1 Judith said, 'Listen to me, brothers. Take this head and hang it on your battlements.
2 When morning comes and the sun is up, let every man take his arms and every able-bodied man leave the town. Appoint a leader for them, as if you meant to march down to the plain against the Assyrian advanced post. But you must not do this.
3 The Assyrians will gather up their equipment, make for their camp and wake up their commanders; they in turn will rush to the tent of Holofernes and not be able to find him. They will then be seized with panic and flee at your advance.
4 All you and the others who live in the territory of Israel will have to do is to give chase and slaughter them as they retreat.
5 'But before you do this, call me Achior the Ammonite, for him to see and identify the man who held the House of Israel in contempt, the man who sent him to us as someone already doomed to die.'
6 So they had Achior brought from Uzziah's house. No sooner had he arrived and seen the head of Holofernes held by a member of the people's assembly than he fell on his face in a faint.
7 They lifted him up. He then threw himself at Judith's feet and, prostrate before her, exclaimed: May you be blessed in all the tents of Judah and in every nation; those who hear your name will be seized with dread!
8 'Now tell me everything that you have done in these past few days.' And surrounded by the people, Judith told him everything she had done from the day she left Bethulia to the moment when she was speaking.
9 When she came to the end, the people cheered at the top of their voices until the town echoed.
10 Achior, recognising all that the God of Israel had done, believed ardently in him and, accepting circumcision, was permanently incorporated into the House of Israel.
11 At daybreak they hung the head of Holofernes on the ramparts. Every man took his arms and they all went out in groups to the slopes of the mountain.
12 Seeing this, the Assyrians sent word to their leaders, who in turn reported to the generals, the captains of thousands and all the other officers;
13 and these in their turn reported to the tent of Holofernes. 'Rouse our master,' they said to his major-domo, 'these slaves have dared to march down on us to attack -- and to be wiped out to a man!'
14 Bagoas went inside and struck the curtain dividing the tent, thinking that Holofernes was sleeping with Judith.
15 But as no one seemed to hear, he drew the curtain and went into the bedroom, to find him thrown down dead on the threshold, with his head cut off.
16 He gave a great shout, wept, sobbed, shrieked and rent his clothes.
17 He then went into the tent which Judith had occupied and could not find her either. Then, rushing out to the men, he shouted,
18 'The slaves have rebelled! A single Hebrew woman has brought shame on the House of Nebuchadnezzar. Holofernes is lying dead on the ground, without his head!'
19 When they heard this, the leaders of the Assyrian army tore their tunics in consternation, and the camp rang with their wild cries and their shouting.
Versículos relacionados com Judith, 14:
Judite 14 tells Judite's plan to defeat the Assyrian army led by Holofernes, including the mistake she uses to infiltrate the enemy camp. The following verses are related to the topics covered in this chapter:
Judges 4:21: "Then Jael, Héber's wife, picked up a tent, and with a sledgehammer in his hand, approached him sneaked and dug his stake into Sisera's temple, causing her to cross her head to the floor. he died." This verse reports the death of the enemy general Sisera at the hands of a woman. The story is similar to the plot of Judite, in which a woman uses cunning to defeat a powerful military leader.
2 Kings 19:35: "That night, the angel of the Lord came out and killed one hundred and eighty -five thousand men at the Assyrian camp. When the survivors got up in the morning, they only found corpses." This verse talks about the supernatural destruction of the Assyrian army. Although Judite's approach is more subtle, the result is the same: the enemy's defeat.
Job 12:16: "With Him is the strength and wisdom; the deceit and the deceators are his." This verse talks about how God is sovereign and has control over all things, including those who use a mistake to achieve their goals. Judite's plan involves deceiving Holofernes so that he becomes complacent and vulnerable, but history shows that God is still in control.
Proverbs 21:30: "There is no wisdom, no understanding, no counsel that may oppose the Lord." This verse emphasizes that no one can oppose God and overcome. Although Judith's plan is cunning, it is important to remember that it is God's will that finally prevails.
Ezekiel 13:10: "For yes, because they have been deceiving my people, saying, Peace! There is no peace; and one, building the wall, and behold, others cover it from poorly; This verse talks about those who deceive God's people and build with bad intentions. Although Judite is fighting for the cause of her people, she uses mistaken to achieve her goals. The verse is a reminder that construction should be based on solid and true foundations.
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