Judith 14

DOUAI-RHEIMS	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 And Judith said to all the people: Hear me, my brethren, hang ye up this head upon our walls.	1 Then Judith said to them: "Listen to me, my brothers. Take this head and hang it on the parapet of your wall.
2 And as soon as the sun shall rise, let every man take his arms, and rush ye out, not as going down beneath, but as making an assault.	2 At daybreak, when the sun rises on the earth, let each of you seize his weapons, and let all the able-bodied men rush out of the city under command of a captain, as if about to go down into the plain against the advance guard of the Assyrians, but without going down.
3 Then the watchmen must needs run to awake their prince for the battle.	3 They will seize their armor and hurry to their camp to awaken the generals of the Assyrian army. When they run to the tent of Holofernes and do not find him, panic will seize them, and they will flee before you.
4 And when the captains of them shall run to the tent of Holofernes, and shall find him without his head wallowing in his blood, fear shall fall upon them.	4 Then you and all the other inhabitants of the whole territory of Israel will pursue them and strike them down in their tracks.
5 And when you shall know that they are fleeing, go after them securely, for the Lord will destroy them under your feet.	5 But before doing this, summon for me Achior the Ammonite, that he may see and recognize the one who despised the house of Israel and sent him here to meet his death."
6 Then Achior seeing the power that the God of Israel had wrought, leaving the religion of the gentiles, he believed God, and circumcised the flesh of his foreskin, and was joined to the people of Israel, with all the succession of his kindred until this present day.	6 So they called Achior from the house of Uzziah. When he came and saw the head of Holofernes in the hand of one of the men in the assembly of the people, he fell forward in a faint.
7 And immediately at break of day, they hung up the head of Holofernes upon the walls, and every man took his arms, and they sent out with a great noise and shouting.	7 Then, after they lifted him up, he threw himself at the feet of Judith in homage, saying: "Blessed are you in every tent of Judah; and in every foreign nation, all who hear of you will be struck with terror.
8 And the watchmen seeing this, ran to the tent of Holofernes.	8 But now, tell me all that you did during these days." So Judith told him, in the presence of the people, all that she had been doing from the day she left till the time she began speaking to them.
9 And they that were in the tent came, and made a noise before the door of the chamber to awake him, endeavoring by art to break his rest, that Holofernes might awake, not by their calling him, but by their noise.	9 When she finished her account, the people cheered loudly, and their city resounded with shouts of joy.
10 For no man durst knock, or open and go into the chamber of the general of the Assyrians.	10 Now Achior, seeing all that the God of Israel had done, believed firmly in him. He had the flesh of his foreskin circumcised, and he has been united with the house of Israel to the present day.
11 But when his captains and tribunes were come, and all the chiefs of the army of the king of the Assyrians, they said to the chamberlains	11 At daybreak they hung the head of Holofernes on the wall. Then all the Israelite men took up their arms and went to the slopes of the mountain.
12 Go in, and awake him, for the mice coming out of their holes, have presumed to challenge us to fight.	12 When the Assyrians saw them, they notified their captains; these, in turn, went to the generals and division leaders and all their other commanders.
13 Then Vagao going into his chamber, stood before the curtain, and made a clapping with his hands: for he thought that he was sleeping with Judith.	13 They came to the tent of Holofernes and said to the one in charge of all his things, "Waken our master, for the slaves have dared come down to give us battle, to their utter destruction."
14 But when with hearkening, he perceived no motion of one lying, he came near to the curtain, and lifting it up, and seeing the body of Holofernes, lying upon the ground, without the head, sweltering in his blood, he cried out with a loud voice, with weeping, and rent his garments.	14 Bagoas went in, and knocked at the entry of the tent, presuming that he was sleeping with Judith.
15 And he went into the tent of Judith, and not finding her, he ran out to the people,	15 As no one answered, he parted the curtains, entered the bedroom, and found him lying on the floor, a headless corpse.
16 And said: One Hebrew woman hath made confusion in the house of king Nabuchodonosor: for behold Holofernes lieth upon the ground, and his head is not upon him.	16 He broke into a loud clamor of weeping, groaning, and howling, and rent his garments.
17 Now when the chiefs of the army of the Assyrians had heard this, they all rent their garments, and an intolerable fear and dread fell upon them, and their minds were troubled exceedingly.	17 Then he entered the tent where Judith had her quarters; and, not finding her, he rushed out to the troops and cried:
18 And there was a very great cry in the midst of their camp.	18 "The slaves have duped us! A single Hebrew woman has brought disgrace on the house of King Nebuchadnezzar. Here is Holofernes headless on the ground!"
	19 When the commanders of the Assyrian army heard these words, they rent their tunics and were seized with consternation. Loud screaming and howling arose in the camp.