The Book of Judith

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- Chapter 12 -

Judith goes out in the night to pray: she is invited to a banquet with Holofernes.

Then he ordered her to enter where his valuables were stored, and he ordered her to wait there, and he appointed what should be given to her from his own feast.

And Judith responded to him, and she said: “Now, I am not able to eat from these things which you instructed to be allotted to me, lest an offense come upon me. But I will eat from that which I have brought.”

And Holofernes said to her, “If these things that you have brought with you should fail you, what shall we do for you?”

And Judith said, “As your soul lives, my lord, your maidservant will not expend all these things, until God accomplishes by my hand what I have in mind.” And his servants led her into the tabernacle, as he instructed.(a)

And, as she was entering, she requested that it be permitted to her to go outside at night, before daylight, in order to pray and to petition the Lord.

And he instructed his chamberlains that she may exit and enter, just as it may please her, to adore her God, for three days.

And she went out in the nights into the valley of Bethulia, and she washed herself in a fountain of water.

And, as she climbed up, she prayed to the Lord God of Israel that he would direct her way, to the liberation of his people.

And entering, she remained pure in the tabernacle, until she received her own food in the evening.

And it happened on the fourth day that Holofernes made a supper for his servants, and he said to Vagao his eunuch: “Go, and persuade that Hebrew woman to willingly consent to live with me.

For it is disgraceful among the Assyrians, if a woman mocks a man, acting so as to pass through with immunity from him.”

Then Vagao entered toward Judith, and he said, “May she not dread, my good young woman, to enter to my lord, so that she may be honored before his face, so that she may eat with him and drink wine with cheerfulness.”

Judith answered him: “Who am I, that I should contradict my lord?

All that will be good and best before his eyes, I will do. Moreover, whatever will please him, to me, that will be what is best, all the days of my life.”

And she arose and dressed herself with her garments, and entering, she stood before his face.

But the heart of Holofernes was struck. For he was burning with desire for her.

And Holofernes said to her, “Drink now, and recline with cheerfulness, for you have found favor before me.”

And Judith said, “I will drink, my lord, because my soul has been magnified this day, beyond all my days.”

And she accepted and ate and drank in his sight what her handmaid had prepared for her.

And Holofernes became pleased with her, and he drank very much wine, more than he had ever drunk in his life.

Footnotes

(a)12:4 Notice that the word ‘quoniam’ does not receive a corresponding word in English. ‘As your soul lives, my lord, (it is the case) that ‘quoniam’ .... It is sufficient that the meaning of the word is implied.(Conte)

Judith goes out in the night to pray: she is invited to a banquet with Holofernes.

He commanded that she should be brought in where his silver vessels were set, and asked that his servants should prepare some of his own delicacies for her, and that she should drink from his own wine.

And Judith said, “I can’t eat of it, lest there be an occasion of stumbling; but provision will be made for me from the things that have come with me.”

And Holofernes said to her, “But if the things that are with you should run out, from where will we be able to give you more like it? For there is none of your race with us.”

And Judith said to him, “As your soul lives, my lord, your servant will not use up those things that are with me until the Lord works by my hand the things that he has determined.”

Then Holofernes’ servants brought her into the tent, and she slept until midnight. Then she rose up toward the morning watch,

and sent to Holofernes, saying, “Let my lord now command that they allow your servant to go out to pray.”

Holofernes commanded his guards that they should not stop her. She stayed in the camp three days, and went out every night into the valley of Bethulia and washed herself at the fountain of water in the camp.

And when she came up, she implored the Lord God of Israel to direct her way to the triumph of the children of his people.

She came in clean and remained in the tent until she ate her food toward evening.

It came to pass on the fourth day, that Holofernes made a feast for his own servants only, and called none of the officers to the banquet.

And he said to Bagoas the eunuch, who had charge over all that he had, “Go now, and persuade this Hebrew woman who is with you that she come to us, and eat and drink with us.

For behold, it would be a disgrace if we shall let such a woman go, not having had her company; for if we don’t draw her to ourselves, she will laugh us to scorn.”

Bagoas went from the presence of Holofernes, and came in to her, and said, “Let this fair lady not fear to come to my lord, and to be honored in his presence, and to drink wine and be merry with us, and to be made this day as one of the daughters of the children of Asshur who serve in Nebuchadnezzar’s palace.”

Judith said to him, “Who am I, that I should contradict my lord? For whatever would be pleasing in his eyes, I will do speedily, and this will be my joy to the day of my death.”

She arose, and decked herself with her apparel and all her woman’s attire; and her servant went and laid fleeces on the ground for her next to Holofernes, which she had received from Bagoas for her daily use, that she might sit and eat upon them.

Judith came in and sat down, and Holofernes’ heart was ravished with her. His passion was aroused, and he exceedingly desired her company. He was watching for a time to deceive her from the day that he had seen her.

Holofernes said to her, “Drink now, and be merry with us.”

Judith said, “I will drink now, my lord, because my life is magnified in me this day more than all the days since I was born.”

Then she took and ate and drank before him what her servant had prepared.

Holofernes took great delight in her, and drank exceedingly much wine, more than he had drunk at any time in one day since he was born.