21. “If our town is taken by the enemy, the entire region of Judah will then fall, and our Temple in Jerusalem will be looted. And God will make us pay with our lives for allowing the Temple to be defiled.
22. He will hold us responsible for the slaughter and captivity of our people and for the destruction of the land we have inherited. We will be despised and mocked by the people in those nations to which we will be taken as slaves.
23. We are not going to win the favour of our enemies by surrendering to them now. If we do surrender, the Lord our God will see that we are put to shame.
24. “No, my friends, we should set an example for our own people. Not only their lives, but the fate of the Temple and the altar depend on us.
25. The Lord our God is putting us to the test, just as he tested our ancestors, and we should be thankful for that.
26. Remember how he put Abraham and Isaac to the test, and what happened to Jacob while he was working as a shepherd for his uncle Laban in Mesopotamia.
27. God is not testing our loyalty as severely as he did theirs. God is not sending this punishment on us as revenge, but as a warning to us who worship him.”
28. Then Uzziah answered Judith, “Everything you have said makes good sense, and no one can argue with it.
29. This is not the first time you have shown wisdom. Ever since you were a child, all of us have recognized the soundness and maturity of your judgement.
30. But our people are dying of thirst. They forced us to say what we did and to make a solemn promise, which we cannot break.
31. So now, since you are a deeply religious woman, pray for our people; ask the Lord to send rain to fill our cisterns, so that we can get our strength back.”
32. “All right,” Judith replied, “I am going to do something which our Jewish people will never forget.
33. Tonight, the three of you must stand guard at the gate so that my slave woman and I can leave the town. And before the day comes on which you have promised to surrender, the Lord will use me to rescue the people of Israel.
34. But you must not ask me what I am going to do; I will explain it to you when it is all over.”
35. Uzziah and the other officials said to her, “You have our blessing. May the Lord our God guide you as you take revenge on our enemies.” Then they left Judith's roof-top shelter and returned to their posts.