The Koine Bible

And the sons of Israel, those dwelling in Judea, heard all that Holofernes, the chief commander of Nebuchadnezzar, king of the Assyrians, had done to the nations, and how he stripped all their sacred places and gave them over to destruction.

And they feared exceedingly exceedingly because of his face, and concerning Jerusalem and the temple of the Lord their God they were troubled

For they had just recently come up from the captivity, and recently all the people of Judea had been gathered together, and the vessels and the altar and the house had been consecrated from the defilement.

And they sent to all the border of Samaria and Kona and Beth-horon and Belmain and Jericho and to Choba and Aisora and the valley of Salem

And they seized beforehand all the peaks of the high mountains and walled in the villages in them and laid up food for provision for war, because their plains had recently been reaped.

And Joakim the great priest, who was in those days in Jerusalem, wrote to those dwelling in Bethulua and Bethomesthaim, which is opposite Esdrelon, facing the plain near Dothaim.

saying to seize the ascents of the mountainous region, because through them was the entrance into Judea, and it was easy to hinder them going up, the approach being narrow, such as was on two men for all them

And the sons of Israel did according to what Joachim the high priest and the elders of all the people of Israel had commanded them, who were sitting in Jerusalem.

And every man of Israel cried out to God with great earnestness, and they humbled their souls with great earnestness

They themselves and their women and their infants and their livestock and every resident alien and hired worker and slave of theirs put sacks on their waists.

And every man of Israel and woman and the children who were dwelling in Jerusalem fell on their face before the temple and sprinkled ashes on their heads and stretched out their sacks before the Lord

And they wrapped the altar with sackcloth and cried out to the God of Israel with one accord earnestly, that he should not give their infants for plundering and their wives for spoil and the cities of their inheritance for destruction and the holy things for profanation and reproach, a rejoicing to the nations

And the Lord heard their voice and saw their affliction, and the people were fasting many days in all Judea and Jerusalem before the holy things of the Lord Almighty

and Joakim the great priest and all the priests standing before the Lord and those ministering to the Lord, having girded their loins with sackcloth, were offering the burnt offering of the continual service and the vows and the freewill gifts of the people

And there was ashes on their turbans, and they cried out to the Lord with all their strength for good to look upon all the house of Israel.