Judith 8

NEW JERUSALEM	DOUAI-RHEIMS
1 Judith was informed at the time of what had happened. She was the daughter of Merari son of Ox, sonof Joseph, son of Oziel, son of Elkiah, son of Ananias, son of Gideon, son of Raphaim, son of Ahitub, son ofElijah, son of Hilkiah, son of Eliab, son of Nathanael, son of Salamiel, son of Sarasadai, son of Israel.	1 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 Melehias, the son of Enan, the son of Nathanias, the son of Salathiel, the son of Simeon, the son of Ruben:
2 Her husband Manasseh, of her own tribe and family, had died at the time of the barley harvest.	2 And her husband was Manasses, who died in the time of the barley harvest:
3 He was supervising the men as they bound up the sheaves in the field when he caught sunstroke andhad to take to his bed. He died in Bethulia, his home town, and was buried with his ancestors in the field that liesbetween Dothan and Balamon.	3 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.
4 As a widow, Judith stayed inside her home for three years and four months.	4 And Judith his relict was a widow now three years and six months.
5 She had had an upper room built for herself on the roof. She wore sackcloth next to the skin anddressed in widow's weeds.	5 And she made herself a private chamber in the upper part of her house, in which she abode shut up with her maids.
6 She fasted every day of her widowhood except for the Sabbath eve, the Sabbath itself, the eve of NewMoon, the feast of New Moon and the joyful festivals of the House of Israel.	6 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.
7 Now she was very beautiful, charming to see. Her husband Manasseh had left her gold and silver,menservants and maidservants, herds and land; and she lived among al her possessions	7 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.
8 without anyone finding a word to say against her, so devoutly did she fear God.	8 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.
9 Hearing how the water shortage had demoralised the people and how they had complained bitterly tothe headman of the town, and being also told what Uzziah had said to them and how he had given them his oathto surrender the town to the Assyrians in five days' time,	9 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.
10 Judith immediately sent the serving-woman who ran her household to summon Chabris and Charmis,two elders of the town.	10 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?
11 When these came in she said: 'Listen to me, leaders of the people of Bethulia. You were wrong tospeak to the people as you did today and to bind yourself by oath, in defiance of God, to surrender the town toour enemies if the Lord did not come to your help within a set number of days.	11 And who are you that tempt the Lord?
12 Who are you, to put God to the test today, you, of al people, to set yourselves above him?	12 This is not a word that may draw down mercy, but rather that may stir up wrath, and enkindle indignation.
13 You put the Lord Almighty to the test! You do not understand anything, and never wil .	13 You have set a time for the mercy of the Lord, and you have appointed him a day, according to your pleasure.
14 If you cannot sound the depths of the human heart or unravel the arguments of the human mind, howcan you fathom the God who made all things, or sound his mind or unravel his purposes? No, brothers, do notprovoke the anger of the Lord our God.	14 But forasmuch as the Lord is patient, let us be penitent for this same thing, and with many tears let us beg his pardon:
15 Although it may not be his wil to help us within the next five days, he has the power to protect us for asmany days as he pleases, just as he has the power to destroy us before our enemies.	15 For God will not threaten like man, nor be inflamed to anger like the son of man.
16 But you have no right to demand guarantees where the designs of the Lord our God are concerned.For God is not to be threatened as a human being is, nor is he, like a mere human, to be cajoled.	16 And therefore let us humble our souls before him, and continuing in an humble spirit, in his service:
17 Rather, as we wait patiently for him to save, let us plead with him to help us. He wil hear our voice ifsuch is his good pleasure.	17 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.
18 'And indeed of recent times and stil today there is not one tribe of ours, or family, or vil age, or townthat has worshipped gods made by human hand, as once was done,	18 For we have not followed the sins of our fathers, who forsook their God, and worshipped strange gods.
19 which was the reason why our ancestors were delivered over to sword and sack, and perished inmisery at the hands of our enemies.	19 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.
20 We for our part acknowledge no other God but him; and so we may hope he wil not look on usdisdainfully or desert our nation.	20 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.
21 'If indeed they capture us, as you expect, then al Judaea wil be captured too, and our holy placesplundered, and we shal answer with our blood for their profanation.	21 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.
22 The slaughter of our brothers, the captivity of our country, the unpeopling of our heritage, will recoil onour own heads among the nations whose slaves we shal become, and our new masters wil look down on us asan outrage and a disgrace;	22 They must remember how our father Abraham was tempted, and being proved by many tribulations, was made the friend of God.
23 for our surrender wil not reinstate us in their favour; no, the Lord our God will make it a thing to beashamed of.	23 go Isaac, so Jacob, so Moses, and all that have pleased God, passed through many tribulations, remaining faithful.
24 So now, brothers, let us set an example to our brothers, since their lives depend on us, and thesanctuary -- Temple and altar -- rests on us.	24 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,
25 'Al this being so, let us rather give thanks to the Lord our God who, as he tested our ancestors, is nowtesting us.	25 Were destroyed by the destroyer, and perished by serpents.
26 Remember how he treated Abraham, all the ordeals of Isaac, al that happened to Jacob in SyrianMesopotamia while he kept the sheep of Laban, his mother's brother.	26 As for us therefore let us not revenge ourselves for these things which we suffer
27 For as these ordeals were intended by him to search their hearts, so now this is not vengeance thatGod is exacting on us, but a warning inflicted by the Lord on those who are near his heart.'	27 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.
28 Uzziah replied, 'Everything you have just said comes from an honest heart and no one will contradict aword of it.	28 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.
29 Not that today is the first time your wisdom has been displayed; from your earliest years all the peoplehave known how shrewd you are and of how sound a heart.	29 Now therefore pray for us, for thou art a holy woman, and one fearing God.
30 But, parched with thirst, the people forced us to act as we had promised them and to bind ourselves byan inviolable oath.	30 And Judith said to them: As you know that what I have been able to say is of God:
31 You are a devout woman; pray to the Lord, then, to send us a downpour to fil our storage-wel s, so thatour faintness may pass.'	31 So that which I intend to do prove ye if it be of God, and pray that God may strengthen my design.
32 Judith replied, 'Listen to me, I intend to do something, the memory of which wil be handed down to thechildren of our race from age to age.	32 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.
33 Tonight you must be at the gate of the town. I shal make my way out with my attendant. Before thetime fixed by you for surrendering the town to our enemies, the Lord wil make use of me to rescue Israel.	33 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.
34 You must not ask what I intend to do; I shall not tel you until I have done it.'	34 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.
35 Uzziah and the chief men said, 'Go in peace. May the Lord show you a way to take revenge on ourenemies.'
36 And leaving the upper room they went back to their posts.