To the presence of Holofernes may be rendered “to meet [or, see] Holofernes.”

For commander see 6.1.

A true report is literally “words of truth.” Good News Translation has “reliable information.” Compare 9.13, where Judith speaks of her “deceitful words.” These are the first words she speaks as she carries out her plans, and they are indeed deceitful even though they claim to be true.

I will show him a way: The word way is ambiguous here. It may mean that Judith can show Holofernes a route that his army can use to make a successful attack, or that she can show him a tactic to use. New English Bible assumes the former with “I will show him a route,” but Good News Translation is ambiguous with “I can show him how…” (similarly Contemporary English Version). The ambiguity is part of Judith’s strategy. She is holding back information here—she will reveal it only to Holofernes. If the ambiguity cannot be smoothly preserved in translation, it may be expressed as “I will show him the right route [or, path] which he can use to go….”

Hill country here is the “region” that Bethulia guards (4.7; 5.1). For a comment on the translation of hill country, see 2.22-23.

Without losing one of his men, captured or slain: The author, or more likely the Greek translator, here uses a strange expression: “and he will not lose one flesh or one spirit of life of his men.” The Hebrew author probably used an idiom meaning that Holofernes would not lose a single man. The Greek translator apparently understood it to mean that none of his men would be either captured or slain. However, the text cannot be understood as a promise that no one would be wounded, as Good News Translation implies by “casualty,” which would include killed and wounded, but exclude those taken prisoner. It is better to be specific by translating “without having even one of your men captured or killed” or to use the general expression “without losing a single man” (New English Bible), which presumably reflects the author’s meaning, if not the Greek translator’s.

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.