10. On the fourth day Holofernes gave a banquet for his servants alone, to which he did not invite any of the officers.
11. And he said to Bagoas, the eunuch in charge of his personal affairs, “Go and persuade the Hebrew woman in your care to come and to eat and drink with us.
12. It would bring shame on us to be with such a woman without enjoying her. If we do not seduce her, she will laugh at us.”
13. So Bagoas left the presence of Holofernes, and came to Judith and said, “So lovely a maidservant should not be reluctant to come to my lord to be honored by him, to enjoy drinking wine with us, and to act today like one of the Assyrian women who serve in the palace of Nebuchadnezzar.”
14. Judith replied, “Who am I to refuse my lord? Whatever is pleasing to him I will promptly do. This will be a joy for me until the day of my death.”
15. So she proceeded to put on her festive garments and all her finery. Meanwhile her servant went ahead and spread out on the ground opposite Holofernes the fleece Bagoas had furnished for her daily use in reclining while eating.
16. Then Judith came in and reclined. The heart of Holofernes was in rapture over her and his passion was aroused. He was burning with the desire to possess her, for he had been biding his time to seduce her from the day he saw her.
17. Holofernes said to her, “Drink and be happy with us!”
18. Judith replied, “I will gladly drink, my lord, for today is the greatest day of my whole life.”
19. She then took the things her servant had prepared and ate and drank in his presence.