Judith Goes to the Camp of Holofernes
1 When Judith had finished her prayer to the God of Israel, 2 she stood up, called her slave woman, and went down into the house as she always did on Sabbaths and festival days. 3 She took off the sackcloth and her widow's clothes, took a bath, and put on rich perfumes. She brushed her hair, tied a ribbon around it, and dressed herself in the fine clothes she used to wear on joyful occasions when her husband Manasseh was still alive. 4 She put on sandals and all her finest jewelry: rings and earrings, and bracelets on her wrists and ankles. She made herself so beautiful that she was sure to attract the attention of any man who saw her. 5 Judith gave her slave woman a leather bag of wine and a jar of oil to carry. She filled a bag with roasted barley, cakes of dried figs, and several loaves of bread baked according to Jewish food laws. She carefully wrapped all the food and dishes and gave them to her slave. 6 Then the two women left the house and went to the gates of Bethulia, where they found Uzziah and the town officials, Chabris and Charmis, standing guard. 7 When the men saw Judith after she had changed clothes and put on make-up, they were struck by her beauty and said to her, 8 “May the God of our ancestors bless you and make your plan successful, so that you may bring glory to Jerusalem and victory to Israel.”
Judith prayed 9 and then said, “Order the gates to be opened for me. I am on my way to do what we were talking about.” Then they ordered the young men to open the gates for her, 10 and Judith and her slave left the city. The men watched her as she went down the mountain into the valley, until she was out of sight.
11 As the two women were walking through the valley, an Assyrian patrol met them. 12 They arrested Judith and questioned her, “What is your nationality? Where did you come from, and where are you going?”
“I am a Hebrew,” she answered, “but I am running away from the Israelites because God is going to let you destroy them. 13 I am on my way to see Holofernes, the general in command of your army, to give him some reliable information. I can show him how to advance into the mountains and take control of the entire region without a single casualty.”
14 The men stared at her because she was so beautiful. They listened to her story and said, 15 “You have saved your life by coming down here to see our general. Some of us will take you to his headquarters and present you to him. 16 Do not be afraid of him. Just tell him what you have told us, and he will treat you well.” 17 They assigned a hundred men to escort Judith and her slave to the headquarters of Holofernes.
18 There was great commotion in the Assyrian camp as news of Judith's arrival spread from tent to tent. While she stood outside the tent of Holofernes waiting to be presented to him, many Assyrian soldiers came and stood around her. 19 They were greatly impressed by her beauty and wondered what kind of people the Israelites were. “Who can have contempt for people whose women are so beautiful?” they asked one another. “We had better kill all the men, or else these Jews will be able to charm the whole world.”
20 Then Holofernes' bodyguard and his personal servants came out and led Judith into the tent. 21 Holofernes was resting on his bed under a mosquito net woven of purple and gold thread and decorated with emeralds and other precious stones. 22 When the men told him that Judith had arrived, he came to the outer part of the tent. Silver lamps were carried ahead of him. 23 When Judith came near him and his servants, they were all astonished at her beauty. She bowed down to the ground before Holofernes, but his servants helped her to her feet.
Judits ge ǁîs ǀapede ra sîsenǂui
1 Judits ge Israelǁîn Elob ǃoas ge ǀgoretoao, 2 khâi, khobos âsa ǂgai tsî oms âs ǃnâ Sabbattsēdi tsî kaitsēdi tsîn ais gere dīs ǁkhās ase sī ge ǂgâ. 3 ǁÎs ge ǃoab saran tsî ǃoatarasaran hîas ge ana hâ ina ǁhû, ǁāsen tsî ǃgomǀgausa ǃgâihamxūn ǀkha ge soposen. ǀÛgu âsa ǀkhabuǃnâ, ǃkhai-e ǀgapa tsî îsa saran, ǁîs aob Manaseb ge ganupe ûitsama i, os gere anana ge ǂgaeǂgā. 4 ǁÎs ge ǀkhapura ǂgaeǂgā tsî ǃgoroǃkhuidi, ǃganudi, ǀkhunuǂnûidadi, ǂgaeradi tsî hoaraga anu-anusenxūna ge ǂnûi. ǁNātikōses ge ge anu-anusen, ǁîsa ra mû khoeb hoab di ǂâisas nî ǂgaese. 5 ǁÎs ge khobosa ǃgapas di ǂauxûi-i, xapab di oli-i, ǁnaruhe hâ ǃhoro-i, ǂnâǂnâsa ǀnoman, ǂgui peren, Jodeǁîn ǂhanuba ǃoa amhe hân tsîna ge mā. ǁNās khaoǃgâs ge hoaraga xapana ǃgami tsî khobosa tanis nîga ge mā. 6 ǁNās khaoǃgâ ra ge Betulias ǂgâdaodi ǃoa ǃgû tsî ǁnāpa Usiab tsî ǃās di kaikha Kabrib tsî Karmib hâkha tsîgu ǀkha ge ǀhao. 7 Khoegu ge Judits ǀkhara sarana ana tsî îsase ǃgâihamxūn ǀkha ais âsa boro hâ ǃkhaisa gu ge mû, o ǁîs di îsasib xa burugâ tsî ǁîs ǃoa ge mî: 8 “Ab Elob, sada aboxagu diba ǀkhae si tsî sa ǀapesa ǃgâiǃgâ kai, în Israelǁîna ǂnīsa ǁkhā tsî hoa ǃkhaidi ai hâ khoena Jerusalemsa ǃgôasiba mā.”
Os ge Juditsa aibe ǀgore 9 tsî ǁnās khaoǃgâ ge mî: “Khoega mîmā, î gu daode ǁkhowa-amba te. Tita ge sada go ǃhoaǁare hâ ina ta nî dīse ra ǃgû.” O gu ge ǁîga ǂkham khoega ge mîmā, î gu ǁîsa daode ǁkhowa-amba 10 tsî ra ge Judits tsî khobos âs tsîra ǃāsa xu ge ǂoa. Khoegu ge ǁîsa ǃhomga xu ǁgôa tsîs ǃgoaǃnāgu ǃnâ nî sī tsî gu nî ǃaruǀî mû si ǁoas kōse gere kō.
11 ǃGoaǃnāgu ǃnâ ra garu hîa ra ge Asiriaǁî toroǃkhamaogu, ǁnā ǀkhariba gere ǃûigu ǀkha ge ǀhao. 12 ǁÎgu ge Juditsa ǃkhōsis ǃnâ ū tsî “Mâ ǃhaos dis a? Mâpa xus ra hā tsî mâǀîs garu?” ti ge dîǃnâ.
Os ge “Tita ge a Hebreǁî, xawe ta ge Israelǁîna xu go ǃkhoeni, Elob nî sado ǁîna hîkākāsa mā-am xui-ao. 13 Tita ge Holoferneb, sago toroǂnubis di ǃkhōdana-aoba ǀhao-ū tsî ta ǁîba ǂhâǂhâsa ǂanǂansa nî māse garu. Tsî ta ge ǁîba ǂhanu daob hîab sîsenū tsî ǀgui ǂoaǃnâ-i tsîn ose hoaraga ǀkhariba gaoǂam ǁkhāba ra ǁgau ǂgao” ti ge ǃeream. 14 Kaises ge îsa i xui-ao gu ge nē khoega ǁîsa ge kōmâ. ǁÎgu ge ǁîs ǂhôasa ǃgâ tsî ge mî: 15 “Sas ge nēpas go ǃnoesase sige toroǂnubis ǃkhōdana-aob ǃoa ǀkhīo, sa ûiba go sâu. ǃHaese ǁîb di tentoms ǃoa ǃgû. ǀNîgu sige digu ge sasa ǁnāǀî ǁnū tsî ǁîba nî sī mâi-aiǃâ. 16 ǁÎb ǀkhas ga ǀhao, os ǁîba nî ǃao ǃkhais ge ǂhâbasa tama hâ; siges go mîban ǁkhāna ǁîba mîba, ob ge ǃgâise nî sîsenū si.” 17 ǁÎgu ge ǁîga xu ǀguikaidisi toroǃkhamaoga, Judits tsî ǁîs di khobos hâra gu Holoferneb di tentoms ǃoa nî ǃgû-ūse ge ǁhûi.
18 ǁNāpab ge kai ǁkhôasasiba Asiriaǁî toroǃkhamaogu di hâǃkhaib ǃnâ ge hâ i, Judits hās di ǂhôas tentomsa xu tentoms ǁga ra khoraǂuisen khami. Holoferneb tentoms aiǃâs mâi-aiǃâhesa ǃâumâ hîa gu ge ǂgui Asiriaǁî toroǃkhamaoga hā tsî ǁîsa ge mâǂnami. 19 ǁÎgu ge kaise ǁîs di îsasib xa burugâ tsî tarebe khoeǃnôan a Israelǁîna ǃkhaisa gere buru. “Tari-e nē ǁaes, nēti ī îsa khoede ūhâsa a ǃharaxū ǁkhā?” ti gu ge ǁîǃnābe gere dîgu. “Age hoaraga aorekhoega ǃgam, ǁnā tamas ka io, on ge nē Jodeǁîna ǁnā ǁkhāsib ǃnâ hâ tsî nî ǂnauǂuiǂaiǃnâ ge ǁkhā.”
20 On ge Holoferneb di ǃûi-aogu tsî ǁîb ǂhunuma ǃgān tsîna ǂoaxa tsî ǁîsa ǁîb tentoms ǃnâ ge ǂgâ-ū. 21 Holoferneb ge ǀûitsin di ǀûis, ǂhoaǀapa tsî ǃhuni ǁapan ǀkha ǂgapuhe tsî emeraldǀuin tsî ǀnî ǃgomǀgausa ǀuin ǀkha ge anihe hâ is ǀkha ǃgū-aisa kharob âb ai ge sâǁgoe hâ i. 22 Khoegu xab ge Judits go hā ǃkhaisa mîbahe, ob ge tentoms di ǃaugab ǁga ge ǂoaxa. ǀHaiǀuri ǃamǀaedi ge ǁîb aiǃâ ge gere tanihe. 23 Judits ge Holoferneb tsî ǁîb di khobona ǃgûǃoa, on ge hoatsama ǁîs îsasib xa ge burugâ. ǁÎs ge ǃhūb kōse Holoferneb aiǃâ ge ǃgamǃgâ, xawen ge ǁîb khobona ǁîsa ge huikhâi.
