Good News [1976], GOOD NEWS BIBLE WITH DEUTEROCANONICALS / APOCRYPHA Today's English Version (AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY, New York) [word count] [B15000].
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Judith's Song of Praise
1 Then Judith sang a song of
thanksgiving there with all Israel
present, and the people joined in
this song of praise.
2 She sang,
2
“Praise my God and sing to him;
praise the Lord with drums and cymbals;
play a new song for him.
Praise him and call on him for help.
3
The Lord is a warrior who ends war.
He rescued me from my pursuers
and brought me back to his people's camp.
4
Down from the mountains of the north came the Assyrians,
with their tens of thousands of soldiers.
Their troops blocked the rivers in the valleys;
their cavalry covered the mountains.
5
They threatened to set fire to our country,
slaughter our young men,
dash our babies to the ground,
take our children away as captives,
and carry off all our young women.
6
But the Lord Almighty tricked them;
he used a woman to stop them.
7
Their hero was not slain by young soldiers
or attacked and killed by mighty giants.
It was Judith, the daughter of Merari,
who brought him down with her beauty.
8
She gave victory to the oppressed people of Israel,
when she took off her widow's clothes,
and put on a linen dress to entice him.
She put on her rich perfumes
and tied a ribbon around her hair.
9
Her dainty sandal caught his eye;
her beauty captured his heart.
Then the sword slashed through his neck.
10
The Persians trembled at her daring;
the Medes were amazed at her bravery.
11
Then our people shouted in victory.
They had been weak and oppressed,
but they forced the enemy to retreat in panic and fear.
12
We are the descendants of slaves,
but our enemies turned and ran;
we killed them like runaway slaves.
They were destroyed by the army of the Lord.
13
“I will sing a new song to my God.
O Lord, you are strong and glorious!
You have never been defeated. note
14
Let all your creatures serve you.
-- --
You gave the command,
and all of them came into being;
you breathed on them,
and all of them were created.
No one can oppose your command.
15
The mountains and the seas tremble,
and rocks melt like wax when you come near.
But there is mercy for all who obey you.
16
The Lord is more pleased with those who obey him
than with all the choice meat on the altar,
or with all the most fragrant sacrifices. note
17
The nations who rise up against my people are doomed.
The Lord Almighty will punish them on Judgment Day.
He will send fire and worms to devour their bodies,
and they will weep in pain forever.”
Judith's Fame
18 When the people arrived in Jerusalem,
they purified themselves and
worshiped God. They presented
their burnt offerings, freewill offerings,
and gifts.
19 Judith dedicated to
God all of Holofernes' property,
which the people had given to her.
And as a special offering in fulfillment
of a vow, she presented to the
Lord the mosquito net which she
had taken from Holofernes' bed.
20 For three months the people continued
to celebrate in front of the
Temple in Jerusalem, and Judith
stayed there with them.
21 When the celebrations had
ended, everyone returned home, and
Judith went back to Bethulia to live
on her own estate. For the rest of her
life she was famous throughout the
land of Israel.
22 Many men wanted
to marry her, but she never remarried
after the death of her husband
Manasseh.
23
24 Her fame continued
to spread, and she lived in the house
her husband had left her. Before she
died, Judith divided her property
among her husband's and her own
close relatives and set her slave
woman free. When she died in Bethulia
at the age of 105, she was buried
beside her husband, and the people
of Israel mourned her death for
seven days.
25 As long as Judith
lived, and for many years after her
death, no one dared to threaten the
people of Israel.
-- --
Good News [1976], GOOD NEWS BIBLE WITH DEUTEROCANONICALS / APOCRYPHA Today's English Version (AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY, New York) [word count] [B15000].
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