And when he had ended his counsel, Nebuchadnezzar king of the Assyrians called Holofernes the chief captain of his army, who was next to him, and said to him:
Then Holofernes went forth from the presence of his lord, and called all the governors and captains, and the officers of the army of Assur.
So the men came to Holofernes and made declaration before him in this way.
Now the children of Israel, who lived in Judea, heard all that Holofernes the chief captain of Nebuchadnezzar king of the Assyrians had done to the nations, and in what way he had pillaged all their temples and brought them to nothing.
Then was it declared to Holofernes, the chief captain of the army of Assur, that the children of Israel had prepared for war and had shut up the passages of the hill country and had fortified all the tops of the high hills and had laid impediments in the open plains.
And when Achior had finished these sayings, all the people standing around the tent murmured; and the chief men of Holofernes, and all who lived by the seaside and in Moab, were saying that he should kill him.
Now therefore, lord Holofernes, we will go up and they will be a prey to be devoured by all your army."
And when the tumult of men who were around the council were quiet, Holofernes, the chief captain of the army of Assur, said to Achior and all the Moabites in front of all the company of the other nations:
Then Holofernes commanded his servants, who served in his tent, to take Achior and bring him to Bethulia and deliver him into the hands of the children of Israel.
And he answered and declared to them the words of the council of Holofernes, and all the words which he had spoken in the midst of the princes of Assur, and whatsoever Holofernes had spoken proudly against the house of Israel.
The next day Holofernes commanded all his army and all his people who had arrived take his side that they should remove their camp from opposite Bethulia and capture in advance the ascents of the hill country in order to make war against the children of Israel.
But on the second day, Holofernes brought forth all his horsemen in the sight of the children of Israel, who were in Bethulia,
And these words pleased Holofernes and all his servants, and he decided to do as they had said.
Now therefore call them to you and deliver the whole city for a spoil to the people of Holofernes and to all his army.
And I am going before Holofernes the chief captain of your army, to declare words of truth; and I will show him a way, by which he can go and win all the hill country, without losing the body or life of any of his men."
Then they chose from among them a hundred men to accompany her and her maid; and they brought her to the tent of Holofernes.
Then a crowd began to assemble from throughout all the camp, for the news of her arrival had spread among the tents, and they gathered around her as she stood outside the tent of Holofernes, until they had told him about her.
And those who lay near Holofernes went out, and they and all his servants brought her into the tent.
Now Holofernes rested on his bed under a canopy, which was woven with purple and gold and emeralds and precious stones.
Then Holofernes said to her, "Woman, be of good comfort; fear not in your heart. For I have never hurt any who were willing to serve Nebuchadnezzar, the king of all the earth.
Then her words pleased Holofernes and all his servants; and they marveled at her wisdom and said,
Likewise Holofernes said to her, "God has done well to send you before the sons of your people, so that strength might be in our hands and destruction be on those who regard my lord lightly.
Then Holofernes said to her, "If your provisions should fail, how should we give you the like? For there are none among us from your nation."
Then the servants of Holofernes brought her into the tent, and she slept until midnight, and she arose when it was toward the morning watch.
And she sent to Holofernes, saying, "Let my lord now command that your handmaid may go forth to prayer."
Then Holofernes commanded his guard not to prevent her; thus she resided in the camp for three days, and went out in the night into the valley of Bethulia and washed herself in a spring of water by the camp.
And on the fourth day, Holofernes made a feast for his own servants only, and he called none of the officers to the banquet.
Then Bagoas went from the presence of Holofernes, and he came to her and said, "Let not this fair gentlewoman fear to approach my lord and to be honored in his presence, and to drink wine and be merry with us, and to become this day like one of the daughters of the Assyrians, who serve in the house of Nebuchadnezzar."
So she arose, and she decked herself out with her apparel and all her woman's attire. And her maid went and laid soft skins on the ground for her opposite Holofernes, which she had received from Bagoas for her daily use, so that she might sit and eat upon them.
Now when Judith came in and sat down with Holofernes, his heart was inflamed with her, and his mind was stirred up, and he greatly desired her company; for he had been waiting for sometime to deceive her, even from the day that he had first seen her.
Then Holofernes said to her, "Drink now and be merry with us."
And Holofernes took great delight in her, and he drank more wine than he had drunk at any time in one day since he was born.
And Judith was left alone in the tent with Holofernes lying by himself on his bed, for he was filled with wine.
Then she went to the pillar of the bed, which was at Holofernes' head, and took down his broadsword from there.
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.
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.
Then they will take their amour and go into their camp and call for the captains of the army of Assur; and they will run to the tent of Holofernes, but will not find him; then fear will fall upon them, and they will flee before your face.
Then they called Achior out of the house of Uzziah; and when he arrived and saw the head of Holofernes in a man's hand in the assembly of the people, he fell down on his face and fainted.
And as soon as morning arose, they hung the head of Holofernes on the wall, and every man took his weapons, and they went forth by bands to the straits of the mountain.
So they came to Holofernes' tent, and said to him who had the charge of all his things, "Awaken our lord now, for the slaves have been so bold as to come down against us in battle, so that they may be utterly destroyed."
"These slaves have dealt treacherously; one woman of the Hebrews has brought shame on the house of king Nebuchadnezzar; for, behold, Holofernes lies on the ground without a head!"
And the people despoiled the camp for the space of thirty days. And they gave the tent of Holofernes to Judith, and all his plates and beds and vessels and all his belongings; and she took it and laid it on her mule; and she prepared her cart and laid them on it.
Judith also dedicated all the belongings of Holofernes, which the people had given her, and she gave the canopy, which she had taken out of his bedroom, as a gift to the Lord.
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.