5“For you have done these things and those that went before and those that followed. You have designed the things that are now, and those that are to come. What you had in mind has happened; 6the things you decided on presented themselves and said, ‘Here we are!’ For all your ways are prepared in advance, and your judgment is with foreknowledge.
7“Here now are the Assyrians, a greatly increased force, priding themselves in their horses and riders, boasting in the strength of their foot soldiers, and trusting in shield and spear, in bow and sling. They do not know that you are the Lord who crushes wars; the Lord is your name. 8Break their strength by your might, and bring down their power in your anger; for they intend to defile your sanctuary, and to pollute the tabernacle where your glorious name resides, and to break off the hornsb of your altar with the sword. 9Look at their pride, and send your wrath upon their heads. Give to me, a widow, the strong hand to do what I plan. 10By the deceit of my lips strike down the slave with the prince and the prince with his servant; crush their arrogance by the hand of a woman.
11“For your strength does not depend on numbers, nor your might on the powerful. But you are the God of the lowly, helper of the oppressed, upholder of the weak, protector of the forsaken, savior of those without hope. 12Please, please, God of my father, God of the heritage of Israel, Lord of heaven and earth, Creator of the waters, King of all your creation, hear my prayer! 13Make my deceitful words bring wound and bruise on those who have planned cruel things against your covenant, and against your sacred house, and against Mount Zion, and against the house your children possess. 14Let your whole nation and every tribe know and understand that you are God, the God of all power and might, and that there is no other who protects the people of Israel but you alone!”
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a Cn: Gk loosed her womb
b Syr: Gk horn
9.1–14 Alone, Judith prays that God grant her success by hearing her prayer (v. 4), breaking the strength of the Assyrians (v. 8), and defeating the enemy by the deceit of her lips (v. 10; deceitful words, v. 13) and the hand of a woman (v. 10).
9.2 My ancestor Simeon. Cf. the story of the revenge of the sons of Jacob for the rape of Dinah in Gen 34.25–31.
9.10, 13 Twice Judith specifies deceit as her weapon for success. The law required that a person’s public testimony have constancy and reliability (see Ex 20.16; Deut 5.20). Lev 19.11 prohibits lying, and other texts express negative sentiments about deceit (Ps 15.2; Prov 6.17; 12.22). Yet there are many biblical stories in which “private” lies are told for the preservation of the community (e.g., the lies told by Abraham, Gen 12.13; 20.2; Isaac, Gen 26.7; Rebekah, Gen 27–28; Tamar, Gen 38; the midwives, mother, and sister of Moses and the princess, Ex 1–2; Rahab, Josh 2; and the woman of Tekoa, 2 Sam 14).
9.10 Woman, Greek theleia (“female”) rather than the more common gyne (“woman”); see also 13.15; 16.5. To be killed by a female was a special disgrace according to Judg 9.53–54. Cf. also Judg 4.17–22; 5.24–27.
Judith 10
Judith Prepares to Go to Holofernes
1When Juditha had stopped crying out to the God of Israel, and had ended all these words, 2she rose from where she lay prostrate. She called her maid and went down into the house where she lived on sabbaths and on her festal days. 3She removed the sackcloth she had been wearing, took off her widow’s garments, bathed her body with water, and anointed herself with precious ointment. She combed her hair, put on a tiara, and dressed herself in the festive attire that she used to wear while her husband Manasseh was living. 4She put sandals on her feet, and put on her anklets, bracelets, rings, earrings, and all her other jewelry. Thus she made herself very beautiful, to entice the eyes of all the men who might see her. 5She gave her maid a skin of wine and a flask of oil, and filled a bag with roasted grain, dried fig cakes, and fine bread;b then she wrapped up all her dishes and gave them to her to carry.
6Then they went out to the town gate of Bethulia and found Uzziah standing there with the elders of the town, Chabris and Charmis. 7When they saw her transformed in appearance and dressed differently, they were very greatly astounded at her beauty and said to her, 8“May the God of our ancestors grant you favor and fulfill your plans, so that the people of Israel may glory and Jerusalem may be exalted.” She bowed down to God.
9Then she said to them, “Order the gate of the town to be opened for me so that I may go out and accomplish the things you have just said to me.” So they ordered the young men to open the gate for her, as she requested. 10When they had done this, Judith went out, accompanied by her maid. The men of the town watched her until she had gone down the mountain and passed through the valley, where they lost sight of her.
Judith Is Captured
11As the womenc were going straight on through the valley, an Assyrian patrol met her 12and took her into custody. They asked her, “To what people do you belong, and where are you coming from, and where are you going?” She replied, “I am a daughter of the Hebrews, but I am fleeing from them, for they are about to be handed over to you to be devoured. 13I am on my way to see Holofernes the commander of your army, to give him a true report; I will show him a way by which he can go and capture all the hill country without losing one of his men, captured or slain.”
14When the men heard her words, and observed her face—she was in their eyes marvelously beautiful—they said to her, 15“You have saved your life by hurrying down to see our lord. Go at once to his tent; some of us will escort you and hand you over to him. 16When you stand before him, have no fear in your heart, but tell him what you have just said, and he will treat you well.”
17They chose from their number a hundred men to accompany her and her maid, and they brought them to the tent of Holofernes. 18There was great excitement in the whole camp, for her arrival was reported from tent to tent. They came and gathered around her as she stood outside the tent of Holofernes, waiting until they told him about her. 19They marveled at her beauty and admired the Israelites, judging them by her. They said to one another, “Who can despise these people, who have women like this among them? It is not wise to leave one of their men alive, for if we let them go they will be able to beguile the whole world!”
Judith Is Brought before Holofernes
20Then the guards of Holofernes and all his servants came out and led her into the tent. 21Holofernes was resting on his bed under a canopy that was woven with purple and gold, emeralds and other precious stones. 22When they told him of her, he came to the front of the tent, with silver lamps carried before him. 23When Judith came into the presence of Holofernesd and his servants, they all marveled at the beauty of her face. She prostrated herself and did obeisance to him, but his slaves raised her up.
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a Gk she
b Other ancient authorities add and cheese
c Gk they
d Gk him
10.1–8 Judith readies herself to carry out her plan.
10.3 That Judith bathed her body with water does not fit with the short supply of water in Bethulia.
10.4 Judith dresses beautifully to entice the eyes of all the men. Her motivation is not vanity—her plan is to smash the enemy. In Part 2, Judith’s beauty influences all who meet her (8.7; 10.7, 14, 19, 23; 11.21, 23; 12.13).
10.5 Judith prepares ritually pure food for the journey (cf. Dan 1.8–16).
10.9–10 In Section C (see note on 8.1–16.25), Judith and her maid leave Bethulia. The order to open the gate begins a journey down the mountain and through the valley to the Assyrian camp, a journey that will be repeated in reverse in 13.10b–11.
10.11–13.10a In this climactic and central section (D; see note on 8.1–16.25), Judith overcomes Holofernes.
10.11–19 A patrol meets Judith and takes her to Holofernes.
10.12–13 Judith’s first words to the patrol are a mixture of truth and lies: she is a daughter of the Hebrews, but she does not plan to give Holofernes a true re
port about how to capture the hill country without any loss.
10.14 The men observe that she is marvelously beautiful (see note on 10.4).
10.18–19 Judith’s beauty causes the whole camp to marvel (as it will Holofernes and his servants in v. 23).
10.20–12.9 During their first meeting, Judith and Holofernes deceive each other. Only in 11.9–10; 12.2, 4 does Judith speak the whole truth; otherwise her statements are lies or at best mixtures of truth and lie or words with double meanings (as in 11.6).
Judith 11
1Then Holofernes said to her, “Take courage, woman, and do not be afraid in your heart, for I have never hurt anyone who chose to serve Nebuchadnezzar, king of all the earth. 2Even now, if your people who live in the hill country had not slighted me, I would never have lifted my spear against them. They have brought this on themselves. 3But now tell me why you have fled from them and have come over to us. In any event, you have come to safety. Take courage! You will live tonight and ever after. 4No one will hurt you. Rather, all will treat you well, as they do the servants of my lord King Nebuchadnezzar.”
Judith Explains Her Presence
5Judith answered him, “Accept the words of your slave, and let your servant speak in your presence. I will say nothing false to my lord this night. 6If you follow out the words of your servant, God will accomplish something through you, and my lord will not fail to achieve his purposes. 7By the life of Nebuchadnezzar, king of the whole earth, and by the power of him who has sent you to direct every living being! Not only do human beings serve him because of you, but also the animals of the field and the cattle and the birds of the air will live, because of your power, under Nebuchadnezzar and all his house. 8For we have heard of your wisdom and skill, and it is reported throughout the whole world that you alone are the best in the whole kingdom, the most informed and the most astounding in military strategy.
9“Now as for Achior’s speech in your council, we have heard his words, for the people of Bethulia spared him and he told them all he had said to you. 10Therefore, lord and master, do not disregard what he said, but keep it in your mind, for it is true. Indeed our nation cannot be punished, nor can the sword prevail against them, unless they sin against their God.
11“But now, in order that my lord may not be defeated and his purpose frustrated, death will fall upon them, for a sin has overtaken them by which they are about to provoke their God to anger when they do what is wrong. 12Since their food supply is exhausted and their water has almost given out, they have planned to kill their livestock and have determined to use all that God by his laws has forbidden them to eat. 13They have decided to consume the first fruits of the grain and the tithes of the wine and oil, which they had consecrated and set aside for the priests who minister in the presence of our God in Jerusalem—things it is not lawful for any of the people even to touch with their hands. 14Since even the people in Jerusalem have been doing this, they have sent messengers there in order to bring back permission from the council of the elders. 15When the response reaches them and they act upon it, on that very day they will be handed over to you to be destroyed.
16“So when I, your slave, learned all this, I fled from them. God has sent me to accomplish with you things that will astonish the whole world wherever people shall hear about them. 17Your servant is indeed God-fearing and serves the God of heaven night and day. So, my lord, I will remain with you; but every night your servant will go out into the valley and pray to God. He will tell me when they have committed their sins. 18Then I will come and tell you, so that you may go out with your whole army, and not one of them will be able to withstand you. 19Then I will lead you through Judea, until you come to Jerusalem; there I will set your throne.a You will drive them like sheep that have no shepherd, and no dog will so much as growl at you. For this was told me to give me foreknowledge; it was announced to me, and I was sent to tell you.”
20Her words pleased Holofernes and all his servants. They marveled at her wisdom and said, 21“No other woman from one end of the earth to the other looks so beautiful or speaks so wisely!” 22Then Holofernes said to her, “God has done well to send you ahead of the people, to strengthen our hands and bring destruction on those who have despised my lord. 23You are not only beautiful in appearance, but wise in speech. If you do as you have said, your God shall be my God, and you shall live in the palace of King Nebuchadnezzar and be renowned throughout the whole world.”
Judith as a Guest of Holofernes
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a Or chariot
11.1 Holofernes’ first lie, given his destruction of the worship places of the nations who pledged they were servants of Nebuchadnezzar (3.2).
11.3 You will live tonight and ever after. Holofernes ironically proclaims a truth that will not be of his doing.
11.5 Judith’s words have a double meaning. Is my lord Holofernes or God?
11.11 Judith lies that a sin has overtaken her people (8.18–20 is her statement to the contrary).
11.17 Judith’s plan (which is sealed in 12.5–7) to go out into the valley each night sets up her escape.
11.23 Your God shall be my God. Holofernes’ offer is unlikely given his insistence that Nebuchadnezzar alone is god (3.8); cf. Ruth 1.16.
Judith 12
1Then he commanded them to bring her in where his silver dinnerware was kept, and ordered them to set a table for her with some of his own delicacies, and with some of his own wine to drink. 2But Judith said, “I cannot partake of them, or it will be an offense; but I will have enough with the things I brought with me.” 3Holofernes said to her, “If your supply runs out, where can we get you more of the same? For none of your people are here with us.” 4Judith replied, “As surely as you live, my lord, your servant will not use up the supplies I have with me before the Lord carries out by my hand what he has determined.”
5Then the servants of Holofernes brought her into the tent, and she slept until midnight. Toward the morning watch she got up 6and sent this message to Holofernes: “Let my lord now give orders to allow your servant to go out and pray.” 7So Holofernes commanded his guards not to hinder her. She remained in the camp three days. She went out each night to the valley of Bethulia, and bathed at the spring in the camp.a 8After bathing, she prayed the Lord God of Israel to direct her way for the triumph of hisb people. 9Then she returned purified and stayed in the tent until she ate her food toward evening.
Judith Attends Holofernes’ Banquet
10On the fourth day Holofernes held a banquet for his personal attendants only, and did not invite any of his officers. 11He said to Bagoas, the eunuch who had charge of his personal affairs, “Go and persuade the Hebrew woman who is in your care to join us and to eat and drink with us. 12For it would be a disgrace if we let such a woman go without having intercourse with her. If we do not seduce her, she will laugh at us.”
13So Bagoas left the presence of Holofernes, and approached her and said, “Let this pretty girl not hesitate to come to my lord to be honored in his presence, and to enjoy drinking wine with us, and to become today like one of the Assyrian women who serve in the palace of Nebuchadnezzar.” 14Judith replied, “Who am I to refuse my lord? Whatever pleases him I will do at once, and it will be a joy to me until the day of my death.” 15So she proceeded to dress herself in all her woman’s finery. Her maid went ahead and spread for her on the ground before Holofernes the lambskins she had received from Bagoas for her daily use in reclining.
16Then Judith came in and lay down. Holofernes’ heart was ravished with her and his passion was aroused, for he had been waiting for an opportunity to seduce her from the day he first saw her. 17So Holofernes said to her, “Have a drink and be merry with us!” 18Judith said, “I will gladly drink, my lord, because today is the greatest day in my whole life.” 19Then she took what her maid had prepared and ate and drank before him. 20Holofernes was greatly pleased with her, and drank a great quantity of wine, much more than he had ever drunk in any one day
since he was born.
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a Other ancient authorities lack in the camp
b Other ancient authorities read her
12.2 Offense, Greek skandalon, something that would cause someone to stumble or take offense. Judith shows special sensitivity around dietary prohibitions. Her strength resides in her resolute adherence to the distinctive signs of the covenant people.
12.9 Purified. Judith’s concern for proper food is matched by her attention to ritual cleanliness. Her daily bath in the spring may reflect the increasing use of the mikveh, or ritual bath, in the Second Temple period.
12.10–20 The banquet.
12.10 On the fourth day of the five allotted before the people of Bethulia surrender, Holofernes plans a banquet.
12.12 The purpose of the evening is for Holofernes to have intercourse with her.
12.14 Who am I to refuse? Judith’s identity is not at stake as she accepts Bagoas’s invitation to the banquet (cf. 6.2; 8.12).
12.16 Holofernes is waiting to seduce her; Judith is there to deceive him.
12.18 Greatest day in my whole life, another highly ironic comment. See 11.3.
Judith 13
Judith Beheads Holofernes
1When evening came, his slaves quickly withdrew. Bagoas closed the tent from outside and shut out the attendants from his master’s presence. They went to bed, for they all were weary because the banquet had lasted so long. 2But Judith was left alone in the tent, with Holofernes stretched out on his bed, for he was dead drunk.
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