¶The .xii. Chapter.
1 Iudith woulde not pollute her selfe with the meate of the Gentiles. 5 She ma∣keth her request that she might go out by night to pray. 11 Holophernes causeth her to come to the banquet.
[unspec A] 1 THen commaunded he her to go in where his treasure lay, and char∣ged that she shoulde haue her dwellyng there, and appoynted what shoulde be geuen her from his table.
2 Iudith aunswered him, and saide: As for the meate that thou hast commaun∣ded to geue me, I may not eate of it as now, lest I displease my God: but wyll eate of such as I haue brought with me.
3 Then saide Holophernes vnto her: If these thinges that thou hast brought with thee fayle, what shall we do vnto thee?
4 And Iudith saide: As thy soule ly∣ueth my Lorde, thy handmayden shall not spend all this, tyl God hath brought to passe in my hande the thinges that I haue deuised. So his seruauntes brought her into the tent whereas he had appoynted.
5 And as she was going in, she desired that she might haue leaue to go foorth by night and before day to her prayer, and to make intercession vnto the Lord.
6 Then commaunded Holophernes his chamberlaynes, that she should go out and in at her pleasure, to pray vnto God those three dayes.
[unspec B] 7 And so in the night season she went foorth into the valley of Bethulia, and washed her selfe in the well water.
8 And comming vp, she besought the Lorde God of Israel that he woulde prosper her way for the deliueraunce of his people.
9 And so she went in, & remayned cleane in her tent, tyll she toke her meate in the euening.
10 Vpon the fourth day it came to passe that Holophernes made a supper vnto his seruauntes, and saide vnto Vagao his chamberlayne: Go thy way, & coun∣sell this Hebruesse, that she may be wyl∣ling to consent to kepe company with me:
11 For it were a shame vnto all the Assy∣rians, that a woman shoulde so laugh a man to scorne, that she were come from him vnmedled withall.
12 Then went Vagao vnto Iudith, and saide: Let not the good daughter be a∣frayde to come in to my lorde, that she may be honoured before him, that she may eate and drinke wine and be mery with him.
13 Vnto whom Iudith aunswered: Who [unspec C] am I, that I shoulde say my lorde nay?
14 Whatsoeuer is good and best before his eyes, I shal do it: and looke what is his pleasure, that shall I thinke well done as long as I lyue.
15 So she stoode vp, and deckt her selfe with her apparell, and went in & stoode before him.
16 And Holophernes heart was whole moued: for he brent in desire towarde her.
17 And Holophernes saide vnto her: Drinke nowe and sit downe & be mery, for thou hast founde fauour before me.
18 Then saide Iudith: Syr, I wyll drinke, for my minde is meryer to day then euer it was in all my lyfe.
16 And she toke, and did eate, and dranke [unspec D] before him, the thinges that her may∣den had prepared for her.
20 And Holophernes was mery with her, and dranke more wine then euer he did afore in his lyfe.