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A courageous
Jewish woman saves the Jewish population of Bethulia from destruction.
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The Assyrian King
Nebuchadnezzar sent his chief general Holofernes to lead an army west to
Judea. On the way, Holofernes plundered numerous towns, so that news
of his approach reached across the land. Despite a warning from one
soldier that the people of the western lands were defended by God, Holofernes
planned to capture the small Jewish town of Bethulia. Hearing of Holofernes'
plot, Judith, a widowed resident of Bethulia, put on beautiful clothes and
jewelry and entered the Assyrian camp, purporting to be a spy against the
Jewish people. She promised to tell Holofernes how to destroy the
Jews; but when Holofernes became drunk at a celebration, she followed him
into his tent and cut off his head. Thrown into chaos by the death
of their leader, the Assyrian army was easily defeated by the Jews of Bethulia,
who celebrated Judith's clever plot against Holofernes. Judith never
remarried, but was celebrated for the rest of her life as the heroine of
Bethulia. |
