1 Judith knelt and bowed her head to the ground, put ashes on her head and uncovered the sackcloth with which she was clothed. At precisely the same moment as incense was being offered in the House of God at Jerusalem, Judith invoked aloud the Lord God, she said,
2 "Lord, God of my father Simeon, you placed a sword in his hand to punish the foreigners who did violence to a young girl. For they had abused her, uncovering her body to shame her and violating her womb to dishonor her. They did this though you said: This shall not be done.
3 Because of this you handed over their leaders to be slain and their bed, reddened because of their deceit, was left red with their blood. You struck down the slaves with their leaders and the leaders themselves with their servants.
4 You handed over their women to rape, their daughters to slavery and all their possessions to be shared among your favored sons who were filled with horror at this defilement of their blood and invoked your help.
5 O God, my God, listen to me, a widow! It is you who made all things past, what is present and what is yet to come. It is you who consider things present and to come. Those things which you decided have been realized.
6 The things you have planned have presented themselves saying: Here we are. In truth, all your ways are prepared and your decision is known from the beginning of time.
7 Therefore see what a great multitude these Assyrians make with their army, how they pride themselves on their horses and their cavalrymen. They have placed great pride in the strength of their foot soldiers and their trust in their shields, javelins, bows and arrows.
8 But they do not recognize that you, Lord, decide the outcome of wars. Lord is your name; wipe out their force with your power, and in your anger overthrow their superiority; for they intend to profane your Sanctuary, to defile your Tabernacle where your glorious Name resides, to overturn by force the horn of your Altar.
9 Consider their pride, let your anger fall on their heads and give to my hands, the hands of a widow, the strength necessary for what I have decided.
10 By my lying lips punish the slave with his master and the master with his servant; put an end to their arrogance by the hand of a woman.
11 Truly your strength is not in number nor your power in strong men for you are a God of the humble, the defender of the little ones, the support of the weak, the protector of the abandoned, the savior of those in despair.
12 Yes, God of my fathers and God of the heritage of Israel, Ruler of the heavens and the earth, Creator of the waters, King of all creation, listen to my prayer.
13 Give me tempting words to wound and kill those who have conceived cruel designs against your Covenant, your consecrated House, Mount Zion and the House which belongs to your sons.
14 Make the nation and all the tribes know that you are God, all-powerful and strong, and that, apart from you, there is no other protector for the people of Israel."
Versículos relacionados com Judith, 9:
Judite 9 contains a prayer of Judite to God, in which she asks for strength and wisdom to perform her plan to free her people from Assyrian oppression. Below are five verses related to the topics covered in Judith 9:
2 Chronicles 20:12: "Ah, our God, do you not judge them? For there is no strength against this great multitude that comes against us, and we do not know what to do; but our eyes are put to you." This verse expresses confidence in God in times of uncertainty and difficulty, similar to Judite's prayer in Judite 9.
Psalm 18:32-33: "The God who brings me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like those of the color and puts me in high places." This verse highlights God's ability to strengthen and guide his servants, similar to Judite's prayer in search of forces and guidance in Judite 9.
Proverbs 3:5-6: "Trust in the Lord of all your heart and do not stir in your own understanding. Recognizes Him in all your ways, and he will straighten your paths." This verse emphasizes the importance of trusting God and seeking his orientation rather than relying only on his own understanding, similar to Judite's request for wisdom and guidance in Judite 9.
Isaiah 40:29-31: "He gives strength to the tired, and multiplies the forces to which he has no vigor. The young people will get tired and shake, and the boys will surely fall. But those who await the Lord will renew their strength and It will rise with wings like eagles; they will run, and they will not tire; they will walk, and will not stick. " This verse highlights God's ability to strengthen his servants, similar to the request of forces of Judite in Judite 9.
James 1:5: "And if any of you are lacking wisdom, ask it to God, who gives all liberally and does not throw him into the face; and will be given to him." This verse emphasizes the importance of asking God for wisdom in times of difficulty, similar to Judite's request for wisdom in Judite 9.
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