The In-Dept Study of the Bible
Judith 13
1 But when the evening had come, his
servants hurried to depart. Bagoas shut
the tent outside, and dismissed those who
waited from the presence of his lord. They
went away to their beds; for they were all
weary, because the feast had been long.
2 But Judith was left alone in the tent,
with Holofernes lying along upon his bed;
for he was drunk with wine.
3 Judith had said to her servant that she
should stand outside her bedchamber, and
wait for her to come out, as she did daily;
for she said she would go out to her prayer.
She spoke to Bagoas according to the same
words.
4 All went away from her presence, and
none was left in the bedchamber, small or
great. Judith, standing by his bed, said in
her heart, O Lord God of all power, look in
this hour upon the works of my hands for
the exaltation of Jerusalem.
5 For now is the time to help your inheritance,
and to do the thing that I have
purposed to the destruction ofthe enemies
which have risen up against us.
6 She came to the bedpost which was
at Holofernes’ head, and took down his
sword from there.
7 She drew near to the bed, took hold of
the hair of his head, and said, “Strengthen
me, O Lord God of Israel, this day.”
8 She struck twice upon his neck with all
her might and cut off his head,
9 tumbled his body down from the bed,
and took down the canopy from the posts.
After a little while she went out, and gave
Holofernes’ head to her maid;
10 and she put it in her bag of food. They
both went out together to prayer, according
to their custom. They passed through
the camp, circled around that valley, and
went up to the mountain of Bethulia, and
came to its gates.
11 Judith said afar off to the watchmen
at the gates, “Open, open the gate, now.
God is with us, even our God, to show his
power yet in Israel, and his might against
the enemy, as he has done even this day.”
12 It came to pass, when the men of her
city heard her voice, they made haste to
go down to the gate of their city, and they
called together the elders of the city.
13 They all ran together, both small and
great, for it seemed unbelievable to them
that she had come. They opened the gate
and received them, making a fire to give
light, and surrounded them.
14 She said to them with a loud voice,
“Praise God! Praise him! Praise God, who
has not taken away his mercy from the
house of Israel, but has destroyed our
enemies by my hand tonight!”
15 Then she took the head out of the bag
and showed it, and said to them, “Behold,
the head of Holofernes, the chief captain
of the army of Asshur, and behold, the
canopy under which he laid in his drunk-
enness. The Lord struck him by the hand
of a woman.
16 And as the Lord lives, who preserved
me in my way thatI went, my countenance
deceived him to his destruction, and he
didn’t commit sin with me, to defile and
shame me.”
17 All the people were exceedingly
amazed, and bowed themselves, and
worshiped God, and said with one accord,
“Blessed are you, O our God, who have
this day humiliated the enemies of your
people.”
18 Ozias said to her, “Blessed are you,
daughter, in the sight ofthe Most High God,
above all the women upon the earth; and
blessed is the Lord God, who created the
heavens and the earth, who directed you
to cut off the head of the prince of our
enemies.
19 For your hope will not departfrom the
heart of men that remember the strength
of God forever.
20 May God turn these things to you for
a perpetual praise, to visit you with good
things, because you didn’t spare your life
by reason of the affliction of our race, but
prevented our ruin, walking a straight way
before our God. And all the people
said, “Amen! Amen!