Judith 9

NEW JERUSALEM	KING JAMES BIBLE
1 Judith threw herself face to the ground, scattered ashes on her head, undressed as far as the sackclothshe was wearing and cried loudly to the Lord. At the same time in Jerusalem the evening incense was beingoffered in the Temple of God. Judith said:	1 Judith fell upon her face, and put ashes upon her head, and uncovered the sackcloth wherewith she was clothed; and about the time that the incense of that evening was offered in Jerusalem in the house of the Lord Judith cried with a loud voice, and said,
2 Lord, God of my ancestor Simeon, you armed him with a sword to take vengeance on the foreigners whohad undone a virgin's belt to her shame, laid bare her thigh to her confusion, violated her womb to herdishonour, since, though you said, 'This must not be,' they did it.	2 O Lord God of my father Simeon, to whom thou gavest a sword to take vengeance of the strangers, who loosened the girdle of a maid to defile her, and discovered the thigh to her shame, and polluted her virginity to her reproach; for thou saidst, It shall not be so; and yet they did so:
3 For this you handed their leaders over to slaughter, and their bed, defiled by their treachery, was itselfbetrayed in blood. You struck the slaves with the chieftains and the chieftains with their retainers.	3 Wherefore thou gavest their rulers to be slain, so that they dyed their bed in blood, being deceived, and smotest the servants with their lords, and the lords upon their thrones;
4 You left their wives to be carried off, their daughters to be taken captive, and their spoils to be shared outamong the sons you loved, who had been so zealous for you, had loathed the stain put on their blood and cal edon you for help. O God, my God, now hear this widow too;	4 And hast given their wives for a prey, and their daughters to be captives, and all their spoils to be divided among thy dear children; which were moved with thy zeal, and abhorred the pollution of their blood, and called upon thee for aid: O God, O my God, hear me also a widow.
5 for you have made the past, and what is happening now, and what will fol ow. What is, what wil be, youhave planned; what has been, you designed.	5 For thou hast wrought not only those things, but also the things which fell out before, and which ensued after; thou hast thought upon the things which are now, and which are to come.
6 Your purposes stood forward; 'See, here we are!' they said. For al your ways are prepared and yourjudgements delivered with foreknowledge.	6 Yea, what things thou didst determine were ready at hand, and said, Lo, we are here: for all thy ways are prepared, and thy judgments are in thy foreknowledge.
7 See the Assyrians, with their army abounding glorying in their horses and their riders, exulting in thestrength of their infantry. Trust as they may in shield and spear, in bow and sling, in you they have notrecognised the Lord, the breaker of battle-lines;	7 For, behold, the Assyrians are multiplied in their power; they are exalted with horse and man; they glory in the strength of their footmen; they trust in shield, and spear, and bow, and sling; and know not that thou art the Lord that breakest the battles: the Lord is thy name.
8 yours alone is the title of Lord. Break their violence with your might, in your anger bring down theirstrength. For they plan to profane your holy places, to defile the tabernacle, the resting place of your gloriousname, and to hack down the horn of your altar.	8 Throw down their strength in thy power, and bring down their force in thy wrath: for they have purposed to defile thy sanctuary, and to pollute the tabernacle where thy glorious name resteth and to cast down with sword the horn of thy altar.
9 Observe their arrogance, send your fury on their heads, give the strength I have in mind to this widow'shand.	9 Behold their pride, and send thy wrath upon their heads: give into mine hand, which am a widow, the power that I have conceived.
10 By guile of my lips strike down slave with master, and master with retainer. Break their pride by awoman's hand.	10 Smite by the deceit of my lips the servant with the prince, and the prince with the servant: break down their stateliness by the hand of a woman.
11 Your strength does not lie in numbers, nor your might in strong men; since you are the God of thehumble, the help of the oppressed, the support of the weak, the refuge of the forsaken, the Saviour of thedespairing.	11 For thy power standeth not in multitude nor thy might in strong men: for thou art a God of the afflicted, an helper of the oppressed, an upholder of the weak, a protector of the forlorn, a saviour of them that are without hope.
12 Please, please, God of my father, God of the heritage of Israel, Master of heaven and earth, Creator ofthe waters, King of your whole creation, hear my prayer.	12 I pray thee, I pray thee, O God of my father, and God of the inheritance of Israel, Lord of the heavens and earth, Creator of the waters, king of every creature, hear thou my prayer:
13 Give me a beguiling tongue to wound and kill those who have formed such cruel designs against yourcovenant, against your holy dwelling-place, against Mount Zion, against the house belonging to your sons.	13 And make my speech and deceit to be their wound and stripe, who have purposed cruel things against thy covenant, and thy hallowed house, and against the top of Sion, and against the house of the possession of thy children.
14 And demonstrate to every nation, every tribe, that you are the Lord, God of al power, al might, and thatthe race of Israel has no protector but you.	14 And make every nation and tribe to acknowledge that thou art the God of all power and might, and that there is none other that protecteth the people of Israel but thou.