12 ¹ Then he commanded them to bring her in where his silver dishes were kept, and ordered them to set a table for her with some of his own food and to serve her with his own wine. 12 ² But Judith said, "I cannot eat it, lest it be an offence; but I will be provided from the things I have brought with me." 12 ³ Holofernes said to her, "If your supply runs out, where can we get more like it for you? For none of your people is here with us." 12 ⁴ Judith replied, "As your soul lives, my lord, your servant will not use up the things I have with me before the Lord carries out by my hand what he has determined to do."

12 ⁵ Then the servants of Holofernes brought her into the tent, and she slept until midnight. Along toward the morning watch she arose 12 ⁶ and sent to Holofernes and said, "Let my lord now command that your servant be permitted to go out and pray." 12 ⁷ So Holofernes commanded his guards not to hinder her. And she remained in the camp for three days, and went out each night to the valley of Bethulia, and bathed at the spring in the camp. 12 ⁸ When she came up from the spring she prayed the Lord God of Israel to direct her way for the raising up of her people. 12 ⁹ So she returned clean and stayed in the tent until she ate her food toward evening.

12 ¹⁰ On the fourth day Holofernes held a banquet for his slave only, and did not invite any of his officers. 12 ¹¹ And he said to Bagoas, the eunuch who had charge of his personal affairs, "Go now and persuade the Hebrew woman who is in your care to join us and eat and drink with us. 12 ¹² For it will be a disgrace if we let such a woman go without enjoying her company, for if we do not embrace her she will laugh at us." 12 ¹³ So Bagoas went out from the presence of Holofernes, and approached her and said, "This beautiful maidservant will please come to my lord and be honoured in his presence, and drink wine and be merry with us, and become today like one of the daughters of the Assyrians who serve in the house of Nebuchadnezzar." 12 ¹⁴ And Judith said, "Who am I, to refuse my lord? Surely whatever pleases him I will do at once, and it will be a joy to me until the day of my death!" 12 ¹⁵ So she got up and arrayed herself in all her woman's finery, and her maid went and spread on the ground for her before Holofernes the soft fleeces which she had received from Bagoas for her daily use, so that she might recline on them when she ate.

12 ¹⁶ Then Judith came in and lay down, and Holofernes' heart was ravished with her and he was moved with great desire to possess her; for he had been waiting for an opportunity to deceive her, ever since the day he first saw her. 12 ¹⁷ So Holofernes said to her. "Drink now, and be merry with us!" 12 ¹⁸ Judith said, "I will drink now, my lord, because my life means more to me today than in all the days since I was born." 12 ¹⁹ Then she took and ate and drank before him what her maid had prepared. 12 ²⁰ And Holofernes was greatly pleased with her, and drank a great quantity of wine, much more than he had ever drunk in any one day since he was born.

13 ¹ When evening came, his slaves quickly withdrew, and Bagoas closed the tent from outside and shut out the attendants from his master's presence; and they went to bed, for they all were weary because the banquet had lasted long. 13 ² So Judith was left alone in the tent , with Holofernes stretched out on his bed, for he was overcome with wine. 13 ³ Now Judith had told her maid to stand outside the bedchamber and to wait for her to come out, as she did every day; for she said she would be going out for her prayers. And she had said the same thing to Bagoas. 13 ⁴ So every one went out, and no one, either small or great, was left in the bedchamber. Then Judith, standing beside his bed, said in her heart, "O Lord God of all might, look in this hour upon the work of my hands for the exaltation of Jerusalem. 13 ⁵ For now is the time to help your inheritance, and to carry out my undertaking for the destruction of the enemies who have risen up against us."

13 ⁶ She went up to the post at the end of the bed, above Holofernes' head, and took down his sword that hung there. 13 ⁷ She came close to his bed and took hold of the hair of his head, and said, "Give me strength this day, O Lord God of Israel!" 13 ⁸ And she struck his neck twice with all her might, and severed it from his body. 13 ⁹ Then she tumbled his body off the bed and pulled down the canopy from the posts; after a moment she went out, and gave Holofernes' head to her maid, - Judith & her slave return to Bethulia.  Jdth.13.10-2013 ¹⁰ who placed it in her food bag.

Then the two of them went out together, as they were accustomed to go for prayer; and they passed through the camp and circled around the valley and went up the mountain to Bethulia and came to its gates.