The Koine Bible

And on the next day Holofernes gave orders to all his army and to all his people who had come with him for his alliance, to break camp against Bethulia and to seize beforehand the ascents of the hill country and to make war against the sons of Israel.

And on that day every mighty man of them set out, and their force of men of warriors, one hundred seventy thousand foot soldiers and twelve thousand horsemen, besides the baggage, and the men who were on foot among them, a very great multitude

And they encamped in the valley near Bethulia at the spring and extended in breadth to Dothaim as far as Balbaim and in length from Bethulia as far as Cyamon, which is opposite Esdraelon.

But the sons of Israel, when they saw their multitude, were greatly troubled, and each said to his neighbor, Now these will lick up the face of all the land, and neither the high mountains nor the ravines nor the hills will withstand their weight

And each one taking up his war gear, and kindling fires on their towers, they remained keeping watch that whole night.

And on the second day Holofernes led out all his horse before the sons of Israel who were in Bethulia

And he inspected the ascents of their city, and he visited the springs of the waters, and he seized them beforehand, and he set up for them camps of warrior men, and he himself withdrew to his people

And all the rulers of the sons of Esau came near to him, and all the leaders of the people of Moab, and the generals of the coastland, and they said

Let our lord listen now to a word, so that there may not be a breaking in your strength

For this people, the sons of Israel, do not trust in their spears, but in the heights of the mountains in which they themselves dwell; for it is not easy to go up to the summits of their mountains.

And now, master, do not make war against them, as war of battle array is waged, and not one man from your people will fall.

Remain in your camp, keeping watch over every man from your force, and let your servants take control of the spring of water that comes out from the root of the mountain

For from there all who dwell in Bethulia draw water, and thirst will destroy them, and they will give up their city, and we and our people will go up upon the neighboring tops of the mountains and will encamp upon them as a guard, so that no man may go out from the city.

And they shall melt away in the famine, they and their wives and their children, and before the sword comes upon them they shall be laid low in the open places of their habitation.

and you will repay them an evil recompense, because they rebelled and did not meet your face in peace

And their words pleased Holofernes and before all his attendants, and he ordered to do according as they had spoken

And the camp of the sons of Ammon departed, and with them five thousand of the sons of Assur, and they encamped in the valley and seized beforehand the waters and the springs of the waters of the sons of Israel

And the sons of Esau and the sons of Ammon went up and encamped in the hill country opposite Dothaim, and they sent from among them toward the south and the east opposite Egrebel, which is near Chous, which is by the wadi Mochmour; and the rest of the army of the Assyrians encamped in the plain and covered all the face of the land, and their tents and their baggage were encamped in a very great multitude, and they were exceedingly many.

And the sons of Israel cried out to the Lord their God, because their spirit grew faint, because all their enemies had surrounded them, and there was no escaping from among them.

And all the camp of Asshur remained around them, the foot-soldiers and the chariots and their horsemen, for thirty-four days, and all the vessels of water of all those who were inhabiting Bethulia failed.

And the cisterns were being emptied, and they had not water to drink in full satisfaction for one day, because they were giving them to drink in measure.

And their little children fainted, and the women and the young men failed from thirst and were falling in the broad ways of the city and in the passages of the gates, and there was no strength any longer in them

And all the people were gathered together against Uzziah and the rulers of the city, the young men and the women and the children, and they cried out with a loud voice and said before all the elders

May God judge between you and us, because you have done a great injustice among us, not speaking peaceable words with the sons of Asshur.

And now our helper is not, but God has sold us into their hands, for us to be laid low before them in thirst and great destruction

And now call upon them, and surrender the whole city for plunder to the people of Holofernes and to all his force.

For it is better for us to become a prey to them, for we shall be for slaves, and our life shall live, and we shall not see the death of our infants before our eyes, and our wives and our children failing away their lives.

We call heaven and earth and our God and Lord of our fathers to witness against you, who avenges us according to our sins and according to the sins of our fathers, that you do not do according to these words on this present day.

And there was a great weeping in the midst of the assembly of all, with one accord, and they cried out to the Lord God with a loud voice

And Ozias said to them, Take courage, brothers; let us endure still five days, in which the Lord our God will turn his mercy back upon us, for he will not forsake us utterly.

But if these pass through and help does not come upon us, I will do according to your words.

And he scattered the people into his camp and onto the walls and the towers of their city; and they went away, and they sent the women and the children into their houses, and they were in very great humiliation in the city.