1. In Babylon there lived a man named Joakim,
2. who was married to Susanna, daughter of Hilkiah. Susanna was a beautiful woman and deeply religious.
3. Her parents were devout Jews who had brought up their daughter to live according to the Law of Moses.
4. Her husband Joakim was very wealthy. Lovely gardens surrounded his house, and the other Jews often gathered there for meetings, because they all thought so highly of him.
5-6. Everyone who had a legal case to present would also go to Joakim's house, where two judges held court. These two leaders of the Jewish community had recently been appointed to office. They were the ones about whom the Lord said, “There is wickedness in Babylon; judges are failing to give guidance to the people.”
7. Every day at noon, when all the people left for lunch, Susanna used to take a walk in the gardens.
8. The two judges were so attracted to her that they would wait about and watch for her.
9. They became so obsessed with their desire for her that they lost interest both in prayer and in their responsibility as judges.