The Assyrians Flee in Panic

The Assyrians learnt that their great general Holofernes had been destroyed and broke into disarray. The Israelites noticy the other tribes and were able to engage and also destroy part of the Assyrian army. In their celebration, the Israelites recognized Judith and the role she had played in saving them. Women came out to dance for Judith and the men followed as well.

Judith 15 Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)

When the men in the tents heard it, they were amazed at what had happened. 2 Fear and trembling came over them, so that they did not wait for one another, but with one impulse all rushed out and fled by every path across the plain and through the hill country. 3 Those who had camped in the hills around Bethu′lia also took to flight. Then the men of Israel, every one that was a soldier, rushed out upon them. 4 And Uzzi′ah sent men to Betomastha′im and Be′bai and Choba and Kola, and to all the frontiers of Israel, to tell what had taken place and to urge all to rush out upon their enemies to destroy them. 5 And when the Israelites heard it, with one accord they fell upon the enemy,[a] and cut them down as far as Choba. Those in Jerusalem and all the hill country also came, for they were told what had happened in the camp of the enemy; and those in Gil′ead and in Galilee outflanked them with great slaughter, even beyond Damas′cus and its borders. 6 The rest of the people of Bethu′lia fell upon the Assyrian camp and plundered it, and were greatly enriched. 7 And the Israelites, when they returned from the slaughter, took possession of what remained, and the villages and towns in the hill country and in the plain got a great amount of booty, for there was a vast quantity of it.

The Israelites Celebrate Their Victory
8 Then Jo′akim the high priest, and the senate of the people of Israel who lived at Jerusalem, came to witness the good things which the Lord had done for Israel, and to see Judith and to greet her. 9 And when they met her they all blessed her with one accord and said to her, “You are the exaltation of Jerusalem,[b] you are the great glory of Israel, you are the great pride of our nation! 10 You have done all this singlehanded; you have done great good to Israel, and God is well pleased with it. May the Almighty Lord bless you for ever!” And all the people said, “So be it!”

11 So all the people plundered the camp for thirty days. They gave Judith the tent of Holofer′nes and all his silver dishes and his beds and his bowls and all his furniture; and she took them and loaded her mule and hitched up her carts and piled the things on them.

12 Then all the women of Israel gathered to see her, and blessed her, and some of them performed a dance for her; and she took branches in her hands and gave them to the women who were with her; 13 and they crowned themselves with olive wreaths, she and those who were with her; and she went before all the people in the dance, leading all the women, while all the men of Israel followed, bearing their arms and wearing garlands and with songs on their lips.

Assyrians discovers Holofernes' fate

So efficient was the escape that Judith has returned and told her people all that she had done, without the Assyrians realizing that their commander was destroyed. Judith specifically asked for Achior the Ammonite to be brought to them to reveal to him what had happened. Soon after, Achior converted to become an Israelite.

Under Judith's instructions, the Israelites showed themselves advancing, to prompt the Assyrians to rouse their commander. Only at this point that the Assyrians found their commander had been tricked and destroyed.



14 Judith’s Counsel
Then Judith said to them, “Listen to me, my brethren, and take this head and hang it upon the parapet of your wall. 2 And as soon as morning comes and the sun rises, let every valiant man take his weapons and go out of the city, and set a captain over them, as if you were going down to the plain against the Assyrian outpost; only do not go down. 3 Then they will seize their arms and go into the camp and rouse the officers of the Assyrian army; and they will rush into the tent of Holofer′nes, and will not find him. Then fear will come over them, and they will flee before you, 4 and you and all who live within the borders of Israel shall pursue them and cut them down as they flee. 5 But before you do all this, bring Ach′ior the Am′monite to me, and let him see and recognize the man who despised the house of Israel and sent him to us as if to his death.”

6 So they summoned Ach′ior from the house of Uzzi′ah. And when he came and saw the head of Holofer′nes in the hand of one of the men at the gathering of the people, he fell down on his face and his spirit failed him. 7 And when they raised him up he fell at Judith’s feet, and knelt before her, and said, “Blessed are you in every tent of Judah! In every nation those who hear your name will be alarmed. 8 Now tell me what you have done during these days.”

Then Judith described to him in the presence of the people all that she had done, from the day she left until the moment of her speaking to them. 9 And when she had finished, the people raised a great shout and made a joyful noise in their city. 10 And when Ach′ior saw all that the God of Israel had done, he believed firmly in God, and was circumcised, and joined the house of Israel, remaining so to this day.

Holofernes’ Death Is Discovered
11 As soon as it was dawn they hung the head of Holofer′nes on the wall, and every man took his weapons, and they went out in companies to the passes in the mountains. 12 And when the Assyrians saw them they sent word to their commanders, and they went to the generals and the captains and to all their officers. 13 So they came to Holofer′nes’ tent and said to the steward in charge of all his personal affairs, “Wake up our lord, for the slaves have been so bold as to come down against us to give battle, in order to be destroyed completely.”

14 So Bago′as went in and knocked at the door of the tent, for he supposed that he was sleeping with Judith. 15 But when no one answered, he opened it and went into the bedchamber and found him thrown down on the platform dead, with his head cut off and missing. 16 And he cried out with a loud voice and wept and groaned and shouted, and rent his garments. 17 Then he went to the tent where Judith had stayed, and when he did not find her he rushed out to the people and shouted, 18 “The slaves have tricked us! One Hebrew woman has brought disgrace upon the house of King Nebuchadnez′zar! For look, here is Holofer′nes lying on the ground, and his head is not on him!”

19 When the leaders of the Assyrian army heard this, they rent their tunics and were greatly dismayed, and their loud cries and shouts arose in the midst of the camp.

The climax of Judith

This chapter is the climax of the story of Judith. Up to this point, there could be doubt as to Judith's motive for her apparent defection, and her motive towards Holofernes. By the end of the chapter, the great military commander who was planning to ravage Judith, laid drunk and helpness. Finally here we see Judith's true intentions and her plans coming to fruition.She knew of Holofernes' attraction towards her and seduced him to the point of getting him drunk. The true allegiance of Judith is revealed as she struck off Holoferness with seeming ruthlessness, since Holofernes was on the verge of destroying her nation and people.

In addition, she wrapped up his head and escaped with her maid back to Israel. When she broke the news to king Uzziah and the Israelites, they thanked and worshipped God for their salvation. A footnote also revealed Judith's conversation with Achior whom Holofenes had threatened previously.


13 Judith Beheads Holofernes
When evening came, his slaves quickly withdrew, and Bago′as closed the tent from outside and shut out the attendants from his master’s presence; and they went to bed, for they all were weary because the banquet had lasted long. 2 So Judith was left alone in the tent , with Holofer′nes stretched out on his bed, for he was overcome with wine.

3 Now Judith had told her maid to stand outside the bedchamber and to wait for her to come out, as she did every day; for she said she would be going out for her prayers. And she had said the same thing to Bago′as. 4 So every one went out, and no one, either small or great, was left in the bedchamber. Then Judith, standing beside his bed, said in her heart, “O Lord God of all might, look in this hour upon the work of my hands for the exaltation of Jerusalem. 5 For now is the time to help thy inheritance, and to carry out my undertaking for the destruction of the enemies who have risen up against us.”

6 She went up to the post at the end of the bed, above Holofer′nes’ head, and took down his sword that hung there. 7 She came close to his bed and took hold of the hair of his head, and said, “Give me strength this day, O Lord God of Israel!” 8 And she struck his neck twice with all her might, and severed his head from his body. 9 Then she tumbled his body off the bed and pulled down the canopy from the posts; after a moment she went out, and gave Holofer′nes’ head to her maid, 10 who placed it in her food bag.

Judith Returns to Bethulia
Then the two of them went out together, as they were accustomed to go for prayer; and they passed through the camp and circled around the valley and went up the mountain to Bethu′lia and came to its gates. 11 Judith called out from afar to the watchmen at the gates, “Open, open the gate! God, our God, is still with us, to show his power in Israel, and his strength against our enemies, even as he has done this day!”

12 When the men of her city heard her voice, they hurried down to the city gate and called together the elders of the city. 13 They all ran together, both small and great, for it was unbelievable that she had returned; they opened the gate and admitted them, and they kindled a fire for light, and gathered around them. 14 Then she said to them with a loud voice, “Praise God, O praise him! Praise God, who has not withdrawn his mercy from the house of Israel, but has destroyed our enemies by my hand this very night!”

15 Then she took the head out of the bag and showed it to them, and said, “See, here is the head of Holofer′nes, the commander of the Assyrian army, and here is the canopy beneath which he lay in his drunken stupor. The Lord has struck him down by the hand of a woman. 16 As the Lord lives, who has protected me in the way I went, it was my face that tricked him to his destruction, and yet he committed no act of sin with me, to defile and shame me.”

17 All the people were greatly astonished, and bowed down and worshiped God, and said with one accord, “Blessed art thou, our God, who hast brought into contempt this day the enemies of thy people.”

18 And Uzzi′ah said to her, “O daughter, you are blessed by the Most High God above all women on earth; and blessed be the Lord God, who created the heavens and the earth, who has guided you to strike the head of the leader of our enemies. 19 Your hope will never depart from the hearts of men, as they remember the power of God. 20 May God grant this to be a perpetual honor to you, and may he visit you with blessings, because you did not spare your own life when our nation was brought low, but have avenged our ruin, walking in the straight path before our God.” And all the people said, “So be it, so be it!”[a]

Footnotes:
13.20 Vulgate adds (verses 27-31): “27 And Achior being called for came, and Judith said to him: The God of Israel, to whom thou gavest testimony, that lie revengeth himself of his enemies, he hath cut off the head of all the unbelievers this night by my hand. 28 And that thou mayest find that it is so, behold the head of Holofernes, who in the contempt of his pride despised the God of Israel, and threatened thee with death, saying: When the people of Israel shall be taken, I will command thy sides to be pierced with a sword. 29 Then Achior, seeing the head of Holofernes, being seized with a great fear he fell on his face upon the earth, and his soul swooned away. 30 But after he had recovered his spirits, he fell down at her feet, and reverenced her, and said: 31 Blessed art thou by thy God in every tabernacle of Jacob, for in every nation which shall hear thy name, the God of Israel shall be magnified on occasion of thee.”

Judith counter seduces Holofernes

While Judith was a guest of Holoferness, staying in the Assyrian camp, she kept to her religious dietary requirements. Holoferness ordered his men to let her practise her customs including diet, praying and so on. By the fourth day, Holoferness could not control himself any longer and revealed his plans to his servant to seduce Judith. Finally, receiving the invitation, Judith went to the banquet and seduced Holofernes instead, getting him very drunk.


12  Judith as a Guest of Holofernes
Then he commanded them to bring her in where his silver dinnerware was kept, and ordered them to set a table for her with some of his own delicacies, and with some of his own wine to drink. 2 But Judith said, “I cannot partake of them, or it will be an offense; but I will have enough with the things I brought with me.” 3 Holofernes said to her, “If your supply runs out, where can we get you more of the same? For none of your people are here with us.” 4 Judith replied, “As surely as you live, my lord, your servant will not use up the supplies I have with me before the Lord carries out by my hand what he has determined.”

5 Then the servants of Holofernes brought her into the tent, and she slept until midnight. Toward the morning watch she got up 6 and sent this message to Holofernes: “Let my lord now give orders to allow your servant to go out and pray.” 7 So Holofernes commanded his guards not to hinder her. She remained in the camp three days. She went out each night to the valley of Bethulia, and bathed at the spring in the camp.[a] 8 After bathing, she prayed the Lord God of Israel to direct her way for the triumph of his[b] people. 9 Then she returned purified and stayed in the tent until she ate her food toward evening.

Judith Attends Holofernes’ Banquet
10 On the fourth day Holofernes held a banquet for his personal attendants only, and did not invite any of his officers. 11 He said to Bagoas, the eunuch who had charge of his personal affairs, “Go and persuade the Hebrew woman who is in your care to join us and to eat and drink with us. 12 For it would be a disgrace if we let such a woman go without having intercourse with her. If we do not seduce her, she will laugh at us.”

13 So Bagoas left the presence of Holofernes, and approached her and said, “Let this pretty girl not hesitate to come to my lord to be honored in his presence, and to enjoy drinking wine with us, and to become today like one of the Assyrian women who serve in the palace of Nebuchadnezzar.” 14 Judith replied, “Who am I to refuse my lord? Whatever pleases him I will do at once, and it will be a joy to me until the day of my death.” 15 So she proceeded to dress herself in all her woman’s finery. Her maid went ahead and spread for her on the ground before Holofernes the lambskins she had received from Bagoas for her daily use in reclining.

16 Then Judith came in and lay down. Holofernes’ heart was ravished with her and his passion was aroused, for he had been waiting for an opportunity to seduce her from the day he first saw her. 17 So Holofernes said to her, “Have a drink and be merry with us!” 18 Judith said, “I will gladly drink, my lord, because today is the greatest day in my whole life.” 19 Then she took what her maid had prepared and ate and drank before him. 20 Holofernes was greatly pleased with her, and drank a great quantity of wine, much more than he had ever drunk in any one day since he was born.

Judith makes Holofernes think he will win against Israelites.

In the last chapter we were kept in suspense as to what Judith would do, because she seemed to have detected to the Assyrians. If that was her plan to pretend to be a traitor and later double cross the Assyrians, then she would need to lie and thus going against her usual moral self.
However, it is amazing how things unfolded here. She told the Assyrians the blatant truth in a way that the Assyrians thought the outcome is good for them. That is true in a way, as Judith said, if the Israelites continue in their sin, then the Israelites would be defeated. Holofernes, the Assyrian general liked this part, but what he did not ponder too much on was that if there Israelites repented, then the Assyrians would be defeated.

Judith 11 
Then Holofernes said to her, “Take courage, woman, and do not be afraid in your heart, for I have never hurt anyone who chose to serve Nebuchadnezzar, king of all the earth. ² Even now, if your people who live in the hill country had not slighted me, I would never have lifted my spear against them. They have brought this on themselves. ³ But now tell me why you have fled from them and have come over to us. In any event, you have come to safety. Take courage! You will live tonight and ever after. ⁴ No one will hurt you. Rather, all will treat you well, as they do the servants of my lord King Nebuchadnezzar.”

Judith Explains Her Presence

⁵ Judith answered him, “Accept the words of your slave, and let your servant speak in your presence. I will say nothing false to my lord this night. ⁶ If you follow out the words of your servant, God will accomplish something through you, and my lord will not fail to achieve his purposes. ⁷ By the life of Nebuchadnezzar, king of the whole earth, and by the power of him who has sent you to direct every living being! Not only do human beings serve him because of you, but also the animals of the field and the cattle and the birds of the air will live, because of your power, under Nebuchadnezzar and all his house. ⁸ For we have heard of your wisdom and skill, and it is reported throughout the whole world that you alone are the best in the whole kingdom, the most informed and the most astounding in military strategy.

⁹ “Now as for Achior’s speech in your council, we have heard his words, for the people of Bethulia spared him and he told them all he had said to you. ¹⁰ Therefore, lord and master, do not disregard what he said, but keep it in your mind, for it is true. Indeed our nation cannot be punished, nor can the sword prevail against them, unless they sin against their God.

¹¹ “But now, in order that my lord may not be defeated and his purpose frustrated, death will fall upon them, for a sin has overtaken them by which they are about to provoke their God to anger when they do what is wrong. ¹² Since their food supply is exhausted and their water has almost given out, they have planned to kill their livestock and have determined to use all that God by his laws has forbidden them to eat. ¹³ They have decided to consume the first fruits of the grain and the tithes of the wine and oil, which they had consecrated and set aside for the priests who minister in the presence of our God in Jerusalem—things it is not lawful for any of the people even to touch with their hands. ¹⁴ Since even the people in Jerusalem have been doing this, they have sent messengers there in order to bring back permission from the council of the elders. ¹⁵ When the response reaches them and they act upon it, on that very day they will be handed over to you to be destroyed.

¹⁶ “So when I, your slave, learned all this, I fled from them. God has sent me to accomplish with you things that will astonish the whole world wherever people shall hear about them. ¹⁷ Your servant is indeed God-fearing and serves the God of heaven night and day. So, my lord, I will remain with you; but every night your servant will go out into the valley and pray to God. He will tell me when they have committed their sins. ¹⁸ Then I will come and tell you, so that you may go out with your whole army, and not one of them will be able to withstand you. ¹⁹ Then I will lead you through Judea, until you come to Jerusalem; there I will set your throne.^[a] You will drive them like sheep that have no shepherd, and no dog will so much as growl at you. For this was told me to give me foreknowledge; it was announced to me, and I was sent to tell you.”

²⁰ Her words pleased Holofernes and all his servants. They marveled at her wisdom and said, ²¹ “No other woman from one end of the earth to the other looks so beautiful or speaks so wisely!” ²² Then Holofernes said to her, “God has done well to send you ahead of the people, to strengthen our hands and bring destruction on those who have despised my lord. ²³ You are not only beautiful in appearance, but wise in speech. If you do as you have said, your God shall be my God, and you shall live in the palace of King Nebuchadnezzar and be renowned throughout the whole world.”

Israelites honoured Achior and prayed, worshipped God

Previously we read that Achior, who told the invading Assyrians under Holofer'nes the general that the Israelites were winning victories with God's help and the favour of God was dependent on the obedience of the Israelites, was now being referred to by Holofer'nes as a hireling of the Israelites or E'phraim. Instead the Assyrians put up their king, Nebuchadnez'zar to god-status, claiming that with him, their side is invincible. Countless kingdoms, cultures, empires have put their leaders in such god-like positions, but none of them survived.

As an act of humiliation and punishment for Ach'ior who dared mention that another god was more powerful than the Assyrian king-god Nebuchanez'zar, Holofer'nes threatened Ach'ior with revenge and abandoned him in Israelite territory. As a contrast, the Israelites who found Ach'ior treated him with great hospitality although Ach'ior's people the Ammonites have been at war with the Israelites on different occasions. The Israelites held a banquet for Ach'ior as well as repented before Almighty God with all night prayer and petition.


Judith 6 
Achior Handed over to the Israelites
When the disturbance made by the men outside the council died down, Holofer′nes, the commander of the Assyrian army, said to Ach′ior and all the Mo′abites in the presence of all the foreign contingents:

2 “And who are you, Ach′ior, and you hirelings of E′phraim, to prophesy among us as you have done today and tell us not to make war against the people of Israel because their God will defend them? Who is God except Nebuchadnez′zar? 3 He will send his forces and will destroy them from the face of the earth, and their God will not deliver them—we the king’s[a] servants will destroy them as one man. They cannot resist the might of our cavalry. 4 We will burn them up,[b] and their mountains will be drunk with their blood, and their fields will be full of their dead. They[c] cannot withstand us, but will utterly perish. So says King Nebuchadnez′zar, the lord of the whole earth. For he has spoken; none of his words shall be in vain.

5 “But you, Ach′ior, you Am′monite hireling, who have said these words on the day of your iniquity, you shall not see my face again from this day until I take revenge on this race that came out of Egypt. 6 Then the sword of my army and the spear[d] of my servants shall pierce your sides, and you shall fall among their wounded, when I return. 7 Now my slaves are going to take you back into the hill country and put you in one of the cities beside the passes, 8 and you will not die until you perish along with them. 9 If you really hope in your heart that they will not be taken, do not look downcast! I have spoken and none of my words shall fail.”

10 Then Holofer′nes ordered his slaves, who waited on him in his tent, to seize Ach′ior and take him to Bethu′lia and hand him over to the men of Israel. 11 So the slaves took him and led him out of the camp into the plain, and from the plain they went up into the hill country and came to the springs below Bethu′lia. 12 When the men of the city saw them,[e] they caught up their weapons and ran out of the city to the top of the hill, and all the slingers kept them from coming up by casting stones at them. 13 However, they got under the shelter of the hill and they bound Ach′ior and left him lying at the foot of the hill, and returned to their master.

14 Then the men of Israel came down from their city and found him; and they untied him and brought him into Bethu′lia and placed him before the magistrates of their city, 15 who in those days were Uzzi′ah the son of Micah, of the tribe of Sim′eon, and Chabris the son of Gothon′iel, and Charmis the son of Mel′chiel. 16 They called together all the elders of the city, and all their young men and their women ran to the assembly; and they set Ach′ior in the midst of all their people, and Uzzi′ah asked him what had happened. 17 He answered and told them what had taken place at the council of Holofer′nes, and all that he had said in the presence of the Assyrian leaders, and all that Holofer′nes had said so boastfully against the house of Israel. 18 Then the people fell down and worshiped God, and cried out to him, and said,

19 “O Lord God of heaven, behold their arrogance, and have pity on the humiliation of our people, and look this day upon the faces of those who are consecrated to thee.”

20 Then they consoled Ach′ior, and praised him greatly. 21 And Uzzi′ah took him from the assembly to his own house and gave a banquet for the elders; and all that night they called on the God of Israel for help.

Ammonite Leader tells the story of Israel to Assyrian general

The general of the Assyrian Army, Holofernes is continuing with the conquest and was approaching Israel. He also learned that the Israelites had begun to fortify the region including the hilltops and the plain.

One of the Ammonites leaders called Achior began to tell the history of the Israelites starting from when Abraham, a Chaldean, left his country and went to Mesopotamia. Achior describes the history of the Israelites including their enslavement in Egypt, their Exodus and including the conquest of the surrounding lands. It seems that Achior and probably his people knew the history of Israel very well, which is also a testimony revealing God at work in His people that others can see.

It is also amazing that Achior also understood that the victories of the Israelites occurred when the Israeliets were obedient to God, and that Israel became weak without the help of God when they were disobedient to God.




Judith 5 Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)

Council against the Israelites
When Holofer′nes, the general of the Assyrian army, heard that the people of Israel had prepared for war and had closed the passes in the hills and fortified all the high hilltops and set up barricades in the plains, 2 he was very angry. So he called together all the princes of Moab and the commanders of Ammon and all the governors of the coastland, 3 and said to them, “Tell me, you Canaanites, what people is this that lives in the hill country? What cities do they inhabit? How large is their army, and in what does their power or strength consist? Who rules over them as king, leading their army? 4 And why have they alone, of all who live in the west, refused to come out and meet me?”

Achior’s Report
5 Then Ach′ior, the leader of all the Am′monites, said to him, “Let my lord now hear a word from the mouth of your servant, and I will tell you the truth about this people that dwells in the nearby mountain district. No falsehood shall come from your servant’s mouth. 6 This people is descended from the Chalde′ans. 7 At one time they lived in Mesopota′mia, because they would not follow the gods of their fathers who were in Chalde′a. 8 For they had left the ways of their ancestors, and they worshiped the God of heaven, the God they had come to know; hence they drove them out from the presence of their gods; and they fled to Mesopota′mia, and lived there for a long time. 9 Then their God commanded them to leave the place where they were living and go to the land of Canaan. There they settled, and prospered, with much gold and silver and very many cattle. 10 When a famine spread over Canaan they went down to Egypt and lived there as long as they had food; and there they became a great multitude—so great that they could not be counted. 11 So the king of Egypt became hostile to them; he took advantage of them and set them to making bricks, and humbled them and made slaves of them. 12 Then they cried out to their God, and he afflicted the whole land of Egypt with incurable plagues; and so the Egyptians drove them out of their sight. 13 Then God dried up the Red Sea before them, 14 and he led them by the way of Sinai and Ka′desh-bar′nea, and drove out all the people of the wilderness. 15 So they lived in the land of the Am′orites, and by their might destroyed all the inhabitants of Heshbon; and crossing over the Jordan they took possession of all the hill country. 16 And they drove out before them the Canaanites and the Per′izzites and the Jeb′usites and the She′chemites and all the Ger′gesites, and lived there a long time. 17 As long as they did not sin against their God they prospered, for the God who hates iniquity is with them. 18 But when they departed from the way which he had appointed for them, they were utterly defeated in many battles and were led away captive to a foreign country; the temple of their God was razed to the ground, and their cities were captured by their enemies. 19 But now they have returned to their God, and have come back from the places to which they were scattered, and have occupied Jerusalem, where their sanctuary is, and have settled in the hill country, because it was uninhabited. 20 Now therefore, my master and lord, if there is any unwitting error in this people and they sin against their God and we find out their offense, then we will go up and defeat them. 21 But if there is no transgression in their nation, then let my lord pass them by; for their Lord will defend them, and their God will protect them, and we shall be put to shame before the whole world.”

22 When Ach′ior had finished saying this, all the men standing around the tent began to complain; Holofer′nes’ officers and all the men from the seacoast and from Moab insisted that he must be put to death. 23 “For,” they said, “we will not be afraid of the Israelites; they are a people with no strength or power for making war. 24 Therefore let us go up, Lord Holofer′nes, and they will be devoured by your vast army.”

Holofernes sets up Nebuchadnez′zar as god

The fear of Nebuchadnez′zar fell on the people of the nations, as his chief general, Holofernes continues to defeat the surrounding nations. In this chapter, several of the nations tried to pre-empt the invasion, by sending envoys of peace to Nebuchadnez′zar.

Holofernes went on to the coast, and the people he encountered welcomed him like one would welcome a liberator. In this case, it was probably because the people realised what he could do so they rather treat him like a hero. It is also recorded that when Holofernes entered the land, he destroys their existing religion. Instead he setup Nebuchadnez′zar as god and made people worship Nebuchadnez′zar.




Judith 3   Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)

Entreaties for Peace
3 So they sent messengers to sue for peace, and said, 2 “Behold, we the servants of Nebuchadnez′zar, the Great King, lie prostrate before you. Do with us whatever you will. 3 Behold, our buildings, and all our land, and all our wheat fields, and our flocks and herds, and all our sheepfolds with their tents, lie before you; do with them whatever you please. 4 Our cities also and their inhabitants are your slaves; come and deal with them in any way that seems good to you.”

5 The men came to Holofer′nes and told him all this. 6 Then he went down to the seacoast with his army and stationed garrisons in the hilltop cities and took picked men from them as his allies. 7 And these people and all in the country round about welcomed him with garlands and dances and tambourines. 8 And he demolished all their shrines[a] and cut down their sacred groves; for it had been given to him to destroy all the gods of the land, so that all nations should worship Nebuchadnez′zar only, and all their tongues and tribes should call upon him as god.

9 Then he came to the edge of Esdrae′lon, near Dothan, fronting the great ridge of Judea; 10 here he camped between Geba and Scythop′olis, and remained for a whole month in order to assemble all the supplies for his army.