1-2 A widow named Judith lived in Bethulia and knew everything that was happening. She was the daughter of Merari and the granddaughter of Ox. Her ancestors included Joseph, Oziel, Elkiah, Ananias, Gideon, Raphain, Ahitub, Elijah, Hilkiah, Eliab, Nathanael, Salamiel, Sarasadai, and Israel.Judith and her husband Manasseh had belonged to the same tribe and clan, and he had died during a barley harvest.
3 He had stood a long time in the hot sun, supervising his workers, and he became so hot that he went to bed, where he later died. Manasseh was buried in his family burial place in a field between the towns of Dothan and Balamon, near his hometown of Bethulia.
4 Judith had now been a widow for three years and four months,
5 and she had moved into a small shelter she had made on the roof of her house. She wore widow's clothes and wrapped pieces of sackcloth around her waist.
6 To show her sorrow, Judith went without eating, although she did eat on those days when it was commanded by God's Law: on each Sabbath and the day before it, on each New Moon Festival and the day before it, as well as on every joyous festival the Israelites celebrated.
7 Judith was very beautiful. And she was also very rich, because her husband had left her a lot of gold and silver, as well as male and female slaves, property, and livestock.
8 Judith faithfully worshiped God, and no one ever said anything bad about her.