Judith 12

Ἰουδίθ

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

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 καὶ εἶπεν Ἰουδίθ· οὐ φάγομαι ἐξ αὐτῶν, ἵνα μὴ γένηται σκάνδαλον, ἀλλ᾿ ἐκ τῶν ἠκολουθηκότων μοι χορηγηθήσεται.

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

Then Holofernes said to her, If your provision should fail, how should we give you the like? for there be none with us of your nation.

4 καὶ εἶπεν Ἰουδὶθ πρὸς αὐτόν· ζῇ ἡ ψυχή σου, κύριέ μου, ὅτι οὐ δαπανήσει ἡ δούλη σου τὰ ὄντα μετ᾿ ἐμοῦ, ἕως ἂν ποιήσῃ Κύριος ἐν χειρί μου ἃ ἐβουλεύσατο.

Then said Judith to him As your soul lives, my lord, your handmaid shall not spend those things that I have, before the Lord work by my hand the things that he has determined.

5 καὶ ἠγάγοσαν αὐτὴν οἱ θεράποντες Ὀλοφέρνου εἰς τὴν σκηνήν, καὶ ὕπνωσε μέχρι μεσούσης τῆς νυκτός· καὶ ἀνέστη πρὸς τὴν ἑωθινὴν φυλακήν,

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

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

And sent to Holofernes, saving, Let my lord now command that your handmaid may go forth to prayer.

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

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 καὶ ὡς ἀνέβη, ἐδέετο τοῦ Κυρίου Θεοῦ Ἰσραὴλ κατευθῦναι τὴν ὁδὸν αὐτῆς εἰς ἀνάστημα τῶν υἱῶν τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτοῦ.

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

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

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

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.

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

11 καὶ εἶπε Βαγώᾳ τῷ εὐνούχῳ, ὃς ἦν ἐφεστηκὼς ἐπὶ πάντων τῶν αὐτοῦ· πεῖσον δὴ πορευθεὶς τὴν γυναῖκα τὴν Ἑβραίαν ἥ ἐστι παρὰ σοί, τοῦ ἐλθεῖν πρὸς ἡμᾶς καὶ φαγεῖν καὶ πιεῖν μεθ᾿ ἡμῶν·

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 you, that she come to us, and eat and drink with us.

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

For, behold, 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 to us, she will laugh us to scorn.

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 πιεῖν μεθ᾿ ἡμῶν εἰς εὐφροσύνην οἶνον καὶ γενηθῆναι ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ταύτῃ ὡς θυγάτηρ μία τῶν υἱῶν Ἀσσούρ, αἳ παρεστήκασιν ἐν οἴκῳ Ναβουχοδονόσορ.

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

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

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 ἐπ᾿ αὐτῶν.

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 καὶ εἰσελθοῦσα ἀνέπεσεν Ἰουδίθ, καὶ ἐξέστη ἡ καρδία Ὀλοφέρνου ἐπ᾿ αὐτήν, καὶ ἐσαλεύθη ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἦν κατεπίθυμος σφόδρα τοῦ συγγενέσθαι μετ᾿ αὐτῆς· καὶ ἐτήρει καιρὸν τοῦ ἀπατῆσαι αὐτὴν ἀφ᾿ ἧς ἡμέρας εἶδεν αὐτήν.

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 καὶ εἶπε πρὸς αὐτὴν Ὀλοφέρνης· πίε δὴ καὶ γενήθητι μεθ᾿ ἡμῶν εἰς εὐφροσύνην.

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

18 καὶ εἶπεν Ἰουδίθ· πίομαι δή, κύριε, ὅτι ἐμεγαλύνθη τὸ ζῆν μου ἐν ἐμοὶ σήμερον παρὰ πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας τῆς γενέσεώς μου.

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

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

20 καὶ ηὐφράνθη Ὀλοφέρνης ἀπ᾿ αὐτῆς καὶ ἔπιεν οἶνον πολὺν σφόδρα, ὅσον οὐκ ἔπιε πώποτε ἐν ἡμέρᾳ μιᾷ ἀφ᾿ οὗ ἐγεννήθη.

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

Greek: the Septuagint as the Orthodox Media Network published it (Mount Athos); 2 Maccabees and the Prayer of Manasseh from Brenton's edition (1851). English: Brenton's translation (1851), its spelling updated by Michael Paul Johnson; public domain. About these texts.