Susanna 15-27

Common English Bible

¹⁵ When they were watching closely for the right moment, Susanna came by, just as she had the day before and the day before that, alone with her two female servants. She wanted to bathe in the privacy of the garden, since it was hot. ¹⁶ No one was there except the two elders, who were hidden and spying on her. ¹⁷ She said to her female servants, “Please bring me some olive oil and lotion and lock the gates so I can bathe.” ¹⁸ They did just what she said. They locked the gates to the garden and went through the side doors into the house to fetch the things she had wanted. They didn’t see the elders, since they were hiding.

¹⁹ When the female servants went out, the two elders stood up and ran at her. ²⁰ They said, “Look, the gates are locked, and nobody can see us. We desire you, so do what we want and have sex with us. ²¹ If you don’t, we’ll swear that you were meeting with a young man, and that’s why you sent your female servants away.”

²² Susanna groaned. “I’m trapped! If I do this, it’s death; but if I don’t, I still won’t escape your plotting.^{[a] 23} But I’d rather not do this and fall into your hands, than sin in the Lord’s sight.” ²⁴ So Susanna screamed, and at the same time the two elders called out. ²⁵ One of them ran and opened the gates to the garden.

²⁶ When people in the house heard the shouting in the garden, they ran out through the side doors to see what had happened to Susanna. ²⁷ When the two elders had their say, the servants were very ashamed because nothing like this had ever been said about Susanna.