Judith 4

¹Thanne the sones of Israel, that dwelliden in the lond of Juda, herden these thingis, and dredden greetli of `his face.

²Also tremblyng and hidousnesse asailide the wittis of hem, lest he schulde do this thing to Jerusalem and to the temple of the Lord, which thing he hadde do to othere citees and templis of tho.

³And thei senten in to al Samarie, bi cumpas `til to Jerico, and bifore ocupieden alle the coppis of hillis;

⁴and thei cumpassiden her townes with wallis, and gaderiden togidere wheete in to making redi of batel.

⁵Also the prest Eliachym wroot to alle men, `that weren ayenus Esdrelon, which is ayenus the face of the grete feeld bisidis Dotaym, and to alle men bi whiche passage myyte be,

⁶that thei schulden holde the stiyngis of hillis, bi whiche weie myyte be to Jerusalem, and that thei schulden kepe there, where streyt weie miyte be among hillis.

⁷And the sones of Israel diden aftir this, that Eliachym, prest of the Lord, hadde ordeyned to hem.

⁸And al the puple criede to the Lord with greet instaunce, and thei and the wymmen of hem mekiden her soulis in fastyngis.

⁹And the prestis clothiden hem silf with heyris, and yonge children boweden hem silf ayens the face of the temple of the Lord, and thei hiliden the auter of the Lord with an heire.

¹⁰And thei crieden togidere to the Lord God of Israel, lest the children of hem schulden be youun in to prey, and the wyues of hem in to departyng, and her citees in to distriyng, and her hooli thingis in to defoulyng.

¹¹Thanne Eliachym, the grete prest of the Lord, cumpasside al Israel,

¹²and spak to hem, and seide, Wite ye, that the Lord schal here youre preieris, if ye dwellinge dwellen perfitli in fastyngis and preieris in the siyt of the Lord.

¹³Be ye myndful of Moises, the seruaunt of the Lord, which not in fiytynge with irun, but in preiynge with hooli preieris, castide doun Amalech tristinge in his vertu, and in his power, and in his oost, and in hise scheldis, and in hise charis, and in hise knyytis;

¹⁴so alle the enemyes of Israel schulen be cast doun, if ye continuen in this werk, which ye han bigunne.

¹⁵Therfor at this excityng of hym thei preieden hertli the Lord, `and dwelliden in the siyt of the Lord, so that also thei,

¹⁶that offriden brent sacrifices to the Lord, weren gird with heiris, and thei offriden sacrifices to the Lord, and `aische was on her heedis.

¹⁷And alle men of al her herte preieden God, that he wolde visite his puple Israel.

Judith 4

¹Now the children of Israel, that dwelt in Judea, heard all that Holofernes the chief captain of Nabuchodonosor king of the Assyrians had done to the nations, and after what manner he had spoiled all their temples, and brought them to nought.

²Therefore they were exceedingly afraid of him, and were troubled for Jerusalem, and for the temple of the Lord their God:

³For they were newly returned from the captivity, and all the people of Judea were lately gathered together: and the vessels, and the altar, and the house, were sanctified after the profanation.

⁴Therefore they sent into all the coasts of Samaria, and the villages and to Bethoron, and Belmen, and Jericho, and to Choba, and Esora, and to the valley of Salem:

⁵And possessed themselves beforehand of all the tops of the high mountains, and fortified the villages that were in them, and laid up victuals for the provision of war: for their fields were of late reaped.

⁶Also Joacim the high priest, which was in those days in Jerusalem, wrote to them that dwelt in Bethulia, and Betomestham, which is over against Esdraelon toward the open country, near to Dothaim,

⁷Charging them to keep the passages of the hill country: for by them there was an entrance into Judea, and it was easy to stop them that would come up, because the passage was straight, for two men at the most.

⁸And the children of Israel did as Joacim the high priest had commanded them, with the ancients of all the people of Israel, which dwelt at Jerusalem.

⁹Then every man of Israel cried to God with great fervency, and with great vehemency did they humble their souls:

¹⁰Both they, and their wives and their children, and their cattle, and every stranger and hireling, and their servants bought with money, put sackcloth upon their loins.

¹¹Thus every man and women, and the little children, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, fell before the temple, and cast ashes upon their heads, and spread out their sackcloth before the face of the Lord: also they put sackcloth about the altar,

¹²And cried to the God of Israel all with one consent earnestly, that he would not give their children for a prey, and their wives for a spoil, and the cities of their inheritance to destruction, and the sanctuary to profanation and reproach, and for the nations to rejoice at.

¹³So God heard their prayers, and looked upon their afflictions: for the people fasted many days in all Judea and Jerusalem before the sanctuary of the Lord Almighty.

¹⁴And Joacim the high priest, and all the priests that stood before the Lord, and they which ministered unto the Lord, had their loins girt with sackcloth, and offered the daily burnt offerings, with the vows and free gifts of the people,

¹⁵And had ashes on their mitres, and cried unto the Lord with all their power, that he would look upon all the house of Israel graciously.