The Book of Judith is a religious story named after its main character, Judith. It is considered deuterocanonical (a book accepted as part of the Bible by some Christian groups but not by all).
Most scholars agree that the book was first written in Hebrew. However, it was never included in the Hebrew Bible (the holy book of the Jewish people).
Some Christian groups later accepted the book of Judith as part of their Bible. For example:
The third Council of Carthage in AD 397 (a meeting of Christian leaders) accepted it as part of the Bible.
The Council of Trent in AD 1545 (another important meeting of Christian leaders) also accepted it as part of the Bible.
These decisions mean that some Christian groups consider the book of Judith to be an official part of their Bible, while others do not.
Historical Context
The book of Judith was likely written during a difficult time for the Jewish people. Many scholars think it was written during the Maccabean period (a time of Jewish history from about 167 to 63 BC). More specifically, they believe it may have been written during the rule of Antiochus Epiphanes from 175 to 164 BC. Antiochus Epiphanes was a foreign ruler who treated the Jewish people very badly. He tried to stop them from following their religious laws and traditions.
A Jewish person living in Palestine (the ancient name for the land of Israel) probably wrote this book. The writer wanted to encourage other Jewish people to stand strong against their enemies and keep following God's laws.
The main character of the book is Judith. She is shown as a hero who follows God's laws very carefully and is brave and clever when facing great danger.
Summary
Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Assyria, sought help from several nations to help with a war against the Medes, including Palestine. But they all refused to help (Judith 1:7–11). As a result, he vowed revenge on the whole territory (Judith 1:12). After he defeated the Medes and conquered their land, he returned to his capital for four months to strengthen his army (Judith 1:12–16).
Nebuchadnezzar sent a great army against the disobedient nations (Judith 2). The cities along the coast surrendered immediately and the Assyrians destroyed local shrines. They forced people to worship Nebuchadnezzar (Judith 3). The people in Judea heard of this destruction, they determined to stop his advance through clever tactics, and by seeking divine favor (Judith 4:1–15).
Nebuchadnezzar's general, Holofernes, was angered. As he prepared to fight against them, he was told that Israel could not be beaten if God was on their side (Judith 5:5–21). Holofernes continued, cutting off the water supply to Judea and waiting for their surrender (Judith 7:1–18). Israel's leaders begged their king, Uzziah, to surrender to the Assyrians, but he convinced them to wait five more days (Judith 7:19–32).
Judith was a pious widow, who was wealthy and beautiful. She criticized the leaders for doubting God and convinced them that God would deliver them through her (Judith 8:2–36). Judith prayed, dressed in her best clothing, and went into the valley toward the enemy's camp.
She told the Assyrians that she was fleeing from the city and that she wanted to show Holofernes how to defeat the Israelites (Judith 10:11–13). Holofernes welcomed Judith and began listening to her (Judith 10:14–11:4). Cleverly, she implied that the siege was about to make the Israelites sin. She promised to tell Holofernes when the people sinned so he could defeat them (Judith 11:11–19).
When Holofernes ordered her food, she refused. On the fourth night, Holofernes became drunk and Judith cut his head off (Judith 12:5–13:2). She put his head in her bag and brought it to the people (Judith 13:3–11).
When the people heard of what she did, they were filled with joy. The king and the people gave thanks to God and praised Judith for what she did (Judith 13:12–20). Israel planned an attack for the next day (Judith 14:1–4). The Assyrians fled in terror and confusion, and Israel chased them to Damascus (Judith 14:11–15:7).
The priests came from Jerusalem to honor Judith for her bravery, and everyone praised her (Judith 15:8–13). Judith sang a hymn of praise to God for protecting them (Judith 16:1–17). After, everyone went to Jerusalem to worship the Lord for three months (Judith 16:18–20).
The book ends with Judith’s return to Bethulia, where she died at 105 and was buried with her husband, and was mourned for seven days (Judith 16:21–25).