Judith 2

NEW JERUSALEM	BIBBIA TINTORI
1 In the eighteenth year, on the twenty-second day of the first month, a rumour ran through the palace thatNebuchadnezzar king of the Assyrians was to have his revenge on al the countries, as he had threatened.	1 L'anno decimoterzo del re Nabucodonosor, ai ventidue del primo mese, Nabucodonosor, nella sua reggia d'Assiria, fece decidere la guerra,
2 Summoning his general staff and senior officers, he held a secret conference with them, and with hisown lips pronounced utter destruction on the entire area.	2 e, convocati tutti gli anziani, tutti i capi e i suoi guerrieri, tenuto con essi un consiglio segreto,
3 It was then decreed that everyone should be put to death who had not answered the king's appeal.	3 disse essere sua intenzione di assoggettare al suo impero tutta la terra.
4 When the council was over, Nebuchadnezzar king of the Assyrians sent for Holofernes, general-in-chiefof his armies and subordinate only to himself. He said to him,	4 Essendo piaciute a tutti queste parole, Nabucodonosor, chiamato a sè Oloferne, capo dei suoi eserciti,
5 'Thus speaks the Great King, lord of the whole world, "Go; take men of proven valour, about a hundredand twenty thousand foot soldiers and a strong company of horse with twelve thousand cavalrymen;	5 gli disse: « Mettiti in marcia, contro tutti i regni d'occidente, specialmente contro quelli che han disprezzato il mio comando;
6 then advance against all the western lands, since these people have disregarded my cal .	6 il tuo occhio non risparmierà alcun regno, e mi sottometterai tutte le città forti ».
7 Bid them have earth and water ready, because in my rage I am about to march on them; the feet of mysoldiers wil cover the whole face of the earth, and I shal plunder it.	7 Allora Oloferne chiamò a sè i capi e gli ufficiali dell'esercito assiro, e secondo l'ordine del re arruolò gli uomini per la spedizione: centoventi mila combattenti a piedi, e dodici mila arcieri a cavallo.
8 Their wounded will fil the val eys and the torrents, and rivers, blocked with their dead, wil overflow.	8 Ratta andare innanzi tutta la sua armata, una moltitudine innumerevole di cammelli, con abbondanti provvisioni per l'esercito, e innumerevoli armenti di buoi e greggi di pecore,
9 I shall lead them captive to the ends of the earth.	9 fatto preparare del grano da tutta la Siria, pel suo passaggio,
10 Now go! Begin by conquering this whole region for me. If they surrender to you, hold them for me untilthe time comes to punish them.	10 presa dalla cassa del re gran quantità d'oro e d'argento,
11 But if they resist, look on no one with clemency, hand them over to slaughter and plunder throughoutthe territory entrusted to you.	11 Oloferne si mise in marcia con tutto l'esercito, colle quadrighe, i cavalieri, gli arcieri, i quali, come locuste, coprirono la faccia della terra.
12 For by my life and by the living power of my kingdom I have spoken. Al this I shal do by my power.	12 Passati i confini dell'Assiria, giunse alle grandi montagne d'Ange, che sono a sinistra della Cilicia, e prese tutti i loro castelli, e s'impadronì di tutte le piazze forti.
13 And you, neglect none of your master's commands, act strictly according to my orders without furtherdelay." '	13 Espugnò la famosissima città di Meloti, predò tutti i figli di Tarsis, i figli d'Ismaele ch'orano in faccia al deserto e a mezzogiorno del paese di Cellon.
14 Leaving the presence of his sovereign, Holofernes immediately summoned al the marshals, generalsand officers of the Assyrian army	14 Poi passato l'Eufrate, andò nella Mesopotamia, ove forzò tutte le città poste sulle alture, dal torrente Mambre fino al mare.
15 and detailed the picked troops as his master had ordered, about a hundred and twenty thousand menand a further twelve thousand mounted archers.	15 In seguito ne occupò i paesi limitrofi, dalla Cilicia fino al territorio di Iafet che è a mezzogiorno,
16 He organised these in the normal battle formation.	16 e menò via tutti i figli di Madian, predando tutte le loro ricchezze, e passò a fìl di spada tutti quelli che gli facevano resistenza.
17 He then secured vast numbers of camels, donkeys and mules to carry the baggage, and innumerablesheep, oxen and goats for food supplies.	17 Finalmente scese nelle campagne di Damasco, nei giorni della messe, e diede fuoco a tutte le biade, fece tagliare tutti gli alberi e le viti.
18 Every man received ful rations and a generous sum of gold and silver from the king's purse.	18 Il terrore di lui invase tutti gli abitanti della terra.
19 He then set out for the campaign with his whole army, in advance of King Nebuchadnezzar, tooverwhelm the whole western region with his chariots, his horsemen and his picked body of foot.
20 A motley gathering fol owed in his rear, as numerous as locusts or the grains of sand on the ground;there was no counting their multitude.
21 Thus they set out from Nineveh and marched for three days towards the Plain of Bectileth. FromBectileth they went on to pitch camp near the mountains that lie to the north of Upper Cilicia.
22 From there Holofernes advanced into the highlands with his whole army, infantry, horsemen, chariots.
23 He cut his way through Put and Lud, carried away captive al the sons of Rassis and sons of Ishmaelliving on the verge of the desert south of Cheleon,
24 marched along the Euphrates, crossed Mesopotamia, rased al the fortified towns controlling the WadiAbron and reached the sea.
25 Next he attacked the territories of Cilicia, butchering al who offered him resistance, advanced on thesouthern frontiers of Japheth, facing Arabia,
26 completely encircled the Midianites, burned their tents and plundered their sheep-folds,
27 made his way down to the Damascus plain at the time of the wheat harvest, set fire to the fields,destroyed the flocks and herds, sacked the towns, laid the countryside waste and put al the young men to thesword.
28 Fear and trembling seized al the coastal peoples; those of Sidon and Tyre, those of Sur, Ocina andJamnia. The populations of Azotos and Ascalon were panic-stricken.