Now when the evening had come, his servants made haste to depart, and Bagoas shut his tent without, and dismissed the waiters from the presence of his lord; and they went to their beds: for they were all weary, because the feast had been long.
And Judith was left alone in the tent, and Holofernes lying along upon his bed: for he was filled with wine.
Now Judith had commanded her maid to stand without her bedchamber, and to wait for her. coming forth, as she did daily: for she said she would go forth to her prayers, and she spoke to Bagoas according to the same purpose.
So all went forth and none was left in the bedchamber, neither little nor great. Then Judith, standing by his bed, said in her heart, O Lord God of all power, look at this present upon the works of my hands for the exaltation of Jerusalem.
For now is the time to help your inheritance, and to execute your enterprises to the destruction of the enemies which are risen against us.
Then she came to the pillar of the bed, which was at Holofernes’ head, and took down his fauchion from there,
And approached to his bed, and took hold of the hair of his head, and said, Strengthen me, O Lord God of Israel, this day.
And she struck twice upon his neck with all her might, and she took away his head from him.
And tumbled his body down from the bed, and pulled down the canopy from the pillars; and soon after she went forth, and gave Holofernes his head to her maid;
And she put it in her bag of food: so they two went together according to their custom to prayer: and when they passed the camp, they surrounded the valley, and went up the mountain of Bethulia, and came to its gates.
Then said Judith afar off, to the watchmen at the gate, Open, open now the gate: God, even our God, is with us, to show his power yet in Jerusalem, and his forces against the enemy, as he has even done this day.
Now when the men of her city heard her voice, they made haste to go down to the gate of their city, and they called the elders of the city.
And then they ran all together, both small and great, for it was strange to them that she had come: so they opened the gate, and received them, and made a fire for a light, and stood round about them.
Then she said to them with a loud voice, 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.
So she took the head out of the bag, and showed it, and said to them, see the head of Holofernes, the chief captain of the army of Assur, and see the canopy, in which he did lie in his drunkenness; and the Lord has struck him by the hand of a woman.
As the Lord lives, who has kept me in my way that I went, my countenance has deceived him to his destruction, and yet has he not committed sin with me, to defile and shame me.
Then all the people were wonderfully astonished, and bowed themselves and worshipped God, and said with one accord, Blessed are you, O our God, which have this day brought to nothing the enemies of your people.
Then said Uzziah to her, O daughter, blessed are you of the most high God above all the women upon the earth; and blessed be the Lord God, which has created the heavens and the earth, which has directed you to the cutting off of the head of the chief of our enemies.
For this your confidence shall not depart from the heart of men, which remember the power of God for ever.
And God turn these things to you for a perpetual praise, to visit you in good things because you have not spared your life for the affliction of our nation, but have revenged our ruin, walking a straight way before our God. And all the people said; So be it, so be it.