A Candle on the Darkest Days - Hanukkah, Judith, and Rebecca

(15) And God said to Abraham, “As for your wife Sarai, you shall not call her Sarai, but her name shall be Sarah. (16) I will bless her; indeed, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she shall give rise to nations; rulers of peoples shall issue from her.” (17) Abraham threw himself on his face and laughed, as he said to himself, “Can a child be born to a man a hundred years old, or can Sarah bear a child at ninety?” (18) And Abraham said to God, “O that Ishmael might live by Your favor!” (19) God said, “Nevertheless, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall name him Isaac; and I will maintain My covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring to come.

(10) Then one said, “I will return to you next year, and your wife Sarah shall have a son!” Sarah was listening at the entrance of the tent, which was behind him. (11) Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years; Sarah had stopped having the periods of women. (12) And Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “Now that I am withered, am I to have enjoyment—with my husband so old?” (13) Then the LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I in truth bear a child, old as I am?’ (14) Is anything too wondrous for the LORD? I will return to you at the same season next year, and Sarah shall have a son.” (15) Sarah lied, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was frightened. But He replied, “You did laugh.”

(16) The maiden was very beautiful, a virgin whom no man had known. She went down to the spring, filled her jar, and came up. (17) The servant ran toward her and said, “Please, let me sip a little water from your jar.” (18) “Drink, my lord,” she said, and she quickly lowered her jar upon her hand and let him drink. (19) When she had let him drink his fill, she said, “I will also draw for your camels, until they finish drinking.” (20) Quickly emptying her jar into the trough, she ran back to the well to draw, and she drew for all his camels.

(21) Isaac pleaded with the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was barren; and the LORD responded to his plea, and his wife Rebekah conceived. (22) But the children struggled in her womb, and she said, “If so, why do I exist?” She went to inquire of the LORD, (23) and the LORD answered her, “Two nations are in your womb, Two separate peoples shall issue from your body; One people shall be mightier than the other, And the older shall serve the younger.” (24) When her time to give birth was at hand, there were twins in her womb.

(25) The first one emerged red, like a hairy mantle all over; so they named him Esau. (26) Then his brother emerged, holding on to the heel of Esau; so they named him Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when they were born.

(29) Once when Jacob was cooking a stew, Esau came in from the open, famished. (30) And Esau said to Jacob, “Give me some of that red stuff to gulp down, for I am famished”—which is why he was named Edom. (31) Jacob said, “First sell me your birthright.” (32) And Esau said, “I am at the point of death, so of what use is my birthright to me?” (33) But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. (34) Jacob then gave Esau bread and lentil stew; he ate and drank, and he rose and went away. Thus did Esau spurn the birthright.

(32) His father Isaac said to him, “Who are you?” And he said, “I am your son, Esau, your first-born!” (33) Isaac was seized with very violent trembling. “Who was it then,” he demanded, “that hunted game and brought it to me? Moreover, I ate of it before you came, and I blessed him; now he must remain blessed!” (34) When Esau heard his father’s words, he burst into wild and bitter sobbing, and said to his father, “Bless me too, Father!” (35) But he answered, “Your brother came with guile and took away your blessing.” (36) [Esau] said, “Was he, then, named Jacob that he might supplant me these two times? First he took away my birthright and now he has taken away my blessing!” And he added, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?”

(1) 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,

(2) for they were all weary because the feast had been long.

(3) And Judith was left alone in the tent with Holofernes lying by himself on his bed, for he was filled with wine.

(4) 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,

(5) and she spoke to Bagoas towards the same purpose.

(6) 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:

(7) "O Lord God of all power, look at this time upon the works of my hands for the exaltation of Jerusalem.

(8) 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."

(9) Then she went to the pillar of the bed, which was at Holofernes' head, and took down his broadsword from there.

(10) 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."

(11) 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

(12) and gave the head of Holofernes to her maid. And she put it in her bag of meat,

(13) 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.

(14) Then Judith said, from far off to the watchmen at the gate,

(15) "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!"

(16) 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.

(17) 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;

(18) and they made a fire for a light, and they stood all around them.

(19) Then she said to them with a loud voice,

(20) "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."

(21) So she took the head out of the bag and showed it and said to them,

(22) "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.

(23) 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."

(24) Then all the people were wonderfully astonished, and bowed themselves and worshipped God,

(25) and said with one accord, "Blessed are you, O our God, who has this day brought to nothing the enemies of your people!"

(26) Then Uzziah said to her, "O daughter, blessed are you of the most high God above all the women upon the earth;

(27) 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.

(28) Because of this, your resoluteness will not depart from the heart of men, who will remember the power of God for ever.

(29) 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."

(30) And all the people said, "Amen! Amen!"

(8) Then Joacim the high priest and the elders of the children of Israel who lived in Jerusalem came to behold the good things that God had done for Israel, and to see Judith and greet her.

(9) And when they came to her, they blessed her with one accord and said to her,

(10) "You are the exaltation of Jerusalem, you are the great glory of Israel, you are the great rejoicing of our nation.

(11) You have done all these things by your hand. You have done much good to Israel, and God is pleased with it;

(12) you will be blessed by the Almighty Lord for evermore." And all the people said, "Amen!"

(13) And the people despoiled the camp for the space of thirty days.

(19) Now as soon as they entered into Jerusalem, they worshipped the Lord; and as soon as the people were purified, they offered their burnt offerings and their free offerings and their gifts.

(20) 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.

(21) So the people continued feasting in Jerusalem before the sanctuary for the space of three months; and Judith remained with them.

(22) After this time, every one returned to his own inheritance. And Judith went to Bethulia and remained in her own possession; and during her time she was held in honor throughout the country.

(23) And many desired her, but none knew her all the days of her life, after Manasseh her husband was dead and was gathered to his people.

(24) But she increased more and more in honor; and she grew old in her husband's house, reaching the age of one hundred five years;

(25) and she made her woman servant free. So she died in Bethulia, and they buried her in the cave of her husband Manasseh.