1 And Judith sang:“Strike up a song to my God with tambourines,sing to the Lord with cymbals;Improvise for him a new song,exalt and acclaim his name.
2 For the Lord is a God who crushes wars;he sets his encampment among his people;he delivered me from the hands of my pursuers.
3 “The Assyrian came from the mountains of the north,with myriads of his forces he came;Their numbers blocked the wadis,their cavalry covered the hills.
4 He threatened to burn my territory,put my youths to the sword,Dash my infants to the ground,seize my children as plunder.And carry off my virgins as spoil.
5 “But the Lord Almighty thwarted them,by the hand of a female!
6 Not by youths was their champion struck down,nor did Titans bring him low,nor did tall giants attack him;But Judith, the daughter of Merari,by the beauty of her face brought him down.
7 She took off her widow’s garbto raise up the afflicted in Israel.She anointed her face with fragrant oil;