The Holy Bible, containing the Old and New Testaments, with the Apocryphal books,

CAP. XI.

[verse 1] Thanne Olofernes seide to hir, Euene inwit be thou, and wile thou not dreden in thin herte, for I neuere noȝede man, that wolde serue to king Nabugodonosor. [verse 2] Thi puple forsothe, if it hadde not de|spisid me, I hadde not rerid myn hond vp on it. [verse 3] Now forsothe sei to me, of [for A.] what cause thou wentist awei fro them, and it pleside to thee that thou hast come to vs. [verse 4] And Judit seide, Tac the woordis of thin hand maiden; for, if thou folewist the woordis of thin hand maiden, a parfit thing the Lord shal don with thee. [verse 5] For|sothe Nabugodonosor liueth, king of the [Om. AH.] erthe, and his vertue liueth, that is in thee to the chastising of alle liues er|rende [lyuynge E pr. m. errynge sec. m.] ; for not onli men shul serue to hym bi thee, but and bestis of the feld obeshen to hym. [verse 6] Forsothe the redynesse of thin inwit is told to alle folkis; and it is open to al the world, for thou alone good and myȝti art in al his reume; and thi discipline to alle prouyncis is prechid. [verse 7] Ne that is vnknowen, that Achior spac, ne that is vnwist, that hym thou hast comaundid to fallen. [verse 8] Forsothe it is knowen so oure God offendid to synnes, that he hath sent by his profetis to the puple, that he shal taken it for ther synnes. [verse 9] And for the sones of Irael witen them to han offendid the Lord ther God,

his trembling is vp on hem. [verse 10] Ferthermor also hungir hath asailid hem, and of the droȝte of water now among deade men ben countid. [verse 11] Therfore this thei ordeynen, that ther bestis thei slen, and the blod [verse 12] of hem thei drinken; and the holi thingis of ther Lord, that God comaundide not to be touchid, in [Om. A.] whete, win, and oile, these thingus thei han thoȝt to ȝiuen out, and wiln waste thoo thingus, that with hondus thei shulden not touche; thanne for these thingys thei don, it is certein that in to leesing thei shul be ȝiue. [verse 13] The whiche thing I, thin hand maiden, know|ende, fleiȝ fro them, and the Lord sente me these same thingus to telle thee. [verse 14] I forsothe, thin hand maiden, herie God, also now anent thee; and thin hand maiden shal gon out, and I shal preȝen [verse 15] God; and he shal sei to me, for he shal ȝelde to them ther synne; and comende I shal telle to thee, so that I shal bringe thee bi the myddel of Jerusalem, and thou shalt han al the puple of Irael as shep to whiche [the whiche A.] is no shepperde, and ther shal not berken or [Om. A.] oon aȝen thee; [verse 16] for these thingis to me ben seid bi the prouidence of God. [verse 17] And for God is wroth to them, I am sent these same thingus to telle thee [to thee C.] . [verse 18] Forsothe alle these woordis pleseden beforn Olofernes, and beforn his childer; and thei merueileden at the wis|dam of hir; and the tother [toon A.] seide to the [verse 19] tother, Ther is not such a womman vpon erthe in siȝte, in fairnesse, and [Om. A.] in wit of woordis. [verse 20] And Olofernes seide to hir, God hath do wel, that sente thee befor the puple, that thou ȝeue it in oure hondis; [verse 21] and for good is thi beheste, if thi God do to me these thingus, he shal ben and my God, and thou in the hous of Nabugodo|nosor shalt be gret, and thi name shal be nemned in al erthe.