1 By this time the people of Israel living in Judea heard of everything that Holofernes, the general of Nebuchadnezzar the king of the Assyrians, had done to the nations, and how he had plundered and destroyed all their temples;
2 they were therefore very greatly terrified at his approach, and were alarmed both for Jerusalem and for the temple of the Lord their God.
3 For they had only recently returned from the captivity, and all the people of Judea were newly gathered together, and the sacred vessels and the altar and the temple had been consecrated after their profanation.
4 So they sent to every district of Samaria, and to Kona and Beth-horon and Belmain and Jericho and to Choba and Aesora and the valley of Salem,
5 and immediately seized all the high hilltops and fortified the villages on them and stored up food in preparation for war -- since their fields had recently been harvested.
6 And Joakim, the high priest, who was in Jerusalem at the time, wrote to the people of Bethulia and Betomesthaim, which faces Esdraelon opposite the plain near Dothan,
7 ordering them to seize the passes up into the hills, since by them Judea could be invaded, and it was easy to stop any who tried to enter, for the approach was narrow, only wide enough for two men at the most.
8 So the Israelites did as Joakim the high priest and the senate of the whole people of Israel, in session at Jerusalem, had given order.
9 And every man of Israel cried out to God with great fervor, and they humbled themselves with much fasting.
10 They and their wives and their children and their cattle and every resident alien and hired laborer and purchased slave -- they all girded themselves with sackcloth.
11 And all the men and women of Israel, and their children, living at Jerusalem, prostrated themselves before the temple and put ashes on their heads and spread out their sackcloth before the Lord.
12 They even surrounded the altar with sackcloth and cried out in unison, praying earnestly to the God of Israel not to give up their infants as prey and their wives as booty, and the cities they had inherited to be destroyed, and the sanctuary to be profaned and desecrated to the malicious joy of the Gentiles.
13 So the Lord heard their prayers and looked upon their affliction; for the people fasted many days throughout Judea and in Jerusalem before the sanctuary of the Lord Almighty.
14 And Joakim the high priest and all the priests who stood before the Lord and ministered to the Lord, with their loins girded with sackcloth, offered the continual burnt offerings and the vows and freewill offerings of the people.
15 With ashes upon their turbans, they cried out to the Lord with all their might to look with favor upon 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: