1 Then Judith put ashes on her head, opened her robe to reveal the sackcloth she was wearing under her clothes, and bowed down with her face to the floor. It was the time that the evening incense was being offered in the Temple in Jerusalem, and Judith prayed in a loud voice:
2 “O Lord, the God of my ancestor Simeon, remember how you armed Simeon with a sword to take revenge on those foreigners who seized Dinah, who was a virgin, tore off her clothes, and defiled her; they stripped her naked and shamed her; they raped her and disgraced her, even though you had forbidden this.
3 That is why you let their leaders be killed — put to death on the same bed where they had raped the girl. You destroyed them all, slaves, princes, and rulers on their thrones.
4 You let their wives be carried off, their daughters taken captive, and their possessions plundered by the Israelites, your chosen people, who were eager to do your will. Dinah's brothers were furious because of this disgrace to their family, so they called on you for help.“O my God, listen to my prayer, the prayer of a widow.
5 Your hand guided all that happened then, and all that happened before and after. You have planned it all — what is happening now, and what is yet to be. Your plans have always been carried out.
6 Whatever you want to be done is as good as done. You know in advance all that you will do and what decisions you will make.