Judith 12

¹ Netheles thei axiden hir no thing, and leeten passe, and seiden, The God of oure fadris yyue grace to thee, and make strong with his vertu al the counsel of thin herte, and Jerusalem haue glorie on thee, and thi name be in the noumbre of hooli and iust men. ² And alle thei, that weren there, seiden with o vois, Be it doon! be it doon! ³ Therfor Judith preiede the Lord, and passide thorouy the yatis, sche and hir fre handmayde. ⁴ Forsothe it was doon, whanne sche cam doun of the hil aboute the risynge of the dai, the aspieris of Assiriens metten hir, and helden hir, and seiden, Fro whennus comest thou, ether whidur goist thou? ⁵ And sche answeride, Y am a douyter of Ebreis, and therfor Y fledde fro the face of hem, for Y knew, that it schal come, that thei schulen be youun to you in to prey, for thei dispisiden you, and nolde bitake hem silf wilfuli, that thei schulden fynde grace in youre siyt. ⁶ For this cause Y thouyte with me, and seide, Y schal go to the face of the prynce Holofernes, for to schewe to hym the priuytees of hem, and Y schal schewe to hym, bi what entryng he mai gete hem, so that not o man of his oost falle doun. ⁷ And whanne tho men hadden herd the wordis of hir, thei bihelden hir face, and wondryng was in her iyen, for thei wondriden greetli on hir fairnesse. ⁸ And thei seiden to hir, Thou hast kept thi lijf, for thou hast founde sich a counsel, that thou woldist come doun to oure lord. ⁹ Sotheli wite thou this, that, whanne thou hast stonde in his siyt, he schal do wel to thee, and thou schalt be moost acceptable in his herte. And thei ledden hir to the tabernacle of Holofernes, and thei schewiden hir to hym. 10 And whanne sche hadde entrid bifor his face, anoon Holofernes was takun bi hise iyen. 11 And hise knyytis seiden to hym, Who schal dispise the puple of Jewis, whiche han so faire wymmen, that we owen not to fiyte skilfuli ayenus hem for these wymmen? 12 Therfor Judith siy Holofernes sittynge in a curteyn, round bynethe and scharp aboue, that was wouun of purpur, and gold, and smaragde, and moost preciouse stoonys, 13 and whanne sche hadde lokid in to his face, sche worschipide hym, and bowide doun hir silf on the erthe; and the seruauntis of Holofernes reisiden hir, for her lord comaundide. 15 Thanne Holofernes seide to hir, Be thou coumfortid, and nyle thou drede in thin herte, for Y neuere anoyede man, that wolde serue Nabugodonosor, the kyng. 16 Sotheli if thi puple hadde not dispisid me, Y hadde not reisid myn hond on it. ¹⁷ But now seie to me, for what cause yedist thou awei fro hem, and it pleside thee to come to vs. 18 And Judith seide, Take thou the wordis of thin handmaide; for, if thou suest the wordis of thin handmaide, the Lord schal make a perfit thing with thee. 19 Forsothe Nabugodonosor, the kyng of erthe, lyueth, and his vertu lyueth, which is in thee to the chastisyng of alle soulis errynge; for not oneli men schulen serue hym bi thee, but also beestis of the feeld obeien to hym. ²⁰ For the prudence of thi soule is teld to alle folkis; and it is schewid to al the world, that thou aloon art good and myyti in al his rewme; and thi techyng is prechid in alle prouyncis.