Judith 2

¹In the thirteenth year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, on the twenty-second day of the first month, the word went forth from the house of Nebuchadnezzar, king of the Assyrians, that he would defend himself.

²And he called all the native leaders, and all the commanders, and his officers of war, and he met with them in his secret council.

³And he said to them that his thoughts were to subjugate all the earth to his authority.

⁴And when this saying pleased them all, king Nebuchadnezzar called Holofernes, the leader of his military.

⁵And he said to him: “Go out against all the kingdoms of the west, and against those in particular who showed contempt for my authority.

⁶Your eye must not spare any kingdom, and all the fortified cities you will subjugate to me.”

⁷Then Holofernes called the commanders and the magistrates of the army of the Assyrians. And he numbered men for the expedition, just as the king had instructed him: one hundred and twenty thousand foot-soldiers, and twelve thousand archers on horseback.

⁸And he caused his entire expeditionary force to go ahead with an innumerable multitude of camels, with whatever was needed in abundance for the armies, and with herds of cattle, and flocks of sheep, which could not be numbered.

⁹He appointed grain to be prepared from all of Syria, as he passed through it.

¹⁰In fact, he took up gold and silver from the house of the king in great abundance.

¹¹And he set out, he and all the army, with the four-horse chariots, and horsemen, and archers. And they covered the face of the earth like locusts.

¹²And when he had crossed over the borders of the Assyrians, he came to the great mountains of Ange, which are on the left of Cilicia. And he ascended to all their castles, and he prevailed over all the fortifications.

¹³Moreover, he broke open the renowned city of Melothus, and he pillaged all the sons of Tarshish, and the sons of Ishmael, who were opposite the face of the desert and to the south of the land of Cellon.

¹⁴And he crossed over the Euphrates and came into Mesopotamia. And he crushed all the lofty cities that were there, from the torrent of Mambre, even until one passes through to the sea.

¹⁵And he occupied its furthest regions, from Cilicia all the way to the coastlines of Japheth, which are towards the south.

¹⁶And he carried away all the sons of Midian, and he plundered them in all their wealthy regions. And all who resisted him, he slew with the edge of the sword.

¹⁷And after these things, he descended to the plains of Damascus, in the days of the harvest, and he set fire to all the crops, and he caused all the trees and the vineyards to be cut down.

¹⁸And the fear of them fell upon all the inhabitants of the land.

Judith 2

¹And in the eighteenth year, the two and twentieth day of the first month, there was talk in the house of Nabuchodonosor king of the Assyrians that he should, as he said, avenge himself on all the earth.

²So he called unto him all his officers, and all his nobles, and communicated with them his secret counsel, and concluded the afflicting of the whole earth out of his own mouth.

³Then they decreed to destroy all flesh, that did not obey the commandment of his mouth.

⁴And when he had ended his counsel, Nabuchodonosor king of the Assyrians called Holofernes the chief captain of his army, which was next unto him, and said unto him.

⁵Thus saith the great king, the lord of the whole earth, Behold, thou shalt go forth from my presence, and take with thee men that trust in their own strength, of footmen an hundred and twenty thousand; and the number of horses with their riders twelve thousand.

⁶And thou shalt go against all the west country, because they disobeyed my commandment.

⁷And thou shalt declare unto that they prepare for me earth and water: for I will go forth in my wrath against them and will cover the whole face of the earth with the feet of mine army, and I will give them for a spoil unto them:

⁸So that their slain shall fill their valleys and brooks and the river shall be filled with their dead, till it overflow:

⁹And I will lead them captives to the utmost parts of all the earth.

¹⁰Thou therefore shalt go forth. and take beforehand for me all their coasts: and if they will yield themselves unto thee, thou shalt reserve them for me till the day of their punishment.

¹¹But concerning them that rebel, let not thine eye spare them; but put them to the slaughter, and spoil them wheresoever thou goest.

¹²For as I live, and by the power of my kingdom, whatsoever I have spoken, that will I do by mine hand.

¹³And take thou heed that thou transgress none of the commandments of thy lord, but accomplish them fully, as I have commanded thee, and defer not to do them.

¹⁴Then Holofernes went forth from the presence of his lord, and called all the governors and captains, and the officers of the army of Assur;

¹⁵And he mustered the chosen men for the battle, as his lord had commanded him, unto an hundred and twenty thousand, and twelve thousand archers on horseback;

¹⁶And he ranged them, as a great army is ordered for the war.

¹⁷And he took camels and asses for their carriages, a very great number; and sheep and oxen and goats without number for their provision:

¹⁸And plenty of victual for every man of the army, and very much gold and silver out of the king’s house.

¹⁹Then he went forth and all his power to go before king Nabuchodonosor in the voyage, and to cover all the face of the earth westward with their chariots, and horsemen, and their chosen footmen.

²⁰A great number also sundry countries came with them like locusts, and like the sand of the earth: for the multitude was without number.

²¹And they went forth of Nineve three days’ journey toward the plain of Bectileth, and pitched from Bectileth near the mountain which is at the left hand of the upper Cilicia.

²²Then he took all his army, his footmen, and horsemen and chariots, and went from thence into the hill country;

²³And destroyed Phud and Lud, and spoiled all the children of Rasses, and the children of Israel, which were toward the wilderness at the south of the land of the Chellians.

²⁴Then he went over Euphrates, and went through Mesopotamia, and destroyed all the high cities that were upon the river Arbonai, till ye come to the sea.

²⁵And he took the borders of Cilicia, and killed all that resisted him, and came to the borders of Japheth, which were toward the south, over against Arabia.

²⁶He compassed also all the children of Madian, and burned up their tabernacles, and spoiled their sheepcotes.

²⁷Then he went down into the plain of Damascus in the time of wheat harvest, and burnt up all their fields, and destroyed their flocks and herds, also he spoiled their cities, and utterly wasted their countries, and smote all their young men with the edge of the sword.

²⁸Therefore the fear and dread of him fell upon all the inhabitants of the sea coasts, which were in Sidon and Tyrus, and them that dwelt in Sur and Ocina, and all that dwelt in Jemnaan; and they that dwelt in Azotus and Ascalon feared him greatly.