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Judit 12
Dios Habla Hoy
Judit 12
Dios Habla Hoy
Judit se queda en el campamento
12 Holofernes ordenó que la llevaran a donde tenía su vajilla de plata, y que le sirvieran una cena de sus propios manjares y de su vino. 2 Pero Judit dijo:
—No comeré de esa comida, para no faltar a nuestras leyes. Yo he traído mis propias provisiones.
3 Holofernes le respondió:
—Pero si se te acaban tus provisiones, ¿de dónde vamos a darte alimentos iguales? No hay aquí, entre nosotros, ninguna otra persona de tu nación.
4 —¡Por vida de Su Excelencia —contestó Judit—, no se acabarán mis provisiones antes que el Señor haya realizado por mi medio lo que tiene decidido!
5 Los servidores de Holofernes la llevaron a la tienda, y ella durmió hasta la media noche. Hacia la madrugada se levantó, 6 y mandó este recado a Holofernes: «Ordene Su Excelencia que me permitan salir a orar.» 7 Holofernes ordenó a los soldados de su guardia personal que la dejaran salir.
Así permaneció Judit en el campamento durante tres días. Por la noche salía al valle de Betulia y se bañaba en el manantial que había junto al puesto de avanzada. 8 Al regresar pedía al Señor, Dios de Israel, que le facilitara la manera de sacar de apuros a su pueblo. 9 Depués de haberse purificado, volvía a la tienda y se quedaba en ella hasta que le traían su comida, hacia el atardecer.
Judit es invitada al banquete de Holofernes
10 Al cuarto día, Holofernes dio un banquete a sus servidores, sin invitar a los otros oficiales, 11 y dijo a Bagoas, su hombre de confianza que estaba al frente de todas sus cosas:
—Ve y convence a la hebrea que está bajo tu cuidado de que venga a comer y beber con nosotros. 12 Sería una vergüenza para mí no disfrutar de la compañía de una mujer como ella. Si no la conquisto, se burlará de mí.
13 Bagoas se retiró, fue a ver a Judit y le dijo:
—No te niegues, encantadora jovencita, y acepta el honor de hacerle compañía a mi señor. Ven a beber vino alegremente con nosotros, y sé hoy como las mujeres asirias que viven en el palacio de Nabucodonosor.
14 Judit respondió:
—¿Y quién soy yo para negarle algo a Su Excelencia? Con todo gusto haré lo que a él le parezca. Ésta será para mí la mayor satisfacción de toda mi vida.
15 Y se levantó y se puso un vestido elegante y todos sus adornos femeninos. Su criada se adelantó y, delante de Holofernes, extendió para Judit, en el suelo, las pieles de oveja que Bagoas le había dado para que ella las usara todos los días, tomando sus comidas recostada sobre ellas. 16 Apenas entró Judit y se sentó, Holofernes sintió una terrible pasión por ella y un grandísimo deseo de gozarla; desde el primer día que la vio estaba esperando el momento de seducirla. 17 Holofernes le dijo:
—¡Bebe y diviértete con nosotros!
18 —Con todo gusto, Excelencia —respondió Judit—; éste es el día más grande de toda mi vida.
19 En seguida empezó a comer y beber delante de él lo que su criada le había preparado. 20 Holofernes estaba tan contento de verla que bebió demasiado vino, más del que nunca en toda su vida había bebido en un solo día.
Judith 12
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Judith 12
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 12
1 Then he ordered them to lead her into the room where his silver dinnerware was kept, and ordered them to set a table for her with his own delicacies to eat and his own wine to drink. 2 But Judith said, “I cannot eat any[a] of them, because it would be a scandal.(A) Besides, I will have enough with the things I brought with me.” 3 Holofernes asked her, “But if your provisions give out, where can we get more of the same to provide for you? None of your people are with us.” 4 Judith answered him, “As surely as you live, my lord, your servant will not use up her supplies before the Lord accomplishes by my hand what he has determined.”
5 Then the attendants of Holofernes led her to her tent, where she slept until the middle of the night. Toward the early morning watch, she rose(B) 6 and sent this message to Holofernes, “Give orders, my lord, to let your servant go out for prayer.” 7 So Holofernes ordered his guards not to hinder her. Thus she stayed in the camp three days. Each night she went out to the valley of Bethulia, where she bathed herself[b] at the spring of the camp.(C) 8 After bathing, she prayed to the Lord, the God of Israel, to direct her way for the triumph of her people. 9 Then she returned purified to the tent and remained there until her food was brought to her toward evening.(D)
Judith at the Banquet of Holofernes. 10 On the fourth day Holofernes gave a banquet for his servants alone, to which he did not invite any of the officers. 11 And he said to Bagoas, the eunuch in charge of his personal affairs, “Go and persuade the Hebrew woman in your care to come and to eat and drink with us. 12 It would bring shame on us to be with such a woman without enjoying her. If we do not seduce her, she will laugh at us.”(E)
13 So Bagoas left the presence of Holofernes, and came to Judith and said, “So lovely a maidservant should not be reluctant to come to my lord to be honored by him, to enjoy drinking wine with us, and to act today like one of the Assyrian women who serve in the palace of Nebuchadnezzar.” 14 Judith replied, “Who am I to refuse my lord? Whatever is pleasing to him I will promptly do. This will be a joy[c] for me until the day of my death.”
15 So she proceeded to put on her festive garments and all her finery. Meanwhile her servant went ahead and spread out on the ground opposite Holofernes the fleece Bagoas had furnished for her daily use in reclining while eating.(F) 16 Then Judith came in and reclined. The heart of Holofernes was in rapture over her and his passion was aroused. He was burning with the desire to possess her, for he had been biding his time to seduce her from the day he saw her.(G) 17 Holofernes said to her, “Drink and be happy with us!” 18 Judith replied, “I will gladly drink, my lord, for today is the greatest day of my whole life.” 19 She then took the things her servant had prepared and ate and drank in his presence. 20 Holofernes, charmed by her, drank a great quantity of wine, more than he had ever drunk on any day since he was born.
Footnotes
- 12:2 Cannot eat any: the food of Gentiles was avoided by pious Jews (see Dn 1:8, 13, 15; Tb 1:10–11) because it might have been prohibited as unclean (see Lv 11:13–44), sacrificed to idols (see Ex 34:15; Dt 32:37–38), or contaminated with blood (see Lv 7:26–27). In addition, eating together symbolized the sharing of life.
- 12:7 Bathed herself: she bathes to purify herself after contact with the Gentiles. Her nightly departure from the camp provides for her escape (cf. 13:10).
- 12:14 Joy: the irony of this response is obvious; see also the joy of 14:9 and Judith’s “new song” in chap. 16.
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Reina-Valera 1960 (RVR1960) 
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New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)
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