1 Judith sang:Shout praises to my Lord God;play tambourines and cymbals.Sing a new song of praiseand pray for his help.
2 The Lord God is a warriorwho rescued me from my enemy.God wins every battleand camps among his people.
3 The Assyrians marched downfrom the mountains in the north.Thousands of soldiers blockedthe rivers and streams;cavalry troops coveredthe mountain like a blanket.
4 They threatened to burn our landand slaughter our young men,to kill our babiesto capture our children,and to carry offall of our young women.
5 But the Lord All-Powerfulfooled the Assyriansand used a womanto wipe them out.
6 The mighty Assyrian leaderwasn't killed by young menor cruel warriors or giants.I, Judith the daughter of Merari,used my charmto strike him dead.
7 I put aside my widow's clothesand won a victoryfor troubled Israel.I put on perfume
8 and placeda fancy headband in my hair,and I dressed in linento attract and fool him.
9 He liked my sandalsand thought I was lovely;then I took his own swordand cut off his head.
10 My courage shocked the Persiansand stunned the Medes.
11 Our weak and abused peoplelet out shouts of victory,while the Assyrianstrembled in fear and ran.
12 Though our ancestors were slaves,we, the Lord's mighty army,attacked and killedenemy troops.
13 I will sing a new song of praiseto the Lord our God;he is glorious and all-powerful,and his strength never fails.
14 Let all living creaturesworship the Lord.By his word, he gave them life;his breath created them.Nothing can opposethe Lord's command.
15 Mountains and oceansshake with fear,and rocks melt like wax,when the Lord approaches.But he shows mercy to allwho are faithful to him.
16 It is much betterto obey the Lordthan to offersweet-smelling sacrificesor the fat of choice meat.
17 All nations that oppose Israelwill fall into ruin;the Lord All-Powerfulwill punish themon the day of judgment.Fire and wormswill destroy their bodies,and they will alwaysgroan in pain.
18 When the crowd reached Jerusalem, they immediately got ready to worship God by going through the ceremonies to make themselves clean. Then they offered the required sacrifices to please God, including the voluntary offering and other sacrifices and gifts.
19 Judith brought along all of Holofernes' possessions that the people had given her, and she dedicated them to God. She also gave the mosquito net from the bed of Holofernes as a special offering to keep a promise.
20 Judith stayed in Jerusalem for three months, while she and the people celebrated at the temple.
21 After the victory celebration, everyone went back home, and Judith returned to her place in Bethulia. She was famous everywhere in Israel for as long as she lived.
22 Although a lot of men asked to marry her, she always refused and never remarried after her husband Manasseh died.
23-24 Judith became more famous as time went by, and she continued to live in the house Manasseh had left her.Some time before Judith died, she divided her possessions and property among her own closest relatives, as well as those of her husband, and she allowed her servant woman to go free.Judith died in Bethulia at the age of 105. She was buried beside her husband in their family tomb, and everyone in Israel mourned her death for seven days.
25 As long as Judith was alive, and for many years after her death, no enemy nation terrorized the people of Israel.