Judith
Chapter 16
The Song of Judith
Judith said: “Sing a song to my God with tambourines,sing in honor of God with cymbals.Compose for him a psalm of praise.Exalt and bless his name!
The Lord is truly a God who crushes war,Who encamps amid his people,for he has snatched me from the hand of those who pursued me.
The Assyrians came from the mountains of the north.He came with the myriads of his army, his soldiers filled the torrents and his cavalry covered the hills.
He wanted to burn my land, to kill the young men by the sword, to destroy my children at the breast, to hand over my little ones to slaughter and to rape my young maidens.
The Lord Almighty has driven them back by a woman’s hand.
Young warriors have not overcome their hero; he was not struck down by the sons of the Titans or laid low by any great giants. But it is Judith, the daughter of Merari, who, by the beauty of her face, has defeated him. For the relief of the oppressed in Israel,
she took off her widow’s robes, anointed her face with perfume,
put a jeweled band around her hair, and put on a linen dress to seduce him.
Her sandals delighted his eyes, her beauty captivated his soul, and the scimitar cut through his neck.
The Persians trembled with fear at her boldness, and the Medes were upset by her daring.
Then my oppressed people shouted for joy; my weak ones cried out, the enemy was terrified; they raised their voices; the enemy took to flight.
The children of young women pierced them through and struck them down like fugitives, and so the enemy perished in a battle arranged by God.
I will sing to my God a new song: Lord, you are great and glorious, wonderfully strong, invincible!
May the whole of your creation serve you, for you spoke and all things were, you sent forth your spirit, and all things came into being: No one can resist your voice.
For the mountains with the waters will be shaken to their foundations, the rocks will melt like wax before you, but to those who fear you you will always show mercy.
The fragrance of any sacrifice is little to please you and the holocausts of fatted animals are as nothing before you, but he who fears the Lord is forever great.
Woe to the nations that rise up against my people: The Lord Almighty will punish them on the day of judgment, with fire and worms under their skin, and they will keep on weeping, suffering forever.”
When they arrived in Jerusalem, they worshiped God, and after the people had been purified, they presented their holocausts, freewill offerings, and gifts.
Conclusion
Then Judith offered Holofernes’ belongings, which the people had given her, and she dedicated to the Lord the hangings from his room, which she had taken.
So the people remained in Jerusalem, rejoicing before the Sanctuary for three months, and Judith stayed with them.
After these days, each person returned to their own house. Judith went back to Bethulia and dedicated herself to her household. Throughout her life, she gained fame throughout the land.
Although many wished to marry her, she had no relations with any man since the death and burial of Manasseh, her husband.
She spent her later years in her husband’s house and freed her maidservant. She died in Bethulia at the age of and was buried in her husband Manasseh’s tomb.
All Israel mourned her for seven days. Before her death, she distributed her estate among her husband’s relatives, as well as her own family, including Manasseh’s.
No one threatened the people of Israel again while Judith was alive or for a long time after her death.
Commentaries
The Great Liberation.
The second part of the book focuses on the main protagonist, Judith, who arrives at this point. It is here that the dilemma will be resolved: surrender or resistance. Judith will lead the resistance, but she will also guide it: we must resist not by counting on a miraculous intervention from God, but by using the resources at our disposal to serve the community and divine action—our beauty and our freedom, since as widows, we do not depend on a husband—and finally, our wisdom and resourcefulness. Resistance does not, therefore, mean waiting for extraordinary interventions that are unlikely to happen. Resistance means starting with what little we have, with the strong hope that it is more than enough to face any force opposed to God’s plan.
The Song of Judith.
Judith’s final song draws inspiration from other liberation songs in the Old Testament. The deaths of Holofernes and the defeat of the Assyrian army serve as its basis.
Conclusion.
Judith’s fame endures today. Perhaps less than in earlier times, when she was seen as a historical figure and inspired admiration. As a literary icon, Judith still holds a significant place today, and the author leaves a sort of hidden signature in that note on the fame of his poetic work.