4
Down from the mountains of the north came the Assyrians, with their tens of thousands of soldiers. Their troops blocked the rivers in the valleys; their cavalry covered the mountains.
5
They threatened to set fire to our country, slaughter our young men, dash our babies to the ground, take our children away as captives, and carry off all our young women.
6
But the Lord Almighty tricked them; he used a woman to stop them.
7
Their hero was not slain by young soldiers or attacked and killed by mighty giants. It was Judith, the daughter of Merari, who brought him down with her beauty.
8
She gave victory to the oppressed people of Israel, when she took off her widow's clothes, and put on a linen dress to entice him. She put on her rich perfumes and tied a ribbon around her hair.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.