But Holofernes on the next day gave orders to his army, to go up against Bethulia.

Now there were in his troops a hundred and twenty thousand footmen, and two and twenty thousand horsemen, besides the preparations of those men who had been taken, and who had been brought away out of the provinces and cities of all the youth.

All these prepared themselves together to fight against the children of Israel, and they came by the hillside to the top, which looketh toward Dothain, from the place which is called Belma, unto Chelmon, which is over against Esdrelon.

But the children of Israel, when they saw the multitude of them, prostrated themselves upon the ground, putting ashes upon their heads, praying with one accord, that the God of Israel would shew his mercy upon his people.

And taking their arms of war, they posted themselves at the places, which by a narrow pathway lead directly between the mountains, and they guarded them all day and night.

Now Holofernes, in going round about, found that the fountain which supplied them with water, ran through an aqueduct without the city on the south side: and he commanded their aqueduct to be cut off.

Nevertheless there were springs not far from the walls, out of which they were seen secretly to draw water, to refresh themselves a little rather than to drink their fill.

But the children of Ammon and Moab came to Holofernes, saying: The children of Israel trust not in their spears, nor in their arrows, but the mountains are their defence, and the steep hills and precipices guard them.

Wherefore that thou mayst overcome them without joining battle, set guards at the springs that they may not draw water out of them, and thou shalt destroy them without sword, or at least being wearied out they will yield up their city, which they suppose, because it is situate in the mountains, to be impregnable.

And these words pleased Holofernes, and his officers, and he placed all round about a hundred men at every spring.

And when they had kept this watch for full twenty days, the cisterns, and the reserve of waters failed among all the inhabitants of Bethulia, so that there was not within the city, enough to satisfy them, no not for one day, for water was daily given out to the people by measure.

Then all the men and women, young men, and children, gathering themselves together to Ozias, all together with one voice,

Said: God be judge between us and thee, for thou hast done evil against us, in that thou wouldst not speak peaceably with the Assyrians, and for this cause God hath sold us into their hands.

And therefore there is no one to help us, while we are cast down before their eyes in thirst, and sad destruction.

And now assemble ye all that are in the city, that we may of our own accord yield ourselves all up to the people of Holofernes.

For it is better, that being captives we should live and bless the Lord, than that we should die, and be a reproach to all flesh, after we have seen our wives and our infants die before our eyes.

We call to witness this day heaven and earth, and the God of our fathers, who taketh vengeance upon us according to our sins, conjuring you to deliver now the city into the hand of the army of Holofernes, that our end may be short by the edge of the sword, which is made longer by the drought of thirst.

And when they had said these things, there was great weeping and lamentation of all in the assembly, and for many hours with one voice they cried to God, saying:

We have sinned with our fathers, we have done unjustly, we have committed iniquity:

Have thou mercy on us, because thou art good, or punish our iniquities by chastising us thyself, and deliver not them that trust in thee to a people that knoweth not thee,

That they may not say among the Gentiles: Where is their God?

And when being wearied with these cries, and tired with these weepings, they held their peace,

Ozias rising up all in tears, said: Be of good courage, my brethren, and let us wait these five days for mercy from the Lord.

For perhaps he will put a stop to his indignation, and will give glory to his own name.

But if after five days be past there come no aid, we will do the things which you have spoken.

Now it came to pass, when Judith a widow had heard these words, who was the daughter of Merari, the son of Idox, the son of Joseph, the son of Ozias, the son of Elai, the son of Jamnor, the son of Gedeon, the son of Raphaim, the son of Achitob, the son of Melchias, the son of Enan, the son of Nathanias, the son of Salathiel, the son of Simeon, the son of Ruben:

And her husband was Manasses, who died in the time of the barley harvest:

For he was standing over them that bound sheaves in the field; and the heat came upon his head, and he died in Bethulia his own city, and was buried there with his fathers.

And Judith his relict was a widow now three years and six months.

And she made herself a private chamber in the upper part of her house, in which she abode shut up with her maids.

And she wore haircloth upon her loins, and fasted all the days of her life, except the sabbaths, and new moons, and the feasts of the house of Israel.

And she was exceedingly beautiful, and her husband left her great riches, and very many servants, and large possessions of herds of oxen, and flocks of sheep.

And she was greatly renowned among all, because she feared the Lord very much, neither was there any one that spoke an ill word of her.

When therefore she had heard that Ozias had promised that he would deliver up the city after the fifth day, she sent to the ancients Chabri and Charmi.

And they came to her, and she said to them: What is this word, by which Ozias hath consented to give up the city to the Assyrians, if within five days there come no aid to us?

And who are you that tempt the Lord?

This is not a word that may draw down mercy, but rather that may stir up wrath, and enkindle indignation.

You have set a time for the mercy of the Lord, and you have appointed him a day, according to your pleasure.

But forasmuch as the Lord is patient, let us be penitent for this same thing, and with many tears let us beg his pardon:

For God will not threaten like man, nor be inflamed to anger like the son of man.

And therefore let us humble our souls before him, and continuing in an humble spirit, in his service:

Let us ask the Lord with tears, that according to his will so he would shew his mercy to us: that as our heart is troubled by their pride, so also we may glorify in our humility.

For we have not followed the sins of our fathers, who forsook their God, and worshipped strange gods.

For which crime they were given up to their enemies, to the sword, and to pillage, and to confusion: but we know no other God but him.

Let us humbly wait for his consolation, and the Lord our God will require our blood of the afflictions of our enemies, and he will humble all the nations that shall rise up against us, and bring them to disgrace.

And now, brethren, as you are the ancients among the people of God, and their very soul resteth upon you: comfort their hearts by your speech, that they may be mindful how our fathers were tempted that they might be proved, whether they worshipped their God truly.

They must remember how our father Abraham was tempted, and being proved by many tribulations, was made the friend of God.

So Isaac, so Jacob, so Moses, and all that have pleased God, passed through many tribulations, remaining faithful.

But they that did not receive the trials with the fear of the Lord, but uttered their impatience and the reproach of their murmuring against the Lord,

Were destroyed by the destroyer, and perished by serpents.

As for us therefore let us not revenge ourselves for these things which we suffer.

But esteeming these very punishments to be less than our sins deserve, let us believe that these scourges of the Lord, with which like servants we are chastised, have happened for our amendment, and not for our destruction.

And Ozias and the ancients said to her: All things which thou hast spoken are true, and there is nothing to be reprehended in thy words.

Now therefore pray for us, for thou art a holy woman, and one fearing God.

And Judith said to them: As you know that what I have been able to say is of God:

So that which I intend to do prove ye if it be of God, and pray that God may strengthen my design.

You shall stand at the gate this night, and I will go out with my maidservant: and pray ye, that as you have said, in five days the Lord may look down upon his people Israel.

But I desire that you search not into what I am doing, and till I bring you word let nothing else be done but to pray for me to the Lord our God.

And Ozias the prince of Juda said to her: Go in peace, and the Lord be with thee to take revenge of our enemies. So returning they departed.

And when they were gone, Judith went into her oratory: and putting on haircloth, laid ashes on her head: and falling down prostrate before the Lord, she cried to the Lord, saying:

Lord God of my father Simeon, who gavest him a sword to execute vengeance against strangers, who had defiled by their uncleanness, and uncovered the virgin unto confusion:

And who gavest their wives to be made a prey, and their daughters into captivity: and all their spoils to be divided to the servants, who were zealous with thy zeal: assist, I beseech thee, O Lord God, me a widow.

For thou hast done the things of old, and hast devised one thing after another: and what thou hast designed hath been done.

For all thy ways are prepared, and in thy providence thou hast placed thy judgments.

Look upon the camp of the Assyrians now, as thou wast pleased to look upon the camp of the Egyptians, when they pursued armed after thy servants, trusting in their chariots, and in their horsemen, and in a multitude of warriors.

But thou lookedst over their camp, and darkness wearied them.

The deep held their feet, and the waters overwhelmed them.

So may it be with these also, O Lord, who trust in their multitude, and in their chariots, and in their pikes, and in their shields, and in their arrows, and glory in their spears,

And know not that thou art our God, who destroyest wars from the beginning, and the Lord is thy name.

Lift up thy arm as from the beginning, and crush their power with thy power: let their power fall in their wrath, who promise themselves to violate thy sanctuary, and defile the dwelling place of thy name, and to beat down with their sword the horn of thy altar.

Bring to pass, O Lord, that his pride may be cut off with his own sword.

Let him be caught in the net of his own eyes in my regard, and do thou strike him by the graces of the words of my lips.

Give me constancy in my mind, that I may despise him: and fortitude that I may overthrow him.

For this will be a glorious monument for thy name, when he shall fall by the hand of a woman.

For thy power, O Lord, is not in a multitude, nor is thy pleasure in the strength of horses, nor from the beginning have the proud been acceptable to thee: but the prayer of the humble and the meek hath always pleased thee.

O God of the heavens, creator of the waters, and Lord of the whole creation, hear me a poor wretch, making supplication to thee, and presuming of thy mercy.

Remember, O Lord, thy covenant, and put thou words in my mouth, and strengthen the resolution in my heart, that thy house may continue in thy holiness:

And all nations may acknowledge that thou art God, and there is no other besides thee.

And it came to pass, when she had ceased to cry to the Lord, that she rose from the place wherein she lay prostrate before the Lord.

And she called her maid, and going down into her house she took off her haircloth, and put away the garments of her widowhood,

And she washed her body, and anointed herself with the best ointment, and plaited the hair of her head, and put a bonnet upon her head, and clothed herself with the garments of her gladness, and put sandals on her feet, and took her bracelets, and lilies, and earlets, and rings, and adorned herself with all her ornaments.

And the Lord also gave her more beauty: because all this dressing up did not proceed from sensuality, but from virtue: and therefore the Lord increased this her beauty, so that she appeared to all men’s eyes incomparably lovely.

And she gave to her maid a bottle of wine to carry, and a vessel of oil, and parched corn, and dry figs, and bread and cheese, and went out.

And when they came to the gate of the city, they found Ozias, and the ancients of the city waiting.

And when they saw her they were astonished, and admired her beauty exceedingly.

But they asked her no question, only they let her pass, saying: The God of our fathers give thee grace, and may he strengthen all the counsel of thy heart with his power, that Jerusalem may glory in thee, and thy name may be in the number of the holy and just.

And they that were there said, all with one voice: So be it, so be it.

But Judith praying to the Lord, passed through the gates, she and her maid.

And it came to pass, when she went down the hill, about break of day, that the watchmen of the Assyrians met her, and stopped her, saying: Whence comest thou or whither goest thou?

And she answered: I am a daughter of the Hebrews, and I am fled from them, because I knew they would be made a prey to you, because they despised you, and would not of their own accord yield themselves, that they might find mercy in your sight.

For this reason I thought with myself, saying: I will go to the presence of the prince Holofernes, that I may tell him their secrets, and shew him by what way he may take them, without the loss of one man of his army.

And when the men had heard her words, they beheld her face, and their eyes were amazed, for they wondered exceedingly at her beauty.

And they said to her: Thou hast saved thy life by taking this resolution, to come down to our lord.

And be assured of this, that when thou shalt stand before him, he will treat thee well, and thou wilt be most acceptable to his heart. And they brought her to the tent of Holofernes, telling him of her.

And when she was come into his presence, forthwith Holofernes was caught by his eyes.

And his officers said to him: Who can despise the people of the Hebrews, who have such beautiful women, that we should not think it worth our while for their sakes to fight against them?

And Judith seeing Holofernes sitting under a canopy, which was woven of purple and gold, with emeralds and precious stones:

After she had looked on his face, bowed down to him, prostrating herself to the ground. And the servants of Holofernes lifted her up, by the command of their master.

Then Holofernes said to her: Be of good comfort, and fear not in thy heart: for I have never hurt a man that was willing to serve Nabuchodonosor the king.

And if thy people had not despised me, I would never have lifted up my spear against them.

But now tell me, for what cause hast thou left them, and why it hath pleased thee to come to us?

And Judith said to him: Receive the words of thy handmaid, for if thou wilt follow the words of thy handmaid, the Lord will do with thee a perfect thing.

For as Nabuchodonosor the king of the earth liveth, and his power liveth which is in thee for chastising of all straying souls: not only men serve him through thee, but also the beasts of the field obey him.

For the industry of thy mind is spoken of among all nations, and it is told through the whole world, that thou only art excellent, and mighty in all his kingdom, and thy discipline is cried up in all provinces.

It is known also what Achior said, nor are we ignorant of what thou hast commanded to be done to him.

For it is certain that our God is so offended with sins, that he hath sent word by his prophets to the people, that he will deliver them up for their sins.

And because the children of Israel know they have offended their God, thy dread is upon them.

Moreover also a famine hath come upon them, and for drought of water they are already to be counted among the dead.

And they have a design even to kill their cattle, and to drink the blood of them.

And the consecrated things of the Lord their God which God forbade them to touch, in corn, wine, and oil, these have they purposed to make use of, and they design to consume the things which they ought not to touch with their hands: therefore because they do these things, it is certain they will be given up to destruction.

And I thy handmaid knowing this, am fled from them, and the Lord hath sent me to tell thee these very things.

For I thy handmaid worship God even now that I am with thee, and thy handmaid will go out, and I will pray to God,

And he will tell me when he will repay them for their sins, and I will come and tell thee, so that I may bring thee through the midst of Jerusalem, and thou shalt have all the people of Israel, as sheep that have no shepherd, and there shall not so much as one dog bark against thee:

Because these things are told me by the providence of God.

And because God is angry with them, I am sent to tell these very things to thee.

And all these words pleased Holofernes, and his servants, and they admired her wisdom, and they said one to another:

There is not such another woman upon earth in look, in beauty, and in sense of words.

And Holofernes said to her: God hath done well who sent thee before the people, that thou mightest give them into our hands:

And because thy promise is good, if thy God shall do this for me, he shall also be my God, and thou shalt be great in the house of Nabuchodonosor, and thy name shall be renowned through all the earth.