Judits di ǀapes
1 Os Juditsa Betulias khoen ǃoa ge mî: “Ti ǃgâsado, toxopa ǃgâ te re. ǁGoaga nē danasa ū, î ǃās di ǂnubiǂgoab ai ǂgāmâi. 2 ǂGaeǂgui-aoba sadu ǃaroma ǁgaumâi, î sores ǁhaib ǀkha sadu ǀgaisa khoega ǀhaoǀhao, î gu ǁîgu ǁâtanina ū tsî ǁnā ǂgaeǂgui-aob ǀkha ǃāsa xu dāǁnâ, ǃgoaǃnāb ǃnâ ǁgôa tsî Asiriaǁîn hâǃkhaiba sī ra ǁnāǂam xū-i khami. 3 O gu ge Asiriaǁî toroǃkhamaoga ǃhaese ǁîgu ǁâtanina ū tsî toroǃkhamaogu di tentomdi ǃoa, ǁîgu di danakhoega gu nî sī ǂkhaiǂkhaise nî ǃkhoe-oa. Danakhoegu ge Holoferneb di tentoms ǃoa nî ǃkhoe, xawe sī hō bi tide tsîs ge hoaraga toroǂnubisa sago xa ǃao tsî nî ǁhâ. 4 O go ge sago tsî mâ Israelǁî-i hoa-e ǁîga ǃgôaǃgon tsî ǁhâ gu ra hîa nî ǃgam. 5 Xawe nēna go nî dīs aiǃâ Axiori, Amonǁîb sada ǀkha nî ǁōse ge ī iba ti ǃoa hā-ū. Tita ge nē danasab nî kō ǃkhaisa ǂhâba hâ, îb nē danas ǁnā khoeb, Israelǁîna gere ǃkhāǃkhāb di tama ǃkhaisa mûǃā.”
Axiori di ǃhobasens
6 On ge Axiora Usiab di omsa xu ge ǂgai. Xawe hā tsîb ge Holoferneb danasa ǀgui khoeb ǃomkha ǃnâ a mû, ob ge Axiora ǂnoaxūsen tsî ǃhūb ai ge ǁnā. 7 Tsî ūkhâiheb ge ob ge ǃgôasib ǀkha Judits aiǃâ ǃgamǃgâ tsî ge mî: “As mâ omaris hîa Judab ǃnâ hâs hoasa koa si tsî sa ǀonsa ra ǁnâu ǁaes hoasa ǃaob xa ǀkhū re. 8 Toxopa, mâtis ge nēsa hōbē ǃkhaisa mîba te re.”
Os ge Juditsa hoaraga khoen ǁîs ǂnamipe mâ hîa, ǃgûs ge tsēsa xu nēs ra ǃhoa ǁaeb kōse dīs ge xūn hoana ǁîba ge mîba. 9 Tsî ǃhoatoas ge on ge khoena ǃgâiaǂgaob xa ge ǃau tsîb ge ǃgâiaǂgaob di ǂkhupiba ǁîn di ǃās ǃnâ gere ǀgana. 10 Tsî Axiori ge Elob ge Israelǁaesa dība xūnab ge mû, o Elob ǃnâ ǁaposase ǂgom. ǁÎb ge aikhōb âba ǃgaohe tsî ge Israelǁaes ǀhûhâsib di ǁani kai ǁîb di ôananôagub ge nēsis kōse ǁnāti hâhâse.
Asiriaǁîn ge ra danhe
11 Sao ra ǁgoagan ge Israelǁîna Holoferneb di danasa ǃās di ǂnubiǂgoab ai ge ǂgāmâi. Tsîn ge hoana ǁâtanin âna ū tsî ǃnandi ǃnâ, ǃās aiǃâ ge ǁgoe i ǃhomgu ai ge ǃgûǂoa. 12 Asiriaǁîn ge tare-i ra ī ǃkhaisan ge mû, o haisi-e ǁîn ǃkhōdana-aogu ǃoa ge sî tsî gu ge ǁîga ǂamkhoega ge mîba. 13 O gu ge nē khoega Holoferneb tentoms ǃoa ǃgû tsî Bagoaba ge mîba: “ǃGôahesatse, ǃkhōdana-aoba ǂkhaiǂkhai re! ǁNā Israelǁîn ge sadan nî ǁnāǂamse ǃhomma xu ra ǁgôaxa; ǁîn ge hoaragase hîkākāhesa ra ǂgan.”
14 Bagoab ge tentoms ǃnâ ǂgâ tsî Holoferneb ganupe Judits ǀkha ǁgoe tib ge ǂâi hâ i xui-ao, dao-ams tawa ge ǃgubu-am. 15 Xawe khoe-i ge ǃeream tama i, ob ge ǁkhowa-am tsî ge ǂgâ tsî Holoferneb sorosa danas oses ǂgapab ai ǁgoese ge hō. 16 ǁÎb ge ǃgari dommi ǀkha ǂgaiǂui, ā, ǃgae, ǃau tsî saran âba ge ǀkhau. 17 Tsîb ge ǁnās khaoǃgâ Judits gere hâ tentoms ǃoa ge ǃgû. ǁÎsab ge hō tama i, ob ge ǃkhoeǂoa tsî danakhoegu ǃoa ge ǃhao: 18 “ǁÎra ge go gāxaǃnâ da! ǀGui Hebreǁî tarekhoes ge gao-aob Nebukadnesari di gao-ommi ǂama taosiba go hā kai. Kō hā re, Holoferneb ge ǃhūb ai ǁōǁgoe tsî danas âb ge a ǀkhai!”
19 Asiriaǁî ǂgaeǂgui-aogu ge nēsa gu ge ǁnâu, o ǃoab xa saran âga ǀkhau tsî kaise ge burugâ. ǁÎgu ge ǃaob xa ge ǃkhōhe tsîb ge ǁîgu di ǃau-āba hoaraga hâǃkhaib ǃnâ gere ǁnâuhe.
Judith's Plan
1 Then Judith said to them, “My friends, please follow my advice. In the morning, take this head and hang it on the town wall. 2 Appoint a leader for yourselves, and at sunrise have all your able-bodied men take their weapons and march out of the town with him, as if they were going down into the valley to attack the Assyrian outpost. 3 The Assyrian guards will grab their weapons and rush back to camp to wake up their officers. The officers will run to Holofernes' tent but will not find him, and the whole army will be terrified and retreat as you advance against them. 4 Then you and all the other Israelites will be able to follow them and kill them as they retreat. 5 But before you do any of this, send Achior the Ammonite to me. I want to see if he recognizes Holofernes, the man who spoke of Israel with contempt and sent Achior to us, thinking he would be killed along with the rest of us.”
Achior's Conversion
6 So they called Achior from Uzziah's house. But when he came and saw the head of Holofernes in the hands of one of the men, Achior fainted and fell to the floor. 7 When they had helped him up, Achior bowed at Judith's feet in respect. “May every family in the land of Judah praise you,” he said, “and may every nation tremble with terror when they hear your name. 8 Please tell me how you managed to do this.”
While all the people were gathered around, Judith told him everything that she had done from the day she left the town until that moment. 9 When she had finished her story, the people cheered so loudly that the whole town echoed with sounds of joy. 10 When Achior heard all that the God of Israel had done, he became a firm believer. He was circumcised and made a member of the Israelite community, as his descendants are to the present day.
Panic in Holofernes' Camp
11 The next morning the Israelites hung the head of Holofernes on the wall of the town. All of them took up their weapons and went out in companies to the slopes in front of the town. 12 When the Assyrians saw what was happening, they sent word to their officers, and these reported the matter to their superiors. 13 These men then went to Holofernes' tent and said to Bagoas, “Wake up the general! Those worthless Israelites have dared to come down from the mountain to attack us; they are just asking to be destroyed.”
14 Bagoas went in and clapped his hands in front of the sleeping quarters of the tent, thinking that Holofernes was in bed with Judith. 15 When there was no answer, he drew the curtain aside and went in, and there he found the headless body sprawled over a footstool. 16 Bagoas let out a yell. He screamed, tore his clothes, and started groaning and weeping. 17 He went into the tent where Judith had stayed, but of course he did not find her. He rushed out and shouted to the officers, 18 “They have tricked us! One Israelite woman has disgraced Nebuchadnezzar's whole kingdom. Look in there! Holofernes is lying dead on the ground and his head is gone!” 19 When the officers heard this, they tore their clothes in grief; and as the panic spread, wild cries and shouts were heard throughout the camp.
