Judith 7
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1THe next day, Olofernes commanded all his armie and all his people, which were come to take his parte, that thei shulde remoue their campes against Bethulia, and that they shulde take all the streites of the hill, and to make warre against the children of Israel. 2Then their strong men remoued their camps in that daye, and the armie of the men of warre was an hundreth thousand and seuentie fotemen, & twelue thousand horsemen, beside the baggage & other men that were afote among them, a very great multitude. 3And they camped in the plaine nere vnto Bethulia, by the fountaine, and thei spred abroad toward Dothaim vnto Belbaim, and in length from Bethulia vnto Ciamon, which is ouer against Esdraelom. 4Now the children of Israel, when they sawe the multitude, were greatly troubled, & said euerie one to his neighbour, Now wil they shut vp all the whole earth: for nether the hie mountaines nor the valleis, nor the hilles are able to abide their burden. 5Then euerie one toke his weapons of warre, and burning fyres in their towres, they remained and watched all that night. 6But in the seconde day, Olofernes broght forthe all his horsemen in the sight of the children of Israel, which were in Bethulia, 7And vewed the passages vp to their citie, and came to the fountaines of their waters, & toke them & set garisons of men of warre ouer them, and remoued toward his people. 8Then came vnto him all the chief of the children of Esau, and all the gouernours of the people of Moab, & all the captaines of the sea coast, and said, 9Let our captaine now heare a worde, lest an inconuenience come in thine armie. 10For this people of the children of Israel do not trust in their speares, but in the height of the mountaines, wherein they dwell, because it is not easy to come vp to the toppes of their mountaines. 11Now therefore, my lord, fight not against them in battel aray, and there shal not so muche as one man of thy people perish. 12Remaine in thy campe, and kepe all the men of thine armie, and let thy men kepe stil the water of the countrey, that cometh forthe at the fote of the mountaine. 13For all the inhabitants of Bethulia haue their water thereof: so shal thirst kill them, and they shal giue vp their citie: and we and our people wil go vp to the toppes of the mountaines that are nere, & wil campe vpon them, & watche that none go out of the citie. 14So thei & their wiues, & their children shalbe consumed with famine, & before the sworde come against them, thei shalbe ouerthrowen in the stretes where thei dwel. 15Thus shalt thou render them an euil reward, because thei rebelled & obeied not thy persone peaceably. 16And these wordes pleased Olofernes & all his soldiers, and he appointed to do as they had spoken. 17So the campe of the children of Ammon departed, & with them fiue thousand of the Assyrians, and they pitched in the valley, & toke the waters, and the fountaines of the waters of the children of Israel. 18Then the children of Esau went vp with the children of Ammon, & camped in the mountaines ouer against Dothaim, & thei sent some of them selues towarde the South, and towarde the East, ouer against Rebel, which is nere vnto Chusi, that is vpon the riuer Mochmur: and the rest of the armie of the Assyrians camped in the field, and couered the whole land: for their tents & their baggage were pitched in a wonderful great place. 19Then the children of Israel cryed vnto the Lord their God, because their heart failed: for all their enemies had compassed them about, and there was no way to escape out from among them. 20Thus all the companie of Assur remained about them, bothe their fotemen, chariots and horsemen, foure and thirtie dayes: so that euen all the places of their waters failed all the inhabitants of Bethulia. 21And the cisternes were emptie, and they had not water ynough to drinke for one day: for they gaue them to drinke by measure. 22Therefore their children swoned, and their wiues & yong men failed for thirst, and fel downe in the stretes of the citie, & by the passages of the gates, and there was no strength in them. 23Then all the people assembled to Ozias, and to the chief of the citie, bothe yong men and women, and children, and cryed with a loude voyce, and said before all the Elders, 24The Lord iudge betwene vs & you: for you haue done vs great iniurie, in that ye haue not required peace of the children of Assur. 25For now we haue no helper: but God hathe solde vs into their hands, that we shulde be throwen downe before them with thirst and great destruction. 26Now therefore call them together, & deliuer the whole citie for a spoile to the people of Olofernes, and to all his armie. 27For it is better for vs to be made a spoile vnto them, then to dye for thirst: for we wil be his seruants that we may liue, & not se the death of our infants before our eyes, nor our wiues, nor our children to dye. 28We take to witnes against you the heauen and the earth, & our God and Lord of our fathers, which punisheth vs, according to our sinnes & the sinnes of our fathers, that he lay not these things to our charge. 29Then there was a great crye of all with one consent in the middes of the assemblie, & thei cryed vnto the Lord God with a loude voyce. 30Then said Ozias to them, Brethren, be of good courage: let vs waite yet fiue daies, in the which space the Lord our God may turne his mercie toward vs: for he wil not forsake vs in the end. 31And if these daies passe, and there come not helpe vnto vs, I wil do according to your worde. 32So he separated the people, euerie one vnto their charge, & thei went vnto the walles and towres of their citie, & sent their wiues & their children into their houses, and they were very lowe broght in the citie.