Judith 11

1 For thou hast done the things of old, and hast devised one thing after another: and what thou hast designed hath been done. 2 For all thy ways are prepared, and in thy providence thou hast placed thy judgments. 3 Look upon the camp of the Assyrians now, as thou wast pleased to look upon the camp of the Egyptians, when they pursued armed after thy servants, trusting in their chariots, and in their horsemen, and in a multitude of warriors. 4 But thou lookedst over their camp, and darkness wearied them. 5 The deep held their feet, and the waters overwhelmed them. 6 So may it be with these also, O Lord, who trust in their multitude, and in their chariots, and in their pikes, and in their shields, and in their arrows, and glory in their spears, 7 And know not that thou art our God, who destroyest wars from the beginning, and the Lord is thy name. 8 Lift up thy arm as from the beginning, and crush their power with thy power: let their power fall in their wrath, who promise themselves to violate thy sanctuary, and defile the dwelling place of thy name, and to beat down with their sword the horn of thy altar. 9 Bring to pass, O Lord, that his pride may be cut off with his own sword. 10 Let him be caught in the net of his own eyes in my regard, and do thou strike him by the graces of the words of my lips. 11 Give me constancy in my mind, that I may despise him: and fortitude that I may overthrow him. 12 For this will be a glorious monument for thy name, when he shall fall by the hand of a woman. 13 For thy power, O Lord, is not in a multitude, nor is thy pleasure in the strength of horses, nor from the beginning have the proud been acceptable to thee: but the prayer of the humble and the meek hath always pleased thee. 14 O God of the heavens, creator of the waters, and Lord of the whole creation, hear me a poor wretch, making supplication to thee, and presuming of thy mercy. 15 Remember, O Lord, thy covenant, and put thou words in my mouth, and strengthen the resolution in my heart, that thy house may continue in thy holiness: 16 And all nations may acknowledge that thou art God, and there is no other besides thee. 18 And it came to pass, when she had ceased to cry to the Lord, that she rose from the place wherein she lay prostrate before the Lord. 19 And she called her maid, and going down into her house she took off her haircloth, and put away the garments of her widowhood, 20 And she washed her body, and anointed herself with the best ointment, and plaited the hair of her head, and put a bonnet upon her head, and clothed herself with the garments of her gladness, and put sandals on her feet, and took her bracelets, and lilies, and earlets, and rings, and adorned herself with all her ornaments. 21 And the Lord also gave her more beauty: because all this dressing up did not proceed from sensuality, but from virtue: and therefore the Lord increased this her beauty, so that she appeared to all men’s eyes incomparably lovely. 22 And she gave to her maid a bottle of wine to carry, and a vessel of oil, and parched corn, and dry figs, and bread and cheese, and went out. 23 And when they came to the gate of the city, they found Ozias, and the ancients of the city waiting.