1 Then Judith said to them, "Listen to me, my brethren, and take this head and hang it upon the parapet of your wall.
2 And as soon as morning comes and the sun rises, let every valiant man take his weapons and go out of the city, and set a captain over them, as if you were going down to the plain against the Assyrian outpost; only do not go down.
3 Then they will seize their arms and go into the camp and rouse the officers of the Assyrian army; and they will rush into the tent of Holofernes, and will not find him. Then fear will come over them, and they will flee before you,
4 and you and all who live within the borders of Israel shall pursue them and cut them down as they flee.
5 But before you do all this, bring Achior the Ammonite to me, and let him see and recognize the man who despised the house of Israel and sent him to us as if to his death."
6 So they summoned Achior from the house of Uzziah. And when he came and saw the head of Holofernes in the hand of one of the men at the gathering of the people, he fell down on his face and his spirit failed him.
7 And when they raised him up he fell at Judith's feet, and knelt before her, and said, "Blessed are you in every tent of Judah! In every nation those who hear your name will be alarmed.
8 Now tell me what you have done during these days." Then Judith described to him in the presence of the people all that she had done, from the day she left until the moment of her speaking to them.
9 And when she had finished, the people raised a great shout and made a joyful noise in their city.
10 And when Achior saw all that the God of Israel had done, he believed firmly in God, and was circumcised, and joined the house of Israel, remaining so to this day.
11 As soon as it was dawn they hung the head of Holofernes on the wall, and every man took his weapons, and they went out in companies to the passes in the mountains.
12 And when the Assyrians saw them they sent word to their commanders, and they went to the generals and the captains and to all their officers.
13 So they came to Holofernes' tent and said to the steward in charge of all his personal affairs, "Wake up our lord, for the slaves have been so bold as to come down against us to give battle, in order to be destroyed completely."
14 So Bagoas went in and knocked at the door of the tent, for he supposed that he was sleeping with Judith.
15 But when no one answered, he opened it and went into the bedchamber and found him thrown down on the platform dead, with his head cut off and missing.
16 And he cried out with a loud voice and wept and groaned and shouted, and rent his garments.
17 Then he went to the tent where Judith had stayed, and when he did not find her he rushed out to the people and shouted,
18 "The slaves have tricked us! One Hebrew woman has brought disgrace upon the house of King Nebuchadnezzar! For look, here is Holofernes lying on the ground, and his head is not on him!"
19 When the leaders of the Assyrian army heard this, they rent their tunics and were greatly dismayed, and their loud cries and shouts arose in the midst of the camp.
Versículos relacionados com Judith, 14:
Judite 14 tells Judite's plan to defeat the Assyrian army led by Holofernes, including the mistake she uses to infiltrate the enemy camp. The following verses are related to the topics covered in this chapter:
Judges 4:21: "Then Jael, Héber's wife, picked up a tent, and with a sledgehammer in his hand, approached him sneaked and dug his stake into Sisera's temple, causing her to cross her head to the floor. he died." This verse reports the death of the enemy general Sisera at the hands of a woman. The story is similar to the plot of Judite, in which a woman uses cunning to defeat a powerful military leader.
2 Kings 19:35: "That night, the angel of the Lord came out and killed one hundred and eighty -five thousand men at the Assyrian camp. When the survivors got up in the morning, they only found corpses." This verse talks about the supernatural destruction of the Assyrian army. Although Judite's approach is more subtle, the result is the same: the enemy's defeat.
Job 12:16: "With Him is the strength and wisdom; the deceit and the deceators are his." This verse talks about how God is sovereign and has control over all things, including those who use a mistake to achieve their goals. Judite's plan involves deceiving Holofernes so that he becomes complacent and vulnerable, but history shows that God is still in control.
Proverbs 21:30: "There is no wisdom, no understanding, no counsel that may oppose the Lord." This verse emphasizes that no one can oppose God and overcome. Although Judith's plan is cunning, it is important to remember that it is God's will that finally prevails.
Ezekiel 13:10: "For yes, because they have been deceiving my people, saying, Peace! There is no peace; and one, building the wall, and behold, others cover it from poorly; This verse talks about those who deceive God's people and build with bad intentions. Although Judite is fighting for the cause of her people, she uses mistaken to achieve her goals. The verse is a reminder that construction should be based on solid and true foundations.
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