The Israelites Defeat the Assyrians

1When the Assyrian soldiers heard their officers crying, they were terrified 2and started trembling with fear. They ran out of camp in every direction, not waiting for anyone, and tried to escape in the valley and the nearby mountains. 3The soldiers who had camped in the hills around Bethulia also ran away in fear.

Just then, the Israelite troops attacked.

4At the same time, Uzziah sent messengers to the towns of Betomasthaim, Choba, Kola, and other towns in Israel to tell everyone what was happening and to ask them to join in the attack. 5When the people in these towns received the message, they came and helped attack the Assyrians. The Israelites chased their enemies as far as Choba, and along the way they killed many of them. The people of Jerusalem and southern Judea also heard the news and joined in the attack.

Meanwhile, the people living in the regions of Gilead and Galilee blocked the retreating Assyrians, killing many of them and chasing the others into the region of Damascus.

6The rest of the people of Bethulia entered the Assyrian camp and carried off most of the valuable possessions. 7When the Israelite soldiers returned from battle, they took everything else. The amount of things taken from the Assyrians was so large that the people shared the wealth with their neighbors in the surrounding towns and villages.

The Israelites Celebrate Their Victory

8Joakim the high priest and the other leaders of Israel came from Jerusalem to see what wonderful things the Lord had done for Israel. They also wanted to meet and congratulate Judith. 9When they arrived in Bethulia, they said, "Judith, you are the pride of Jerusalem and the hero of our nation Israel. 10You alone won this victory for Israel. The Lord God All-Powerful is certainly pleased with you, and we pray that he will bless you forever."

All the people agreed and said, "Amen."

11For 30 days, the Israelites carried off the wealth of the Assyrian camp. They gave Judith the tent of Holofernes and everything in it, including his silver dinnerware, his bowls, his couches, and the rest of his furniture. She loaded down her mule and filled her carts with these things.

12All the women of Israel came to meet and sing praises to Judith; many of them also danced in her honor. Judith took leaf-covered branches and gave one to every woman who was there with her, 13and they all wore wreaths of olive leaves on their heads. Judith led the women in joyful dancing, with the men following behind, waving their weapons in the air and wearing strings of flowers and singing songs of praise.