Judith prays. She knows what time the sacrifices are being offered in the Temple in Jerusalem, and at the time of the evening incense being offered, her prayer rises with that incense.
She recalls the story of Dinah, who was raped by the foreign prince Shechem. Her brothers, Jacob’s sons, paid him back by deceit. They were outnumbered, and couldn’t carry the fight to Shechem and his people, but they persuaded Shechem that he could have Dinah as his wife if he and all his fellow men were circumcised. While they were still sore after the procedure, Jacob’s sons attacked.
Jacob was a trickster, and Judith is planning something in his honour. We don’t know what it is yet, but she prays that God, who is on the side of the humble and oppressed, will give her plans success.
No comments:
Post a Comment