Chapter 30 "The Story of Judith"

"The Story of Judith" Against Holofernes In the twelfth year of King Nebuchadnezzar's reign, he fought against King Afazad who ruled the Media on the great plain outside the city of Lagos.Afazad has a strong lineup, and many countries in the Mesopotamia have joined him. Nebuchadnezzar, king of Assyria, sent envoys to lobby for more power, including Cilicia, Damascus, Goshen, etc. Numerous towns and even Egyptian cities were rejected without exception.They all believed that Nebuchadnezzar could not win, so they were not afraid of him at all, and sent his envoys away with a few words.Nebuchadnezzar was greatly humiliated and vowed through gritted teeth that he would take revenge and kill all those who rejected his country.

The results of Russian wars are often unexpected, and Nebuchadnezzar won.In the seventeenth year of Nebuchadnezzar, he led an army to defeat the coalition forces led by Afazad, captured him and killed him; , turning this beautiful city into ruins.In the eighteenth year, Nebuchadnezzar issued an order to Marshal Holofernes, ordering him to select good soldiers and lead the army to attack those countries and cities that refused to respond to him a few years ago: "If they surrender, let them look at you first." , wait for me to punish them; if they dare to resist, kill them all, and I swear to revenge."

So Holofernes selected 120,000 elite infantry, 12,000 excellent cavalry archers, and set off with a rich army and enough food and grass.The advance army of King Nebuchadnezzar had strong combat effectiveness, and they swept through Cilicia, Libya and many other countries along the way.Terror enveloped all the inhabitants of the Mediterranean coast, and those countries that had not been conquered by Holofernes sent envoys to King Nebuchadnezzar to ask for peace, saying that they would obey his orders, be his slaves, and try their best to To please Holofernes' troops, Holofernes still destroyed their places of worship, cut down their sacred trees, and stipulated that all countries and nations could only worship Nebuchadnezzar as a god and worship him.

Finally, the procession passed through the valley of Jezreel in the mountains of Judah, and camped between Kiba and Sizhopoli.They will rest here for a month to replenish supplies. The people of Judah had already heard that Holofernes had forced the people of other countries to believe in his god, fearing that he would also destroy the temple in Jerusalem.In order to defend their homeland and protect the temple from desecration, they joined forces to occupy a favorable position, store food, and prepare for the battle.All dressed in mourning, with ashes on their heads, fasted and prayed before the temple, begging God to have mercy on them, and not to defile their homes and temple.

Holofernes heard that the Judahs were not afraid of them, and they were building fortifications to prepare for the battle. He immediately summoned all the leaders of Moab, the generals of Amon, and the governors of the Mediterranean coast, and asked them: "Since you live here, why don't you leave this place?" Tell me about the situation here. How many cities do people here occupy? How many troops do they have? Who is the leader? Why do they dare to fight against me without surrendering?" Agios the leader of the Ammonites answered him, saying, "My lord, if you will listen, I will tell you. These are the descendants of the Babylonians, who forsook the way of their ancestors in order to believe in God, so that They were driven out of their homeland and fled to the plains of Mesopotamia, and then came to Canaan. After settling in Canaan, they had a good life, but because of the famine in Canaan, they were forced to move to Egypt. In Egypt They gave birth to many people, and the king of Egypt was afraid that they would become strong, so he forced them to do hard labor and treat them like slaves. They prayed to God, and God sent disasters to Egypt, and then led them out of Egypt and came to the south of Canaan. They drove away All the tribes living in the south of Canaan began to live in the mountains here. Because they had betrayed the gods, they were captured in the war and exiled, and returned to their homes because they returned to God. Jerusalem was their holy land, and later people call them Israelites.

"Your Excellency, if the Israelites really violated the gods, we can defeat them; if they obey the laws of God, then we'd better leave them alone, because their gods will secretly protect them, and we will fail." Agio's words were opposed by everyone around, who said: "Why should we be afraid of these Israelis, they are absolutely vulnerable, our troops can easily destroy them! Agio's morale should be executed !" Holofernes also reprimanded him: "Agios, what are you? How dare you assert that God will protect them and that we will fail? Let me tell you, our God is King Nebuchadnezzar, who Let us fight the Israelites, and we will definitely win! How dare you talk to Israel, traitor! Come on!" He turned to the soldiers, "Tie him up and send him to the Israelites. Wait until he and the Israelites perish together. When the time comes, he will know who will win!"

When the residents of the city saw Assyrian soldiers approaching, they threw stones down from the top of the mountain. The Assyrians could not climb up the mountain, so they threw Agios at the foot of the mountain and went back to see Holofernes.The Israelites came down from the mountain, untied Agios, and brought him into the city to meet Uzziah and the three city officials.The city magistrate summoned the elders of the city to interrogate him, and Agios told the people what had happened.When the Israelites heard Holofernes' oath to destroy Canaan, they all knelt down and prayed to God: "God, listen to the wild words of the Assyrians, have pity on us, and save us!"

On the second day, Holofernes' troops entered the mountain where the Israelites lived in Bethulia. The huge lineup and the spacious camp really shocked the Israelites. They talked a lot: "So many Assyrians are We can't feed them with all the things we have here!" But they knew that it was useless to be afraid, and they had to take up arms to defend themselves.So they lit a fire in the tower, and set up a watch all night.In order to demonstrate to the Israelites, Holofernes showed all his cavalry. He also personally inspected the passage into the city and the water source of the city, and then sent troops to occupy the water source and set up guard posts. (drop 1-4)

Siege of Bethulia Several counselors under Holofernes carefully studied the situation and said to him: "We have a small suggestion for you, which will save you from loss. In terms of strength, the Israelis cannot compare with us, but They occupy a favorable position: Those mountains are difficult to climb. If soldiers are asked to attack the mountains directly, there may be heavy casualties. It is better to have people block the water source under the mountains. If the water is cut off, they have to surrender if they want to survive. At that time, we will send people to climb to the top of the mountain, set up camps, not let anyone out of the city, and starve the Israelites to death. At that time, the Israelites will know the price of rebellion and refusal to surrender. What do you think of this proposal, Your Excellency? "

"Okay!" Holofernes thought this suggestion was very good, "Just do as you say!" Thus began a 34-day blockade against the Israelis.The water in the city was cut off, the cistern was empty, and drinking water was rationed per person per day.But obviously this water was not enough, and the people in the city had no strength. They ran to the city officials and protested to them: "God will punish you! Why don't you make peace with the Assyrians? We all You are dying of thirst, surrender to the Assyrians! It is better to be captured as a slave than to watch your wife and children die!"

There was crying in the city, and some people were praying to God.Uzziah said to them: "Let's hold on for another five days and see if God will have mercy on us. If God doesn't reach out to us after five days, just do as you say. I believe God will not abandon us." Never mind." After all he had to say, the people dispersed and returned to their respective posts, but morale was low, and the terror of impending doom hung over the city. (drop 5-7) judith stepped forward In the city there lived a beautiful widow named Judith, whose husband died of cholera three years ago, and left her a rich inheritance.Judith strictly abides by women's morals, and stays at home during the mourning period, which is praised by everyone. When news of what had happened in the city reached Judith, she sent a maidservant to invite the three city officials.When they came to her house, she said to them, "You are the chiefs of this city, but you have spoken wrongly to the people today. You promised before God that if God does not come to your aid within five days, You surrender your city to the enemy, what right do you have to put God to the test? Who are you that dare to put yourselves in God's place in dealing with human affairs? You are all mortals, ordinary people Thinking that you can't find out, how dare you try to figure out God's will? If you do this, you will anger God, and you must stop immediately. You must know that if God does not come within five days, He may come to rescue us at another time, Maybe God just wants the enemy to destroy us. But you can't set the time and conditions for God. We can only pray to God and ask him to save us. "If our city is taken, the entire territory of Judah will be lost, we will be taken to other countries as slaves, and will suffer great disgrace, and the temple in Jerusalem will be desecrated. God is testing We, as we tried our forefathers, think about how he tested Abraham, Esaac and Jacob. We are to protect the lives of our fellow men, to protect the temple and the altar." After listening to Judith, Uzziah said: "You were very smart when you were a child, and you have shown a distinctive mature thinking and ability to distinguish right from wrong when you grow up. We know that everything you say now is correct. Rebuttal, but the residents of the city are dying of thirst. They forced us to make a promise, and we cannot go back on it. You are a man who is loyal to God, come and pray for the people here, and ask God to send a rain to pretend Fill the city with cisterns so we can recover." Judith thought for a moment, raised his head, and said, "Well, I will do something that we Judah will never forget. Tonight, ask the three city officials to send me and my maidservant out of the city. God will send me to save the Israelites before the promised day of surrender. But don't ask me what I'm doing, and I'll explain it to you when it's done." Uzziah and the other city officials agreed and prayed to God to help Judith complete his mission.After they left, Judith threw ashes on his head, opened his coat to reveal the mourning clothes he was wearing underneath, fell on his face to the ground, and prayed loudly to God.She praised God for helping good and eliminating evil, and asked God to give her strength to carry out her plan. After praying, Judith took off his mourning clothes, bathed and changed.She was dressed in the best clothes she had worn on festivals while her husband was alive; she had a long flowing ribbon on her head; her body was glittering with precious gemstones... any man would be overwhelmed by her. dump.She asked the slave girl to take a skins of wine and a bottle of oil, plus a bag of roasted barley and a few slices of bread, and took the slave girl out.The city officials were waiting for them at the gate of the city, and when they saw Judith in full dress, she was more beautiful than usual, and they all blessed her: "May God bless you and make your plan successful, and may you bring glory to Jerusalem and glory to Israel." victory." After Judith had prayed, the gates were opened for her, and she and the slave girl went out; and they watched her go down the hill and into the valley as far as she could see, and her countrymen feared for her fate. (drop 8) Judith goes deep into the enemy camp When Judith and his female slaves crossed the valley, they met the Assyrian patrols. They were stopped and interrogated: "Where are you from? Where are you going?" "I am a Hebrew who escaped from the Israelites, because God wants you to destroy them." Judi calmly replied, "Please take me to your commander-in-chief Holofernes, I have important information Leave it to him, and I will tell him the terrain of Bethulia and tell him how to enter the mountain." Judith's beauty fascinated the soldiers, and they had no intention of doubting her, but obediently obeyed her orders and sent her to the residence of Holofernes.Women were rarely seen in the barracks, but another fairy-like woman like Judith came. The soldiers passed the news to each other and rushed to see her. "My God, Israeli women are so beautiful!" "Who would dare insult a nation whose women are so beautiful?" "We'd better kill all their men, or these Judahs will confuse the world." Holofernes was resting in bed when the attendants led Judith into his tent.The appearance of Judith dimmed the silver lamp in the marshal's tent. She walked up to Holofer and knelt down, but the servants immediately helped her up.Although Holofernes had experienced many battles, his heart was shaken when he saw Judi's beauty. After a long time, he said to Judi, "Don't be afraid, I will never hurt and voluntarily submit to King Nebuchadnezzar. you are never in danger. If you people who live on the mountains hadn't taken the initiative to offend me, I would not have declared war on them. They deserve it entirely. But tell me why you left them and joined us Woolen cloth?" "Listen to me, my lord," replied Judith, "I have a suggestion, and if you take it, you will do great things." Judith first greatly praised Holofernes' ingenuity and incomparable feats, and then began to draw the net: "Don't ignore the words of Agios, which are true. Because God is protecting, anyone can Can't hurt those of us unless we offend God. "But you won't fail. You know, some foodstuffs, including the first-fruits of wheat, are used as sacrifices in Jerusalem, and most people can't even touch them, but there is a lack of food and water in the city, and people have asked the council to eat them as sacrifices." Once they get permission to eat these things, they rebelled against God and you can destroy them. I ran away as soon as I got this information, because God sent me to help you in your cause. I I am a devout believer and I have to worship every day. From today on, I will live in your barracks and go to the valley every night to pray. God will tell me when the Israelites have sinned, and I will tell you right away You, you can strike immediately. The Israelites can't beat you without God's help. Then I will show you the way and let you kill until you reach Jerusalem. God prophesied these things to me and asked me to tell you ." "These are true?! That's great!" After hearing Judith's words, Holofernes was very excited, as if the Israelites had already knelt at his feet: "You are not only beautiful, but also very smart. can talk." Then Holofernes ordered his own food to be served, but Judith refused: "I cannot eat from you, that would break the law of God. I have brought my own food." "Then what do you do when you run out of food?" Holofernes asked, "Where are we going to get you what you want to eat? There are no Israelites in the camp to do it for you." "Your Excellency, please rest assured that what I brought is enough to last until the completion of God's mission!" That night Judith slept in a tent in the camp.When the morning bell rang before dawn, she got up and went to the valley of Bethulia, took a bath at the water source, and prayed to God after bathing, asking God to help her and the Israelites, and then returned to the camp and stayed in the tent all the time .This continued for three days. On the fourth day, the lecherous Holofernes could no longer restrain his lust, and asked the eunuch Bagos to invite Judith to drink in the name of hosting a banquet for senior officers and men.Judith agreed without hesitation, and she knew that the opportunity had come. Judith put on his most beautiful clothes, sprinkled himself with perfume, and entered Holofernes' tent.Seeing Judith under the lamp, Holofernes really lost his mind: "Come on; let's have a drink, shall we?" "Okay, my lord," Judith said cheerfully, "I will never forget this day—to drink with you, my lord." She toasted Holofernes frequently, making him drink one after another, while she She still insists on only using the food prepared for her by the slave girl. It was late at night, and the banquet was over.Judith stayed with Holofernes, who was lying drunk on the bed, and her slave girl stood outside the tent, because Judith told Bagos that she would go to pray as she had done the previous three days. When Bagos closed the tent door from the outside, and only Judith and Holofernes were left in the tent, Judith began to pray silently to God: "God, Almighty God, help me! Now is the time." If it is too late, the lives of the Israelites will be in danger." She took Holofernes' sword from his bedpost, grabbed Holofernes' head, and said, "God, give me strength! "He lifted up his sword, and slashed at his neck with all his strength, and then gave the severed head to the slave girl to put away in a bag.She looked at the corpse on the bed, asked the slave girl to help her push it out of the bed, and the two walked out of the tent together. (Drip 10:1-13:10) Judith returns victorious Because Judith and the slave girl went out of the camp to pray at this time every night for the first three days, no one stopped them today.They crossed the valley, climbed the hillside, and walked back to Bethulia.As he approached the gate, Judith called out to the soldiers guarding the gate, "Open the gate! Open the gate! Our God is with us! Today he has once again shown his might in Israel!" The people at the city gate recognized Judith's voice, and hurried to call the city magistrate.The people in the city couldn't believe that they came back alive. They opened the city gate and lit the torches for her.Judith in the crowd shouted, "Let us praise God, praise God! God has never withdrawn His grace from Israel, and just now He helped me kill our enemy!" She took the head out of the bag , and showed it to everyone: "Look, this is the head of Holofernes, Marshal of Assyria. He was drunk by me and let me kill him. God, I swear, Holofernes did not touch it I, although I seduced him with my beauty until I killed him, I am innocent and God is taking care of me in secret." After hearing Judith's words, all the people in the city fell to the ground and said in unison, "Thank God, thank God for helping us defeat the enemy!" Uzziah said to Judith: "It seems that God has given you more than any woman in the world. How wise God is! He helped you to cut off the head of our enemy Holofernes. May God give you the glory of your life for what you have done and may God bless you forever for being faithful to Him and risking your life to the enemy camp to save all the people of Israel! " All the people also said in unison, "Amen, Amen!" Judith was not immersed in the joy of victory, she was concerned about what to do next: "Everyone listen to me. Let's hang this head on the city wall first. As soon as the sun comes out, send some soldiers with weapons down the valley Charge, pretend to attack the outpost of the enemy camp, the enemy sentry will naturally go back to the camp to call the officers, and the officers will call for Holofernes, but they can't find him. Without a commander in the army, everything will be in chaos, There is no ability to resist at all. We took advantage of their panic as they fled.Kill them, what do you think? " There was no objection, and the people, overwhelmed by Judith's courage and wisdom, obeyed her, and brought Agios the Ammonite before her, as she had commanded.Unexpectedly, as soon as Agios saw Holofernes' head in someone's hand, he fainted to the ground, and the crowd worked for a long time before waking up.After Yajichou woke up, he immediately fell down before Judith's feet and said, "May all the peoples in the land of Judah praise you, and may your name be powerful all over the world!" Then Judith, at the behest of all, narrated her experience from the day she left the city to the time she returned.After listening, people couldn't help cheering for her, and the cheers resounded throughout the city.Knowing that all this was done by God, Agios strengthened his trust in God. He was circumcised and became an Israelite. (Drip 13:11-13:20) defeat the Assyrians The next morning, the Israelites hung the head of Holofernes on the city wall, and the soldiers took up their weapons and went down the mountain.The Assyrian sentry rushed to report.An officer came to Bagus and said, "Wake up the general! The Israelites are coming to die. They are going down the mountain. Report to the general!" Bagos would not dare to enter the account rashly-the Marshal and Judith are sleeping in it!He was used to clapping his hands outside the door, but there was no response after clapping for a long time. "Not good," he murmured inwardly, opened the door and rushed in, only to see a headless dead body lying on the footstool inside the tent. He turned around and rushed into Judith's tent again, but there was no one inside.Bagos understood, tore his clothes, and walked out of Judith's tent screaming loudly, shouting at the officers waiting outside: "The marshal is dead, and his head was cut off! It must have been done by the Israeli woman." , We are planted in the hands of a woman, what a disgrace!" The officers also tore their clothes and howled with Bagus.The soldiers couldn't cry, they were thinking about how to escape.There was great chaos in the camp, and the soldiers stationed in the Bethulia mountain area had begun to retreat, and the Israeli soldiers took the opportunity to rush down from the mountain to attack them. Uzziah, the governor of the city, sent letters to all parts of Israel, announcing what had happened, and calling on the Israelites to join the ranks of persecuting the enemy.In this way, the Assyrians were forced to reach the vicinity of Damascus, and they were beaten all the way while fleeing, and they were severely injured every time they passed.The great wealth they left in the camp at Bethulia was divided among the people and soldiers of Israel. The high priest who came all the way from Jerusalem celebrated their victory. He also said to Judith: "You are the glory of Jerusalem! The heroine of Israel! You have won victory for Israel, and God is with you!" After 30 days, the work of cleaning the battlefield and clearing away the spoils is over.Judith received Holofernes' tent and all his money and furniture.She drove the cart loaded with these things to Jerusalem, and dedicated them to God.People celebrate three months in Jerusalem. Judith's fame spread throughout Israel, and many men proposed to her, but she refused, and she never remarried until she died.Judith lived to be 105 years old. Before she died, she distributed the property to her relatives and set the slave girl free.They buried her next to her husband and mourned for seven days. (Drip 14-15; 16:13-25)