Judith 8

NEW AMERICAN BIBLE	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 Now in those days Judith, daughter of Merari, son of Joseph, son of Oziel, son of Elkiah, son of Ananias, son of Gideon, son of Raphain, son of Ahitob, son of Elijah, son of Hilkiah, son of Eliab, son of Nathanael, son of Salamiel, son of Sarasadai, son of Simeon, son of Israel, heard of this.	1 And it happened that these words were heard by Judith, a widow who was the daughter of Merari, the son of Idox, the son of Joseph, the son of Oziel, the son of Elai, the son of Jamnor, the son of Gideon, the son of Raphaim, the son of Ahitub, the son of Melchiel, the son of Enan, the son of Nathaniel, the son of Salathiel, the son of Simeon, the son of Ruben.
2 Her husband, Manasseh, of her own tribe and clan, had died at the time of the barley harvest.	2 And her husband was Manasseh, who died in the days of the barley harvest.
3 While he was in the field supervising those who bound the sheaves, he suffered sunstroke; and he died of this illness in Bethulia, his native city. He was buried with his forefathers in the field between Dothan and Balamon.	3 For he was standing over those who bound sheaves in the field, and the heat overcame his head, and he died in Bethulia, his own city, and he was buried there with his fathers.
4 The widowed Judith remained three years and four months at home,	4 But Judith, his bereaved, was a widow now for three years and six months.
5 where she set up a tent for herself on the roof of her house. She put sackcloth about her loins and wore widow's weeds.	5 And she made herself a private chamber in the upper part of her house, in which she stayed enclosed with her handmaids.
6 She fasted all the days of her widowhood, except sabbath eves and sabbaths, new moon eves and new moons, feastdays and holidays of the house of Israel.	6 And she had haircloth around her waist, and she fasted all the days of her life, except Sabbaths, and new moons, and the feasts of the house of Israel.
7 She was beautifully formed and lovely to behold. Her husband, Manasseh, had left her gold and silver, servants and maids, livestock and fields, which she was maintaining.	7 Moreover, she was exceedingly elegant in appearance, and her husband left her many riches, and an abundant household, as well as the ownership of plentiful herds of oxen and flocks of sheep.
8 No one had a bad word to say about her, for she was a very God-fearing woman.	8 And she was greatly renowned among all, because she feared the Lord very much, nor was there anyone who spoke an ill word about her.
9 When Judith, therefore, heard of the harsh words which the people, discouraged by their lack of water, had spoken against their ruler, and of all that Uzziah had said to them in reply, swearing that he would hand over the city to the Assyrians at the end of five days,	9 And so, when she heard that Uzziah had promised that he would hand over the city with the passing of five days, she sent to the elders Chabris and Charmis.
10 she sent the maid who was in charge of all her things to ask Uzziah, Chabris, and Charmis, the elders of the city, to visit her.	10 And they came to her, and she said to them: “What is this word, by which Uzziah has consented to hand over the city to the Assyrians, if within five days no help arrives for us?
11 When they came, she said to them: "Listen to me, you rulers of the people of Bethulia. What you said to the people today is not proper. When you promised to hand over the city to our enemies at the end of five days unless within that time the Lord comes to our aid, you interposed between God and yourselves this oath which you took.	11 And who are you to test the Lord?
12 Who are you, then, that you should have put God to the test this day, setting yourselves in the place of God in human affairs?	12 This is not a word that will provoke mercy, but rather one that may excite wrath and enkindle fury.
13 It is the Lord Almighty for whom you are laying down conditions; will you never understand anything?	13 You have set a time limit for the mercy of the Lord, and you have established a day for him, according to your choice.
14 You cannot plumb the depths of the human heart or grasp the workings of the human mind; how then can you fathom God, who has made all these things, discern his mind, and understand his plan? "No, my brothers, do not anger the Lord our God.	14 But, since the Lord is patient, let us be repentant about this same matter, and let us beg his indulgence with many tears.
15 For if he does not wish to come to our aid within the five days, he has it equally within his power to protect us at such time as he pleases, or to destroy us in the face of our enemies.	15 For God will not threaten like man, nor will he be inflamed to anger like a son of man.
16 It is not for you to make the Lord our God give surety for his plans. "God is not man that he should be moved by threats, nor human, that he may be given an ultimatum.	16 And, for this reason, let us humble our souls before him, and, continuing to serve him in a spirit of humility,
17 "So while we wait for the salvation that comes from him, let us call upon him to help us, and he will hear our cry if it is his good pleasure.	17 let us speak to the Lord with tears, so that he may act according to his will in his mercy toward us. So then, just as our heart is disturbed by their arrogance, so also may we glory in our humility.
18 For there has not risen among us in recent generations, nor does there exist today, any tribe, or clan, or town, or city of ours that worships gods made by hands, as happened in former days.	18 For we have not followed the sins of our fathers, who abandoned their God in order to worship strange gods.
19 It was for such conduct that our forefathers were handed over to the sword and to pillage, and fell with great destruction before our enemies.	19 Because of this crime, they were given over to their enemies: to the sword, and to pillaging, and to confusion. But we know no other God except him.
20 But since we acknowledge no other god but the Lord, we hope that he will not disdain us or any of our people.	20 Let us wait with humility for his consolation, and the Lord our God will requite our blood by the afflictions of our enemies, and he will humble all the nations that will rise up against us, and he will cause them to be without honor.
21 If we are taken, all Judea will fall, our sanctuary will be plundered, and God will make us pay for its profanation with our life's blood.	21 And now, brothers, because you are the elders among the people of God, and their very soul hangs upon you, rescue their hearts by your eloquence, so that they may remember that our fathers were tested in order to prove whether or not they truly worshiped their God.
22 For the slaughter of our kinsmen, for the taking of exiles from the land, and for the devastation of our inheritance, he will lay the guilt on our heads. Wherever we shall be enslaved among the nations, we shall be a mockery and a reproach in the eyes of our masters.	22 They are obliged to remember how our father Abraham was tested, and being proved by many tribulations, he was made the friend of God.
23 Our enslavement will not be turned to our benefit, but the Lord our God, will maintain it to our disgrace.	23 So Isaac, so Jacob, so Moses, and all that have pleased God, passed through many tribulations, remaining faithful.
24 "Therefore, my brothers, let us set an example for our kinsmen. Their lives depend on us, and the defense of the sanctuary, the temple, and the altar rests with us.	24 But those who did not accept the trials with the fear of the Lord, and who brought forward their impatience and the disgrace of their murmuring against the Lord,
25 Besides all this, we should be grateful to the Lord our God, for putting us to the test, as he did our forefathers.	25 were exterminated by the exterminator, and they perished by serpents.
26 Recall how he dealt with Abraham, and how he tried Isaac, and all that happened to Jacob in Syrian Mesopotamia while he was tending the flocks of Laban, his mother's brother.	26 And as for us, therefore, let us not revenge ourselves for these things that we suffer.
27 Not for vengeance did the Lord put them in the crucible to try their hearts, nor has he done so with us. It is by way of admonition that he chastises those who are close to him."	27 But, in considering these same sufferings to be less than our sins deserve, let us believe that the scourges of the Lord, by which we are corrected like servants, have occurred for our improvement and not for our destruction.”
28 Then Uzziah said to her: "All that you have said was spoken with good sense, and no one can gainsay your words.	28 And Uzziah and the elders said to her: “All the things that you have spoken are true, and there is nothing reprehensible in your words.
29 Not today only is your wisdom made evident, but from your earliest years all the people have recognized your prudence, which corresponds to the worthy dispositions of your heart.	29 Now, therefore, pray for us, because you are a holy woman, and one fearing God.”
30 The people, however, were so tortured with thirst that they forced us to speak to them as we did, and to bind ourselves by an oath that we cannot break.	30 And Judith said to them: “You know that what I have been able to say is of God.
31 But now, God-fearing woman that you are, pray for us that the Lord may send rain to fill up our cisterns, lest we be weakened still further."	31 So, concerning that which I propose to do, examine whether or not it is from God, and pray that God may act to strengthen my plan.
32 Then Judith said to them: "Listen to me! I will do something that will go down from generation to generation among the descendants of our race.	32 You will stand at the gate this night, and I will go forth with my handmaid. And pray that, just as you have said, within five days the Lord may look kindly on his people Israel.
33 Stand at the gate tonight to let me pass through with my maid; and within the days you have specified before you will surrender the city to our enemies, the Lord will rescue Israel by my hand.	33 But I am not willing to have you examine my actions, and, until I report to you, let nothing else be done, except to pray for me to the Lord our God.”
34 You must not inquire into what I am doing, for I will not tell you until my plan has been accomplished."	34 And Uzziah, the leader of Judah, said to her, “Go in peace, and may the Lord be with you to take revenge among our enemies.” So, turning back, they departed.
35 Uzziah and the rulers said to her, "Go in peace, and may the Lord God go before you to take vengeance upon our enemies!"
36 Then they withdrew from the tent and returned to their posts.