Song of Praise of Judith

1 Then Iudeth began to sing this thankesgiuing in all Israel, and all the people sang after her this song of praise.

2 And Iudeth said, Begin vnto my God with timbrels, sing vnto my Lord with cymbals: tune vnto him a newe Psalme: exalt him, & cal vpon his name.

3 For God breaketh the battels: for amongst the campes in the midst of the people hee hath deliuered me out of the hands of them that persecuted me.

4 Assur came out of the mountains from the North, he came with ten thousands of his army, the multitude wherof stopped the torrents, and their horsemen haue couered the hilles.

5 He bragged that he would burne vp my borders, and kill my young men with the sword, and dash the sucking children against the ground, and make mine infants as a pray, and my virgins as a spoile.

6 But the Almighty Lord hath disappointed them by the hand of a woman.

7 For the mighty one did not fall by the yong men, neither did the sonnes of the Titans smite him, nor high gyants set vpon him: but Iudeth the daughter of Merari weakned him with the beautie of her countenance.

8 For she put off the garment of her widowhood, for the exaltation of those that were oppressed in Israel, and anointed her face with oyntment, & bound her haire in a tyre, and tooke a linnen garment to deceiue him.

9 Her sandals rauished his eyes, her beautie tooke his minde prisoner, and the fauchin passed through his necke.

10 The Persians quaked at her boldnesse, and the Medes were daunted at her hardinesse.

11 Then my afflicted shouted for ioy, and my weake ones cryed aloude; but they were astonished: these lifted vp their voices, but they were ouerthrowen.

12 The sonnes of the damosels haue pierced them through, and wounded them as fugitiues children: they perished by the battell of the Lord.

13 I will sing vnto the Lord a new song, O Lord thou art great and glorious, wonderful in strength & inuincible.

14 Let all creatures serue thee: for thou spakest, and they were made, thou didst send forth thy spirit, and it created them, and there is none that can resist thy voyce.

15 For the mountaines shall be mooued from their foundations with the waters, the rockes shall melt as waxe at thy presence: yet thou art mercifull to them that feare thee.

16 For all sacrifice is too little for a sweete sauour vnto thee, and all the fat is not sufficient, for thy burnt offering: but he that feareth the Lord is great at all times.

17 Woe to the nations that rise vp against my kinred: the Lord almighty will take vengeance of them in the day of iudgement in putting fire & wormes in their flesh, and they shall feele them and weepe for euer.

18 Now assoone as they entred into Ierusalem, they worshipped the Lord, and assoone as the people were purified, they offered their burnt offerings, and their free offerings, and their gifts.

19 Iudeth also dedicated all the stuffe of Olofernes, which the people had giuen her, and gaue the canopy which she had taken out of his bed chamber, for a gift vnto the Lord.

20 So the people continued feasting in Ierusalem before the Sanctuarie, for the space of three moneths, and Iudeth remained with them.

All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16).

Agere Sequitur Esse