Judith:12
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Then he commanded to bring her in where his plate was set ;
and bade that they should prepare for her of his own meats ,
and that she should drink of his own wine .
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And Judith said ,
I will not eat thereof ,
lest there be an offence :
but provision shall be made for me of the things that I have brought .
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Then Holofernes said unto her ,
If thy provision should fail ,
how should we give thee the like ?
for there be none with us of thy nation .
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Then said Judith unto him As thy soul liveth ,
my lord ,
thine handmaid shall not spend those things that I have ,
before the Lord work by mine hand the things that he hath determined .
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Then the servants of Holofernes brought her into the tent ,
and she slept till midnight ,
and she arose when it was toward the morning watch ,
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And sent to Holofernes ,
saving ,
Let my lord now command that thine handmaid may go forth unto prayer .
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Then Holofernes commanded his guard that they should not stay her :
thus she abode in the camp three days ,
and went out in the night into the valley of Bethulia ,
and washed herself in a fountain of water by the camp .
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And when she came out ,
she besought the Lord God of Israel to direct her way to the raising up of the children of her people .
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So she came in clean ,
and remained in the tent ,
until she did eat her meat at evening .
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And in the fourth day Holofernes made a feast to his own servants only ,
and called none of the officers to the banquet .
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Then said he to Bagoas the eunuch ,
who had charge over all that he had ,
Go now ,
and persuade this Hebrew woman which is with thee ,
that she come unto us ,
and eat and drink with us .
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For ,
lo ,
it will be a shame for our person ,
if we shall let such a woman go ,
not having had her company ;
for if we draw her not unto us ,
she will laugh us to scorn .
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Then went Bagoas from the presence of Holofernes ,
and came to her ,
and he said ,
Let not this fair damsel fear to come to my lord ,
and to be honoured in his presence ,
and drink wine ,
and be merry with us and be made this day as one of the daughters of the Assyrians ,
which serve in the house of Nabuchodonosor .
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Then said Judith unto him ,
Who am I now ,
that I should gainsay my lord ?
surely whatsoever pleaseth him I will do speedily ,
and it shall be my joy unto the day of my death .
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So she arose ,
and decked herself with her apparel and all her woman '
s attire ,
and her maid went and laid soft skins on the ground for her over against Holofernes ,
which she had received of Bagoas far her daily use ,
that she might sit and eat upon them .
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Now when Judith came in and sat down ,
Holofernes his heart was ravished with her ,
and his mind was moved ,
and he desired greatly her company ;
for he waited a time to deceive her ,
from the day that he had seen her .
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Then said Holofernes unto her ,
Drink now ,
and be merry with us .
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So Judith said ,
I will drink now ,
my lord ,
because my life is magnified in me this day more than all the days since I was born .
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Then she took and ate and drank before him what her maid had prepared .
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And Holofernes took great delight in her ,
and drank more wine than he had drunk at any time in one day since he was born .