Judith 8

NEW JERUSALEM	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
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 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.
2 Her husband Manasseh, of her own tribe and family, had died at the time of the barley harvest.	2 Her husband, Manasseh, of her own tribe and clan, had died at 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 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.
4 As a widow, Judith stayed inside her home for three years and four months.	4 The widowed Judith remained three years and four months at home,
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 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.
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 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.
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 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.
8 without anyone finding a word to say against her, so devoutly did she fear God.	8 No one had a bad word to say about her, for she was a very God-fearing woman.
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 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,
10 Judith immediately sent the serving-woman who ran her household to summon Chabris and Charmis,two elders of the town.	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.
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 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.
12 Who are you, to put God to the test today, you, of al people, to set yourselves above him?	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?
13 You put the Lord Almighty to the test! You do not understand anything, and never wil .	13 It is the Lord Almighty for whom you are laying down conditions; will you never understand anything?
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 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.
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 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.
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 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.
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 "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.
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 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.
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 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.
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 But since we acknowledge no other god but the Lord, we hope that he will not disdain us or any of our people.
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 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.
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 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.
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 Our enslavement will not be turned to our benefit, but the Lord our God, will maintain it to our disgrace.
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 "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.
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 Besides all this, we should be grateful to the Lord our God, for putting us to the test, as he did our forefathers.
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 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.
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 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."
28 Uzziah replied, 'Everything you have just said comes from an honest heart and no one will contradict aword of it.	28 Then Uzziah said to her: "All that you have said was spoken with good sense, and no one can gainsay your 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 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.
30 But, parched with thirst, the people forced us to act as we had promised them and to bind ourselves byan inviolable oath.	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.
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 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."
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 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.
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 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.
34 You must not ask what I intend to do; I shall not tel you until I have done it.'	34 You must not inquire into what I am doing, for I will not tell you until my plan has been accomplished."
35 Uzziah and the chief men said, 'Go in peace. May the Lord show you a way to take revenge on ourenemies.'	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 And leaving the upper room they went back to their posts.	36 Then they withdrew from the tent and returned to their posts.