Judith 6

¹Forsothe it was doon, whanne thei hadden ceessid to speke, Holofernes hadde dedeyn gretli,

²and seide to Achior, For thou propheciedist to vs, and seidist, that the folk of Israel is defendid of her God, that Y schewe to thee, that no god is no but Nabugodonosor;

³whanne we han slayn `hem alle as o man, thanne also thou schalt perische with hem bi the swerd of Assiriens, and al Israel schal perische dyuerseli with thee in perdicioun; and thou schalt preue,

⁴that Nabugodonosor is lord of al erthe; and thanne the swerd of my chyualrie schal passe thorouy thi sidis, and thou schalt be persid, and schalt falle among the woundid men of Israel, and thou schalt no more brethe ayen, til thou be distried with hem.

⁵But certis if thou gessist thi profecie sothe, thi cheer falle not doun; and the palenesse that hath gete thi face, go awey fro thee, if thou gessist that these my wordis moun not `be fillid.

⁶But that thou knowe, that thou schalt feele this thing togidere with hem, lo! fro this our thou schalt be felouschipid to the puple of hem, that whanne thei han take worthi peynes of my swerd, thou be suget to lijk veniaunce.

⁷Thanne Olofernes comaundide hise seruauntis to take Achior, and to lede hym in to Bethulia, and to bitake hym in to the hondis of the sones of Israel.

⁸And the seruauntis of Olofernes token him, and yeden forth bi the feeldi places, but whanne thei hadden neiyid to the hilli places, slingeris yeden out ayens hem.

⁹Sotheli thei turneden awei fro the side of the hil, and bounden Achior to a tre bi hondis and feet, and so thei leften hym boundun with withthis, and turneden ayen to her lord.

¹⁰Certis the sones of Israel yeden doun fro Bethulia, and camen to hym, whom thei vnbounden, and ledden to Bethulia, and thei settiden hym in to the myddis of the puple, and axiden, what manere of thinges bifel, that Assiriens hadden left hym boundun.

¹¹In tho daies princes weren there, Ozias, the sone of Mycha, of the lynage of Symeon, and Charmy, which is also Gothonyel.

¹²Therfor in the myddis of eldere men, and in the siyt of alle men, Achior seide alle thingis, whiche he was axid of Holofernes, and hadde spoke, and hou the puple of Holofernes wolde sle hym for this word,

¹³and hou Holofernes hym silf was wrooth, and comaundide hym to be bitakun for this cause to men of Israel, that the while he ouercam the sones of Israel, thanne he comaundide that also thilk Achior perische bi dyuerse turmentis, for this that he hadde seid, God of heuene is the defendere of hem.

¹⁴And whanne Achior hadde expowned alle thingis, al the puple felde doun on the face, and worschipide the Lord; and with comyn weilyng and wepyng thei schedden out to the Lord her preyeris of o wille,

¹⁵seiynge, Lord God of heuene and of erthe, biholde the pride of hem, and biholde thou to oure mekenesse, and perseyue the face of thi seyntis, and schewe that thou forsakist not men tristynge of thee, and thou makist low men tristynge of hem silf, and `men hauynge glorie of her vertu.

¹⁶Therfor whanne the wepyng was endid, and the preier of the puple bi al the dai was fillid,

¹⁷thei coumfortiden Achior, and seiden, God of oure fadris, whos vertu thou prechidist, he is rewardere, and schal yyue to thee this while, that thou se more the perischyng of hem.

¹⁸Forsothe whanne `oure Lord God hath youe this fredom to hise seruauntis, also the Lord be with thee in the myddis of vs, that as it plesith thee, so thou lyue with `alle thi thingis.

¹⁹Thanne after that the counsel was endid, Ozias resseyuede hym in to his hows, and made a greet soper to hym.

²⁰And whanne alle the prestis weren clepid togidere, aftir that the fastyng was fillid, thei refreischiden Achior `and hem silf.

²¹Forsothe aftirward al the puple was clepid togidere, and thei preieden bi al the niyt with ynne the chirche, and axiden help of God of Israel.

Judith 6

¹And when the tumult of men that were about the council was ceased, Holofernes the chief captain of the army of Assur said unto Achior and all the Moabites before all the company of other nations,

²And who art thou, Achior, and the hirelings of Ephraim, that thou hast prophesied against us as to day, and hast said, that we should not make war with the people of Israel, because their God will defend them? and who is God but Nabuchodonosor?

³He will send his power, and will destroy them from the face of the earth, and their God shall not deliver them: but we his servants will destroy them as one man; for they are not able to sustain the power of our horses.

⁴For with them we will tread them under foot, and their mountains shall be drunken with their blood, and their fields shall be filled with their dead bodies, and their footsteps shall not be able to stand before us, for they shall utterly perish, saith king Nabuchodonosor, lord of all the earth: for he said, None of my words shall be in vain.

⁵And thou, Achior, an hireling of Ammon, which hast spoken these words in the day of thine iniquity, shalt see my face no more from this day, until I take vengeance of this nation that came out of Egypt.

⁶And then shall the sword of mine army, and the multitude of them that serve me, pass through thy sides, and thou shalt fall among their slain, when I return.

⁷Now therefore my servants shall bring thee back into the hill country, and shall set thee in one of the cities of the passages:

⁸And thou shalt not perish, till thou be destroyed with them.

⁹And if thou persuade thyself in thy mind that they shall be taken, let not thy countenance fall: I have spoken it, and none of my words shall be in vain.

¹⁰Then Holofernes commanded his servants, that waited in his tent, to take Achior, and bring him to Bethulia, and deliver him into the hands of the children of Israel.

¹¹So his servants took him, and brought him out of the camp into the plain, and they went from the midst of the plain into the hill country, and came unto the fountains that were under Bethulia.

¹²And when the men of the city saw them, they took up their weapons, and went out of the city to the top of the hill: and every man that used a sling kept them from coming up by casting of stones against them.

¹³Nevertheless having gotten privily under the hill, they bound Achior, and cast him down, and left him at the foot of the hill, and returned to their lord.

¹⁴But the Israelites descended from their city, and came unto him, and loosed him, and brought him to Bethulia, and presented him to the governors of the city:

¹⁵Which were in those days Ozias the son of Micha, of the tribe of Simeon, and Chabris the son of Gothoniel, and Charmis the son of Melchiel.

¹⁶And they called together all the ancients of the city, and all their youth ran together, and their women, to the assembly, and they set Achior in the midst of all their people. Then Ozias asked him of that which was done.

¹⁷And he answered and declared unto them the words of the council of Holofernes, and all the words that he had spoken in the midst of the princes of Assur, and whatsoever Holofernes had spoken proudly against the house of Israel.

¹⁸Then the people fell down and worshipped God, and cried unto God. saying,

¹⁹O Lord God of heaven, behold their pride, and pity the low estate of our nation, and look upon the face of those that are sanctified unto thee this day.

²⁰Then they comforted Achior, and praised him greatly.

²¹And Ozias took him out of the assembly unto his house, and made a feast to the elders; and they called on the God of Israel all that night for help.