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1Now Judith heard about what had happened. She was the daughter of Merari son of Ox, son of Joseph, son of Oziel, son of Elkiah, son of Ananias, son of Gideon, son of Raphain, son of Ahitub, son of Elijah, son of Hilkiah, son of Eliab, son of Nathanael, son of Salamiel, son of Sarasadai, son of Israel.
2Her husband, Manasseh, who was from the same tribe and family, had died several years earlier during the barley harvest.
3As he supervised the workers who were binding sheaves of grain in the field, he was overcome by the burning heat and was confined to his bed. He died in Bethulia, his hometown, and was buried with his ancestors in the field between Dothan and Balamon.
4Judith had remained a widow for three years and four months.
5She stayed at home, where she set up a room for herself on the roof of her house. She wore sackcloth around her waist and dressed in widow’s clothing.[#8:5 Greek tent; also in 8:36.]
6She fasted every day except on the day before the Sabbath, the Sabbath itself, the day before the new moon, the festival of the new moon, and all the joyful festivals of Israel.
7She was a beautiful woman, very lovely in appearance. Her husband, Manasseh, had left her gold and silver, male and female servants, herds, and cultivated land, and she managed the entire estate.
8No one spoke a bad word about her, for she was devout and feared God.
9Judith heard how the people, who were fainting because they had no water, had spoken against Uzziah, the ruler. And she heard all that Uzziah had promised them, even that he had sworn to surrender the town to the Assyrians after five days.
10So she sent her maid, who was in charge of all she owned, to summon Uzziah and Chabris and Charmis, the elders of the town.[#8:10 Some ancient manuscripts lack Uzziah and; compare 8:28, 35.]
11When the elders came to Judith, she said, “Listen to me, rulers of the people of Bethulia! What you have said to the people today is wrong. You have bound yourselves by an oath to God, promising to surrender the town to our enemies unless the Lord helps us within a certain number of days.
12Who are you to test God? Who are you to set yourselves above him?
13You are testing the Lord Almighty, but you will never learn anything!
14If you cannot discover the depths of the human heart or understand the thoughts of the human mind, how can you search out God, who made these things? How can you grasp his mind or comprehend his thoughts? No, my brothers, do not make the Lord our God angry.
15For if he doesn’t choose to help us within these five days, he still has the power to protect us for as long as he pleases. Or he could decide to destroy us in the presence of our enemies.
16Do not try to control the plans of the Lord our God, for God is not like a human being, to be manipulated. He is not like a mere mortal, who can be persuaded.
17Therefore, while we wait for him to rescue us, let us call on him for help. He will hear us, if it pleases him.
18“In these days there are no tribes, families, clans, or towns among us that worship gods they themselves have made, as was done before.
19That was why God allowed our ancestors to be killed, plundered, and humiliated by our enemies.
20But now we worship no other gods but him, and so we hope that he will not abandon us or any of our people.
21For if we are captured, all Judea will be captured, and our Temple will be plundered. God will make us pay for its desecration with our very lives.
22Our relatives will be slaughtered, our land will be taken over, and our inheritance will be destroyed—and all this in the presence of the Gentiles, to whom we will be slaves. We will be disgraced before these masters.
23For our slavery will not bring us into their favor; rather, the Lord our God will make our slavery shameful.
24“Therefore, fellow Israelites, let us be an example to our relatives, for their lives depend on us. And so does the Temple—even the holy places and the altar.
25In spite of everything, we should thank the Lord our God, who is testing us, just as he tested our ancestors.
26Remember how he tested Abraham and Isaac. And remember what happened to Jacob in Syrian Mesopotamia while he was taking care of the sheep of Laban, his mother’s brother.
27The Lord tried them with fire to test their hearts. But he is not punishing us. He punishes those who are close to him in order to warn them.”
28Then Uzziah said to her, “Everything you have said was spoken with a good heart, and there is no one who can disagree with your words.
29Today is not the first time you have shown your wisdom, for the people have recognized your understanding and integrity from the time you were a small girl.
30But the people were so thirsty that they forced us to make this promise, and they made us take an oath that cannot be broken.
31Now, since you are a devout woman, pray for us, that the Lord may send rain to fill our cisterns. Then we will no longer die of thirst.”
32Then Judith said to them, “Listen to me. I am about to do something that will be remembered by all our descendants.
33Tonight, stand by the gate, where I will leave with my maid. Within five days—the period after which you have promised to surrender the town to our enemies—the Lord will rescue Israel through me.
34But don’t try to find out what I am doing, for I will not tell you until I have done it.”
35Uzziah and the rulers said to her, “Go in peace. May the Lord God go before you and take revenge on our enemies.”
36Then they left her room and returned to their quarters.