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CAP 11
1 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.
2 Sotheli if thi puple hadde not dispisid me, Y hadde not reisid `myn hond on it.
3 But `now seie to me, for what cause yedist thou awei fro hem, and it pleside thee to come to vs.
4 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.
5 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.
6 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.
7 Nether this thing is hid, which Achior spak, nether that thing is vnknowun, which thou comaundidist to bifalle to hym.
8 For it is knowun, that oure God is so offendid bi synnes, that he sente bi hise profetis to the puple, that he wolde bitake hem for her synnes.
9 And for the sones of Israel witen, that thei han offendid `her Lord God, the tremblyng of hym is on hem.
10 Ferthermore also hungur hath asailid hem, and for drynesse of watir thei ben rikenyd now among deed men.
11 Forsothe thei ordeynen this, that thei sle her beestis, and drynke her blood;
12 and thei thouyten to yyue these hooli thingis `of her Lord in wheete, wyn, and oile, whiche God comaundide to be not touchid, and thei wolen waste the thingis, which thei ouyten not touche with hondis; therfor for thei doen these thingis, it is certeyn that thei schulen be youun in to perdicioun.
13 Which thing Y, thin handmaide, knew, and fledde fro hem, and the Lord sente me to telle these same thingis to thee.
14 For Y, thin handmaide, worschipe God, also now at thee; and thin handmaide schal go out, and Y schal preie God;
15 and he schal seie to me, whanne he schal yelde to hem her synne; and Y schal come, and telle to thee, so that Y brynge thee thorouy the myddis of Jerusalem, and thou schalt haue al the puple of Israel as scheep `to whiche is no scheepherde, and ther schal not berke ayens thee nameli oon;
16 for these thingis ben seid to me bi the puruyaunce of God.
17 And for God is wrooth to hem, Y am sente to telle to thee these same thingis.
18 Sotheli alle these wordis plesiden bifor Holofernes, and bifore hise children; and thei wondriden at the wisdom of hir; and oon seide to another,
19 Ther is not sich a womman on erthe in siyt, in fairenesse, and in wit of wordis.
20 And Holofernes seide to hir, God dide wel, that sente thee bifor the puple, that thou yyue it in myn hondis;
21 and for thi biheest is good, if thi God doith these thingis to me, he schal be also my God, and thow schalt be greet in the hows of Nabugodonosor, and thi name schal be nemyd in al erthe.