12 Then he commanded them to bring her in to where his table was set, and he ordered them to place before her some of his own food and wine to drink.
2 But Judith said, “I won’t eat this, or it will be an offense. I’ll have enough to eat from what I brought with me.”
3 Holofernes said to her, “But if your supply runs out, where can we get similar food for you, since there is no one else here from your nation?”
4 Judith said to him, “As surely as you live, my master, your slave woman won’t use up what she brought, before the Lord accomplishes by my hand what he has determined.”
5 Then Holofernes’ attendants led her into the tent, and she slept there until the middle of the night. She got up when it was the first watch of the morning 6 and sent word to Holofernes, saying, “Please, my master, issue an order permitting your servant to go out and pray.” 7 So Holofernes ordered his bodyguards not to stop her. She remained in the camp for three days. Each night she went out to the Bethulia Valley and bathed in the spring of water near the camp. 8 When she came up from the water, she would pray to the Lord God of Israel to direct her way so as to uplift the children of her[a] people. 9 Then she returned purified to the tent and remained there until evening time, when her food was brought to her.
Holofernes throws a banquet
10 On the fourth day Holofernes hosted a party for his closest attendants and didn’t send an invitation to anyone besides them. 11 He said to Bagoas the eunuch, who looked after his property, “Go and persuade the Hebrew woman who is in your care to come join us and eat and drink with us. 12 It would be a shame for us to let such a woman go without having sex with her. If we don’t reel her in, she’ll laugh at us.”
13 So Bagoas left Holofernes and went to her and said, “Don’t let this pretty female servant delay in coming to my master, to be honored in his presence, to enjoy drinking wine with us, and to become today like one of the Assyrian women who are present in Nebuchadnezzar’s house.”
14 Then Judith said to him, “Who am I to argue with my master? Whatever pleases him I will do quickly, and it will be my joy until the day I die.” 15 She arose and dressed in all of her woman’s adornments. Her servant went out with the sheepskins that Bagoas had given to her for daily use while reclining and eating, and spread these out on the floor in front of Holofernes.
16 When Judith entered the tent and lay down, Holofernes’ heart was struck by her, he was shaken to the core, and he was very eager to have sex with her. He had been looking for an opportunity to seduce her since the day when he first saw her. 17 So Holofernes said to her, “Please, join us for a drink and enjoy yourself with us.”
18 Judith said, “I will certainly drink, my master, because today is the best day of my life since the day I was born.” 19 Then she ate and drank before him the food prepared by her servant. 20 Holofernes was very pleased with her, and he drank a large amount of wine, more than he had ever drunk in any single day since the day he was born.
Footnotes
- Judith 12:8 Other sources read his.