“Then the high priest Joakim, and the elders of the Israelites who lived in Jerusalem, came to witness the good things that the Lord had done for Israel. They wanted to see Judith and wish her well. When they met her, they all blessed her with one accord. They said to her.
‘You are the glory of Jerusalem!
You are the great boast of Israel!
You are the great pride of our nation!
You have done all this with your own hand.
You have done great good to Israel.
God is well pleased with it.
May the Almighty Lord bless you forever!’
All the people said. ‘Amen.’”
The high priest Joakim and the Israelite elders came to see Judith and wish her well. They blessed her. They called her, the glory of Jerusalem, the great boast of Israel, the pride of their nation. She did all this by herself. God was well pleased with her. She should be blessed forever. Of course, all the people chimed in with ‘Amen.’ This praise rests heavily on Judith rather than God.
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 