When she came up from the spring: Revised Standard Version adds the phrase from the spring for clarity; it is not in Greek, but it surely refers to her coming up from the water rather than up from the valley, which is described in the next verse. Good News Translation‘s “After she had bathed” says what has to be said without raising unnecessary questions (such as whether she really bathed all over).

She prayed: Good News Translation‘s “she would pray” is better style in English than the simple past tense prayed since she did this each night.

The Lord God of Israel: Here again we meet the difficult phrase Lord God. As we have noted in 9.2, Lord comes from the Hebrew word ʾadonai, which means “the one who rules” or “Master.” This was read in place of the sacred name Yahweh. So “Yahweh, the God of Israel” would be a suitable translation if we were translating from the Hebrew text. However, in the context of the Greek text, “the great ruler, the God of Israel” is a better translation.

Direct her way: Good News Translation has “guide her in her plan,” and Contemporary English Version “show her the best way.”

For the raising up of her people: Raising up translates a rare word that can be taken to mean “victory” (Good News Translation), “restoration” (New English Bible), “exaltation” (Gonzáles and Alonso-Schöckel), or “relief” (New Jerusalem Bible). What will actually happen is not so much a military victory for the Israelites as a relief from their situation. Or perhaps a “triumph” (New American Bible) of their cause is better. Her people reads “his [God’s] people” in many manuscripts, and New Revised Standard Version has moved to this with “her people” in a footnote. Good News Translation‘s “Israel” neatly avoids the problem, but sacrifices the warmth of Judith praying on behalf of either “her people” or “his people.” The phrase literally reads “the children of his/her people,” and this certainly sounds more natural as a reference to God’s people than to Judith’s people. The implication for this whole clause then may be “for the triumph of his beloved people” or “that he will rescue his beloved people.” We recommend that translators say “his people” or “Israel.”

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.