he may see and know him that despised the
house of Israel, and that sent him to us as it were to his death.
6 Then they called Achior out of the house
of Ozias; and when he was come, and saw the head of Holofernes in a man's
hand in the assembly of the people, he fell down on his face, and his spirit
failed.
7 But when they had recovered him, he
fell at Judith's feet, and reverenced her, and said, Blessed art thou in
all the tabernacles of Juda, and in all nations, which hearing thy name
shall be astonished.
8 Now therefore tell me all the things
that thou hast done in these days. Then Judith declared unto him in the
midst of the people all that she had done, from the day that she went forth
until that hour she spake unto them.
9 And when she had left off speaking,
the people shouted with a loud voice, and made a joyful noise in their
city.
10 And when Achior had seen all that the
God of Israel had done, he believed in God greatly, and circumcised the
flesh of his foreskin, and was joined unto the house of Israel unto this
day.
11 And as soon as the morning arose, they
hanged the head of Holofernes upon the wall, and every man took his weapons,
and they went forth by bands unto the straits of the mountain.
12 But when the Assyrians saw them, they
sent to their leaders, which came to their captains and tribunes, and to
every one of their rulers.
13 So they came to Holofernes' tent, and
said to him that had the charge of all his things, Waken now our lord:
for the slaves have been bold to come down against us to battle, that they
may be utterly destroyed.
14 Then went in Bagoas, and knocked at
the door of the tent; for he thought that he had slept with Judith.
15 But because none answered, he opened
it, and went into the bedchamber, and found him cast upon the floor dead,
and his head was taken from him.
16 Therefore he cried with a loud voice,
with weeping, and sighing, and a mighty cry, and rent his garments.
17 After he went into the tent where Judith
lodged: and when he found her not, he leaped out to the people, and cried,
18 These slaves have dealt treacherously;
one woman of the Hebrews hath brought shame upon the house of king Nabuchodonosor:
for, behold, Holofernes lieth upon the ground without a head.
19 When the captains of the Assyrians'
army heard these words, they rent their coats and their minds were wonderfully
troubled, and there was a cry and a very great noise throughout the camp.
Judith 15
1 And when they that were in the tents
heard, they were astonished at the thing that was done.
2 And fear and trembling fell upon them,
so that there was no man that durst abide in the sight of his neighbour,
but rushing out all together, they fled into every way of the plain, and
of the hill country.
3 They also that had camped in the mountains
round about Bethulia fled away. Then the children of Israel, every one
that was a warrior among them, rushed out upon them.
4 Then sent Ozias to Betomasthem, and
to Bebai, and Chobai, and Cola and to all the coasts of Israel, such as
should tell the things that were done, and that all should rush forth upon
their enemies to destroy them.
5 Now when the children of Israel heard
it, they all fell upon them with one consent, and slew them unto Chobai:
likewise also they that came from Jerusalem, and from all the hill country,
(for men had told them what things were done in the camp of their enemies)
and they that were in Galaad, and in Galilee, chased them with a great
slaughter, until they were past Damascus and the borders thereof.
6 And the residue that dwelt at Bethulia,
fell upon the camp of Assur, and spoiled them, and were greatly enriched.
7 And the children of Israel that returned
from the slaughter had that which remained; and the villages and the cities,
that were in the mountains and in the plain, gat many spoils: for the multitude
was very great.
8 Then Joacim the high priest, and the
ancients of the children of Israel that dwelt in Jerusalem, came to behold
the good things that God had shewed to Israel, and to see Judith, and to
salute her.
9 And when they came unto her, they blessed
her with one accord, and said unto her, Thou art the exaltation of Jerusalem,
thou art the great glory of Israel, thou art the great rejoicing of our
nation:
10 Thou hast done all these things by
thine hand: thou hast done much good to Israel, and God is pleased therewith:
blessed be thou of the Almighty Lord for evermore. And all the people said,
So be it.
11 And the people spoiled the camp the
space of thirty days: and they gave unto Judith Holofernes his tent, and
all his plate, and beds, and vessels, and all his stuff: and she took it
and laid it on her mule; and made ready her carts, and laid them thereon.
12 Then all the women of Israel ran together
to see her, and blessed her, and made a dance among them for her: and she
took branches in her hand, and gave also to the women that were with her.
13 And they put a garland of olive upon
her and her maid that was with her, and she went before all the people
in the dance, leading all the women: and all the men of Israel followed
in their armour with garlands, and with songs in their mouths.
Judith 16
1 Then Judith began to sing this thanksgiving
in all Israel, and all the people sang after her this song of praise.
2 And Judith said, Begin unto my God with
timbrels, sing unto my Lord with cymbals: tune unto him a new psalm: exalt
him, and call upon his name.
3 For God breaketh the battles: for among
the camps in the midst of the people he hath delivered me out of the hands
of them that persecuted me.
4 Assur came out of the mountains from
the north, he came with ten thousands of his army, the multitude whereof
stopped the torrents, and their horsemen have covered the hills.
5 He bragged that he would burn up my
borders, and kill my young men with the sword, and dash the sucking children
against the ground, and make mine infants as a prey, and my virgins as
a spoil.
6 But the Almighty Lord hath disappointed
them by the hand of a woman.
7 For the mighty one did not fall by the
young men, neither did the sons of the Titans smite him, nor high giants
set upon him: but Judith the daughter of Merari weakened him with the beauty
of her countenance.
8 For she put off the garment of her widowhood
for the exaltation of those that were oppressed in Israel, and anointed
her face with ointment, and bound her hair in a tire, and took a linen
garment to deceive him.
9 Her sandals ravished his eyes, her beauty
took his mind prisoner, and the fauchion passed through his neck.
10 The Persians quaked at her boldness,
and the Medes were daunted at her hardiness.
11 Then my afflicted shouted for joy,
and my weak ones cried aloud; but they were astonished: these lifted up
their voices, but they were overthrown.
12 The sons of the damsels have pierced
them through, and wounded them as fugatives' children: they perished by
the battle of the Lord.
13 I will sing unto the Lord a new song:
O Lord, thou art great and glorious, wonderful in strength, and invincible.
14 Let all creatures serve thee: for thou
spakest, and they were made, thou didst send forth thy spirit, and it created
them, and there is none that can resist thy voice.
15 For the mountains shall be moved from
their foundations with the waters, the rocks shall melt as wax at thy presence:
yet thou art merciful to them that fear thee.
16 For all sacrifice is too little for
a sweet savour unto thee, and all the fat is not sufficient for thy burnt
offering: but he that feareth the Lord is great at all times.
17 Woe to the nations that rise up against
my kindred! the Lord Almighty will take vengeance of them in the day of
judgment, in putting fire and worms in their flesh; and they shall feel
them, and weep for ever.
18 Now as soon as they entered into Jerusalem,
they worshipped the Lord; and as soon as the people were purified, they
offered their burnt offerings, and their free offerings, and their gifts.
19 Judith also dedicated all the stuff
of Holofernes, which the people had given her, and gave the canopy, which
she had taken out of his bedchamber, for a gift unto the Lord.
20 So the people continued feasting in
Jerusalem before the sanctuary for the space of three months and Judith
remained with them.
21 After this time every one returned
to his own inheritance, and Judith went to Bethulia, and remained in her
own possession, and was in her time honourable in all the country.
22 And many desired her, but none knew
her all the days of her life, after that Manasses her husband was dead,
and was gathered to his people.
23 But she increased more and more in
honour, and waxed old in her husband's house, being an hundred and five
years old, and made her maid free; so she died in Bethulia: and they buried
her in the cave of her husband Manasses.
24 And the house of Israel lamented her
seven days: and before she died, she did distribute her goods to all them
that were nearest of kindred to Manasses her husband, and to them that
were the nearest of her kindred.
25 And there was none that made the children
of Israel any more afraid in the days of Judith, nor a long time after
her death.