Judith 12

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 Then he commanded them to bring her in where his silver dishes were kept, and ordered them to set a table for her with some of his own food and to serve her with his own wine.	1 Then he ordered them to lead her into the room where his silverware was kept, and bade them set a table for her with his own delicacies to eat and his own wine to drink.
2 But Judith said, "I cannot eat it, lest it be an offense; but I will be provided from the things I have brought with me."	2 But Judith said, "I will not partake of them, lest it be an occasion of sin; but I shall be amply supplied from the things I brought with me."
3 Holofernes said to her, "If your supply runs out, where can we get more like it for you? For none of your people is here with us."	3 Holofernes asked her: "But if your provisions give out, where shall we get more of the same to provide for you? None of your people are with us."
4 Judith replied, "As your soul lives, my lord, your servant will not use up the things I have with me before the Lord carries out by my hand what he has determined to do."	4 Judith answered him, "As surely as you, my lord, live, your handmaid will not use up her supplies till the Lord accomplishes by my hand what he has determined."
5 Then the servants of Holofernes brought her into the tent, and she slept until midnight. Along toward the morning watch she arose	5 Then the servants of Holofernes led her into the tent, where she slept till midnight. In the night watch just before dawn, she rose
6 and sent to Holofernes and said, "Let my lord now command that your servant be permitted to go out and pray."	6 and sent this message to Holofernes, "Give orders, my lord, to let your handmaid go out for prayer."
7 So Holofernes commanded his guards not to hinder her. And she remained in the camp for three days, and went out each night to the valley of Bethulia, and bathed at the spring in the camp.	7 So Holofernes ordered his bodyguard not to hinder her. Thus she stayed in the camp three days. Each night she went out to the ravine of Bethulia, where she washed herself at the spring of the camp.
8 When she came up from the spring she prayed the Lord God of Israel to direct her way for the raising up of her people.	8 After bathing, she besought the Lord, the God of Israel, to direct her way for the triumph of his people.
9 So she returned clean and stayed in the tent until she ate her food toward evening.	9 Then she returned purified to the tent, and remained there until her food was brought to her toward evening.
10 On the fourth day Holofernes held a banquet for his slave only, and did not invite any of his officers.	10 On the fourth day Holofernes gave a banquet for his servants alone, to which he did not invite any of the officers.
11 And he said to Bagoas, the eunuch who had charge of his personal affairs, "Go now and persuade the Hebrew woman who is in your care to join us and eat and drink with us.	11 And he said to Bagoas, the eunuch in charge of his household: "Go and persuade this Hebrew woman in your care to come and to eat and drink with us.
12 For it will be a disgrace if we let such a woman go without enjoying her company, for if we do not embrace her she will laugh at us."	12 It would be a disgrace for us to have such a woman with us without enjoying her company. If we do not entice her, she will laugh us to scorn."
13 So Bagoas went out from the presence of Holofernes, and approached her and said, "This beautiful maidservant will please come to my lord and be honored in his presence, and drink wine and be merry with us, and become today like one of the daughters of the Assyrians who serve in the house of Nebuchadnezzar."	13 So Bagoas left the presence of Holofernes, and came to Judith and said, "So fair a maiden should not be reluctant to come to my lord to be honored by him, to enjoy drinking wine with us, and to be like one of the Assyrian women who live in the palace of Nebuchadnezzar."
14 And Judith said, "Who am I, to refuse my lord? Surely whatever pleases him I will do at once, and it will be a joy to me until the day of my death!"	14 She replied, "Who am I to refuse my lord? Whatever is pleasing to him I will promptly do. This will be a joy for me till the day of my death."
15 So she got up and arrayed herself in all her woman's finery, and her maid went and spread on the ground for her before Holofernes the soft fleeces which she had received from Bagoas for her daily use, so that she might recline on them when she ate.	15 Thereupon she proceeded to put on her festive garments and all her feminine adornments. Meanwhile her maid went ahead and spread out on the ground for her in front of Holofernes the fleece Bagoas had furnished for her daily use in reclining at her dinner.
16 Then Judith came in and lay down, and Holofernes' heart was ravished with her and he was moved with great desire to possess her; for he had been waiting for an opportunity to deceive her, ever since the day he first saw her.	16 Then Judith came in and reclined on it. The heart of Holofernes was in rapture over her, and his spirit was shaken. He was burning with the desire to possess her, for he had been biding his time to seduce her from the day he saw her.
17 So Holofernes said to her. "Drink now, and be merry with us!"	17 Holofernes said to her, "Drink and be merry with us!"
18 Judith said, "I will drink now, my lord, because my life means more to me today than in all the days since I was born."	18 Judith replied, "I will gladly drink, my lord, for at no time since I was born have I ever enjoyed life as much as I do today."
19 Then she took and ate and drank before him what her maid had prepared.	19 She then took the things her maid had prepared, and ate and drank in his presence.
20 And Holofernes was greatly pleased with her, and drank a great quantity of wine, much more than he had ever drunk in any one day since he was born.	20 Holofernes, charmed by her, drank a great quantity of wine, more than he had ever drunk on one single day in his life.