1 The children of Israel in Judea learned what had happened to the other nations at the hands of Holofernes, the chief general of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of the Assyrians, and how he had plundered the neighboring villages and destroyed their sanctuaries.
2 And they trembled with great fear because of him. They were anxious about Jerusalem and the Temple of the Lord their God,
3 since they had only recently returned from exile. The people of Judea had just come together and the new furnishings of the Altar and the Sanctuary had just been consecrated after being profaned.
4 They sent messengers to warn all the inhabitants of the territory of Samaria, Kona, Beth-horon, Belmain, Jericho, Choba and Aesora, and the valley of Salem.
5 They occupied all the summits of the mountains, fortified the ramparts of the towns and prepared stores of foodstuff and provisions for the war, since their field had just been harvested.
6 Joakim, the high priest, who was in Jerusalem in those days, wrote to the inhabitants of Bethulia and Betomesthaim opposite Esdraelon, at the entrance to the plain of Dothan.
7 He told them to seize and fortify the mountain passes because it was by them that Holofernes would enter Judea. There it would be easy to stop those who were advancing since the narrow passes allowed no more than two men to go forward at a time.
8 The children of Israel obeyed the orders of Joakim and of the Council of the Elders which assembled in Jerusalem.
9 All the people of Israel called upon God with great fervor and humbled themselves before him.
10 Men, women and children, including the animals, all the foreigners who resided among them, their laborers and slaves, all clothed themselves in sackcloth.
11 All the men of Israel in Jerusalem, with their wives and children, bowed before the Temple, sprinkled ashes on their heads and held out their hands in supplication before the Lord.
12 They covered the Altar in sackcloth, and with one voice earnestly begged the God of Israel not to let their children be massacred, their wives raped, their towns destroyed and their Sanctuary profaned, that they might not become the laughingstock of other nations.
13 The Lord heard their prayer and looked upon their anguish. The people throughout the whole of Judea fasted for many days, and those in Jerusalem fasted before the Sanctuary of the Lord Almighty.
14 The high priest Joakim, with all the priests and ministers, stood before the Lord dressed in sackcloth, and offered continual sacrifice, prayers and the voluntary gifts of the people.
15 They put ashes on their turbans and cried out with all their strength to the Lord, asking him to watch over the whole house of Israel.
Versículos relacionados com Judith, 4:
Judite 4 describes the preparation of Israelites for the war against the Assyrians. The chapter begins with Israeli leaders calling the people to fast and pray, asking for God's help in the battle to come. Then the author describes the mobilization of Israeli armies and the preparation for battle.
Numbers 10:9: "And when in your earth, you come out to the battle against the enemy that oppress you, you will touch the trumpets of counteracting, and before the Lord your God will be a memory of you, and you will be saved from your enemies." This verse describes the use of trumpets to draw God's attention and ask for help in battle, just as the Israelites do in Judite 4.
Deuteronomy 20:1: "When you go out to the battle against your enemies, and you will see horses, and cars, and people more numerous than you, you will not fear them; for the Lord your God, who took you out of the earth of Egypt, is with you . " This verse encourages Israelite soldiers not to be afraid of enemy armies, but trusting God's help, such as Israeli leaders ask Judith 4.
Isaiah 41:10: "Do not fear, because I am with you, do not haunt yourself, because I am your God; I effort, and help you, and I support you with the right hand of my righteousness." This verse is another example of God encouraging their followers to trust him in times of difficulty and struggle, which is a central theme in Judite 4.
Psalm 144:1: "Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who teaches my hands to the battle and my fingers to war." This Psalm talks about God's ability to prepare his followers for battle and teach them how to fight. This is something that Israeli leaders in Judite 4 are also looking for, as they ask for God's help.
2 Chronicles 20:15: "And said, Hence all Judah, and you residents of Jerusalem, and you, O Jehoshaphat, thus saith the Lord, do not fear, nor are you scary because of this great crowd; for the battle It is not yours but God. " This verse is another statement that God is the one who fights along with his followers and that there is therefore no reason to be afraid of enemies. This is something that Israeli leaders in Judite 4 are trying to convey to the people.
Fejezetek: