1 Judith threw herself down prostrate, with ashes strewn upon her head, and wearing nothing over her sackcloth. While the incense was being offered in the temple of God in Jerusalem that evening, Judith prayed to the Lord with a loud voice:
2 "Lord, God of my forefather Simeon! You put a sword into his hand to take revenge upon the foreigners who had immodestly loosened the maiden's girdle, shamefully exposed her thighs, and disgracefully violated her body. This they did, though you forbade it.
3 Therefore you had their rulers slaughtered; and you covered with their blood the bed in which they lay deceived, the same bed that had felt the shame of their own deceiving. You smote the slaves together with their princes, and the princes together with their servants.
4 Their wives you handed over to plunder, and their daughters to captivity; and all the spoils you divided among your favored sons, who burned with zeal for you, and in their abhorrence of the defilement of their kinswoman, called on you for help.
5 "O God, my God, hear me also, a widow. It is you who were the author of those events and of what preceded and followed them. The present, also, and the future you have planned. Whatever you devise comes into being;
6 the things you decide on come forward and say, 'Here we are!' All your ways are in readiness, and your judgment is made with foreknowledge.
7 "Here are the Assyrians, a vast force, priding themselves on horse and rider, boasting of the power of their infantry, trusting in shield and spear, bow and sling. They do not know that
8 " 'You, the Lord, crush warfare; Lord is your name. Shatter their strength in your might, and crush their force in your wrath; for they have resolved to profane your sanctuary, to defile the tent where your glorious name resides, and to overthrow with iron the horns of your altar.
9 See their pride, and send forth your wrath upon their heads. Give me, a widow, the strong hand to execute my plan.
10 With the guile of my lips, smite the slave together with the ruler, the ruler together with his servant; crush their pride by the hand of a woman.
11 "Your strength is not in numbers, nor does your power depend upon stalwart men; but you are the God of the lowly, the helper of the oppressed, the supporter of the weak, the protector of the forsaken, the savior of those without hope.
12 "Please, please, God of my forefather, God of the heritage of Israel, Lord of heaven and earth, Creator of the waters, King of all you have created, hear my prayer!
13 Let my guileful speech bring wound and wale on those who have planned dire things against your covenant, your holy temple, Mount Zion, and the homes your children have inherited.
14 Let your whole nation and all the tribes know clearly that you are the god of all power and might, and that there is no other who protects the people of Israel but you alone."
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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