id to her: Be of good comfort, and fear not in
thy heart: for I have never hurt a man that was willing to serve
Nabuchodonosor the king.

11:2. And if thy people had not despised me, I would never have lifted
up my spear against them.

11:3. But now tell me, for what cause hast thou left them, and why it
hath pleased thee to come to us?

11:4. And Judith said to him: Receive the words of thy handmaid, for if
thou wilt follow the words of thy handmaid, the Lord will do with thee a
perfect thing.

11:5. For as Nabuchodonosor the king of the earth liveth, and his power
liveth which is in thee for chastising of all straying souls: not only
men serve him through thee, but also the beasts of the field obey him.

11:6. For the industry of thy mind is spoken of among all nations, and
it is told through the whole world, that thou only art excellent, and
mighty in all his kingdom, and thy discipline is cried up in all
provinces.

11:7. It is known also what Achior said, nor are we ignorant of what
thou hast commanded to be done to him.

11:8. For it is certain that our God is so offended with sins, that he
hath sent word by his prophets to the people, that he will deliver them
up for their sins.

11:9. And because the children of Israel know they have offended their
God, thy dread is upon them.

11:10. Moreover also a famine hath come upon them, and for drought of
water they are already to be counted among the dead.

11:11. And they have a design even to kill their cattle, and to drink
the blood of them.

11:12. And the consecrated things of the Lord their God which God
forbade them to touch, in corn, wine, and oil, these have they purposed
to make use of, and they design to consume the things which they ought
not to touch with their hands: therefore because they do these things,
it is certain they will be given up to destruction.

11:13. And I thy handmaid knowing this, am fled from them, and the Lord
hath sent me to tell thee these very things.

11:14. For I thy handmaid worship God even now that I am with thee, and
thy handmaid will go out, and I will pray to God,

11:15. And he will tell me when he will repay them for their sins, and I
will come and tell thee, so that I may bring thee through the midst of
Jerusalem, and thou shalt have all the people of Israel, as sheep that
have no shepherd, and there shall not so much as one dog bark against
thee:

11:16. Because these things are told me by the providenc