1 When evening came, his servants quickly departed, and Bagoas shut the tent from the outside and dismissed the waiters from the presence of his lord. They all went to bed, being very tired, for the banquet had lasted a long time.
2 Judith was left alone in the tent as Holofernes was sprawled out on his bed, for he had become unconscious from the wine.
3 Now Judith had instructed her faithful maid to remain outside the bedchamber and wait for her to emerge, just like she did on other days, for she said she would go out to pray, and she had told Bagoas the same thing.
4 So everyone left, with no one great or small remaining in his bedchamber. Then Judith stood next to his bed and said in her heart, “O Lord, God of all strength, look down at this hour on the works of my hands for the glory of Jerusalem.
5 For now is the time to aid Your inheritance, and to help carry out my plan for the destruction of the enemies who have risen against us.”
6 Then she approached the bedpost, near the head of Holofernes. She took out his sword which hung there.
7 She then came closer to the bed, and taking hold of the hair on his head, she said, “O Lord God of Israel, at this moment strengthen me.”
8 Then she struck his neck twice with all her might and cut off his head.
9 She then rolled his body off the bed and tore down the canopy from the posts. Next she stepped outside and gave the head of Holofernes to her maid,
10 who put it into her food bag. Then the two of them together went out to pray, as was their custom. Passing through the camp, they went down around the valley, and up the mountain of Bethulia until they reached its gates.
11 And from a distance Judith cried out to the guards at the gates and said, “Open! Open the gate! God, our God, is with us! He yet shows His strength in Israel and His might against our adversaries, just as He has done this day!”
12 When the men of her city heard her voice, they ran with haste down to the gate of the city and called the elders of the city together.
13 From the least to the greatest they quickly gathered, for they considered it incredible that she had come back, and they thrust open the gate and welcomed the women. They then built a fire for light, and everyone crowded around them.
14 Then with a loud voice Judith said to them, “Praise God! Praise Him! Praise God! For He has not taken away His mercy from the house of Israel, but by my hand He has shattered our enemies this very night!”
15 Then she took the head out of the bag, displaying it to them, and said, “Behold the head of Holofernes, commander of the Assyrian army. And this is the canopy under which he lay in his drunkenness. The Lord struck him dead by the hand of a woman.
16 As the Lord lives, who guarded me in the path I have walked, my face deceived him to his demise. Yet he committed no sin toward me, either to defile me or shame me.”
17 All the people were completely astounded, and they bowed down to worship God, saying with one voice, “Blessed are You, our God, who this very day brought the enemies of Your people to nothing.”
18 Uzziah said to her, “You are blessed by the Most High God, O daughter, above all other women on the earth. Blessed be the Lord God, who created the heavens and the earth, who led you to sever the head of the chief of our adversaries.
19 Your hope in Him will never depart from the hearts of men as they call to mind the power of God.
20 May God grant this to you as an everlasting honor and reward you with blessings. For you did not spare your life on account of the humble state of our nation. Rather, you avenged our calamity, walking a straight path in the presence of our God.” And all the people responded, “Amen! Amen!”