Judith 2 Comparison: Wycliffe Bible (1395) vs KJV with Apocrypha

Judith 2

¹In the thrittenthe yeer of kyng Nabugodonosor, in the two and twentithe dai of the firste monethe, a word was maad in the hows of Nabugodonosor, kyng of Assiriens, that he wolde defende hym.

²And he clepide to hym alle the eldere men, and alle duykis, hise werriouris; and hadde with hem the priuete of his counsel.

³And he seide, that his thouyte was in that thing, to make suget ech lond to his empire.

⁴And whanne this seiyng hadde plesid alle men, `kyng Nabugodonosor clepide Holofernes, prince of his chyualrie,

⁵and seide to hym, Go thou out ayens ech rewme of the west, and ayens hem principali, that dispisiden `my comaundement.

⁶Thin iyen schal not spare ony rewme, and thou schalt make suget to me ech strengthid citee.

⁷Thanne Holofernes clepide the duykis and magistratis of the vertu of Assiriens, and he noumbride men in to the makyng redi, as the kyng `comaundide to hym, sixe score thousynde of foot men fiyteris, and twelue thousynde horse men and archeris.

⁸And he made al his puruyaunce to go bifore in multitude of vnnoumbrable camels, with these thingis that suffisiden plenteuousli to the oostis, and droues of oxis, and flockis of scheep, of which was noon noumbre.

⁹He ordeynede whete to be maad redi of al Sirie `in his passage.

¹⁰And he took ful myche gold and siluer of the kyngis hows.

¹¹And he, and al his oost, yede forth with charis, and horse men, and archeris, whiche hiliden the face of the erthe, as locustis doon.

¹²And whanne he hadde passid the endis of Assiriens, he came to the grete hillis Auge, that ben at the lift half of Cilicie; and he stiede in to alle the castels of hem, and he gat ech strong place.

¹³Forsothe he brak the richeste, ethir famouse, citee Melothi, and robbide alle the sones of Tharsis, and the sones of Ismael, that weren ayens the face of desert, and at the south of the lond Celeon.

¹⁴And he passide Eufrates, and cam in to Mesopotanye, and he brak alle hiye citees that weren there, fro the stronde Manbre til `me come to the see.

¹⁵And he occupiede the endis therof fro Cilicie `til to the endis of Japhet, that ben at the south.

¹⁶And he brouyte alle the sones of Madian, and he `robbide al the richessis of hem; and he killide `bi the scharpnesse of swerd alle men ayenstondynge hym.

¹⁷And after these thingis he cam doun in to the feeldis of Damask, in the daies of ripe corn, and he brente alle cornes, and he made alle trees and vynes to be kit doun;

¹⁸and his drede `felde on alle men `enhabitynge the lond.

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.