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.
Judith 12
Common English Bible
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.
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
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Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
