(While Holofernes cheerfully obeys, Judith takes the knife from her garments and places it behind the couch.  Then, as he stands with the wine, gazing at her and separated from her only by the couch, she slowly removes her tunic and appears in indoor attire.  She comes towards him and takes the wine from him and drinks.)

HOLOFERNES.  I feared that in the strictness of thy Hebrew scruples thou wouldst not drink of my wine.

JUDITH.  I will drink again. (She does so.)

HOLOFERNES (taking the goblet and drinking). Dost thou verily know thy power and thy dominion, Judith?

JUDITH (simply).  Yes, I know it now better than thou.

HOLOFERNES.  Thou dost not.  For I am mad for thee, and thou hast set thy seal upon me for evermore.  My heart cannot hold thee, for thou hast filled it to overflowing, and all men see that my heart is full of thee and runneth over.  Yea, I have a hundred and two and thirty thousand that bow themselves at my feet and that live and die by my glance.  And I am at thy feet and thy glance is my joy and my sorrow according to thy whim.  Judith, I entreat thee, command me something.  For whatever thou command me, that will I execute.  And be not afraid in thy command, for my power is very great and there is none like it save only my lord Nebuchadnezzar’s.

JUDITH (tenderly).  I command thee that thou be happy.  For thy captive has no other desire.

HOLOFERNES.  Say not my captive.  For it is I that am thy prisoner.  And I will set thee on my throne, and in my great boldness I will dare to sit beside thee.  But thou shalt reign.  And we will live together in Assyria long years.

JUDITH (changing her mood).  There is no requisition in the grave whether you have lived ten or an hundred or a thousand years.  But the God of Israel is a shield.

HOLOFERNES (eagerly).  And I have told thee that thy god shall be my god; but in secret, because of that which I owe to King Nebuchadnezzar.  Yet shall the whole earth know that thou, Judith, alone art my god.

JUDITH.  But thou hast other wives.

HOLOFERNES.  No!

JUDITH.  Yes!  It has been whispered to me that thou hast many wives, and concubines without number.

HOLOFERNES.  It is a lie.  For from this night I have put away from me all women but thee, and there is not one among them to compare with thee. (Appealingly).  And since the judgment of heaven hath done a miracle by thee in the tent of Holofernes this night, wilt thou deny, O tenderness! that thou hast been divinely appointed to me, and I to thee?

JUDITH.  I will not deny that the Lord is in this thing.  And for thy comfort I will tell thee that which thou knowest not.

HOLOFERNES (expectant).  Tell me.

JUDITH.  Before I escaped from Bethulia, as I lay on my bed, a vision came to me, and it was the vision of Holofernes in the likeness of his majesty and his might.  And I saw the vision by my bed, and so it was that I came down into the valley.... (Softly.) And wouldst thou that I should have uttered this secret to any but thee!