Deliverance through a Woman
Judith the God-Fearer
Chapter 8
Pious, Beautiful, and Wealthy. 1 Now in those days Judith learned about this situation. 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 Sarasdai, son of Simeon, son of Israel.[a] 2 Her husband Manasseh, who belonged to her own tribe and clan, had died at the time of the barley harvest. 3 While he stood in the field supervising the binding of the sheaves, he suffered sunstroke. He took to his bed and died in Bethulia, his native city, and was buried with his ancestors in the field between Dothan and Balamon.
4 Judith remained home as a widow for three years and four months. 5 She set up a shelter for herself on the roof of her house, wearing sackcloth around her waist and dressed in mourning garb. 6 She fasted all the days of her widowhood except on the Sabbath eve and the Sabbath itself, the day before the new moon and the day of the new moon, and the festivals and days of rejoicing of the house of Israel. 7 She was beautifully formed and lovely to behold. Her husband Manasseh had left her gold and silver, men and women servants, livestock, and land, and she oversaw this inheritance. 8 No one had anything derogatory to say about her, for she was a deeply God-fearing woman.
The Elders Reproached. 9 When Judith heard about how the shortage had demoralized the people and about the harsh words of bitter complaint they had spoken against their ruler, and she learned of all that Uzziah had said to them in reply, as he had promised them under oath to hand over the town to the Assyrians at the end of five days, 10 she dispatched her maid who was in charge of all her possessions to ask Uzziah, Chabris, and Charmis, the elders of the city, to visit her. 11 When they arrived, she said to them:
“Listen to me, rulers of the people of Bethulia. You were wrong to speak to the people as you did today, binding yourself by an oath between God and you, vowing to hand over the town to our enemies at the end of five days unless the Lord comes to our aid by that time. 12 What right do you have to put God to the test this day, and to set yourselves above him in the disposal of human affairs? 13 You are laying down conditions for the Lord Almighty. Will you never understand anything? 14 If you cannot plumb the depths of the human heart or comprehend the workings of the human mind, how then can you fathom God who has made all these things, discern his mind, and understand his purposes?
“No, my brothers, do not provoke the anger of the Lord, our God. 15 For even if he does not decide to come to our aid within the next five days, he has the power to protect us at any time he pleases, or even to destroy us in the presence of our enemies. 16 It is not your right to impose conditions on the Lord, our God.
“God is not like a human being, to be persuaded by threats,
or like a mere mortal, to be won over by pleas.
17 “Therefore, while we await the deliverance that is his to give, let us call upon him to help us, and he will hear our cry if it pleases him. 18 For in recent times and even today there has not been a single tribe or clan or district or town of ours that worships gods made with human hands, as was the case in days gone by. 19 It was due to such conduct that our ancestors were handed over to the sword and pillage and were utterly destroyed by our enemies. 20 However, since we acknowledge no other god but the Lord, we sustain the hope that he will not desert us or any of our people.
21 “If we are captured, then all Judea will fall, and our temple will be pillaged, and God will make us pay with our blood for its desecration. 22 The blame for the slaughter and deportation of our kindred and the devastation of our land he will lay on our heads wherever among the nations we shall be enslaved. We will be a source of mockery and contempt in the eyes of our masters. 23 Our enslavement will not become a source of eventual benefit to us, but the Lord, our God will use it to dishonor us.
24 “Therefore, my brothers, let us set an example for our kindred. Their very lives depend upon us, and the defense of the sanctuary, the temple, and the altar is our responsibility. 25 Despite all this, let us offer thanks to the Lord, our God, for he is putting us to the test as he did our ancestors. 26 Remember how he dealt with Abraham, and how he tested Isaac, and what happened to Jacob in Syrian Mesopotamia while he was tending the sheep of Laban, his mother’s brother. 27 The Lord did not subject them to these fiery ordeals for vengeance but to test their loyalty, and so has he done with us. The Lord chastises those who worship him as a means of admonition.”[b]
28 The Elders’ Accord. Then Uzziah said to her: “Everything that you have said was spoken with a sincere heart, and there is no one who can deny your words. 29 Today has not been the first time that you have given evidence of your wisdom, for from your earliest years all the people have recognized your good sense and the right disposition of your heart. 30 However, the people were so parched with thirst that they led us to make this promise and to take an oath that cannot be broken. 31 But you are a God-fearing woman. Therefore, pray for us now, petitioning the Lord to send rain to fill our cisterns so that we shall no longer be faint with thirst.”
32 “Listen to me,” Judith said to them. “I intend to do something that will be remembered by our descendants through all future generations. 33 Be present at the town gate tonight to let me go out with my maid. Before the days have ended that have been designated by you to surrender the town to our enemies, the Lord will deliver Israel by my hand.
34 [c]“But do not question me about the plan I have in mind, for I will not reveal anything to you until I have accomplished what I intend to do.” 35 Uzziah and the rulers said to her, “Go in peace, and may the Lord God be with you to take vengeance on our enemies.” 36 Then they left her roof shelter and returned to their posts.
Footnotes
- Judith 8:1 The third part of the Book begins. Through her name, this young widow incarnates the people of the covenant (Jud 16:3f).
- Judith 8:27 It is not bearing suffering and one’s cross that makes people holy and dear to God but suffering with patience.
- Judith 8:34 It was not a weak woman who was liberating the people, but God; and to move God to work his wonders, prayer was needed.