Wise in speech is literally “you are good in your words.” Good News Translation has “you know how to make a speech.” This may be too idiomatic and colloquial. Contemporary English Version is better with “you also speak wisely.” Since Holofernes joins this to his complimenting Judith on her beauty, he probably means that she is eloquent, has a way with words, and not specifically that the content of what she has said is good. He could well mean both. Translators should find an expression that means “eloquence.”

If you do as you have said contains a promise; for example, “I promise you that if you do everything that you have just said to us, your god….”

Your God shall be my God: This obviously recalls Ruth 1.16. Perhaps, as some have suggested, Holofernes is so moved by Judith’s presentation that he is thinking of at least incorporating worship of Israel’s God into his own system of gods. Perhaps he does not mean this, and is simply flattering her. Or perhaps he means it the reverse of how it strikes us: that Judith will adopt Nebuchadnezzar as her own god. In any case, the ironic point is clear. Judith’s God is in fact his God; he just doesn’t recognize it. Since it is difficult to decide which of the above interpretations is the more likely one, translators should keep the translation general, as Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation have done. However, as mentioned under verse 22, Holofernes considers God to be just another god among many, so translators will be justified to use a small god here: “Your god shall be my god.”

You shall live in the house of King Nebuchadnezzar and be renowned: Good News Translation has “You will live in King Nebuchadnezzar’s palace and will be famous.”

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Judith. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.