CHAPTER 10
1 And it was done, when Judith had ceased to cry to the Lord, she rose up from the place, in which she lay bowed down to the Lord.
2 And she called her free handmaid, and came down into her house; and she took away from herself the hair-shirt, and unclothed herself from the clothing of her widowhood.
3 And she washed her body, and anointed her[self] with best myrrh, and she setted [or pleated] the hair of her head, and setted a mitre on her head, and she clothed her with the clothes of her gladness, and clothed her feet with sandals; and she took the ornaments of arms, and lilies, and earrings, and rings, and she adorned herself with all her adornments or ornaments.
4 To whom also the Lord gave brightness or fairness, for all this ornament [or composition] hanged not of lechery [or lust], but of virtue; and therefore the Lord made large this fairness on her, that by uncomparable fairness, or fairness that might not be comparisoned, she appeared seemly to the eyes of all men [or she appeared to the eyes of all men with fairness uncomparable].
5 And then she putted [or put] upon her free handmaid a bottle of wine to bear with her, and a vessel of oil, and meat made of meal [or pottage], and dried figs, and loaves, and cheese, and they went forth.
6 And when they were come to the gate of the city, they found Uzziah and the priests of the city abiding her.
7 And when they had seen her, they were astonied and wondered [or marvelled] full much on her fairness.
8 Nevertheless they asked her nothing, and they let her pass forth, and said, The God of our fathers give grace to thee, and make strong with his virtue all the counsel of thine heart, and Jerusalem have glory on thee, and thy name be in the number of holy and just men [or be thy name in the number of saints and rightwise men].
9 And all they, that were there, said with one voice, Be it done! be it done!
10 Certainly Judith [or Then Judith] prayed the Lord, and she passed forth through the gates, and her handmaid with her.
11 And it was done, when she came down off the hill about the rising of the day, the spyers [or the spies] of Assyrians met her, and they held her, and said, From whence comest thou, either whither goest thou?
12 And she answered, I am a daughter of Hebrews, and therefore I have fled from the face of them, for I know, that it shall come, that they shall be given to you into prey, for they have despised you, and for they would not betake themselves willfully to you, that they should have found grace in your sight.
13 And for this cause I thought within me, and I said, I shall go to the face or to the presence of the prince Holofernes, for to show to him the privates of the men of Israel, and I shall show to him, by what entry he may get them, so that not one man of his host fall down [or so that there fall not one man of his host].
14 And when those men had heard the words of her, they beheld her face, and wondering was in their eyes, for they wondered greatly on her fairness [or they marvelled full much on the fairness of her].
15 And they said to her, Thou hast kept thy life, for thou hast found such a counsel, that thou wouldest come down to our lord.
16 And know thou this thing, that, when thou standest in his sight, he shall do well to thee, and thou shalt be most acceptable [or most accepted] in his heart. And they led her to the tabernacle of Holofernes, and they showed her to him.
17 And when she had entered before his face, anon Holofernes was taken by [or caught in] his eyes with lust.
18 And his knights said to him, Who shall despise the people of Jews, that have so fair women, that we owe not to fight skillfully against them for these women?
19 And Judith saw Holofernes sitting within a curtain, that is, in a chair, covered with such a curtain, [or Judith seeing Holofernes sitting in the canopy], that was wide beneath, and narrow or sharp above, that was woven of purple and gold, and smaragdus, and most precious stones,
20 and when she had looked into his face, she worshipped [or honoured] him, and bowed down herself on the earth; and the servants of Holofernes raised her up, for their lord commanded so.