Judith 11

1 Then Holofernes said to her, “Take courage, woman. Do not be afraid in your heart. I have never harmed anyone who chose to serve Nebuchadnezzar, king of all the earth. [a] 2 As for your people who live in the hill country — if they had not made light of me, I would not have lifted my spear against them. They have brought this on themselves. 3 Now tell me why you ran away from them and came over to us, for you have come here for rescue. Take courage: you will live through this night, and on after it. [b] 4 There is no one here who will wrong you. You will be treated well, the way the slaves of my lord King Nebuchadnezzar are treated.”

5 And Judith said to him, “Receive the words of your servant, and let your maidservant speak in your presence. I will tell my lord no lie tonight. [c] 6 And if you follow the words of your maidservant, God will carry a matter through to the end with you, and my lord will not fail in what he sets out to do. [d] 7 For as Nebuchadnezzar king of all the earth lives, and as his power lives — he who sent you to set every living soul right — not only do men serve him because of you, but the wild animals of the field, and the cattle, and the birds of the sky will live by your strength under Nebuchadnezzar and all his house. 8 For we have heard of your wisdom and of the cunning of your soul, and it has been told to all the earth that in the whole kingdom you alone are good — mighty in knowledge, and marvelous in the campaigns of war. [e]

9 And now, the word that Achior spoke in your council — we heard what he said, for the men of Bethulia spared him, and he told them everything he had spoken in front of you. 10 So, master and lord, do not pass over his word, but lay it up in your heart, because it is true. Our people are not punished, and the sword does not prevail against them, unless they sin against their God. 11 And now, so that my lord may not be cast aside and come away with nothing: death is about to fall on their faces, and a sin has taken hold of them by which they will provoke their God to anger, as soon as they do what is not right.

12 Their food has run out and all their water has grown scarce, and they have decided to lay hands on their cattle; and everything that God charged them in his laws not to eat, they have determined to use up. 13 They have decided to consume even the firstfruits of the grain and the tenths of the wine and the oil, which they had set apart and kept for the priests who stand in Jerusalem before the face of our God — things not one of the people is permitted so much as to touch with his hands. [f] 14 They have sent men to Jerusalem to bring them back permission from the council of elders, since the people living there have done these things too. [g] 15 And when the word comes back to them and they act on it, on that same day they will be handed over to you for destruction.

16 So when I, your servant, came to know all this, I ran away from them; and God has sent me to do things with you at which the whole earth will be astonished, everyone who hears of them. [h] † 17 For your servant fears God and serves the God of heaven night and day. And now, my lord, I will stay with you; and your servant will go out at night into the ravine, and I will pray to God, and he will tell me when they have committed their sins. 18 Then I will come and report it to you, and you will go out with all your force, and there is not one of them who will stand against you. 19 And I will lead you through the middle of Judah until you come opposite Jerusalem, and I will set your seat in the middle of it. You will drive them like sheep that have no shepherd, and not a dog will growl at you with its tongue. All this was told me by what I was given to know beforehand; it was announced to me, and I was sent to tell you.” [i]

20 Her words pleased Holofernes and all his servants, and they marveled at her wisdom and said, 21 “There is no woman like her from one end of the earth to the other, for beauty of face and understanding of words.” 22 And Holofernes said to her, “God has done well to send you ahead of your people, so that power may come into our hands, and destruction on those who made light of my lord. 23 And now you are lovely in your appearance and good in your words. If you do as you have said, your God will be my God, and you will sit in the house of King Nebuchadnezzar, and you will be renowned throughout the whole earth.”