Order the gate of the city to be opened for me may be rendered “Tell them to open the town gate for me.”

Accomplish the things about which you spoke with me: Good News Translation has Judith mention “what we were talking about.” The Greek puts the emphasis on whatever the men had said to Judith: the things about which you spoke with me. Maybe Judith is modestly referring to the elders’ blessing on her in verse 8, specifically their mention of “your plans,” in which case “what we were talking about” (Good News Translation) may be misleading. Yet the reference could be back to the conversation in 8.32-35, in which case New Revised Standard Version‘s “things you have just said to me” may also be misleading. The main point here is that neither the elders in verse 8 nor Judith in this verse are speaking directly; no one is spelling anything out. The elders speak vaguely of “your plans” and Judith speaks vaguely of the things about which you spoke with me. The author is telling the reader: something is going on here, but you aren’t going to find out just yet. Judith knows. The elders know she knows, but they know nothing, and are not particularly sure they want to know. So Good News Translation puts it pretty well with “what we have talked about.” The reference is broad enough to include 8.32-35, where Judith states that God will rescue the city through her; it will also include 10.8.

They ordered the young men to open the gate for her, as she had said: The word gate (Good News Translation “gates”) is supplied by virtually every translation. It is only implied in Greek, so Moore has “they ordered the young men to open up for her.” However, in English a translation sounds strange without it. As she had said (more properly “asked”) is omitted by Good News Translation as redundant in the context.

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.