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1When evening came, Holofernes’ slaves left quickly. Bagoas closed the tent from the outside and sent the attendants away. They went to their beds, for they were all weary from the long banquet.
2Judith was left alone in the tent with Holofernes, who had collapsed on his bed in a drunken stupor.
3Judith told her maid to stand outside Holofernes’ sleeping quarters and wait for her to come out, as she had done on the other days, for Judith said she would be going out for her prayers. (She had told Bagoas the same thing.)
4So now everyone had left, and she was alone in the tent.
Then Judith, standing beside Holofernes’ bed, said in her heart, “O Lord, God of all power, bless what I am about to do for the glory of Jerusalem.
5Now is the time to help your people and to carry out my plan to destroy the enemies who have attacked us.”
6She went up to the bedpost near Holofernes’ head and took down his sword that hung there.
7She came close to his bed, took hold of his hair, and said, “Make me strong today, Lord God of Israel!”
8Then she struck his neck twice with all her might and cut off his head.
9Next she rolled his body off the bed and pulled the canopy down from the posts. Then she quickly went out and gave Holofernes’ head to her maid,
10who put it in her food bag. Then the two of them left camp together, as they usually did when they went to pray.
As soon as they passed through the camp, they circled around the valley, went up the mountain toward Bethulia, and then headed for its gates.
11From a distance Judith called out to the guards at the gates, “Please, open the gate! Open! God, our God, is still with us. He has shown his power in Israel and his strength against our enemies on this very day!”
12When the people of the town heard her voice, they hurried down to the town gate and summoned the elders of the town.
13The leaders and the rest of the people all ran to the gate, for it seemed unbelievable that she had returned. They opened the gate and welcomed the two women. Then they lit a fire for light and gathered around them.
14With a loud voice, Judith said to them, “Praise God! Praise him! Praise God, who has not withdrawn his mercy from the people of Israel. He has helped me destroy our enemies this very night!”
15Then she pulled the head out of the bag and showed it to them. “Look,” she said. “This is the head of Holofernes, the commander of the Assyrian army. Here is the canopy beneath which he lay drunk. The Lord has struck him down by the hand of a woman!
16The Lord protected me in this mission, and as the Lord lives, I swear that it was my beauty that seduced him to his destruction. But he committed no sin with me so as to disgrace and shame me.”[#13:16 Greek my face.]
17All the people were completely amazed. They bowed down and worshiped God, saying with one voice, “We bless you, our God, for on this day you have humiliated the enemies of your people.”
18Then Uzziah said to Judith, “Daughter, may you be blessed by the Most High God above all women on earth. Praise to the Lord God, who created the heavens and the earth, who has guided you to cut off the head of the leader of our enemies.
19Those who acknowledge the power of God will forever find hope in him.[#13:19 Some manuscripts read will forever praise him.]
20May God give you honor forever, and may he reward you with blessings, for you did not think about your own life when our nation was brought to its knees. You prevented our ruin by walking in the straight path of our God.”
And all the people said, “Amen! Amen!”