Judith goeth out towards the camp, and is taken, and brought to Holofernes.
Iudith excellently adorned, and very beautiful goeth with her handmaide towards the campe, 11. is taken by the watch, 16. and brought to Holofernes.
1And 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.Or finito che ebbe d'alzar le sue voci al Signore, si levò dal luogo, dove si stava prostesa dinanzi al Signore:AND it came to passe, when she had ceased to crie to our Lord, she rose from the place, wherein she lay prostrate to our Lord.Factum est autem, cum cessasset clamare ad Dominum, surrexit de loco in quo jacuerat prostrata ad Dominum. 2And she called her maid, and going down into her house she took off her haircloth, and put away the garments of her widowhood,E chiamò la sua serva, e scese in sua casa, e si levò il cilicio, e si spogliò delle vesti sue vedovili,And she called her abra, and going downe into her house she tooke from her the hearecloth, and put of the garmentes of her widowhood,Vocavitque abram suam, et descendens in domum suam, abstulit a se cilicium, et exuit se vestimentis viduitatis suæ, 3And 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.E lavò il suo corpo, e si unse di unguento prezioso, e scompartì i capelli del suo capo e si pose in testa la mitra; e si vestì delle sue vesti di comparsa, e si mise a piedi i sandali, e prese i braccialetti co' gigli, e gli orecchini, e gli anelli, e non lasciò indietro veruno de' suoi ornamenti,and washed her bodie, and anoynted her self with ointement, and plaited the heare of her head, and put a crowne vpon her head, and clothed her self with the garmentes of her ioyfulnes, and put panto••es on her feete, and tooke braceletes, and Lilies, and •arele•es, and ringes, and with al her ornamentes she adorned her self.et lavit corpus suum, et unxit se myro optimo, et discriminavit crinem capitis sui, et imposuit mitram super caput suum, et induit se vestimentis jucunditatis suæ, induitque sandalia pedibus suis, assumpsitque dextraliola, et lilia, et inaures, et annulos, et omnibus ornamentis suis ornavit se. 4And 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.E il Signore eziandio le accrebbe splendore; perchè tutto questo abbigliamento non proveniva da brutta passione, ma da fin virtuoso: e perciò il Signore diede nuovo risalto alla sua bellezza, affinchè negli occhi di tutti ornata apparisse di grazia incomparabile,To whom also our Lord gaue beautie: because al this trimming did not depend of sensualitie, but of vertue: & ther fore our Lord amplified this beautie on her, that she might appeare to al mens eies of incomparable comlines.Cui etiam Dominus contulit splendorem: quoniam omnis ista compositio non ex libidine, sed ex virtute pendebat: et ideo Dominus hanc in illam pulchritudinem ampliavit, ut incomparabili decore omnium oculis appareret.
5And 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.Or ella fece portare dalla sua serva un vaso di vino, e uno di olio, e della farina, e de' fichi secchi, e dei pani, e del cacio, e si partì.She therfore layd vpon her abra a bottel of wyne, and a vēssel of oyle, and polent, and drie figges, and bread, and cheese, and went foreward.Imposuit itaque abræ suæ ascoperam vini, et vas olei, et polentam, et palathas, et panes, et caseum, et profecta est. 6And when they came to the gate of the city, they found Ozias, and the ancients of the city waiting.E quando giunsero alla porta della città, trovarono Ozia, e i seniori della città che l'aspettavano:And when they were come to the gate of the citie, they found Ozias expecting, and the ancientes of the citie.Cumque venissent ad portam civitatis, invenerunt expectantem Oziam et presbyteros civitatis. 7And when they saw her they were astonished, and admired her beauty exceedingly.I quali in veggendola rimasero stupefatti di sua bellezza:Who when they saw her, being astonished maruailed at her beautie exceedingly,Qui cum vidissent eam, stupentes mirati sunt nimis pulchritudinem ejus. 8But they asked her no question, only they let her pass, saying: The God of our fathers give thee grace, and may he strengthen all the counsel of thy heart with his power, that Jerusalem may glory in thee, and thy name may be in the number of the holy and just.Ma senza interrogarla per niente, la lasciaron passare, dicendo: il Dio de' padri nostri ti dia la sua grazia, e confermi colla sua virtù le intenzioni del cuor tuo, onde di te abbia a gloriarsi Gerusalemme, e abbia luogo il tuo nome trai Santi, e giusti.Yet asking her no question, they let her passe, saying: The God of our fathers geue thee grace, and strengthen al the counsel of thy hart, with his powre, that Ierusalem may glorie vpon thee, and thy name may be in the number of the holie and iust.Nihil tamen interrogantes eam, dimiserunt transire, dicentes: Deus patrum nostrorum det tibi gratiam, et omne consilium tui cordis sua virtute corroboret, ut glorietur super te Jerusalem, et sit nomen tuum in numero sanctorum et justorum. 9And they that were there said, all with one voice: So be it, so be it.E tutti quelli, che erano in quel luogo, dissero ad una voce: Così sia, così sia.And they that were there said, al with one voyce: So be it, so be it.Et dixerunt hi qui illic erant omnes una voce: Fiat, fiat. 10But Judith praying to the Lord, passed through the gates, she and her maid.E Giuditta pregando il Signore uscì fuor della porta colla sua serva.But Iudith praying our Lord, passed through the gates she and her Abra.Judith vero orans Dominum, transivit per portas, ipsa et abra ejus.
11And it came to pass, when she went down the hill, about break of day, that the watchmen of the Assyrians met her, and stopped her, saying: Whence comest thou or whither goest thou?E verso lo spuntare del giorno mentre ella calava dal monte, si imbatterono in lei gli esploratori. Assiri, e la fermaron dicendo: Donde vieni, dove vai?And it came to passe, when she went downe the hil, about breake of day the watchmen of the Assyrians mette her, and held her, saying: whence comest thou? or whither goest thou?Factum est autem cum descenderet montem, circa ortum diei, occurrerunt ei exploratores Assyriorum, et tenuerunt eam, dicentes: Unde venis ? aut quo vadis ? 12And she answered: I am a daughter of the Hebrews, and I am fled from them, because I knew they would be made a prey to you, because they despised you, and would not of their own accord yield themselves, that they might find mercy in your sight.Ed ella rispose: Io son figliuola di Ebrei, e son fuggita da loro, perchè io so, ch'e' saranno vostra preda, perchè non facendo conto di voi, non hanno voluto arrendersi spontaneamente per essere trattati con misericordia da voi.Who answered, I am a daughter of the Hebrews, therfore am I fled from their face, because I knew it should come to passe, that they should be geuen you vnto spoyle, because that contemning you, they would not of their owne accord yeld themselues, that they might find mercie in your sight.Quæ respondit: Filia sum Hebræorum, ideo ego fugi a facie eorum, quoniam futurum agnovi quod dentur vobis in deprædationem, pro eo quod contemnentes vos, noluerunt ultro tradere seipsos ut invenirent misericordiam in conspectu vestro. 13For this reason I thought with myself, saying: I will go to the presence of the prince Holofernes, that I may tell him their secrets, and shew him by what way he may take them, without the loss of one man of his army.Io pertanto ho pensato, e ho detto dentro di me: Io mi presenterò al principe Oloferme, e manifesterò a lui i loro segreti, egl'insegnerò per qual via possa sorprenderli, senza che un sol uomo perisca del suo esercito.For this cause I thought with my self, saying: I wil goe to the presence of the prince Holofernes, that I may tel him their secretes, and shew him by what entrance he may winne them, so that there shal not fal one man of his armie.Hac de causa cogitavi mecum, dicens: Vadam ad faciem principis Holofernis, ut indicem illi secreta illorum, et ostendam illi quo aditu possit obtinere eos, ita ut non cadat vir unus de exercitu ejus. 14And when the men had heard her words, they beheld her face, and their eyes were amazed, for they wondered exceedingly at her beauty.Or quegli avendo udite le sue parole contemplavano la sua faccia, e negli occhi lor leggevasi lo stupore perocchè erano incantati di sua bellezza.And when those men had heard her wordes, they considered her face, and she was a wonder in their eies, for they marueiled at her beautie excedingly.Et cum audissent viri illi verba ejus, considerabant faciem ejus, et erat in oculis eorum stupor, quoniam pulchritudinem ejus mirabantur nimis.
15And they said to her: Thou hast saved thy life by taking this resolution, to come down to our lord.E le dissero: Hai salvata la tua vita in trovando questo ripiego di venire al signor nostro.And they said to her: Thou hast saued thy life, in that thou hast found such counsel, that thou wouldest come downe to our lord.Et dixerunt ad eam: Conservasti animam tuam, eo quod tale reperisti consilium, ut descenderes ad dominum nostrum. 16And be assured of this, that when thou shalt stand before him, he will treat thee well, and thou wilt be most acceptable to his heart. And they brought her to the tent of Holofernes, telling him of her.Or sappi, che quando gli comparirai davanti, egli ti farà del bene, e acquisterai la sua grazia. E la condussero al padiglione di Oloferne, facendogli annunziare l'arrivo di essa.And this know thou, that when thou shalt stand in his sight, he wil deale wel with thee, and thou shalt be most gratious in his hart. And they brought her to the tabernacle of Holofernes, telling him of her.Hoc autem scias, quoniam cum steteris in conspectu ejus, bene tibi faciet, et eris gratissima in corde ejus. Duxeruntque illam ad tabernaculum Holofernis, annuntiantes eam. 17And when she was come into his presence, forthwith Holofernes was caught by his eyes.Or appena ella comparve dinanzi a lui fu preso Oloferne alla prima occhiata.And when she was entered before his face, forth with Holofernes was caught in his eies.Cumque intrasset ante faciem ejus, statim captus est in suis oculis Holofernes. 18And his officers said to him: Who can despise the people of the Hebrews, who have such beautiful women, that we should not think it worth our while for their sakes to fight against them?E i suoi uffiziali gli dissero: Chi disprezzerà il popolo Ebreo, il quale ha donne di tanta avvenenza? E non farem noi ad essi a ragione la guerra per acquistarle?And his guard said to him: who can contemne the people of the Hebrewes, which haue so beautiful wemē, that we should not worthely fight against them for these?Dixeruntque ad eum satellites ejus: Quis contemnat populum Hebræorum, qui tam decoras mulieres habent, ut non pro his merito pugnare contra eos debeamus ? 19And Judith seeing Holofernes sitting under a canopy, which was woven of purple and gold, with emeralds and precious stones:Giuditta per tanto veduto che ebbe Oloferne, che sedeva sotto un conopeo fatto di porpora, e ornato di oro, di smeraldi, e di pietre preziose,Iudith therfore seeing Holofernes sitting in a canopie, which was wouen of purple, and gold, and emerauld, and pretious stones:Videns itaque Judith Holofernem sedentem in conopeo, quod erat ex purpura, et auro, et smaragdo, et lapidibus pretiosis intextum,
20After she had looked on his face, bowed down to him, prostrating herself to the ground. And the servants of Holofernes lifted her up, by the command of their master.Dopo aver gettato uno sguardo sopra di lui lo adorò prostrata per terra: ma i servi di Oloferne la rialzarono per ordine del loro signore.and when she had looked in his face, she adored him, falling prostrate vpon the ground. And the seruantes of Holofernes lifted her vp, their lord commanding it.et cum in faciem ejus intendisset, adoravit eum, prosternens se super terram. Et elevaverunt eam servi Holofernis, jubente domino suo.
10:2
Haydock
House. Greek adds, "where she spent the sabbath and festival days, she rolled up her," etc. (Haydock)
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Haydock
Body. Complutensian Greek, "mouth." But other editions seem more accurate. (Haydock)
Best. Greek, "thick," probably the myrobalanum of Pliny, [Natural History?] 12:21., and 13:1.
Bonnet, or mitre, tied with ribbands, hanging down behind, like those of bishops.
Calmet
Sandals, highly ornamented, and worn by people of quality. (Calmet)
Grotius
Lilies, pendent from the neck. (Grotius)
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Haydock
And. Greek, "and she was richly adorned, so that she might captivate (literally, deceive) the eyes of whatever men should behold her. And," ver. 5. (Haydock)
Calmet
The fathers highly extol her virtue, and she was, no doubt, actuated by the purest motives. Yet she might be guilty of some indiscretion. Even the working of miracles would not prove the contrary, as wicked priests may confer the sacraments; and Moses was reprehensible the moment (Calmet) before (Haydock) he wrought a miracle, Numbers 20:10., and Matthew 7:22. God inspired her with the laudable design of freeing her country, but the means were left to her own choice. (Calmet)
Haydock
The making use of this rich attire was not, however, sinful in itself; and we have no right to suspect that Judith gave any way either to vanity or to sensuality. How many ladies of quality are dressed so as to enchant all those who are not upon their guard! Yet, provided they observe due modesty, who will blame their rich attire or perfumes? (Haydock)
Haydock
Judith might lawfully desire to marry Holofernes for the good of her nation, (Menochius) as Esther became the wife of Assuerus, though an infidel. The general seemed even willing to become a convert, Judith 11:21. (Haydock)
Witham
God bore witness to the holy intention of Judith in adorning herself. (Witham)
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Menochius
Bottle; made of leather, (Calmet) used for carrying wine. (Pollox.) (Menochius)
Corn. It was eaten either steeped in water or mixed with oil.
Calmet
Cheese. So the Syriac reads. Greek, "pure loaves." (Calmet)
Menochius
Why she took her provisions with her, she explains, Judith 12:2. (Menochius)
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Her. Greek adds, "with her countenance and robes changed."
10:8
But. Greek, "And they said to her, May God, the God of."
Haydock
With. Greek, "For the glory of the Israelites, and the exaltation of Jerusalem; and they adored God. And she said to them, Order the gate of the city to be opened for me, and I will go out to accomplish what you were talking about to me. And they commanded the young men to open for her; and they did so. But Judith and her maid went out. And the citizens looked at her while she descended the hill, till she had passed the valley, when they lost sight of her; and they passed along straight through the vale, and the advanced guard of," etc. (Haydock)
Haydock
It appears that there was still day-light, (Calmet) or the moon shone brightly. (Haydock)
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Challoner
Because I knew, etc. In this and the following chapter, some things are related to have been said by Judith, which seem hard to reconcile with truth. But all that is related in Scripture of the servants of God, is not approved by the Scripture: and even the saints in their enterprizes may sometimes slip into venial sins. (Challoner)
Haydock
But this expedient is bad and childish. (Haydock)
Raban. Glossa
She might speak ironically, (Denis the Carthusian) or prophetically. (Raban. Glossa, etc.)
Menochius
Still it might be an untruth, (Calmet) to be excused, like stratagems in war. (Menochius)
Haydock
How often does an enemy give out that he is going to march to some place, when he intends to go quite another way! (Haydock)
Haydock
I knew. Greek, "Because they are about to be given up a prey to you. Therefore, I come to Holofernes, general in chief of your army, to inform him of the truth, and to shew," etc. (Haydock)
Worthington
She spoke many things certainly true, and others which would probably have taken place, if God had not sent relief. (Worthington)
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Lord. Greek adds, "and now proceed to his tent, and some of us shall give thee into his hands. But if thou stand before him, let not thy heart fear, but tell him this, and he will treat thee well. And they selected 100 men, and surrounded her and her servant-maid, and conducted her to the tent of Holofernes. And they ran from all parts of the camp, as soon as her coming was made known, and they came round her as she stood without the tent of Holofernes, till they had told him of her. And they were astonished at her beauty, and at the Israelites, and said to each other, Who," etc., ver. 18.
10:18
Haydock
That we. Greek, "For it is not expedient to leave one man of them alive, lest they should delude all the earth." (Old Vulgate omits the negation.) "And all who slept near Holofernes, and all his servants, came out and introduced her into the tent;" (Haydock. which was divided into two apartments. Heraclides) "and Holofernes was reposing on a bed in the canopy, (or inner room) which," etc. (Haydock)
Calmet
The curtain was intended to keep off gnats. Mark Anthony imitated this delicacy. Interque signa (turpe!) militaria, Sol aspicit conopaeum. (Horace, epod. ix.) (Calmet)
10:20
Calmet
After. Greek, "And they told him of her, and he came out to the forepart of the tent, and silver lamps preceded him, (Haydock) either for grandeur, as they did the kings of Persia and the emperors of Rome and of the Turks, or because it was still dark." (Calmet)
Haydock
"But as soon as Judith came in sight of him and of his ministers, they all were astonished at the beauty of her face; and falling prostrate, she adored him, (with civil respect) and his servants lifted her up." (Haydock)
Worthington
St. Fulgentius (ep. 2.) judges, with great probability, that Judith was now about 40 years old. (Worthington)
10:12
Because I knew, etc.... In this and the following Chapter, some things are related to have been said by Judith, which seem hard to reconcile with truth. But all that is related in scripture of the servants of God is not approved by the scripture; and even the saints in their good enterprises may sometimes slip into venial sins.
10:2
See ch. 8. •. 32.
10:3
••nd• 〈◊〉.
10:4
God by this testifie • her holie intention in adorning herselfe.
10:5
Not only certaine meates were forbid by the law Leuis. 11. but in maner al the meates of the Gentiles were vnlawful being offered to idoles, for which cause Daniel and the three children would not eate of the kings meates in Babylon. Dan 1.
Stiped barley.
10:12
She told manie things cuidently true, other things conditionally, as it was like to come to passe, if God sent not better meanes.
10:18
S. Fulgentius probably iudgeth that Iudith was now about fourtie yeares old. Epist. 2. cap. 6.
10:3
St Ambrose of Milan † AD 397 Concerning Widows 7
… For this is that which is said: “Whether ye eat or drink, all is to be done in the name of Jesus Christ,” that even the very refreshment of the body is to have respect to the worship of holy religion. So then, holy Judith,
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Origen † AD 254 Origen's Commentary on Matthew 13.20
… in respect of its connection with that of which it is the cosmos, in the words, “Lest you look up to the heaven, and seeing the sun, and the moon, and all the cosmos of the heavens, you should stray and bow down to them and worship them.” And the like you will find in the Book of Esther, spoken about her, when it is written, stripping off all her “cosmos.”
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2. HER MAIDSERVANT (that is, her handmaid), as I said at chapter VIII and chapter IX, at the end.
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3. SHE ANOINTED HERSELF WITH MYRRH (some wrongly read myrtle), that is, with ointment (for this is μύρον in Greek) THE BEST, — so that she might spread forth a wonderful fragrance from herself, and by it strike the nostrils of Holofernes, just as her beauty struck his eyes and her fair words his ears. Hear St. Augustine or rather St. Ambrose, for his style is evident in this, as the Doctors of Paris noted, sermon 229 On the Seasons, which is On Judith: "The avenger of her people took up the arms of adornments, not going to nuptials from war; but from the city a warrior went forth as a bride. There was no levity in the adornment, which was fitted for the slaying of the hostile enemy. She goes led by the divine spirit, and content with the comfort of her single maidservant. Beauty guards what flatters, and lest chastity guarded be violated by force, she addresses Holofernes, so that desire may be conceived in the morning," namely, of the bond of matrimony, which Judith had in mind, and which she herself would easily have persuaded Holofernes to, if she had wished to strive for it. AND SHE PUT A MITRE UPON HER HEAD. — A mitre is a linen band shining with gems and little golden plates and tremulous ornaments. For this is what רעלה reala signifies, as I said on Isaiah III. The word "mitre" alludes to mithra, which in Persian means the sun; for the sun is crowned as it were with a mitre by its purest and most brilliant rays radiating about. Virgins likewise and the chaste, such as Judith, are as it were certain suns mitred, radiating with the splendors of their chastity all around. AND LILIES, — that is, bracelets in the shape and form of lilies. The Greek is ψέλια, that is, bracelets, arm ornaments, namely, adornments of the hands and arms.
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4. TO WHOM ALSO THE LORD CONFERRED SPLENDOR. — Both by making her adornment appear more beautiful and splendid to men, and truly by breathing upon her face a certain heavenly light and brightness — such as He breathed upon Moses in Exodus, XXXIV, 29, and upon St. Anthony, St. Ignatius, and other eminent Saints, to whom He inspired rays of light, so that holiness might shine forth in their faces. See here a new art of warfare, by which Judith, adorning herself, defends her chastity and the life of her fellow citizens; for other virgins are accustomed to protect their modesty by disfiguring themselves. In the year of the Lord 870, when the Danes invading England approached the monastery of Collingham, Abbess Ebba, in order to protect her own and her sisters' chastity, cut off her own nose and upper lip, and persuaded her sisters to do the same. Wherefore the Danes, rushing in, burned the monastery together with the virgins. Thus Matthew of Westminster relates in his annals, in the year already mentioned. Indeed, they followed the word and deed of St. Pelagia the virgin by similar impulse, who, constrained by similar necessity, lest she suffer the loss of virginity: "Let us die," she said, "or if they will not, let us die. God is not offended by the remedy, and faith washes away the deed," and thus she threw herself from the roof, as St. Ambrose relates, book III on Virgins, and St. Chrysostom in his homily on her praises. BECAUSE ALL THIS ADORNMENT DID NOT DEPEND ON LUST, BUT ON VIRTUE. — Because it proceeded from zeal for liberating her country from destruction and ruin by the tyrant. Hear St. Ambrose, in the book On Widows: "And rightly did she who was about to fight resume the adornments of marriage, because the monuments of marriage are the arms of chastity. For neither could a widow please others or conquer. Why should we pursue other matters, since among so many thousands of enemies she remained chaste? Why should we praise her wisdom, since her counsel is of such a kind, that, while she drew out the powerful man by intemperance, she kept the inferior from herself, prepared the occasion for victory, reserved the merit of abstinence, the grace of modesty?"
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5. SHE PUT THEREFORE IN THE SKIN (of her maidservant) WINE, — that is, a wineskin. For ascopera is a Greek word compounded from ἀσκός, that is, a wineskin, a bag, and πήρα, that is, a pouch, a sack, and signifies a purse, or a bag, in which travelers put their clothes, provisions, and other utensils, and carry them with them. Suidas uses this word, and Suetonius in Nero, saying: "On the neck of another is tied an ascopera, and at the same time a label. What could I do? but you deserved a sack." Others read ἀσκοπήρα, or ἀσκωρύχνη; that is, a wineskin. AND BARLEY MEAL. — Polenta is barley flour, namely barley soaked, then dried, and roasted, and ground in a mill into flour, concerning which I spoke in I Kings XVII. AND CAKES OF FIGS, — that is, masses of dried figs, concerning which Pliny, book XIII, chapter VI. Some wrongly, for "cakes of figs," by metathesis read lapathas. Moreover, Judith brought this provision with her, lest she be forced to eat the food of Holofernes. For the Jews, being more religious, so abhorred association with the Gentiles, that they did not even sustain eating their foods, especially because the Gentiles often offered their foods to their idols, so that they became things sacrificed to idols, concerning which I spoke in I Corinthians VIII. Thus Daniel with his companions, chapter I, 8, would not eat the royal food, but lived on vegetables.
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12. THEREFORE I FLED FROM THEIR FACE. — Many think that Judith here and in the following verses lies, but officiously to free her people, and yet does not sin, because she thought that in such a case in such great necessity it would be lawful, indeed honorable and pious, to lie, as Plato thought, indeed Origen, Cassian and other Fathers, whom I cited in Exodus I. Thus Lyra, Abulensis, Mariana, Emmanuel Sa, and St. Thomas, II-II, Question CX, article 3, to 3. But truly Judith is excused from lying by Rabanus, the Gloss, Hugo, Dionysius, Serarius, Salianus, Sanchez, St. Augustine in the book On Lying, because God directed her in this whole work and preserved her from sin, as she herself says in chapter XIII, verse 16. Judith therefore conceals the truth and speaks ambiguously to the Assyrians, her unjust invaders, in order to destroy them, but does not lie. She says therefore, "I fled," that is, I departed swiftly; for to flee often means the same as to depart swiftly and to tear oneself away from someone, "from their face:" or "I fled," that is, I assumed the appearance and semblance of one fleeing, or of a deserter, and as if a fugitive I came by night into your hands, and I surrender myself to you. Thus Serarius, Sanchez, Salianus and others (1). BECAUSE I FOREKNEW THAT YOU WOULD BE GIVEN TO PLUNDER, — for thus it would truly come to pass, if you regard human reason and providence; for the Hebrews could not by human means and human strength resist the Assyrians; but Judith, relying on a higher counsel and oracle, knew that this would not come to pass except through the heavenly providence and correction of God. 13. I WILL GO TO THE FACE OF THE PRINCE HOLOFERNES, THAT I MAY TELL HIM THEIR SECRETS. — Namely, that the besieged citizens were suffering extreme thirst and hunger, and therefore murmuring against their own princes, and urging them to surrender themselves to Holofernes, etc. But she says: nevertheless this was not the ultimate end, but the mediate one. For she was thinking to bind Holofernes to herself, so that, bound to her and secure, she might slay him when the occasion was given. For, as Salianus rightly observes, it is to be noted here that in a just war, such as was that of the Jews against the Assyrians, not only open force, but also hidden and concealed force, is lawful and just; and those can rightly be led into deception whom it is lawful to lead into death. Deceit and stratagem is by nature indifferent, and receives malice or goodness from the end to which it is referred. Since therefore Judith's end is good, the deceit itself will also be praiseworthy; and the same is to be thought concerning the adornment and beautification of her body.
10:14
14. AND THERE WAS ASTONISHMENT IN THEIR EYES, BECAUSE THEY MARVELED EXCEEDINGLY AT HER BEAUTY. — Therefore the whole attention of their minds was seized and absorbed in beholding and admiring her extraordinary beauty, so that they could neither see nor think of anything else. Judith knew this, and therefore assumed such adornment, that she might capture their eyes and minds, and having captured them, deceive them, and slay Holofernes, and thus scatter his camp. Hear St. Augustine (or rather St. Ambrose or certainly St. Maximus; for many sermons of St. Ambrose are found word for word in St. Maximus, Bishop of Turin; for the style of both is very similar) sermon 228. On the Seasons, which is On Judith: "In which woman the novelty of insidious beauty greatly terrified the hostile army, so that in her service they lost their strength, cast down their arms, and bent their necks. Holofernes is brought to his headquarters with the orders subjected, the fraud of the mourning city and its victory. Learn morally here how dangerous and pernicious is the sight of women: examples of which are Samson, David, Solomon, and a thousand others. Truly Ecclesiasticus XLII, 14: "Better," it says, "is the iniquity of a man than a woman doing good, and a woman bringing confusion and reproach." See the sayings there.
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16. AND THEY LED HER TO THE TENT OF HOLOFERNES. — The Greek texts add: with her maidservant and a chariot joined and a guard of a hundred men. And soon: And he came out (Holofernes) into the vestibule, that is, into the entrance of the tent, and silver lamps preceded him; both because it was night, namely twilight of dawn, as appears from verse 11; and because fire was accustomed to be carried before the kings and princes of the Assyrians, as I said in Jeremiah I, verse 13.
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17. HOLOFERNES WAS IMMEDIATELY CAPTIVATED IN HIS EYES. — Hear St. Augustine, sermon 278 already cited: "When Holofernes saw her, he was deprived of his senses, about to lose his soul with his head. For shame lay captive in the face of the woman, it was permitted to the woman to disarm the young men, and to overcome the victors; to defend the anxious city, and to subvert the barbarous warrior. The sincere deceived the corrupt, the chaste beguiled the polluted, the modest slew the adulterer, the sober cut the throat of the drunkard. For she had so confused those barbarous minds with the fraud of her insidious face, that she bound him with the art of many tales, so that she made him conquered among armies, and captive among arms. " And a little further: "Although that warrior, unhealthily intent on the face of so chaste a woman, attended to her countenance, she nevertheless, for what she had come, was thinking of his head, which being removed she might come to the aid of the failing citizens, and protect, defend, and avenge many heads."
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18. THAT WE OUGHT NOT TO FIGHT AGAINST THEM FOR THIS REASON. — The Greek texts add: Because it is not good that there should remain one man of them who, being dismissed, could deceive the whole earth through such beautiful women as Judith is. Behold they speak the truth, but unknowingly; for they themselves, deceived by the Hebrews through Judith, were slain and put to flight.
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19. SITTING IN A CANOPY: — thus is called a curtain ending above in a sharp cone, and expanded below in a round shape to keep off gnats. Thus Lyra; for κώνωψ is a gnat, and such curtains are wont to be drawn around camp beds and portable beds. Whence the Greek texts have Holofernes sitting upon his bed in a canopy. The Italians and French call it Padiglione.
Machine translation from the Latin, not reviewed.
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · Vulgata Clementina · original Douay-Rheims (Douay 1609-10), transcription by EEBO-TCP (CC0) · La Sacra Bibbia, tradotta dalla Volgata da Antonio Martini (1769-1781) (LaParola (laparola.net), Martini OSIS text, Public domain (LaParola's electronic edition marks it 'Dominio pubblico')). Public domain.