Judith, 2

1. In the eighteenth year, on the twenty-second day of the first month, a rumour ran through the palace that Nebuchadnezzar king of the Assyrians was to have his revenge on all the countries, as he had threatened.

1. In the eighteenth year, on the twenty-second day of the first month, there was talk in the palace of Nebuchadnezzar king of the Assyrians about carrying out his revenge on the whole region, just as he said.

2. Summoning his general staff and senior officers, he held a secret conference with them, and with his own lips pronounced utter destruction on the entire area.

2. He called together all his officers and all his nobles and set forth to them his secret plan and recounted fully, with his own lips, all the wickedness of the region;

3. It was then decreed that everyone should be put to death who had not answered the king's appeal.

3. and it was decided that every one who had not obeyed his command should be destroyed.

4. When the council was over, Nebuchadnezzar king of the Assyrians sent for Holofernes, general-in-chief of his armies and subordinate only to himself. He said to him,

4. When he had finished setting forth his plan, Nebuchadnezzar king of the Assyrians called Holofernes, the chief general of his army, second only to himself, and said to him,

5. 'Thus speaks the Great King, lord of the whole world, "Go; take men of proven valour, about a hundred and twenty thousand foot soldiers and a strong company of horse with twelve thousand cavalrymen;

5. "Thus says the Great King, the lord of the whole earth: When you leave my presence, take with you men confident in their strength, to the number of one hundred and twenty thousand foot soldiers and twelve thousand cavalry.

6. then advance against all the western lands, since these people have disregarded my call.

6. Go and attack the whole west country, because they disobeyed my orders.

7. Bid them have earth and water ready, because in my rage I am about to march on them; the feet of my soldiers will cover the whole face of the earth, and I shall plunder it.

7. Tell them to prepare earth and water, for I am coming against them in my anger, and will cover the whole face of the earth with the feet of my armies, and will hand them over to be plundered by my troops,

8. Their wounded will fill the valleys and the torrents, and rivers, blocked with their dead, will overflow.

8. till their wounded shall fill their valleys, and every brook and river shall be filled with their dead, and overflow;

9. I shall lead them captive to the ends of the earth.

9. and I will lead them away captive to the ends of the whole earth.

10. Now go! Begin by conquering this whole region for me. If they surrender to you, hold them for me until the time comes to punish them.

10. You shall go and seize all their territory for me in advance. They will yield themselves to you, and you shall hold them for me till the day of their punishment.

11. But if they resist, look on no one with clemency, hand them over to slaughter and plunder throughout the territory entrusted to you.

11. But if they refuse, your eye shall not spare and you shall hand them over to slaughter and plunder throughout your whole region.

12. For by my life and by the living power of my kingdom I have spoken. All this I shall do by my power.

12. For as I live, and by the power of my kingdom, what I have spoken my hand will execute.

13. And you, neglect none of your master's commands, act strictly according to my orders without further delay." '

13. And you -- take care not to transgress any of your sovereign's commands, but be sure to carry them out just as I have ordered you; and do not delay about it."

14. Leaving the presence of his sovereign, Holofernes immediately summoned all the marshals, generals and officers of the Assyrian army

14. So Holofernes left the presence of his master, and called together all the commanders, generals, and officers of the Assyrian army,

15. and detailed the picked troops as his master had ordered, about a hundred and twenty thousand men and a further twelve thousand mounted archers.

15. and mustered the picked troops by divisions as his lord had ordered him to do, one hundred and twenty thousand of them, together with twelve thousand archers on horseback,

16. He organised these in the normal battle formation.

16. and he organized them as a great army is marshaled for a campaign.

17. He then secured vast numbers of camels, donkeys and mules to carry the baggage, and innumerable sheep, oxen and goats for food supplies.

17. He collected a vast number of camels and asses and mules for transport, and innumerable sheep and oxen and goats for provision;

18. Every man received full rations and a generous sum of gold and silver from the king's purse.

18. also plenty of food for every man, and a huge amount of gold and silver from the royal palace.

19. He then set out for the campaign with his whole army, in advance of King Nebuchadnezzar, to overwhelm the whole western region with his chariots, his horsemen and his picked body of foot.

19. So he set out with his whole army, to go ahead of King Nebuchadnezzar and to cover the whole face of the earth to the west with their chariots and horsemen and picked troops of infantry.

20. A motley gathering followed in his rear, as numerous as locusts or the grains of sand on the ground; there was no counting their multitude.

20. Along with them went a mixed crowd like a swarm of locusts, like the dust of the earth -- a multitude that could not be counted.

21. Thus they set out from Nineveh and marched for three days towards the Plain of Bectileth. From Bectileth they went on to pitch camp near the mountains that lie to the north of Upper Cilicia.

21. They marched for three days from Nineveh to the plain of Bectileth, and camped opposite Bectileth near the mountain which is to the north of Upper Cilicia.

22. From there Holofernes advanced into the highlands with his whole army, infantry, horsemen, chariots.

22. From there Holofernes took his whole army, his infantry, cavalry, and chariots, and went up into the hill country

23. He cut his way through Put and Lud, carried away captive all the sons of Rassis and sons of Ishmael living on the verge of the desert south of Cheleon,

23. and ravaged Put and Lud, and plundered all the people of Rassis and the Ishmaelites who lived along the desert, south of the country of the Chelleans.

24. marched along the Euphrates, crossed Mesopotamia, rased all the fortified towns controlling the Wadi Abron and reached the sea.

24. Then he followed the Euphrates and passed through Mesopotamia and destroyed all the hilltop cities along the brook Abron, as far as the sea.

25. Next he attacked the territories of Cilicia, butchering all who offered him resistance, advanced on the southern frontiers of Japheth, facing Arabia,

25. He also seized the territory of Cilicia, and killed every one who resisted him, and came to the southern borders of Japheth, fronting toward Arabia.

26. completely encircled the Midianites, burned their tents and plundered their sheep-folds,

26. He surrounded all the Midianites, and burned their tents and plundered their sheepfolds.

27. made his way down to the Damascus plain at the time of the wheat harvest, set fire to the fields, destroyed the flocks and herds, sacked the towns, laid the countryside waste and put all the young men to the sword.

27. Then he went down into the plain of Damascus during the wheat harvest, and burned all their fields and destroyed their flocks and herds and sacked their cities and ravaged their lands and put to death all their young men with the edge of the sword.

28. Fear and trembling seized all the coastal peoples; those of Sidon and Tyre, those of Sur, Ocina and Jamnia. The populations of Azotos and Ascalon were panic-stricken.

28. So fear and terror of him fell upon all the people who lived along the seacoast, at Sidon and Tyre, and those who lived in Sur and Ocina and all who lived in Jamnia. Those who lived in Azotus and Ascalon feared him exceedingly.