Sefarim
Yehudit5
Judith · Chapter 5
Then was it declared to Holofernes, the chief captain of the army of Assur, that the children of Yisra'el had prepared for war, and had shut up the passages of the hill country, and had fortified all the tops of the high hills and had laid impediments in the champaign countries:
Wherewith he was very angry, and called all the princes of Moab, and the captains of Ammon, and all the governors of the sea coast,
And he said unto them, Tell me now, ye sons of Chanaan, who this people is, that dwelleth in the hill country, and what are the cities that they inhabit, and what is the multitude of their army, and wherein is their power and strength, and what king is set over them, or captain of their army;
And why have they determined not to come and meet me, more than all the inhabitants of the west.
Then said Achior, the captain of all the sons of Ammon, Let my lord now hear a word from the mouth of thy servant, and I will declare unto thee the truth concerning this people, which dwelleth near thee, and inhabiteth the hill countries: and there shall no lie come out of the mouth of thy servant.
This people are descended of the Chaldeans:
And they sojourned heretofore in Mesopotamia, because they would not follow the gods of their fathers, which were in the land of Chaldea.
For they left the way of their ancestors, and worshipped the Elohim of shamayim, the Elohim whom they knew: so they cast them out from the face of their gods, and they fled into Mesopotamia, and sojourned there many days.
Then their Elohim commanded them to depart from the place where they sojourned, and to go into the land of Chanaan: where they dwelt, and were increased with gold and silver, and with very much cattle.
But when a famine covered all the land of Chanaan, they went down into Mitsrayim, and sojourned there, while they were nourished, and became there a great multitude, so that one could not number their nation.
Therefore the king of Mitsrayim rose up against them, and dealt subtilly with them, and brought them low with labouring in brick, and made them slaves.
Then they cried unto their Elohim, and he smote all the land of Mitsrayim with incurable plagues: so the Egyptians cast them out of their sight.
And Elohim dried the Red sea before them,
And brought them to mount Sina, and Cades-Barne, and cast forth all that dwelt in the wilderness.
So they dwelt in the land of the Amorites, and they destroyed by their strength all them of Esebon, and passing over Yarden they possessed all the hill country.
And they cast forth before them the Chanaanite, the Pherezite, the Jebusite, and the Sychemite, and all the Gergesites, and they dwelt in that country many days.
And whilst they sinned not before their Elohim, they prospered, because the Elohim that hateth iniquity was with them.
But when they departed from the way which he appointed them, they were destroyed in many battles very sore, and were led captives into a land that was not their’s, and the heikhal of their Elohim was cast to the ground, and their cities were taken by the enemies.
But now are they returned to their Elohim, and are come up from the places where they were scattered, and have possessed Yerushalayim, where their sanctuary is, and are seated in the hill country; for it was desolate.
Now therefore, my lord and governor, if there be any error against this people, and they sin against their Elohim, let us consider that this shall be their ruin, and let us go up, and we shall overcome them.
But if there be no iniquity in their nation, let my lord now pass by, lest their master defend them, and their Elohim be for them, and we become a reproach before all the world.
And when Achior had finished these sayings, all the people standing round about the tent murmured, and the chief men of Holofernes, and all that dwelt by the sea side, and in Moab, spake that he should kill him.
For, say they, we will not be afraid of the face of the children of Yisra'el: for, lo, it is a people that have no strength nor power for a strong battle
Now therefore, lord Holofernes, we will go up, and they shall be a prey to be devoured of all thine army.
Sefarim
Yehudit6
Judith · Chapter 6
And 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,
And 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 Yisra'el, because their Elohim will defend them? and who is Elohim but Nabuchodonosor?
He will send his power, and will destroy them from the face of the earth, and their Elohim 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.
For 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.
And 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 Mitsrayim.
And 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.
Now therefore my servants shall bring thee back into the hill country, and shall set thee in one of the cities of the passages:
And thou shalt not perish, till thou be destroyed with them.
And 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.
Then 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 Yisra'el.
So 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.
And 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.
Nevertheless 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.
But 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:
Which 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.
And 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.
And 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 Yisra'el.
Then the people fell down and worshipped Elohim, and cried unto Elohim. saying,
O master Elohim of shamayim, 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.
Then they comforted Achior, and praised him greatly.
And Ozias took him out of the assembly unto his house, and made a feast to the elders; and they called on the Elohim of Yisra'el all that night for help.
Sefarim
Yehudit7
Judith · Chapter 7
The next day Holofernes commanded all his army, and all his people which were come to take his part, that they should remove their camp against Bethulia, to take aforehand the ascents of the hill country, and to make war against the children of Yisra'el.
Then their strong men removed their camps in that day, and the army of the men of war was an hundred and seventy thousand footmen, and twelve thousand horsemen, beside the baggage, and other men that were afoot among them, a very great multitude.
And they camped in the valley near unto Bethulia, by the fountain, and they spread themselves in breadth over Dothaim even to Belmaim, and in length from Bethulia unto Cynamon, which is over against Esdraelon.
Now the children of Yisra'el, when they saw the multitude of them, were greatly troubled, and said every one to his neighbour, Now will these men lick up the face of the earth; for neither the high mountains, nor the valleys, nor the hills, are able to bear their weight.
Then every man took up his weapons of war, and when they had kindled fires upon their towers, they remained and watched all that night.
But in the second day Holofernes brought forth all his horsemen in the sight of the children of Yisra'el which were in Bethulia,
And viewed the passages up to the city, and came to the fountains of their waters, and took them, and set garrisons of men of war over them, and he himself removed toward his people.
Then came unto him all the chief of the children of Esau, and all the governors of the people of Moab, and the captains of the sea coast, and said,
Let our lord now hear a word, that there be not an overthrow in thine army.
For this people of the children of Yisra'el do not trust in their spears, but in the height of the mountains wherein they dwell, because it is not easy to come up to the tops of their mountains.
Now therefore, my lord, fight not against them in battle array, and there shall not so much as one man of thy people perish.
Remain in thy camp, and keep all the men of thine army, and let thy servants get into their hands the fountain of water, which issueth forth of the foot of the mountain:
For all the inhabitants of Bethulia have their water thence; so shall thirst kill them, and they shall give up their city, and we and our people shall go up to the tops of the mountains that are near, and will camp upon them, to watch that none go out of the city.
So they and their wives and their children shall be consumed with fire, and before the sword come against them, they shall be overthrown in the streets where they dwell.
Thus shalt thou render them an evil reward; because they rebelled, and met not thy person peaceably.
And these words pleased Holofernes and all his servants, and he appointed to do as they had spoken.
So the camp of the children of Ammon departed, and with them five thousand of the Assyrians, and they pitched in the valley, and took the waters, and the fountains of the waters of the children of Yisra'el.
Then the children of Esau went up with the children of Ammon, and camped in the hill country over against Dothaim: and they sent some of them toward the south, and toward the east over against Ekrebel, which is near unto Chusi, that is upon the brook Mochmur; and the rest of the army of the Assyrians camped in the plain, and covered the face of the whole land; and their tents and carriages were pitched to a very great multitude.
Then the children of Yisra'el cried unto the master their Elohim, because their heart failed, for all their enemies had compassed them round about, and there was no way to escape out from among them.
Thus all the company of Assur remained about them, both their footmen, chariots, and horsemen, four and thirty days, so that all their vessels of water failed all the inhibitants of Bethulia.
And the cisterns were emptied, and they had not water to drink their fill for one day; for they gave them drink by measure.
Therefore their young children were out of heart, and their women and young men fainted for thirst, and fell down in the streets of the city, and by the passages of the gates, and there was no longer any strength in them.
Then all the people assembled to Ozias, and to the chief of the city, both young men, and women, and children, and cried with a loud voice, and said before all the elders,
Elohim be judge between us and you: for ye have done us great injury, in that ye have not required peace of the children of Assur.
For now we have no helper: but Elohim hath sold us into their hands, that we should be thrown down before them with thirst and great destruction.
Now therefore call them unto you, and deliver the whole city for a spoil to the people of Holofernes, and to all his army.
For it is better for us to be made a spoil unto them, than to die for thirst: for we will be his servants, that our souls may live, and not see the death of our infants before our eyes, nor our wives nor our children to die.
We take to witness against you the shamayim and the earth, and our Elohim and master of our fathers, which punisheth us according to our sins and the sins of our fathers, that he do not according as we have said this day.
Then there was great weeping with one consent in the midst of the assembly; and they cried unto the master Elohim with a loud voice.
Then said Ozias to them, Brethren, be of good courage, let us yet endure five days, in the which space the master our Elohim may turn his mercy toward us; for he will not forsake us utterly.
And if these days pass, and there come no help unto us, I will do according to your word.
And he dispersed the people, every one to their own charge; and they went unto the walls and towers of their city, and sent the women and children into their houses: and they were very low brought in the city.