Judith was a widow in Judah, albeit, a rich one. When the leaders of Judah did not know how to deal with Holofernes, Judith volunteered to save the Jews with her own plan.
When Judith had finished her prayer to the God of Israel... she took off the sackcloth and her widow's clothes, took a bath, and put on rich perfumes. She brushed her hair, tied a ribbon around it, and dressed herself in the fine clothes she used to wear on joyful occasions when her husband Manasseh was still alive... Judith gave her slave woman a leather bag of wine and a jar of oil to carry. She filled a bag with roasted barley cakes of dried figs, and several loaves of bread baked according to Jewish food laws...
As the two women walked through the valley, an Assyrian patrol met them. They arrested Judith and questioned her, "What is your nationality? Where did you come from and where are you going?"
"I am a Hebrew." she answered, "but I am running away from the Israelites because God is going to let you destroy them. I am on my way to see Holofernes, the general of your army, to give him some reliable information..."
By and by, Holofernes' bodyguard and his personal servants came out and led Judith into the tent.
By and by, Judith remained with Holofernes for 3 days. On the fourth day of Judith's stay in the camp, Holofernes gave a banquet for his highest ranking officers... Holofernes was so charmed by Judith that he drank more wine than he had ever drunk at one time in his whole life...Judith was left alone in the tent with Holofernes who was lying drunk on his bed...All the guests and servants were now gone, and Judith and Holofernes were alone in the tent.
Judith stood by Holofernes's bed and prayed silently, "O Lord, God Almighty, help me with what I am about to do for the glory of Jerusalem. Now is the time to rescue your chosen people and to help me carry out my plan to destroy the enemies who are threatening us." Judith went to the bedpost by Holofernes' head and took down his sword. She came closer, seized Holofernes by the hair of his head, and said, O Lord, God of Israel, give me strength now." Then Judith raised the sword and struck him twice in the neck as hard as she could, chopping off his head. (Apocrypha Book of Judith chapter 11 to 13).
If you like to know the happy ending, please read the Book of Judith.
God Bless You. And Happy Chinese New Year of the Rooster. 28 Jan 2017
