Now when evening had arrived, his servants hurried to depart, and Bagoas shut his tent from the outside and dismissed the waiters from the presence of his lord; and they went to their beds, for they were all weary because the feast had been long.
And Judith was left alone in the tent with Holofernes lying by himself on his bed, for he was filled with wine.
Now Judith had commanded her maid to stand outside her bedroom and to wait for her to go forth, as she did daily; for she said she would go forth to her prayers, and she spoke to Bagoas towards the same purpose.
So everyone left and no one was left in the bedroom, neither little nor great. Then Judith, standing by his bed, said in her heart: "O Lord God of all power, look at this time upon the works of my hands for the exaltation of Jerusalem.
For now is the time to help your inheritance and to execute your purposes for the destruction of the enemies who have risen against us."
Then she went to the pillar of the bed, which was at Holofernes' head, and took down his broadsword from there.
And she approached his bed, and took hold of the hair of his head, and said, "Strengthen me, O Lord God of Israel, this day."
And she twice struck his neck with all her might, and she took his head away from him.
And she tumbled his body down from the bed, and pulled down the canopy from the pillars; and, soon after, she went out and gave the head of Holofernes to her maid.
And she put it in her bag of meat, so these two went together, according to their custom, to prayer; and when they passed the camp, they circled the valley and went up the mountain of Bethulia and came to its gates.
Then Judith said, from far off to the watchmen at the gate, "Open, open the gate now! God, our God, is with us to show his power yet in Jerusalem and his forces against the enemy, as he has truly done on this day!"
Now when the men of her city heard her voice, they hurried down to the gate of their city and they called the elders of the city.
And then they ran all together, both small and great, for it was surprising to them that she had returned. So they opened the gate and received them; and they made a fire for a light, and they stood all around them.
Then she said to them with a loud voice, "Praise, praise God, praise God, I say, for he has not taken away his mercy from the house of Israel, but has destroyed our enemies by my hands this night."
So she took the head out of the bag and showed it and said to them, "Behold the head of Holofernes, the chief captain of the army of Assur, and behold the canopy where he had lain in his drunkenness; and the Lord has struck him by the hand of a woman.
As the Lord lives, who has preserved me in the path that I took, my attractiveness has deceived him to his destruction, and yet he did not commit sin with me, to defile and shame me."
Then all the people were wonderfully astonished, and bowed themselves and worshipped God, and said with one accord, "Blessed are you, O our God, who has this day brought to nothing the enemies of your people!"
Then Uzziah said to her, "O daughter, blessed are you of the most high God above all the women upon the earth; and blessed is the Lord God, who has created the heavens and the earth, who guided you in cutting off the head of the chief of our enemies.
Because of this, your resoluteness will not depart from the heart of men, who will remember the power of God for ever.
And may God turn these things to your benefit as a perpetual praise, to assist you in good things because you have not withheld your life during the affliction of our nation, but have revenged our ruin, walking a straight path before our God." And all the people said, "Amen! Amen!"
Most of the teaching of Jesus are recorded in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The Complete Sayings of Jesus presents every word spoken by Jesus in one place and provides an index to assist in finding specific ocassions, places and/or events. It is a must read aid for serious Bible study.
He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, saith the Lord. These are the words of Christ; and they direct us to imitate his life and character. The Imitation of Christ is guide to following the example of Jesus Christ. Let it be our most earnest study to dwell upon the life and example of Jesus.
The Apocrypha books are 14 books that were included between the old and new testaments in the original King James Version of the bible and many others. Church leaders agreed that these books were valuable for instruction in life and manners, but did not all agree that they should be considered cannon.
The Childrens Bible provides bible lessons from the Old and New testaments. There are 216 stories written in plain english. The stories are easy to read and understand but they are not just for childern. It is a pleasure to read and enjoy these important stories.
Let us love one another, for love comes from God and every one who loves is a child of God and knows God. He who loves not man does not know God, for God is love. God showed his love for us, for he sent his only Son into the world that through him we might have life. Love the stranger.
In Mark 12:30 Jesus said;
And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this [is] the first commandment.
And the second Mark 12:31 [is] like, [namely] this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
The Gospel of The Birth of Mary was attributed to St. Matthew and was received as genuine and authentic by early Christians. It is to be found in the works of Jerome, a Father of the Church in the 4th century and is translated from his collection.
The Book of Enoch is ascribed to the great-grandfather of Noah and is included in the cannon of some churches. It describes the fall of the angels (watchers), visions of heaven and hell and the birth of Noah. Quotes from the book of Enoch are found in the New Testament.
The First Book of Adam and Eve. Books 1 begins immediately after the expulsion from the Garden of Eden. We learn about the fall but also of the promise to save Adam and his decendents. The story depicts mans struggle against evil, the devil and sin.
The Second Book of Adam and Eve. Discusses Adam's sorrow and death. The history of the patriarchs who lived before the Flood until the birth of Noah; the children of Seth on Mount Hermon and Cain's death. It ends with the testament and translation of Enoch.
The Infancy of Jesus Christ (Infancy Gospel of Thomas) relates the life of Jesus from the ages of five to twelve. It is believed that the document was transcribed from oral traditions some time prior to the second century. The ancient writing is possibly Gnostic and many early church leaders considered it heretical.
Daily Bible study is essential. The Bible Verse of the Day provides a collection of enlightening and inspiration bible verses. Improve your knowledge and understanding of the Bible and your life by studying the words of the holy scripture. Explore the King James Bible (kjv) and discover new insights.
The World English Bible was produced to provide speakers of modern English with a version of the Bible that is easily understood. The Bible is in the public domain and available world-wide. It is an accurate modern translation of the original King James Bible, including the Apocryphal books.
Looking for something in the Bible? Want to find a specifc verse or list of words? The Bible search feature makes it easy find verses or words. Enter the verses or words in the search bar or visit the search page to access additional search options. Finding information in the Bible will never be easier.
The favorite verses page is a list of popular bible verses. Each verse includes a link to the chapter and verse of the book where it is found in the bible. Click on any link for a bible verse and it will take you to that location in the bible.
The bible contains great stories. Visit the bible stories page for links to some of the best known and most significant stories and passages in the bible.