1 When the Israelites living in Judaea heard how Holofernes, general-in-chief of Nebuchadnezzar king of the Assyrians, had treated the various nations, plundering their temples and destroying them,
2 they were thoroughly alarmed at his approach and trembled for Jerusalem and the Temple of the Lord their God.
3 They had returned from captivity only a short time before, and the resettlement of the people in Judaea and the reconsecration of the sacred furnishings, of the altar, and of the Temple, which had been profaned, were of recent date.
4 They therefore alerted the whole of Samaria, Kona, Beth-Horon, Belmain, Jericho, Choba, Aesora and the Salem valley.
5 They occupied the summits of the highest mountains and fortified the villages on them; they laid in supplies for the coming war, as the fields had just been harvested.
6 Joakim the high priest, resident in Jerusalem at the time, wrote to the inhabitants of Bethulia and of Betomesthaim, two towns facing Esdraelon, towards the plain of Dothan.
7 He ordered them to occupy the mountain passes, the only means of access to Judaea, for there it would be easy for them to halt an attacking force, the narrowness of the approach not allowing men to advance more than two abreast.
8 The Israelites carried out the orders of Joakim the high priest and of the people's Council of Elders in session at Jerusalem.
9 All the men of Israel cried most fervently to God and humbled themselves before him.
10 They, their wives, their children, their cattle, all their resident aliens, hired or slave, wrapped sackcloth round their loins.
11 All the Israelites in Jerusalem, including women and children, lay prostrate in front of the Temple, and with ashes on their heads stretched out their hands before the Lord.
12 They draped the altar itself in sackcloth and fervently joined together in begging the God of Israel not to let their children be carried off, their wives distributed as booty, the towns of their heritage destroyed, the Temple profaned and desecrated for the heathen to gloat over.
13 The Lord heard them and looked kindly on their distress. The people fasted for many days throughout Judaea as well as in Jerusalem before the sanctuary of the Lord Almighty.
14 Joakim the high priest and all who stood before the Lord, the Lord's priests and ministers, wore sackcloth round their loins as they offered the perpetual burnt offering and the votive and voluntary offerings of the people.
15 With ashes on their turbans they earnestly called on the Lord to look kindly on the 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.
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