Yudit 7

¹Ertesi gün Holofernes, tüm ordusuna ve kendisiyle askeri ittifak kurmak üzere toplanmış olan bütün halkına, Beytülva'ya doğru harekete geçmelerini, dağlık bölgenin geçitlerini kendi yararlarına önceden ele geçirmelerini ve İsrailoğulları'na karşı savaş açmalarını buyurdu.

²O gün onların tüm yiğit savaşçıları harekete geçti; savaşçılarının gücü yüz yetmiş bin piyade ve on iki bin atlıdan oluşuyordu; bunların yanı sıra aralarındaki piyadelerden olan diğer adamlar ve ordu ağırlıkları da vardı ki, son derece büyük bir kalabalıktı.

³Beytülva yakınlarındaki vadide, pınarın yanına ordugah kurdular; enlemesine Dotayim'den Belbayim'e kadar, boylamasına ise Beytülva'dan Esdrelon'un karşısındaki Kyamon'a kadar yayıldılar.

⁴İsrailoğulları onların bu kalabalığını görünce son derece sarsıldılar ve birbirlerine şöyle dediler: "Şimdi bunlar bütün yeryüzünün yüzünü yalayıp yutacaklar; ne yüksek dağlar, ne vadiler, ne de tepeler onların ağırlığına dayanabilecek."

⁵Bunun üzerine her biri kendi savaş teçhizatını kuşandı, kulelerinin üzerinde ateşler yakarak o gece boyunca nöbet tutup beklemeye devam ettiler.

⁶İkinci gün Holofernes, Beytülva'da bulunan İsrailoğulları'nın gözü önünde bütün süvari birliğini dışarı çıkardı.

⁷Kentlerinin geçitlerini teftiş etti, su pınarlarını devriye gezerek inceleyip kendi yararına önceden ele geçirdi ve buralara savaşçılardan oluşan nöbetçi birlikler yerleştirdi; kendisi ise kendi halkının yanına döndü.

⁸O zaman Esavoğulları'nın tüm önderleri, Moav halkının bütün yöneticileri ve kıyı şeridinin komutanları ona gelip şöyle dediler:

⁹"Efendimiz bir sözü dinlesin ki, ordunun gücünde bir kırılma ve ağır bir yenilgi yaşanmasın.

¹⁰Çünkü bu İsrailoğulları halkı mızraklarına değil, içinde ikamet ettikleri dağlarının yüksekliklerine güveniyorlar; zira dağlarının tepelerine ulaşmak kolay değildir.

¹¹Şimdi efendimiz, onlarla düzenli bir meydan savaşına girer gibi savaşma; böylece senin halkından tek bir adam bile düşmeyecektir.

¹²Ordunun her bir adamını koruyarak ordugahında kal; kulların ise dağın kökünden çıkan su pınarını ele geçirsinler.

¹³Çünkü Beytülva'da yaşayanların hepsi suyunu oradan alıyor; böylece susuzluk onları kıracak ve kentlerini teslim edecekler; biz ve halkımız da yakınlardaki dağ tepelerine çıkıp kentten tek bir adamın bile dışarı çıkmaması için oralarda nöbet tutarak ordugah kuracağız.

¹⁴Kendileri, karıları ve çocukları açlıktan eriyip gidecekler ve üzerlerine kılıç gelmeden önce, yaşadıkları kentin sokaklarında yere serilecekler.

¹⁵Böylece onlara kötü bir karşılıkla karşılık vermiş olacaksın; çünkü sana isyan ettiler ve seni barışla karşılamadılar."

¹⁶Bu sözler Holofernes'in ve bütün hizmetkarlarının hoşuna gitti ve onların söyledikleri gibi yapılmasına karar verdiler.

¹⁷Böylece Ammonoğulları'nın birliği yola çıktı ve onlarla birlikte beş bin Asurlu vadiye ordugah kurup İsrailoğulları'nın sularını ve su pınarlarını önceden ele geçirdiler.

¹⁸Esavoğulları ve Ammonoğulları da yukarı çıkıp Dotayim'in karşısındaki dağlık bölgeye ordugah kurdular; içlerinden bazılarını güneye ve Huş yakınlarındaki, Mohmur deresinin üzerindeki Ekrebel'in karşısında bulunan doğuya gönderdiler. Asurluların geri kalan ordusu ise ovaya ordugah kurup bütün yeryüzünü kapladı; çadırları ve ordu donanımları çok büyük bir kalabalık halinde kurulmuştu ve son derece büyük bir sayıya ulaştılar.

¹⁹O zaman İsrailoğulları Tanrıları RAB'be feryat ettiler; çünkü ruhları daralmış ve cesaretleri tükenmişti, zira bütün düşmanları çevrelerini sarmıştı ve aralarından kaçıp kurtulacak hiçbir yol yoktu.

²⁰Asur'un bütün ordusu, piyadeleri, savaş arabaları ve atlıları otuz dört gün boyunca onların çevresinde kaldı; böylece Beytülva'da yaşayanların bütün su kapları boşaldı.

²¹Sarnıçlar tükendi ve bir gün bile kana kana içecek suları kalmadı; çünkü onlara su ölçüyle veriliyordu.

²²Küçük çocukların cesareti kırıldı, kadınlar ve gençler susuzluktan halsiz düşüp kentin sokaklarında ve kapı geçitlerinde yere yıkıldılar; artık kendilerinde hiçbir derman kalmamıştı.

²³Bunun üzerine gençler, kadınlar ve çocuklar dahil bütün halk, Ozias'ın ve kentin yöneticilerinin önünde toplandı; yüksek sesle feryat ederek bütün ihtiyarların önünde şöyle dediler:

²⁴"Tanrı bizimle sizin aranızda yargıç olsun! Çünkü Asuroğulları ile barışçıl şeyler konuşmayarak bize büyük bir haksızlık ettiniz.

²⁵Şimdi bize yardım edecek kimse yok; Tanrı bizi susuzluktan kırılalım ve büyük bir yıkımla önlerinde yere serilelim diye onların ellerine köle olarak sattı.

²⁶Şimdi onları çağırın ve bütün kenti Holofernes'in halkına ve bütün ordusuna yağma olarak teslim edin.

²⁷Çünkü onlar tarafından yağmalanmak bizim için daha iyidir; böylece köle oluruz ama canımız sağ kalır; bebeklerimizin gözümüzün önünde can vermesini, karılarımızın ve evlatlarımızın ruhlarını teslim etmesini görmemiş oluruz.

²⁸Bugün söylediğimiz bu sözlere göre yapmamanız için, göğü, yeri, Tanrımızı ve günahlarımıza ve atalarımızın suçlarına göre bizi cezalandıran atalarımızın Rabbi'ni size karşı tanık tutuyoruz."

²⁹Topluluğun ortasında herkes hep birlikte büyük bir feryat kopardı ve yüksek sesle Rab Tanrı'ya yakardı.

³⁰Ozias onlara şöyle dedi: "Cesur olun kardeşlerim! Beş gün daha dayanalım; bu süre içinde Tanrımız RAB merhametini üzerimize yeniden çevirecektir, çünkü bizi tamamen terk etmeyecektir.

³¹Ama bu günler geçer de bize bir yardım gelmezse, söylediğiniz sözlere göre yapacağım." Böylece halkı kendi görev yerlerine dağıttı; kentin surlarına ve kulelerine gittiler, kadınları ve çocukları ise evlerine gönderdiler; kentte büyük bir perişanlık içindeydiler.

¹Τῌ δ᾿ ἐπαύριον παρήγγειλεν ᾿Ολοφέρνης πάσῃ τῇ στρατιᾷ αὐτοῦ καὶ παντὶ τῷ λαῷ αὐτοῦ, οἳ παρεγένοντο ἐπὶ τὴν συμμαχίαν αὐτοῦ, ἀναζευγνύειν ἐπὶ Βαιτυλούα καὶ τὰς ἀναβάσεις τῆς ὀρεινῆς προκαταλαμβάνεσθαι καὶ ποιεῖν πόλεμον πρὸς τοὺς υἱοὺς ᾿Ισραήλ.

²καὶ ἀνέζευξεν ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ πᾶς ἀνὴρ δυνατὸς αὐτῶν· καὶ ἡ δύναμις αὐτῶν ἀνδρῶν πολεμιστῶν χιλιάδες ἀνδρῶν πεζῶν ἑκατὸν ἑβδομήκοντα καὶ ἱππέων χιλιάδες δεκαδύο, χωρὶς τῆς ἀποσκευῆς καὶ τῶν ἀνδρῶν, οἳ ἦσαν πεζοὶ ἐν αὐτοῖς, πλῆθος πολὺ σφόδρα.

³καὶ παρενέβαλον ἐν τῷ αὐλῶνι πλησίον Βαιτυλούα ἐπὶ τῆς πηγῆς καὶ παρέτειναν εἰς εὖρος ἐπὶ Δωθαΐμ καὶ ἕως Βελβαὶμ καὶ εἰς μῆκος ἀπὸ Βαιτυλούα ἕως Κυαμῶνος, ἥ ἐστιν ἀπέναντι ᾿Εσδρηλών.

⁴οἱ δὲ υἱοὶ ᾿Ισραήλ, ὡς εἶδον αὐτῶν τὸ πλῆθος, ἐταράχθησαν σφόδρα καὶ εἶπεν ἕκαστος πρὸς τὸν πλησίον αὐτοῦ· νῦν ἐκλείξουσιν οὖτοι τὸ πρόσωπον τῆς γῆς πάσης, καὶ οὔτε τὰ ὄρη τὰ ὑψηλὰ οὔτε αἱ φάραγγες οὔτε οἱ βουνοὶ ὑποστήσονται τὸ βάρος αὐτῶν.

⁵καὶ ἀναλαβόντες ἕκαστος τὰ σκεύη τὰ πολεμικὰ αὐτῶν καὶ ἀνακαύσαντες πυρὰς ἐπὶ τοὺς πύργους αὐτῶν, ἔμενον φυλάσσοντες ὅλην τὴν νύκτα ἐκείνην.

⁶τῇ δὲ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ δευτέρᾳ ἐξήγαγεν ᾿Ολοφέρνης πᾶσαν τὴν ἵππον αὐτοῦ κατὰ πρόσωπον τῶν υἱῶν ᾿Ισραήλ, οἳ ἦσαν ἐν Βαιτυλούᾳ,

⁷καὶ ἐπεσκέψατο τὰς ἀναβάσεις τῆς πόλεως αὐτῶν καὶ τὰς πηγὰς τῶν ὑδάτων αὐτῶν ἐφώδευσε καὶ προκατελάβετο αὐτὰς καὶ ἐπέστησεν αὐταῖς παρεμβολὰς ἀνδρῶν πολεμιστῶν, καὶ αὐτὸς ἀνέζευξεν εἰς τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ.

⁸καὶ προσελθόντες αὐτῷ οἱ ἄρχοντες τῶν υἱῶν ῾Ησαῦ καὶ πάντες οἱ ἡγούμενοι τοῦ λαοῦ Μωὰβ καὶ οἱ στρατηγοὶ τῆς παραλίας εἶπαν·

⁹ἀκουσάτω δὴ λόγον ὁ δεσπότης ἡμῶν, ἵνα μὴ γένηται θραῦσμα ἐν τῇ δυνάμει σου·

¹⁰ὁ γὰρ λαὸς οὗτος τῶν υἱῶν ᾿Ισραὴλ οὐ πέποιθαν ἐπὶ τοῖς δόρασιν αὐτῶν, ἀλλ᾿ ἐπὶ τοῖς ὕψεσι τῶν ὀρέων αὐτῶν, ἐν οἷς αὐτοὶ ἐνοικοῦσιν ἐν αὐτοῖς· οὐ γάρ ἐστιν εὐχερὲς προσβῆναι ταῖς κορυφαῖς τῶν ὀρέων αὐτῶν.

¹¹καὶ νῦν, δέσποτα, μὴ πολέμει πρὸς αὐτούς, καθὼς γίνεται πόλεμος παρατάξεως, καὶ οὐ πεσεῖται ἐκ τοῦ λαοῦ σου ἀνὴρ εἷς.

¹²ἀνάμεινον ἐπὶ τῆς παρεμβολῆς σου διαφυλάσσων πάντα ἄνδρα ἐκ τῆς δυνάμεώς σου, καὶ ἐπικρατησάτωσαν οἱ παῖδές σου τῆς πηγῆς τοῦ ὕδατος, ἣ ἐκπορεύεται ἐκ τῆς ῥίζης τοῦ ὄρους,

¹³διότι ἐκεῖθεν ὑδρεύονται πάντες οἱ κατοικοῦντες Βαιτυλούα, καὶ ἀνελεῖ αὐτοὺς ἡ δίψα, καὶ ἐκδώσουσι τὴν πόλιν ἑαυτῶν· καὶ ἡμεῖς καὶ ὁ λαὸς ἡμῶν ἀναβησόμεθα ἐπὶ τὰς πλησίον κορυφὰς τῶν ὀρέων καὶ παρεμβαλοῦμεν ἐπ᾿ αὐταῖς εἰς προφυλακὴν τοῦ μὴ ἐξελθεῖν ἐκ τῆς πόλεως ἄνδρα ἕνα.

¹⁴καὶ τακήσονται ἐν τῷ λιμῷ αὐτοὶ καὶ αἱ γυναῖκες αὐτῶν καὶ τὰ τέκνα αὐτῶν, καὶ πρὶν ἐλθεῖν τὴν ρομφαίαν ἐπ᾿ αὐτούς, καταστρωθήσονται ἐν ταῖς πλατείαις τῆς οἰκήσεως αὐτῶν.

¹⁵καὶ ἀνταποδώσεις αὐτοῖς ἀνταπόδομα πονηρόν, ἀνθ᾿ ὧν ἐστασίασαν, καὶ οὐκ ἀπήντησαν τῷ προσώπῳ σου ἐν εἰρήνῃ.

¹⁶καὶ ἤρεσαν οἱ λόγοι αὐτῶν ἐνώπιον ᾿Ολοφέρνου καὶ ἐνώπιον πάντων τῶν θεραπόντων αὐτοῦ, καὶ συνέταξαν ποιεῖν καθὼς ἐλάλησαν.

¹⁷καὶ ἀπῇρε παρεμβολὴ υἱῶν ᾿Αμμὼν καὶ μετ᾿ αὐτῶν χιλιάδες πέντε υἱῶν ᾿Ασσοὺρ καὶ παρενέβαλον ἐν τῷ αὐλῶνι καὶ προκατελάβοντο τὰ ὕδατα καὶ τὰς πηγὰς τῶν ὑδάτων τῶν υἱῶν ᾿Ισραήλ.

¹⁸καὶ ἀνέβησαν υἱοὶ ῾Ησαῦ καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ ᾿Αμμὼν καὶ παρενέβαλον ἐν τῇ ὀρεινῇ ἀπέναντι Δωθαΐμ. καὶ ἀπέστειλαν ἐξ αὐτῶν πρὸς νότον καὶ ἀπηλιώτην ἀπέναντι ᾿Εγρεβήλ, ἥ ἐστι πλησίον Χούς, ἥ ἐστιν ἐπὶ τοῦ χειμάρρου Μοχμούρ. καὶ ἡ λοιπὴ στρατιὰ τῶν ᾿Ασσυρίων παρενέβαλον ἐν τῷ πεδίῳ καὶ ἐκάλυψαν πᾶν τὸ πρόσωπον τῆς γῆς· καὶ αἱ σκηναὶ καὶ αἱ ἀπαρτίαι αὐτῶν κατεστρατοπέδευσαν ἐν ὄχλῳ πολλῷ καὶ ἦσαν εἰς πλῆθος πολὺ σφόδρα.

¹⁹Καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ ᾿Ισραὴλ ἀνεβόησαν πρὸς Κύριον Θεὸν αὐτῶν, ὅτι ὠλιγοψύχησε τὸ πνεῦμα αὐτῶν, ὅτι ἐκύκλωσαν πάντες οἱ ἐχθροὶ αὐτῶν καὶ οὐκ ἦν διαφυγεῖν ἐκ μέσου αὐτῶν.

²⁰καὶ ἔμεινε κύκλῳ αὐτῶν πᾶσα παρεμβολὴ ᾿Ασσούρ, οἱ πεζοὶ καὶ τὰ ἅρματα καὶ οἱ ἱππεῖς αὐτῶν, ἡμέρας τριακοντατέσσαρας. καὶ ἐξέλιπε πάντας τοὺς κατοικοῦντας Βαιτυλούα πάντα τὰ ἀγγεῖα αὐτῶν τῶν ὑδάτων,

²¹καὶ οἱ λάκκοι ἐξεκενοῦντο, καὶ οὐκ εἶχον πιεῖν εἰς πλησμονὴν ὕδωρ ἡμέραν μίαν, ὅτι ἐν μέτρῳ ἐδίδοσαν αὐτοῖς πιεῖν.

²²καὶ ἠθύμησαν τὰ νήπια αὐτῶν, καὶ αἱ γυναῖκες αὐτῶν καὶ οἱ νεανίσκοι ἐξέλιπον ἀπὸ τῆς δίψης καὶ ἔπιπτον ἐν ταῖς πλατείαις τῆς πόλεως καὶ ἐν ταῖς διόδοις τῶν πυλῶν, καὶ οὐκ ἦν κραταίωσις ἔτι ἐν αὐτοῖς.

²³καὶ ἐπισυνήχθησαν πᾶς ὁ λαὸς ἐπὶ ᾿Οζίαν καὶ τοὺς ἄρχοντας τῆς πόλεως, οἱ νεανίσκοι καὶ αἱ γυναῖκες καὶ τὰ παιδία, καὶ ἀνεβόησαν φωνῇ μεγάλῃ καὶ εἶπαν ἐναντίον πάντων τῶν πρεσβυτέρων·

²⁴κρίναι ὁ Θεὸς ἀνὰ μέσον ἡμῶν καὶ ὑμῶν, ὅτι ἐποιήσατε ἐν ἡμῖν ἀδικίαν μεγάλην οὐ λαλήσαντες εἰρηνικὰ μετὰ τῶν υἱῶν ᾿Ασσούρ.

²⁵καὶ νῦν οὐκ ἔστι βοηθὸς ἡμῶν, ἀλλὰ πέπρακεν ἡμᾶς ὁ Θεὸς εἰς τὰς χεῖρας αὐτῶν τοῦ καταστρωθῆναι ἐναντίον αὐτῶν ἐν δίψῃ καὶ ἀπωλείᾳ μεγάλῃ.

²⁶καὶ νῦν ἐπικαλέσασθε αὐτοὺς καὶ ἔκδοσθε τὴν πόλιν πᾶσαν εἰς προνομὴν τῷ λαῷ ᾿Ολοφέρνου καὶ πάσῃ τῇ δυνάμει αὐτοῦ·

²⁷κρεῖσσον γὰρ ἡμῖν γενηθῆναι αὐτοῖς εἰς διαρπαγήν, ἐσόμεθα γὰρ εἰς δούλους, καὶ ζήσεται ἡ ψυχὴ ἡμῶν, καὶ οὐκ ὀψόμεθα τὸν θάνατον τῶν νηπίων ἡμῶν ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς ἡμῶν καὶ τὰς γυναῖκας καὶ τὰ τέκνα ἡμῶν ἐκλειπούσας τὰς ψυχὰς αὐτῶν.

²⁸μαρτυρόμεθα ὑμῖν τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν καὶ τὸν Θεὸν ἡμῶν καὶ Κύριον τῶν πατέρων ἡμῶν, ὃς ἐκδικεῖ ἡμᾶς κατὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν καὶ κατὰ τὰ ἁμαρτήματα τῶν πατέρων ἡμῶν, ἵνα μὴ ποιήσῃ κατὰ τὰ ρήματα ταῦτα ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ σήμερον.

²⁹καὶ ἐγένετο κλαυθμὸς μέγας ἐν μέσῳ τῆς ἐκκλησίας πάντων ὁμοθυμαδὸν καὶ ἐβόησαν πρὸς Κύριον τὸν Θεὸν φωνῇ μεγάλῃ.

³⁰καὶ εἶπε πρὸς αὐτοὺς ᾿Οζίας· θαρσεῖτε, ἀδελφοί, διακαρτερήσωμεν ἔτι πέντε ἡμέρας, ἐν αἷς ἐπιστρέψει Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ ἐφ᾿ ἡμᾶς, οὐ γὰρ ἐγκαταλείψει ἡμᾶς εἰς τέλος·

³¹ἐὰν δὲ διέλθωσιν αὗται καὶ μὴ ἔλθῃ ἐφ᾿ ἡμᾶς βοήθεια, ποιήσω κατὰ τὰ ρήματα ὑμῶν. καὶ ἐσκόρπισε τὸν λαὸν εἰς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ παρεμβολήν, καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ τείχη καὶ τοὺς πύργους τῆς πόλεως αὐτῶν ἀπῆλθον, καὶ τὰς γυναῖκας καὶ τὰ τέκνα εἰς τοὺς οἴκους αὐτῶν ἐξαπέστειλε· καὶ ἦσαν ἐν ταπεινώσει πολλῇ ἐν τῇ πόλει.

¹The 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 Israel.

²Then 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.

³And 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.

⁴Now the children of Israel, 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.

⁵Then every man took up his weapons of war, and when they had kindled fires upon their towers, they remained and watched all that night.

⁶But in the second day Holofernes brought forth all his horsemen in the sight of the children of Israel which were in Bethulia,

⁷And 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.

⁸Then 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,

⁹Let our lord now hear a word, that there be not an overthrow in thine army.

¹⁰For this people of the children of Israel 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.

¹¹Now therefore, my lord, fight not against them in battle array, and there shall not so much as one man of thy people perish.

¹²Remain 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:

¹³For 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.

¹⁴So they and their wives and their children shall be consumed with fire [corr. by D. Macrynikolas: "shall melt in hunger"], and before the sword come against them, they shall be overthrown in the streets where they dwell.

¹⁵Thus shalt thou render them an evil reward; because they rebelled, and met not thy person peaceably.

¹⁶And these words pleased Holofernes and all his servants, and he appointed to do as they had spoken.

¹⁷So 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 Israel.

¹⁸Then 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.

¹⁹Then the children of Israel cried unto the Lord their God, because their heart failed, for all their enemies had compassed them round about, and there was no way to escape out from among them.

²⁰Thus 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.

²¹And the cisterns were emptied, and they had not water to drink their fill for one day; for they gave them drink by measure.

²²Therefore 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.

²³Then 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,

²⁴God 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.

²⁵For now we have no helper: but God hath sold us into their hands, that we should be thrown down before them with thirst and great destruction.

²⁶Now therefore call them unto you, and deliver the whole city for a spoil to the people of Holofernes, and to all his army.

²⁷For 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.

²⁸We take to witness against you the heaven and the earth, and our God and Lord 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.

²⁹Then there was great weeping with one consent in the midst of the assembly; and they cried unto the Lord God with a loud voice.

³⁰Then said Ozias to them, Brethren, be of good courage, let us yet endure five days, in the which space the Lord our God may turn his mercy toward us; for he will not forsake us utterly.

³¹And if these days pass, and there come no help unto us, I will do according to your word.

³²And 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.