Judith Remains Faithful to Her Religion
1 Holofernes commanded his men to take Judith to the table which was set with his silverware and to serve her some of his own special food and wine. 2 But Judith refused. “I cannot eat your food,” she said, “for I would be breaking the laws of my God. I will eat only what I have brought with me.”
3 “But what will you do when your food and wine are gone?” Holofernes asked. “Where will we get more food for you? There are no Israelites here in our camp.”
4 “Sir,” Judith answered, “as surely as you live, I have more than enough food to last until the Lord has used me to carry out his plan.”
5 Then Holofernes' personal servants led Judith to a tent. She slept there until the time of the morning watch just before dawn, when she got up 6 and sent a message to Holofernes requesting permission to go out into the valley to pray. 7 Holofernes ordered his guards to let Judith leave the camp. So for three days Judith lived in the camp, and each night she would go out to the valley near Bethulia and bathe at the spring. 8 After she had bathed, she would pray to the Lord God to guide her in her plan to bring victory to Israel. 9 Then she would return to the camp ritually pure and remain in her tent until after the evening meal.
Holofernes' Banquet
10 On the fourth day of Judith's stay in the camp, Holofernes gave a banquet for his highest ranking officers, but he did not invite any of the officers who were on duty. 11 He said to Bagoas, the eunuch who was in charge of his personal affairs, “Go and persuade the Hebrew woman, who is in your care, to come to my tent to eat and drink with us. 12 It would be a shame to pass up an opportunity to make love to a woman like that. If I don't try to seduce her, she will laugh at me.”
13 So Bagoas left Holofernes and went to Judith. “Lovely lady,” he said, “the general invites you to his tent for some drinks. Come and enjoy yourself like the Assyrian women who serve in Nebuchadnezzar's palace. This is a great honor.”
14 “I shall be glad to accept,” Judith answered. “How could I refuse? I'll remember this happy night as long as I live.”
15 So Judith got up and put on her prettiest clothes. Her slave woman went ahead of her and placed on the ground in front of Holofernes the lamb skins that Bagoas had given Judith to sit on when she ate. 16 Judith came into the tent and sat down there. Holofernes was aroused when he saw her and had an uncontrollable desire to make love to her. From the first day he had seen her, he had been waiting for a chance to seduce her. 17 “Join us for a drink and enjoy yourself,” he said to her.
18 “I'll be glad to, sir,” Judith replied; “this is the happiest day of my life.” 19 But even then Judith ate and drank only what her slave had prepared. 20 Holofernes was so charmed by her that he drank more wine than he had ever drunk at one time in his whole life.
Judits ge ǀapeǁguib âs ǀkha ra tsoatsoa
1 Holoferneb ge ǁîb khoega ge mîmā, î gu Juditsa ǁîb ǀhaiǀuri ǂûǃnâxapan hâ ǃkhaib ǃoa ǃgû-ū tsî ǀō-aisa ān tsî ǂûn tsîn ǀkha tāba ǂhomiba. 2 Judits ge ǂkhā tsî “ǂÛ ta kao, o ta nî Elob di ǂhanuba khôa, xui-ao ta ge sa ǂûna a ǂû ǁoa. Tita ge tita hā-ū hâ ǂûn ǀguina nî ǂû” ti ge mî.
3 “Tare-es nî dī sa ǂûn ga toao? Mâpa ge ǀnî ǂû-e nî hōba si? Nēpa i kom ǀguis khami i Israelǁî-i tsîna ǀkhaio?” tib ge Holoferneba ge dî si.
4 Os ge “ǃGôahesatse, sats ûi hâ ǃkhais ao, ti ǃKhūb nî sîsenū te tsî ta ǁîb di ǀapesa nî dīǀoaǀoas kōse ta ge ǂâu hâ ǂû-e ūhâ” ti ge ǃeream.
5 On ge Holoferneb ǃgāna Juditsa ǀnî tentom-i ǃoa ge ǃgû-ū. ǁÎs ge tsuxubǃgâs kōse ge ǁom tsî ǃnauǁgoaga, sores ǁhaib aiǃâ khâimâ 6 tsî Holoferneba ge haisiba, îs ǃgoaǃnāb ǃoa ǁgôa tsî si ǀgoresa mā-amhe. 7 Holoferneb ge ǁîb ǃûi-aoga ge mîmā, î gu tā Juditsa ǂhani. Judits ge ǁaubexa ǃnona tsēde toroǃkhamaogu di hâǃkhaib ǃnâ ge hâ i tsîs ge tsuxub hoaba Betulias ǀgūse ǁgoe ǃgoaǃnāb ǃoa ǃgû tsî ǀaus tawa sī gere ǁāsen. 8 Tsî ǁāsentoas ka, os ge ǃKhūb Elob ǃoa gere ǀgore, îs ǁîs di ǀapes ǃnâ mâxōǀkhāhe tsî Israelǁîna dansa hā-ūba. 9 Tsîs ge tentoms ǃoa gagasise ǃanuse oahā tsî ǃuis ǂûsas nî ǂûtoas kōse tentoms ǃnâ gere hâ.
Judits ge Holoferneba ra ǁhāǁnâdana
10 Hakaǁî tsēs, toroǃkhamaogu di hâǃkhaib ǃnâs ge Juditsa hâ is dis aib ge Holoferneba ǁîb di ǀgapi danakhoega ǂûǁaresa ge dība, xaweb ge nau danakhoegu, sîsenni ai ge hâ i gu xa ǀguib tsîna ge ǁkhauǂui tama hâ i. 11 Ob ge Bagoab, ǂgomǂgomsa ǂammâisa tsî ǁkhāti ǁîb di ǂhunuma xūn di kōǃgâ-aos tsîna ge i ib ǃoa ge mî: “ǃGû îts ǁnā Hebreǁî tarekhoes, sa ǃûiǃgâs ǃnâ hâsa sī gowadan, îs ti tentoms ǃoa ǀkhī tsî sage ǀkha ǂû tsî ā. 12 ǁNāti ī khoes ǀkha ǁgoeǁares ǃēsa ǃkharu kais ge tita taosib ase ība. ǁÎsa ta ga ǂgaeǂhaputsâ tama i, os ge nî âiǂui te.”
13 Ob ge Bagoaba Holoferneba xu Judits tawa sī tsî ge mî: “ǀNamsa khoese, ǃkhōdana-aob Holoferneb ge ǂauxûi-e āǀhaos ǃaroma ǁîb tentoms ǃoa ra ǁkhauǂui si. Hā, î Asiriaǁî tarekhoe-i hîa Nebukadnesari gao-ommi ǃnâ ra ǃoaba-i khami, ǁîb ǀkha ǃgâiaǂgaoǀhao re. Nēb ge a kai ǃgôasi.”
14 “ǃGâiaǂgaob ǀkha ta nî ūǃoa. Mâti ta nî ǂkhā? Tita ge ûi ta hâs kōse nē ǃgâiaǂgaoxa tsēsa ǀuru tide” tis ge ge ǃeream.
15 Os ge Juditsa khâi tsî ǁîs di hoan xa îsa sarana ge ana. ǁÎs di khobos ge ǁîs aiǃâ ǃgû tsî Holoferneb ais ai Bagoab xas ge Juditsa ǂûs ka, os nî ǂnû-ai ga māhe hâ i ǂgoaga ge ǀgâiǁgui. 16 Tsîs ge Juditsa tentoms ǃnâ ǂgâ tsî ǁnā ǂgoagu ai ge ǂnû. Holoferneb ge ǁîsa mû, ob ge ǁkhae-aihe ǁoasa turaba ǁîs ǀkhab nî ǀnamma ǀhuruse ge hō. ǂGuro tsēs hîab ge ǁîsa a mûsa xub ge ǁîsab nî ǂgaeǂhapu ǁaeb ǀguiba ge ǃâu hâ i. 17 Ob ge Holoferneba “Toxopa, sige ǀkha ā, î ǃgâiǃgâisen re” ti ǁîs ǃoa ge mî.
18 Os ge Juditsa ge ǃeream: “ǃGôahesatse, ǃgâiaǂgaob ǀkha ta nî ā, nēs a ti ûib ǃnâ ǂoaǂamsa tsē xui-ao.” 19 Xawes ge Juditsa ǁîs di khobos xas ge aiǂhomibahe hâ i ā-i tsî ǂûn ǀguina ǂû tsî gere ā. 20 Holoferneb ge kaise ǁîs xa ge ǃgâibahe i tsîb ge ǁîb di hoaraga ûib ǃnâb ge noxopa ǂauxûi-e ā tama hâ i khami ge ā.
