Judith 8

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition	NEW JERUSALEM
1 At that time Judith heard about these things: she was the daughter of Merari the son of Ox, son of Joseph, son of Oziel, son of Elkiah, son of Ananias, son of Gideon, son of Raphaim, son of Ahitub, son of Elijah, son of Hilkiah, son of Eliab, son of Nathanael, son of Salamiel, son of Sarasadai, son of Israel.	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.
2 Her husband Manasseh, who belonged to her tribe and family, had died during the barley harvest.	2 Her husband Manasseh, of her own tribe and family, had died at the time of the barley harvest.
3 For as he stood overseeing the men who were binding sheaves in the field, he was overcome by the burning heat, and took to his bed and died in Bethulia his city. So they buried him with his fathers in the field between Dothan and Balamon.	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.
4 Judith had lived at home as a widow for three years and four months.	4 As a widow, Judith stayed inside her home for three years and four months.
5 She set up a tent for herself on the roof of her house, and girded sackcloth about her loins and wore the garments of her widowhood.	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.
6 She fasted all the days of her widowhood, except the day before the sabbath and the sabbath itself, the day before the new moon and the day of the new moon, and the feasts and days of rejoicing of the house of Israel.	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.
7 She was beautiful in appearance, and had a very lovely face; and her husband Manasseh had left her gold and silver, and men and women slaves, and cattle, and fields; and she maintained this estate.	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
8 No one spoke ill of her, for she feared God with great devotion.	8 without anyone finding a word to say against her, so devoutly did she fear God.
9 When Judith heard the wicked words spoken by the people against the ruler, because they were faint for lack of water, and when she heard all that Uzziah said to them, and how he promised them under oath to surrender the city to the Assyrians after five days,	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,
10 she sent her maid, who was in charge of all she possessed, to summon Chabris and Charmis, the elders of her city.	10 Judith immediately sent the serving-woman who ran her household to summon Chabris and Charmis,two elders of the town.
11 They came to her, and she said to them, "Listen to me, rulers of the people of Bethulia! What you have said to the people today is not right; you have even sworn and pronounced this oath between God and you, promising to surrender the city to our enemies unless the Lord turns and helps us within so many days.	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.
12 Who are you, that have put God to the test this day, and are setting yourselves up in the place of God among the sons of men?	12 Who are you, to put God to the test today, you, of al people, to set yourselves above him?
13 You are putting the Lord Almighty to the test--but you will never know anything!	13 You put the Lord Almighty to the test! You do not understand anything, and never wil .
14 You cannot plumb the depths of the human heart, nor find out what a man is thinking; how do you expect to search out God, who made all these things, and find out his mind or comprehend his thought? No, my brethren, do not provoke the Lord our God to anger.	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.
15 For if he does not choose to help us within these five days, he has power to protect us within any time he pleases, or even to destroy us in the presence of our enemies.	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.
16 Do not try to bind the purposes of the Lord our God; for God is not like man, to be threatened, nor like a human being, to be won over by pleading.	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.
17 Therefore, while we wait for his deliverance, let us call upon him to help us, and he will hear our voice, if it pleases him.	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.
18 "For never in our generation, nor in these present days, has there been any tribe or family or people or city of ours which worshiped gods made with hands, as was done in days gone by--	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,
19 and that was why our fathers were handed over to the sword, and to be plundered, and so they suffered a great catastrophe before our enemies.	19 which was the reason why our ancestors were delivered over to sword and sack, and perished inmisery at the hands of our enemies.
20 But we know no other god but him, and therefore we hope that he will not disdain us or any of our nation.	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.
21 For if we are captured all Judea will be captured and our sanctuary will be plundered; and he will exact of us the penalty for its desecration.	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.
22 And the slaughter of our brethren and the captivity of the land and the desolation of our inheritance--all this he will bring upon our heads among the Gentiles, wherever we serve as slaves; and we shall be an offense and a reproach in the eyes of those who acquire us.	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;
23 For our slavery will not bring us into favor, but the Lord our God will turn it to dishonor.	23 for our surrender wil not reinstate us in their favour; no, the Lord our God will make it a thing to beashamed of.
24 "Now therefore, brethren, let us set an example to our brethren, for their lives depend upon us, and the sanctuary and the temple and the altar rest upon us.	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.
25 In spite of everything let us give thanks to the Lord our God, who is putting us to the test as he did our forefathers.	25 'Al this being so, let us rather give thanks to the Lord our God who, as he tested our ancestors, is nowtesting us.
26 Remember what he did with Abraham, and how he tested Isaac, and what happened to Jacob in Mesopotamia in Syria, while he was keeping the sheep of Laban, his mother's brother.	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.
27 For he has not tried us with fire, as he did them, to search their hearts, nor has he taken revenge upon us; but the Lord scourges those who draw near to him, in order to admonish them."	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.'
28 Then Uzziah said to her, "All that you have said has been spoken out of a true heart, and there is no one who can deny your words.	28 Uzziah replied, 'Everything you have just said comes from an honest heart and no one will contradict aword of it.
29 Today is not the first time your wisdom has been shown, but from the beginning of your life all the people have recognized your understanding, for your heart's disposition is right.	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.
30 But the people were very thirsty, and they compelled us to do for them what we have promised, and made us take an oath which we cannot break.	30 But, parched with thirst, the people forced us to act as we had promised them and to bind ourselves byan inviolable oath.
31 So pray for us, since you are a devout woman, and the Lord will send us rain to fill our cisterns and we will no longer be faint."	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.'
32 Judith said to them, "Listen to me. I am about to do a thing which will go down through all generations of our descendants.	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.
33 Stand at the city gate tonight, and I will go out with my maid; and within the days after which you have promised to surrender the city to our enemies, the Lord will deliver Israel by my hand.	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.
34 Only, do not try to find out what I plan; for I will not tell you until I have finished what I am about to do."	34 You must not ask what I intend to do; I shall not tel you until I have done it.'
35 Uzziah and the rulers said to her, "Go in peace, and may the Lord God go before you, to take revenge upon our enemies."	35 Uzziah and the chief men said, 'Go in peace. May the Lord show you a way to take revenge on ourenemies.'
36 So they returned from the tent and went to their posts.	36 And leaving the upper room they went back to their posts.