Judith 7

NEW JERUSALEM	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 The fol owing day Holofernes issued orders to his whole army and to the whole host of auxiliaries whohad joined him, to break camp and march on Bethulia, to occupy the mountain passes and so open thecampaign against the Israelites.	1 The following day Holofernes ordered his whole army, and all the allied troops that had come to his support, to move against Bethulia, seize the mountain passes, and engage the Israelites in battle.
2 The troops broke camp that same day. The actual fighting force numbered one hundred and twentythousand infantry and twelve thousand cavalry, not to mention the baggage train with the vast number of men onfoot concerned with that.	2 That same day all their fighting men went into action. Their forces numbered a hundred and seventy thousand infantry and twelve thousand horsemen, not counting the baggage train or the men who accompanied it on foot-a very great army.
3 They penetrated the val ey in the neighbourhood of Bethulia, near the spring, and deployed on a widefront from Dothan to Balbaim and, in depth, from Bethulia to Cyamon, which faces Esdraelon.	3 They encamped at the spring in the valley near Bethulia, and spread out in breadth toward Dothan as far as Balbaim, and in length from Bethulia to Cyamon, which faces Esdraelon.
4 When the Israelites saw this horde, they were al appal ed and said to each other, 'Now they wil lick thewhole country clean. Not even the loftiest peaks, the gorges or the hil s wil be able to stand the weight of them.'	4 When the Israelites saw how many there were, they said to one another in great dismay: "Soon they will devour the whole country. Neither the high mountains nor the valleys and hills can support the mass of them."
5 Each man snatched up his arms; they lit beacons on their towers and spent the whole night on watch.	5 Yet they all seized their weapons, lighted fires on their bastions, and kept watch throughout the night.
6 On the second day Holofernes deployed his entire cavalry in sight of the Israelites in Bethulia.	6 On the second day Holofernes led out all his cavalry in the sight of the Israelites who were in Bethulia.
7 He reconnoitred the slopes leading up to the town, located the water-points, seized them and postedpickets over them and returned to the main body.	7 He reconnoitered the approaches to their city and located their sources of water; these he seized, stationing armed detachments around them, while he himself returned to his troops.
8 The chieftains of the sons of Esau, al the leaders of the Moabites and the generals of the coastal districtthen came to him and said,	8 All the commanders of the Edomites and all the leaders of the Ammonites, together with the generals of the seacoast, came to Holofernes and said:
9 'If our master wil be pleased to listen to us, his forces wil not sustain a single wound.	9 "Sir, listen to what we have to say, that there may be no losses among your troops.
10 These Israelites do not rely so much on their spears as on the height of the mountains where they live.And admittedly it is not at all easy to scale these heights of theirs.	10 These Israelites do not rely on their spears, but on the height of the mountains where they dwell; it is not easy to reach the summit of their mountains.
11 'This being the case, master, avoid engaging them in a pitched battle and then you wil not lose a singleman.	11 Therefore, sir, do not attack them in regular formation; thus not a single one of your troops will fall.
12 Stay in camp, keep al your troops there too, while your servants seize the spring which rises at the footof the mountain,	12 Stay in your camp, and spare all your soldiers. Have some of your servants keep control of the source of water that flows out at the base of the mountain,
13 since that is what provides the population of Bethulia with their water supply. Thirst wil then force themto surrender their town. Meanwhile, we and our men wil climb the nearest mountain tops and form advanceposts there to prevent anyone from leaving the town.	13 for that is where the inhabitants of Bethulia get their water. Then thirst will begin to carry them off, and they will surrender their city. Meanwhile, we and our men will go up to the summits of the nearby mountains, and encamp there to guard against anyone's leaving the city.
14 Hunger wil waste them, with their wives and children, and before the sword can reach them they wilalready be lying in the streets outside their houses.	14 They and their wives and children will languish with hunger, and even before the sword strikes them they will be laid low in the streets of their city.
15 And you will make them pay dearly for their defiance and their refusal to meet you peaceably.'	15 Thus you will render them dire punishment for their rebellion and their refusal to meet you peacefully."
16 Their words pleased Holofernes as wel as al his officers, and he decided to do as they suggested.	16 Their words pleased Holofernes and all his ministers, and he ordered their proposal to be carried out.
17 Accordingly, a troop of Moabites moved forward with a further five thousand Assyrians. Theypenetrated the val ey and seized the Israelites' waterpoints and springs.	17 Thereupon the Moabites moved camp, together with five thousand Assyrians. They encamped in the valley, and held the water supply and the springs of the Israelites.
18 Meanwhile the Edomites and Ammonites went and took up positions in the highlands opposite Dothan,sending some of their men to the south-east opposite Egrebel near Chous on the Wadi Mochmur. The rest of theAssyrian army took up positions in the plain, covering every inch of the ground; their tents and equipment madean immense encampment, so vast were their numbers.	18 The Edomites and the Ammonites went up and encamped in the mountain region opposite Dothan; and they sent some of their men to the south and to the east opposite Egrebel, near Chusi, which is on Wadi Mochmur. The rest of the Assyrian army was encamped in the plain, covering the whole countryside. Their enormous store of tents and equipment was spread out in profusion everywhere.
19 The Israelites cal ed on the Lord their God, dispirited because the enemy had surrounded them and cutal line of retreat.	19 The Israelites cried to the Lord, their God, for they were disheartened, since all their enemies had them surrounded, and there was no way of slipping through their lines.
20 For thirty-four days the Assyrian army, infantry, chariots, cavalrymen, had them surrounded. Everywater-jar the inhabitants of Bethulia had was empty,	20 The whole Assyrian camp, infantry, chariots, and cavalry, kept them thus surrounded for thirty-four days. All the reservoirs of water failed the inhabitants of Bethulia,
21 their storage-wel s were drying up; on no day could a man drink his fil , since their water was rationed.	21 and the cisterns ran dry, so that on no day did they have enough to drink, but their drinking water was rationed.
22 Their little children pined away, the women and young men grew weak with thirst; they col apsed in the streets and gateways of the town; they had no strength left.	22 Their children fainted away, and the women and youths were consumed with thirst and were collapsing in the streets and gateways of the city, with no strength left in them.
23 Young men, women, children, the whole people thronged clamouring round Uzziah and the chief menof the town, shouting in the presence of the assembled elders,	23 All the people, therefore, including youths, women, and children, went in a crowd to Uzziah and the rulers of the city. They set up a great clamor and said before the elders:
24 'May God be judge between you and us! For you have done us great harm, by not suing for peace withthe Assyrians.	24 "God judge between you and us! You have done us grave injustice in not making peace with the Assyrians.
25 And now there is no one to help us. God has delivered us into their hands to be prostrated before themin thirst and utter helplessness.	25 There is no help for us now! Instead, God has sold us into their power by laying us prostrate before them in thirst and utter exhaustion.
26 Cal them in at once; hand the whole town over to be sacked by Holofernes' men and al his army.	26 Therefore, summon them and deliver the whole city as booty to the troops of Holofernes and to all his forces;
27 After al , we should be much better off as their booty than we are now; no doubt we shall be enslaved,but at least we shal be alive and not see our little ones dying before our eyes or our wives and childrenperishing.	27 we would be better off to become their prey. We should indeed be made slaves, but at least we should live, and not have to behold our little ones dying before our eyes and our wives and children breathing out their souls.
28 By heaven and earth and by our God, the Lord of our fathers, who is punishing us for our sins and thesins of our ancestors, we implore you to take this course now, today.'	28 We adjure you by heaven and earth, and by our God, the Lord of our forefathers, who is punishing us for our sins and those of our forefathers, to do as we have proposed, this very day."
29 Bitter lamentations rose from the whole assembly, and they all cried loudly to the Lord God.	29 All in the assembly with one accord broke into shrill wailing and loud cries to the Lord their God.
30 Then Uzziah spoke to them, 'Take heart, brothers! Let us hold out five days more. By then the Lord ourGod will take pity on us, for he wil not desert us altogether.	30 But Uzziah said to them, "Courage, my brothers! Let us wait five days more for the Lord our God, to show his mercy toward us; he will not utterly forsake us.
31 At the end of this time, if no help is forthcoming, I shall do as you have said.'	31 But if those days pass without help coming to us, I will do as you say."
32 With that he dismissed the people to their various quarters. The men went to man the wal s and towersof the town, sending the women and children home. The town was ful of despondency.	32 Then he dispersed the men to their posts, and they returned to the walls and towers of the city; the women and children he sent to their homes. Throughout the city they were in great misery.