Judith — Chapter 7

Gods seruants first of al before they fight, workes of pennace, came of their cause to God, then take weapons in hand, & expect opportunitie to encounter with the enimies.

A common practise of people in distresse to impute error to their Superiours.

our fannes , thatnow you deliucr the-citie into thehand.of Holoternes armie , thatourcnd may be fhort inthe adge of.the {word , whichis made longer in the made great aeeping and howling afal inthe alflembly , and formanie houres with one voice they-cried to.God , faying: 29. We,hauc.tinned with ourfathers,we haue done vniuitly, we hauc committed iniquitic, 2c. Thou-becaufe thou art gracious, haue mercic vponvs , ef in thy fcourge rcuenge our siquitics , and deliucrnotthemthat trudiin thee roa people, that knoweththee not, 21, that they fay not among the Gentils: Where istheir God? 22. And when they wearied with theie ryfine would {hew his mercie vpon his people. 5. And taking thetr weapons: of warre , they fate at the places , which by anarrow path-way tead di- cries ,and tyred with thefe weepings., had heldtheir peace, 23. Ozias . in fpeare ,nor.in atrow , but the mountaynes-defend them ,.and ‘the ouercome them without ioyning battel , fer keepers of the fauuzaynes, that they may notdraw water of them , and:without éword thou {halt { kil them, or at the leaft being wearied they wil yeald their citie, which they thinks being{ctin the nrountaynes , cannot be ouercomesro. And - ' thefe words pleafed Holoternes and .his fouldiers,and.ne placed:round - ( about an hundred men at eutrie fountayne. ar. And when that watch had been fully kept for twentte dayes,the celternes fayled,iand the col- lections of waters to al the inhabitants. of Bethnlia, fo that there was drought of thirft, a8,-And whenthey had faid thefe thing , sthere was: - ® the firft day of the monrh. IVDITH. g10 ryfing vp embrued with teares , faid : Be of good chere brethren , aad thefe fiue daies let vs expect mercie of our Lord. 24. For peraduenture he wil cut off his indignation, and wil giue giorie to his name, 25, But if atter fiue daies be paft there come no aide , we wil doe thefe words, which vou haut fpoken. CHAP VITI. ludith a mcf vertuous , rich , fayre, and renowused widow , 9. rebuketh the + 4.3 part high Preft and ancients , for their determination to delimer the citte , if ayde Indith decline. come nor in fuedaves: 14. cxboriesh al to penance, 28, They al agree to reth her whole: her godlie annife, 30. prating for good fuceffe of ber intention , which they fatten HO per- yet Reow nor, ; N D ircameto pafic,whenTudith a widow had heard thefe words , which wasthe daughter of Merari , the forme of Idox, the fonne of fofeph,the fonne of Ozias, the fonne of Elai, the fonne of lamnor, the fonne of Gedeon, the fonne of Raphaim, the fonne of Achitob, ONG the fonne of Melchtas, the fonne of Enan, the fonne of Nathanias, the fonne of Salathiel , the fonne of Simeon , the fonne of Ifrael::. and her hufband was Manaffes, who died tn the daies of barley harueft:;. for he was occupied with them that bounJ fheues in the field, and the heate came vpon his head, and he died in Bethulia his cltie, and was buried there with his father. 4. And Iudith was leaft his widow now three yeares & fix months. 5. And in the higher parts of her houfe the made her {elf (4) a fecret chamber, in whichihe abode fhut vp with :4) Inthree fpe-! her maides, 6, and hauing (b) cloth of haire vpon herloynes,the (c) fa- ‘cial obferuan-} fted al the dayes of her lite, but Sabbaths, and * new moones, and the ‘C5 this holie feafts of the houfe of Ifrael. 7, And fhe was of an exceeding beautiful widow led a countenance , to whom her hufband had leatt much richeffe , & a great ‘Tite: peugious familie , and poffeffions ful of heards of oxen, and floeks of theep. 8, ‘private prayers! And fhe was among al moft famous , becaufe fhe feared our Lord very (4) in wearing! much,neither wasthere that fpake an i] word-of her.g, When fhe ther- haire-cloth ; fore had heard that Ozias had promifed., that after the fitth day were ¢’ and in inucly ee . er . {fafting : as it paft he would ycald the eitie, fhe fentto the ancients Chabri & Charini, werea perpe- 10, And they came to her, and the faid-ro them : What is this word, tual lent, al wherein Ozias hath confented ,.to yeald the citie to che Aflyrians , it dayes bus Sad- within fiuc daics there come no aydeto vs? 11. And what are you, that [oR & feafs tempt our Lord? 12. This is no word that may prouoke mercie, bur ra- excepted. ¢ ther that may rayfe vp wrath, and inflame furie. 13- You (a) haue fer a pecially they time for the mercie or our Lord , and according to your picafure, you ..ffended , thaz haue appointed hisn a day. 14. But becaufe our Lord is patient, let vs be [they pretined penitent for this fame thing, asd theding teares let vs aeure his pardon: 5 ae Mear ae ning then re Cccece 15. lor T \ yeald the citre, lfor theyshould rather haue feught azaintt the enemie, then deliver Gods people ‘oa Tyrant, holie things into prophane hands , and by their example put Terufalem and the tem- ple in likedan- ger K abamus, Ce) S. Paul . LCor.to.v.10, alleadging _ {thar happened _ {tothe people of [fracl in the — Idefert , addeth {this werd de firoyer, which is only in this place,and not Nam. 1r, nor 14.norelsin the old Tefta- ment: which is an other argument that this booke is ‘Canonical, f) Some thiake Abra was a proper name, but whether it was or no, it 910 IVDITH. 15, tor not asman, fo wil God threaten , neither as the fonne ot man wil he be inflamed to anger, 16. And therfore let vs humble our foules. to him , & being fetled in an humble {piric, feruing him: 17, let vs fay Ne] Weeping to our.Lord , that according to his wil fo he doe his mercie with vs: thatas our hart ts troubled ti their pride, fo alfo we may glorie in our humilitie ; 18, becaufe we haue not folowed the finnes of our fa- tiers, which forfooke their God , and adored ftrange Gods, 19. for which abomination they. were giuen into the fword, & into contufid to their enemies : but we know no other God but him. 20. Let vs humbly expect his confolation , and he wil require our.bloud of the aflictions of our enemies; and he wil humble al Nations, what foeuer thal rife vp again{t vs , and the Lord our God wil make themwithout honour. 21. And now brethren, becaufe you are ancients in the people of God, and their foules depende of you: by your {peach comfort their harts , that they be mindful, thac our fathers were rempted to be proued , whether they did worihip their. God truely, 22. They muitbe mindful how our father Abraham was tempted., and by many tribulations proued was made the freind of God. 23. So aac , fo Lacob , fo Moyfes, and al that haue pleafed God , through manie tribulations haue paffed faichful. 24. But they that did not recciue the tentations with the teare of our Lord, and vgtered their impatience and reproch of their murmuring againit our.Lord, 25. were deftroyed of (¢) thedeftroyer, and periined by fer- pents.26.And.we therfore lec vs not reuenge our felues tor thefe things, which we fuffer., 27. but reputing thefe verie punithments to be the fcourges. of our Lord leffethen our tines , wherwithas {cruants we are chaftifed ,let vs thinke themto haue chanced to our amendinent , and not toour deftru@ion, 28, And Ozias and the ancients fayd to her: Al things which thou haft fpoken be true , and theres no reprehiention inthy words. 29, Now therfore pray for vs , becaufe thou arta holie woman , and fearing God. 30, And Iudith faid to them : As you know, that which could {peake to be of God , 31. fo that which I haue dit- pofedtodoe , proue if it be of God, and pray that God ettabliih my counfel, 32. You thal ftand at the gate this night, and wil goe.out with myne(f) Abra: and pray ye,that as you haue {aid,in fue dayes our Lord re{pect his people Ifrael. 33. But I wil not that you fearch.my doing, and til Lbring you word, ler nothing els bedone , but pray tor me to our Lord God. 34. And Ozias the Prince of Iuda {aid to her : Goe ia peace, and our Lord be with thee to the reuenge of our enemics. And retur- ning they departed. gnifeth an handmaide cf more honour, as we fpeake : eA maide of he- CHAP. { -Giue me conftancre in mind,thatl may contemne him: and power that ' ! 1 IV DITH. gu