Judith, 7

1. The following day Holofernes issued orders to his whole army and to the whole host of auxiliaries who had joined him, to break camp and march on Bethulia, to occupy the mountain passes and so open the campaign against the Israelites.

1. The next day Holofernes ordered his whole army, and all the allies who had joined him, to break camp and move against Bethulia, and to seize the passes up into the hill country and make war on the Israelites.

2. The troops broke camp that same day. The actual fighting force numbered one hundred and twenty thousand infantry and twelve thousand cavalry, not to mention the baggage train with the vast number of men on foot concerned with that.

2. So all their warriors moved their camp that day; their force of men of war was one hundred and seventy thousand infantry and twelve thousand cavalry, together with the baggage and the foot soldiers handling it, a very great multitude.

3. They penetrated the valley in the neighbourhood of Bethulia, near the spring, and deployed on a wide front from Dothan to Balbaim and, in depth, from Bethulia to Cyamon, which faces Esdraelon.

3. They encamped in the valley near Bethulia, beside the spring, and they spread out in breadth over Dothan as far as Balbaim and in length from Bethulia to Cyamon, which faces Esdraelon.

4. When the Israelites saw this horde, they were all appalled and said to each other, 'Now they will lick the whole country clean. Not even the loftiest peaks, the gorges or the hills will be able to stand the weight of them.'

4. When the Israelites saw their vast numbers they were greatly terrified, and every one said to his neighbor, "These men will now lick up the face of the whole land; neither the high mountains nor the valleys nor the hills will bear their weight."

5. Each man snatched up his arms; they lit beacons on their towers and spent the whole night on watch.

5. Then each man took up his weapons, and when they had kindled fires on their towers they remained on guard all that night.

6. On the second day Holofernes deployed his entire cavalry in sight of the Israelites in Bethulia.

6. On the second day Holofernes led out all his cavalry in full view of the Israelites in Bethulia,

7. He reconnoitred the slopes leading up to the town, located the water-points, seized them and posted pickets over them and returned to the main body.

7. and examined the approaches to the city, and visited the springs that supplied their water, and seized them and set guards of soldiers over them, and then returned to his army.

8. The chieftains of the sons of Esau, all the leaders of the Moabites and the generals of the coastal district then came to him and said,

8. Then all the chieftains of the people of Esau and all the leaders of the Moabites and the commanders of the coastland came to him and said,

9. 'If our master will be pleased to listen to us, his forces will not sustain a single wound.

9. "Let our lord hear a word, lest his army be defeated.

10. These Israelites do not rely so much on their spears as on the height of the mountains where they live. And admittedly it is not at all easy to scale these heights of theirs.

10. For these people, the Israelites, do not rely on their spears but on the height of the mountains where they live, for it is not easy to reach the tops of their mountains.

11. 'This being the case, master, avoid engaging them in a pitched battle and then you will not lose a single man.

11. Therefore, my lord, do not fight against them in battle array, and not a man of your army will fall.

12. Stay in camp, keep all your troops there too, while your servants seize the spring which rises at the foot of the mountain,

12. Remain in your camp, and keep all the men in your forces with you; only let your servants take possession of the spring of water that flows from the foot of the mountain --

13. since that is what provides the population of Bethulia with their water supply. Thirst will then force them to surrender their town. Meanwhile, we and our men will climb the nearest mountain tops and form advance posts there to prevent anyone from leaving the town.

13. for this is where all the people of Bethulia get their water. So thirst will destroy them, and they will give up their city. We and our people will go up to the tops of the nearby mountains and camp there to keep watch that not a man gets out of the city.

14. Hunger will waste them, with their wives and children, and before the sword can reach them they will already be lying in the streets outside their houses.

14. They and their wives and children will waste away with famine, and before the sword reaches them they will be strewn about in the streets where they live.

15. And you will make them pay dearly for their defiance and their refusal to meet you peaceably.'

15. So you will pay them back with evil, because they rebelled and did not receive you peaceably."

16. Their words pleased Holofernes as well as all his officers, and he decided to do as they suggested.

16. These words pleased Holofernes and all his servants, and he gave orders to do as they had said.

17. Accordingly, a troop of Moabites moved forward with a further five thousand Assyrians. They penetrated the valley and seized the Israelites' waterpoints and springs.

17. So the army of the Ammonites moved forward, together with five thousand Assyrians, and they encamped in the valley and seized the water supply and the springs of the Israelites.

18. Meanwhile the Edomites and Ammonites went and took up positions in the highlands opposite Dothan, sending some of their men to the south-east opposite Egrebel near Chous on the Wadi Mochmur. The rest of the Assyrian army took up positions in the plain, covering every inch of the ground; their tents and equipment made an immense encampment, so vast were their numbers.

18. And the sons of Esau and the sons of Ammon went up and encamped in the hill country opposite Dothan; and they sent some of their men toward the south and the east, toward Acraba, which is near Chusi beside the brook Mochmur. The rest of the Assyrian army encamped in the plain, and covered the whole face of the land, and their tents and supply trains spread out in great number, and they formed a vast multitude.

19. The Israelites called on the Lord their God, dispirited because the enemy had surrounded them and cut all line of retreat.

19. The people of Israel cried out to the Lord their God, for their courage failed, because all their enemies had surrounded them and there was no way of escape from them.

20. For thirty-four days the Assyrian army, infantry, chariots, cavalrymen, had them surrounded. Every water-jar the inhabitants of Bethulia had was empty,

20. The whole Assyrian army, their infantry, chariots, and cavalry, surrounded them for thirty-four days, until all the vessels of water belonging to every inhabitant of Bethulia were empty;

21. their storage-wells were drying up; on no day could a man drink his fill, since their water was rationed.

21. their cisterns were going dry, and they did not have enough water to drink their fill for a single day, because it was measured out to them to drink.

22. Their little children pined away, the women and young men grew weak with thirst; they collapsed in the streets and gateways of the town; they had no strength left.

22. Their children lost heart, and the women and young men fainted from thirst and fell down in the streets of the city and in the passages through the gates; there was no strength left in them any longer.

23. Young men, women, children, the whole people thronged clamouring round Uzziah and the chief men of the town, shouting in the presence of the assembled elders,

23. Then all the people, the young men, the women, and the children, gathered about Uzziah and the rulers of the city and cried out with a loud voice, and said before all the elders,

24. 'May God be judge between you and us! For you have done us great harm, by not suing for peace with the Assyrians.

24. "God be judge between you and us! For you have done us a great injury in not making peace with the Assyrians.

25. And now there is no one to help us. God has delivered us into their hands to be prostrated before them in thirst and utter helplessness.

25. For now we have no one to help us; God has sold us into their hands, to strew us on the ground before them with thirst and utter destruction.

26. Call them in at once; hand the whole town over to be sacked by Holofernes' men and all his army.

26. Now call them in and surrender the whole city to the army of Holofernes and to all his forces, to be plundered.

27. After all, we should be much better off as their booty than we are now; no doubt we shall be enslaved, but at least we shall be alive and not see our little ones dying before our eyes or our wives and children perishing.

27. For it would be better for us to be captured by them; for we will be slaves, but our lives will be spared, and we shall not witness the death of our babes before our eyes, or see our wives and children draw their last breath.

28. By heaven and earth and by our God, the Lord of our fathers, who is punishing us for our sins and the sins of our ancestors, we implore you to take this course now, today.'

28. We call to witness against you heaven and earth and our God, the Lord of our fathers, who punishes us according to our sins and the sins of our fathers. Let him not do this day the things which we have described!"

29. Bitter lamentations rose from the whole assembly, and they all cried loudly to the Lord God.

29. Then great and general lamentation arose throughout the assembly, and they cried out to the Lord God with a loud voice.

30. Then Uzziah spoke to them, 'Take heart, brothers! Let us hold out five days more. By then the Lord our God will take pity on us, for he will not desert us altogether.

30. And Uzziah said to them, "Have courage, my brothers! Let us hold out for five more days; by that time the Lord our God will restore to us his mercy, for he will not forsake us utterly.

31. At the end of this time, if no help is forthcoming, I shall do as you have said.'

31. But if these days pass by, and no help comes for us, I will do what you say."

32. With that he dismissed the people to their various quarters. The men went to man the walls and towers of the town, sending the women and children home. The town was full of despondency.

32. Then he dismissed the people to their various posts, and they went up on the walls and towers of their city. The women and children he sent home. And they were greatly depressed in the city.