1 Judith threw herself face to the ground, scattered ashes on her head, undressed as far as the sackcloth she was wearing and cried loudly to the Lord. At the same time in Jerusalem the evening incense was being offered in the Temple of God. Judith said:
2 Lord, God of my ancestor Simeon, you armed him with a sword to take vengeance on the foreigners who had undone a virgin's belt to her shame, laid bare her thigh to her confusion, violated her womb to her dishonour, since, though you said, 'This must not be,' they did it.
3 For this you handed their leaders over to slaughter, and their bed, defiled by their treachery, was itself betrayed in blood. You struck the slaves with the chieftains and the chieftains with their retainers.
4 You left their wives to be carried off, their daughters to be taken captive, and their spoils to be shared out among the sons you loved, who had been so zealous for you, had loathed the stain put on their blood and called on you for help. O God, my God, now heat this widow too;
5 for you have made the past, and what is happening now, and what will follow. What is, what will be, you have planned; what has been, you designed.
6 Your purposes stood forward; 'See, here we are!' they said. For all your ways are prepared and your judgements delivered with foreknowledge.
7 See the Assyrians, with their army abounding glorying in their horses and their riders, exulting in the strength of their infantry. Trust as they may in shield and spear, in bow and sling, in you they have not recognised the Lord, the breaker of battle-lines;
8 yours alone is the title of Lord. Break their violence with your might, in your anger bring down their strength. For they plan to profane your holy places, to defile the tabernacle, the resting place of your glorious name, and to hack down the horn of your altar.
9 Observe their arrogance, send your fury on their heads, give the strength I have in mind to this widow's hand.
10 By guile of my lips strike down slave with master, and master with retainer. Break their pride by a woman's hand.
11 Your strength does not lie in numbers, nor your might in strong men; since you are the God of the humble, the help of the oppressed, the support of the weak, the refuge of the forsaken, the Saviour of the despairing.
12 Please, please, God of my father, God of the heritage of Israel, Master of heaven and earth, Creator of the waters, King of your whole creation, hear my prayer.
13 Give me a beguiling tongue to wound and kill those who have formed such cruel designs against your covenant, against your holy dwelling-place, against Mount Zion, against the house belonging to your sons.
14 And demonstrate to every nation, every tribe, that you are the Lord, God of all power, all might, and that the race of Israel has no protector but you.
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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