[Textcritic]

I'm working with a colleague on a new English translation for a collection of ancient Jewish texts written in Greek, one of which is the apocryphal story of Susanna. It's a great story about a beautiful woman who is tricked into an impossible situation in which she is in danger of compromising her integrity and fidelity. One of the neat things in this story is all the space committed to describing her beauty, and the effect that this has on men (think about it like soft-porn for religious Jews!)

I am having problems with finding a good English equivalent for a Greek word in the story: in one description of her stunning beauty, other older English translations have described her as "refined" or "dainty", which doesn't really convey accurately in one word the sense of the Greek word used into contemporary English.

How would one describe in a single word a woman with model-quality looks and figure; one who captivates a man's attention and lust, but who is not slutty? The closest I can think is "curvaceous", but this is not quite right. The Greek word is not so specific in describing a woman's figure; it is much more holistic in conveying the quality of her presence.

Any thoughts?