Judith 12

1 Καὶ ἐκέλευσεν εἰσαγαγεῖν αὐτὴν οὗ ἐτίθετο τὰ ἀργυρώματα, καὶ αὐτοῦ συνέταξε καταστρῶσαι αὐτῇ ἀπὸ τῶν ὀψοποιημάτων αὐτοῦ, καὶ τοῦ οἴνου αὐτοῦ πίνειν.

2 Καὶ εἶπεν Ἰουδὶθ, οὐ φάγομαι ἐξ αὐτῶν, ἵνα μὴ γένηται σκάνδαλον, ἀλλʼ ἐκ τῶν ἠκολουθηκότων μοι χορηγηθήσεται.

3 Καὶ εἶπε πρὸς αὐτὴν Ὀλοφέρνης, ἐὰν δὲ ἐκλίπῃ τὰ ὄντα μετὰ σοῦ, πόθεν ἐξοίσομέν σοι δοῦναι ὅμοια αὐτοῖς; οὐ γάρ ἐστι μεθʼ ἡμῶν ἐκ τοῦ ἔθνους σου.

4 Καὶ εἶπεν Ἰουδὶθ πρὸς αὐτὸν, ζῇ ἡ ψυχη σου, κύριέ μου, ὅτι οὐ δαπανήσι ἡ δούλη σου τὰ ὄντα μετʼ ἐμοῦ, ἕως ἂν ποιήσῃ Κὺριος ἐν χειρί μου ἃ ἐβουλεύσατο.

5 Καὶ ἠγάγοσαν αὐτὴν οἱ θεράποντες Ὀλοφέρνου εἰς τὴν σκηνὴν, καὶ ὕπνωσε μέχρι μεσούσης τῆς νυκτός· καὶ ἀνέστη πρὸς τὴν ἑωθινὴν φυλακὴν,

6 καὶ ἀπέστειλε πρὸς Ὀλοφέρνην, λέγουσα, ἐπιταξάτω δὴ ὁ κύριός μου, ἐᾶσαι τὴν δούλην σου ἐπὶ προσευχὴν ἐξελθεῖν.

7 Καὶ προσέταξεν Ὀλοφέρνης τοῖς σωματοφύλαξι μὴ διακωλύειν αὐτήν· καὶ παρέμεινεν ἐν τῇ παρεμβολῇ ἡμέρας τρεῖς, καὶ ἐξεπορεύετο κατὰ νύκτα εἰς τὴν φάραγγα Βετυλούα, καὶ ἐβαπτίζετο ἐν τῇ παρεμβολῇ ἐπὶ τῆς πηγῆς τοῦ ὕδατος.

8 Καὶ ὡς ἀνέβη, ἐδέετο τοῦ Κυρίου Θεοῦ Ἰσραὴλ κατευθύναι τὴν ὁδὸν αὐτῆς εἰς ἀνάστεμα τῶν υἱῶν τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτοῦ.

9 Καὶ εἰσπορευομένη καθαρὰ παρέμενε τῇ σκηνῇ, μέχρις οὗ προσηνέγκατο τὴν τροφὴν αὐτῆς πρὸς ἑσπέραν.

10 Καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ τετάρτῃ, ἐποίησεν Ὀλοφέρνης πότον τοῖς δούλοις αὐτοῦ μόνοις, καὶ οὐκ ἐκάλεσεν εἰς τὴν χρῆσιν οὐδένα τῶν πρὸς ταῖς χρείαις.

11 Καὶ εἶπε Βαγώᾳ τῷ εὐνούχῳ, ὃς ἦν ἀφεστηκὼς ἐπὶ πάντων τῶν αὐτοῦ, πεῖσον δὴ πορευθεὶς τὴν γυναῖκα τὴν Ἑβραίαν ἥ ἐστι παρὰ σοὶ, τοῦ ἐλθεῖν πρὸς ἡμᾶς, καὶ φαγεῖν καὶ πιεῖν μεθʼ ἡμῶν.

12 Ἰδοὺ γὰρ αἰσχρὸν τῷ προσώπῳ ἡμῶν, εἰ γυναῖκα τοιαύτην παρήσομεν οὐχ ὁμιλήσαντες αὐτῇ, ὅτι ἐὰν ταύτην μὴ ἐπισπασώμεθα, καταγελάσεται ἡμῶν.

13 Καὶ ἐξῆλθε Βαγώας ἀπὸ προσώπου Ὀλοφέρνου, καὶ εἰσῆλθε πρὸς αὐτὴν, καὶ εἶπε, μὴ ὀκνησάτω δὴ ἡ παιδίσκη ἡ καλὴ αὕτη ἐλθοῦσα πρὸς τὸν κύριόν μου, δοξασθῆναι κατὰ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ, καὶ πίεσαι μεθʼ ἡμῶν εἰς εὐφροσύνην οἶνον, καὶ γενηθῆναι ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ταύτῃ ὡς θυγάτηρ μία τῶν υἱῶν Ἀσσοὺρ, αἳ παρεστήκασιν ἐν οἴκῳ Ναβουχοδονόσορ.

14 Καὶ εἶπε πρὸς αὐτὸν Ἰουδίθ, καὶ τίς εἰμι ἐγὼ ἀντεροῦσα τῷ κυρίῳ μου; ὅτι πᾶν ὃ ἔσται ἐν τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς αὐτοῦ ἀρεστὸν, σπεύσασα ποιήσω, καὶ ἔσται τοῦτο ἀγαλλίαμα ἕως ἡμέρας θανάτου μου.

15 Καὶ διαναστᾶσα ἐκοσμήθη τῷ ἱματισμῷ καὶ παντὶ τῷ κόσμῳ τῷ γυναικείῳ· καὶ προσῆλθεν ἡ δούλη αὐτῆς, καὶ ἔστρωσεν αὐτῇ κατέναντι Ὀλοφέρνου χαμαὶ τὰ κώδια, ἃ ἔλαβε παρὰ Βαγώου εἰς τὴν καθημερινὴν δίαιταν αὐτῆς, εἰς τὸ ἐσθίειν κατακλινομένην ἐπʼ αὐτῶν.

16 Καὶ εἰσελθοῦσα ἀνέπεσεν Ἰουδίθ, καὶ ἐξέστη ἡ καρδία Ὀλοφέρνου ἐπʼ αὐτὴν, καὶ ἐσαλεύθη ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτοῦ· καὶ ἦν κατεπίθυμος σφόδρα τοῦ συγγενέσθαι μετʼ αὐτῆς· καὶ ἐτήρει καιρὸν τοῦ ἀπατῆσαι αὐτὴν, ἀφʼ ἧς ἡμέρας εἶδεν αὐτήν.

17 Καὶ εἶπε πρὸς αὐτὴν Ὀλοφέρνης, πίε δὴ, καὶ γενήθητι μεθʼ ἡμῶν εἰς εὐφροσύνην.

18 Καὶ εἶπεν Ἰουδὶθ, πίομαι δὴ, κύριε, ὅτι ἐμεγαλύνθη τὸ ζῇν μου ἐν ἐμοὶ σήμερον παρὰ πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας τῆς γενέσεώς μου.

19 Καὶ λαβοῦσα ἔφαγε καὶ ἔπιε κατέναντι αὐτοῦ ἃ ἡτοίμασεν ἡ δούλη αὐτῆς.

20 Καὶ ηὐφράνθη Ὀλοφέρνης ἀπʼ αὐτῆς, καὶ ἔπιεν οἶνον πολὺν σφόδρα ὅσον οὐκ ἔπιε πώποτε ἐν ἡμέρᾳ μιᾷ ἀφʼ οὗ ἐγεννήθη.

1 Then he commanded to bring her in where his plate was set; and bade that they should prepare for her of his own meats, and that she should drink of his own wine.

2 And Judith said, I will not eat thereof, lest there be an offence: but provision shall be made for me of the things that I have brought.

3 Then Holofernes said unto her, If thy provision should fail, how should we give thee the like? for there be none with us of thy nation.

4 Then said Judith unto him, As thy soul liveth, my lord, thine handmaid shall not spend those things that I have, before the Lord work by mine hand the things that he hath determined.

5 Then the servants of Holofernes brought her into the tent, and she slept till midnight, and she arose when it was toward the morning watch,

6 and sent to Holofernes, saying, Let my lord now command that thine handmaid may go forth unto prayer.

7 Then Holofernes commanded his guard that they should not stay her: thus she abode in the camp three days, and went out in the night into the valley of Bethulia, and washed herself in a fountain of water by the camp.

8 And when she came out, she besought the Lord God of Israel to direct her way to the raising up of the children of her people.

9 So she came in clean, and remained in the tent, until she did eat her meat at evening.

10 And in the fourth day Holofernes made a feast to his own servants only, and called none of the officers to the banquet.

11 Then said he to Bagoas the eunuch, who had charge over all that he had, Go now, and persuade this Hebrew woman which is with thee, that she come unto us, and eat and drink with us.

12 For, lo, it will be a shame for our person, if we shall let such a woman go, not having had her company; for if we draw her not unto us, she will laugh us to scorn.

13 Then went Bagoas from the presence of Holofernes, and came to her, and he said, Let not this fair damsel fear to come to my lord, and to be honoured in his presence, and drink wine, and be merry with us, and be made this day as one of the daughters of the Assyrians, which serve in the house of Nabuchodonosor.

14 Then said Judith unto him, Who am I now, that I should gainsay my lord? surely whatsoever pleaseth him I will do speedily, and it shall be my joy unto the day of my death.

15 So she arose, and decked herself with her apparel and all her woman's attire, and her maid went and laid soft skins on the ground for her over against Holofernes, which she had received of Bagoas for her daily use, that she might sit and eat upon them.

16 Now when Judith came in and sat down, Holofernes his heart was ravished with her, and his mind was moved, and he desired greatly her company: for he waited a time to deceive her, from the day that he had seen her.

17 Then said Holofernes unto her, Drink now, and be merry with us.

18 So 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.

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

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