Judith, 16

1. Then Judith began to sing this thanksgiving in all Israel, and all the people sang after her this song of praise.

1. 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!

2. And Judith said, Begin unto my God with timbrels, sing unto my Lord with cymbals: tune unto him a new psalm: exalt him, and call upon his name.

2. The Lord is truly a God who crushes war, who encamps in the midst of his people for he has snatched me from the hand of those who pursued me.

3. For God breaketh the battles: for among the camps in the midst of the people he hath delivered me out of the hands of them that persecuted me.

3. The Assyrian came from the mountains of the north. He came with the myriads of his army, his soldiers have filled the torrents and his cavalry covered the hills.

4. Assur came out of the mountains from the north, he came with ten thousands of his army, the multitude whereof stopped the torrents, and their horsemen have covered the hills.

4. 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.

5. He bragged that he would burn up my borders, and kill my young men with the sword, and dash the sucking children against the ground, and make mine infants as a prey, and my virgins as a spoil.

5. The Lord Almighty has driven them back by the hand of a woman.

6. But the Almighty Lord hath disappointed them by the hand of a woman.

6. Their hero has not been overcome by young warriors; 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

7. For the mighty one did not fall by the young men, neither did the sons of the Titans smite him, nor high giants set upon him: but Judith the daughter of Merari weakened him with the beauty of her countenance.

7. she took off her widow's robes, anointed her face with perfume,

8. For she put off the garment of her widowhood for the exaltation of those that were oppressed in Israel, and anointed her face with ointment, and bound her hair in a tire, and took a linen garment to deceive him.

8. put a jewelled band around her hair, and put on a linen dress in order to seduce him.

9. Her sandals ravished his eyes, her beauty took his mind prisoner, and the fauchion passed through his neck.

9. Her sandals delighted his eyes, her beauty captivated his soul, and the scimitar cut through his neck.

10. The Persians quaked at her boldness, and the Medes were daunted at her hardiness.

10. The Persians trembled with fear at her boldness, and the Medes were upset by her daring.

11. Then my afflicted shouted for joy, and my weak ones cried aloud; but they were astonished: these lifted up their voices, but they were overthrown.

11. 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.

12. The sons of the damsels have pierced them through, and wounded them as fugatives' children: they perished by the battle of the Lord.

12. 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.

13. I will sing unto the Lord a new song: O Lord, thou art great and glorious, wonderful in strength, and invincible.

13. I will sing to my God a new song: Lord, you are great and glorious, wonderfully strong, invincible!

14. Let all creatures serve thee: for thou spakest, and they were made, thou didst send forth thy spirit, and it created them, and there is none that can resist thy voice.

14. 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.

15. For the mountains shall be moved from their foundations with the waters, the rocks shall melt as wax at thy presence: yet thou art merciful to them that fear thee.

15. 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.

16. For all sacrifice is too little for a sweet savour unto thee, and all the fat is not sufficient for thy burnt offering: but he that feareth the Lord is great at all times.

16. 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.

17. Woe to the nations that rise up against my kindred! the Lord Almighty will take vengeance of them in the day of judgment, in putting fire and worms in their flesh; and they shall feel them, and weep for ever.

17. Woe to the nations which rise up against my people: The Lord Almighty will punish them in the day of judgment, with fire and worms under their skin, and they will keep on weeping, suffering forever."

18. Now as soon as they entered into Jerusalem, they worshipped the Lord; and as soon as the people were purified, they offered their burnt offerings, and their free offerings, and their gifts.

18. When they arrived in Jerusalem, they worshiped God and, when the people had been purified, they presented their holocausts, freewill offerings and gifts.

19. Judith also dedicated all the stuff of Holofernes, which the people had given her, and gave the canopy, which she had taken out of his bedchamber, for a gift unto the Lord.

19. Then Judith offered all of Holofernes' belongings which the people had given her and she dedicated to the Lord the hangings from his room which she herself had taken.

20. So the people continued feasting in Jerusalem before the sanctuary for the space of three months and Judith remained with them.

20. So the people remained in Jerusalem, rejoicing before the Sanctuary for three months and Judith stayed with them.

21. After this time every one returned to his own inheritance, and Judith went to Bethulia, and remained in her own possession, and was in her time honourable in all the country.

21. After these days were over, each one returned to his own house. Judith returned to Bethulia and devoted herself to her household. During her lifetime she was famous throughout the land.

22. And many desired her, but none knew her all the days of her life, after that Manasses her husband was dead, and was gathered to his people.

22. Though many desired to marry her, she had no relation with any man since the death and burial of Manasseh, her husband.

23. But she increased more and more in honour, and waxed old in her husband's house, being an hundred and five years old, and made her maid free; so she died in Bethulia: and they buried her in the cave of her husband Manasses.

23. She spent her old age in the house of her husband. And she set her maidservant free. She died in Bethulia at the age of a hundred and five and was buried in the grave of Manasseh, her husband.

24. And the house of Israel lamented her seven days: and before she died, she did distribute her goods to all them that were nearest of kindred to Manasses her husband, and to them that were the nearest of her kindred.

24. All Israel mourned for her for seven days. Before her death she had divided her property among the relatives of her husband, Manasseh, and those of her own family.

25. And there was none that made the children of Israel any more afraid in the days of Judith, nor a long time after her death. .

25. No one again threatened the people of Israel while Judith lived, nor for a very long time after her death.