Judith 2

1In the thirteenth year of the reign of Nabuchodonosor, the two and twentieth day of the first month, the word was given out in the house of Nabuchodonosor king of the Assyrians, that he would revenge himself.

2And he called all the ancients, and all the governors, and his officers of war, and communicated to them the secret of his counsel:

3And he said that his thoughts were to bring all the earth under his empire.

4And when this saying pleased them all, Nabuchodonosor, the king, called Holofernes the general of his armies,

5And said to him: Go out against all the kingdoms of the west, and against them especially that despised my commandment.

6Thy eye shall not spare any kingdom, and all the strong cities thou shalt bring under my yoke.

7Then Holofernes called the captains, and officers of the power of the Assyrians: and he mustered men for the expedition, and the king commanded him, a hundred and twenty thousand fighting men on foot, and twelve thousand archers, horsemen.

8And he made all his warlike preparations to go before with a multitude of innumerable camels, with all provisions sufficient for the armies in abundance, and herds of oxen, and flocks of sheep, without number.

9He appointed corn to be prepared out of all Syria in his passage.

10But gold and silver he took out of the king's house in great abundance.

11And he went forth he and all the army, with the chariots, and horsemen, and archers, who covered the face of the earth, like locusts.

12And when he had passed through the borders of the Assyrians, he came to the great mountains of Ange, which are on the left of Cilicia: and he went up to all their castles, and took all the strong places.

13And he took by assault the renowned city of Melothus, and pillaged all the children of Tharsis, and the children of Ismahel, who were over against the face of the desert, and on the south of the land of Cellon.

14And he passed over the Euphrates and came into Mesopotamia: and he forced all the stately cities that were there, from the torrent of Mambre, till one comes to the sea:

15And he took the borders thereof, from Cilicia to the coasts of Japheth, which are towards the south.

16And he carried away all the children of Madian, and stripped them of all their riches, and all that resisted him he slew with the edge of the sword.

17And after these things he went down into the plains of Damascus in the days of the harvest, and he set all the corn on fire, and he caused all the trees and vineyards to be cut down.

18And the fear of them fell upon all the inhabitants of the land.

1Anno tertiodecimo Nabuchodonosor regis, vigesima et secunda die mensis primi, factum est verbum in domo Nabuchodonosor regis Assyriorum ut defenderet se.

2Vocavitque omnes majores natu, omnesque duces et bellatores suos, et habuit cum eis mysterium consilii sui:

3dixitque cogitationem suam in eo esse, ut omnem terram suo subjugaret imperio.

4Quod dictum cum placuisset omnibus, vocavit Nabuchodonosor rex Holofernem principem militiæ suæ,

5et dixit ei : Egredere adversus omne regnum occidentis, et contra eos præcipue, qui contempserunt imperium eum.

6Non parcet oculus tuus ulli regno, omnemque urbem munitam subjugabis mihi.

7Tunc Holofernes vocavit duces et magistratus virtutis Assyriorum, et dinumeravit viros in expeditionem sicut præcepit ei rex, centum viginti millia peditum pugnatorum, et equitum sagittariorum duodecim millia.

8Omnemque expeditionem suam fecit præire in multitudine innumerabilium camelorum, cum his quæ exercitibus sufficerent copiose, boum quoque armenta, gregesque ovium, quorum non erat numerus.

9Frumentum ex omni Syria in transitu suo parari constituit.

10Aurum vero et argentum de domo regis assumpsit multum nimis.

11Et profectus est ipse, et omnis exercitus cum quadrigis, et equitibus, et sagittariis : qui cooperuerunt faciem terræ sicut locustæ.

12Cumque pertransisset fines Assyriorum, venit ad magnos montes Ange, qui sunt a sinistro Ciliciæ : ascenditque omnia castella eorum, et obtinuit omnem munitionem.

13Effregit autem civitatem opinatissimam Melothi, prædavitque omnes filios Tharsis et filios Ismaël qui erant contra faciem deserti, et ad austrum terræ Cellon.

14Et transivit Euphraten, et venit in Mesopotamiam : et fregit omnes civitates excelsas quæ erant ibi, a torrente Mambre usquequo perveniatur ad mare:

15et occupavit terminos ejus, a Cilicia usque ad fines Japheth qui sunt ad austrum.

16Abduxitque omnes filios Madian, et prædavit omnem locupletationem eorum, omnesque resistentes sibi occidit in ore gladii.

17Et post hæc descendit in campos Damasci in diebus messis, et succendit omnia sata, omnesque arbores, et vineas fecit incidi:

18et cecidit timor illius super omnes inhabitantes terram.

1καὶ ἐν τῷ ἔτει τῷ ὀκτωκαιδεκάτῳ δευτέρᾳ καὶ εἰκάδι τοῦ πρώτου μηνὸς ἐγένετο λόγος ἐν οἴκῳ Ναβουχοδονοσορ βασιλέως Ἀσσυρίων ἐκδικῆσαι πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν καθὼς ἐλάλησεν

2καὶ συνεκάλεσεν πάντας τοὺς θεράποντας αὐτοῦ καὶ πάντας τοὺς μεγιστᾶνας αὐτοῦ καὶ ἔθετο μετ' αὐτῶν τὸ μυστήριον τῆς βουλῆς αὐτοῦ καὶ συνετέλεσεν πᾶσαν τὴν κακίαν τῆς γῆς ἐκ τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ

3καὶ αὐτοὶ ἔκριναν ὀλεθρεῦσαι πᾶσαν σάρκα οἳ οὐκ ἠκολούθησαν τῷ λόγῳ τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ

4καὶ ἐγένετο ὡς συνετέλεσεν τὴν βουλὴν αὐτοῦ ἐκάλεσεν Ναβουχοδονοσορ βασιλεὺς Ἀσσυρίων τὸν Ολοφέρνην ἀρχιστράτηγον τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ δεύτερον ὄντα μετ' αὐτὸν καὶ εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτόν

5τάδε λέγει ὁ βασιλεὺς ὁ μέγας ὁ κύριος πάσης τῆς γῆς ἰδοὺ σὺ ἐξελεύσῃ ἐκ τοῦ προσώπου μου καὶ λήμψῃ μετὰ σεαυτοῦ ἄνδρας πεποιθότας ἐν ἰσχύι αὐτῶν πεζῶν εἰς χιλιάδας ἑκατὸν εἴκοσι καὶ πλῆθος ἵππων σὺν ἀναβάταις χιλιάδας δέκα δύο

6καὶ ἐξελεύσῃ εἰς συνάντησιν πάσῃ τῇ γῇ ἐπὶ δυσμάς ὅτι ἠπείθησαν τῷ ῥήματι τοῦ στόματός μου

7καὶ ἀπαγγελεῖς αὐτοῖς ἑτοιμάζειν γῆν καὶ ὕδωρ ὅτι ἐξελεύσομαι ἐν θυμῷ μου ἐπ' αὐτοὺς καὶ καλύψω πᾶν τὸ πρόσωπον τῆς γῆς ἐν τοῖς ποσὶν τῆς δυνάμεώς μου καὶ δώσω αὐτοὺς εἰς διαρπαγὴν αὐτοῖς

8καὶ οἱ τραυματίαι αὐτῶν πληρώσουσιν τὰς φάραγγας αὐτῶν καὶ πᾶς χειμάρρους καὶ ποταμὸς ἐπικλύζων τοῖς νεκροῖς αὐτῶν πληρωθήσεται

9καὶ ἄξω τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν αὐτῶν ἐπὶ τὰ ἄκρα πάσης τῆς γῆς

10σὺ δὲ ἐξελθὼν προκαταλήμψῃ μοι πᾶν ὅριον αὐτῶν καὶ ἐκδώσουσίν σοι ἑαυτούς καὶ διατηρήσεις ἐμοὶ αὐτοὺς εἰς ἡμέραν ἐλεγμοῦ αὐτῶν

11ἐπὶ δὲ τοὺς ἀπειθοῦντας οὐ φείσεται ὁ ὀφθαλμός σου τοῦ δοῦναι αὐτοὺς εἰς φόνον καὶ ἁρπαγὴν ἐν πάσῃ τῇ γῇ σου

12ὅτι ζῶν ἐγὼ καὶ τὸ κράτος τῆς βασιλείας μου λελάληκα καὶ ποιήσω ταῦτα ἐν χειρί μου

13καὶ σὺ δὲ οὐ παραβήσῃ ἕν τι τῶν ῥημάτων τοῦ κυρίου σου ἀλλὰ ἐπιτελῶν ἐπιτελέσεις καθότι προστέταχά σοι καὶ οὐ μακρυνεῖς τοῦ ποιῆσαι αὐτά

14καὶ ἐξῆλθεν Ολοφέρνης ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ κυρίου αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐκάλεσεν πάντας τοὺς δυνάστας καὶ τοὺς στρατηγοὺς καὶ ἐπιστάτας τῆς δυνάμεως Ασσουρ

15καὶ ἠρίθμησεν ἐκλεκτοὺς ἄνδρας εἰς παράταξιν καθότι ἐκέλευσεν αὐτῷ ὁ κύριος αὐτοῦ εἰς μυριάδας δέκα δύο καὶ ἱππεῖς τοξότας μυρίους δισχιλίους

16καὶ διέταξεν αὐτοὺς ὃν τρόπον πολέμου πλῆθος συντάσσεται

17καὶ ἔλαβεν καμήλους καὶ ὄνους καὶ ἡμιόνους εἰς τὴν ἀπαρτίαν αὐτῶν πλῆθος πολὺ σφόδρα καὶ πρόβατα καὶ βόας καὶ αἶγας εἰς τὴν παρασκευὴν αὐτῶν ὧν οὐκ ἦν ἀριθμός

18καὶ ἐπισιτισμὸν παντὶ ἀνδρὶ εἰς πλῆθος καὶ χρυσίον καὶ ἀργύριον ἐξ οἴκου βασιλέως πολὺ σφόδρα

19καὶ ἐξῆλθεν αὐτὸς καὶ πᾶσα ἡ δύναμις αὐτοῦ εἰς πορείαν τοῦ προελθεῖν βασιλέως Ναβουχοδονοσορ καὶ καλύψαι πᾶν τὸ πρόσωπον τῆς γῆς πρὸς δυσμαῖς ἐν ἅρμασι καὶ ἱππεῦσι καὶ πεζοῖς ἐπιλέκτοις αὐτῶν

20καὶ πολὺς ὁ ἐπίμικτος ὡς ἀκρὶς συνεξῆλθον αὐτοῖς καὶ ὡς ἡ ἄμμος τῆς γῆς οὐ γὰρ ἦν ἀριθμὸς ἀπὸ πλήθους αὐτῶν

21καὶ ἀπῆλθον ἐκ Νινευη ὁδὸν τριῶν ἡμερῶν ἐπὶ πρόσωπον τοῦ πεδίου Βεκτιλεθ καὶ ἐπεστρατοπέδευσαν ἀπὸ Βεκτιλεθ πλησίον τοῦ ὄρους τοῦ ἐπ' ἀριστερᾷ τῆς ἄνω Κιλικίας

22καὶ ἔλαβεν πᾶσαν τὴν δύναμιν αὐτοῦ τοὺς πεζοὺς καὶ τοὺς ἱππεῖς καὶ τὰ ἅρματα αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀπῆλθεν ἐκεῖθεν εἰς τὴν ὀρεινήν

23καὶ διέκοψεν τὸ Φουδ καὶ Λουδ καὶ ἐπρονόμευσεν υἱοὺς πάντας Ρασσις καὶ υἱοὺς Ισμαηλ τοὺς κατὰ πρόσωπον τῆς ἐρήμου πρὸς νότον τῆς Χελεων

24καὶ παρῆλθεν τὸν Εὐφράτην καὶ διῆλθεν τὴν Μεσοποταμίαν καὶ κατέσκαψεν πάσας τὰς πόλεις τὰς ὑψηλὰς τὰς ἐπὶ τοῦ χειμάρρου Αβρωνα ἕως τοῦ ἐλθεῖν ἐπὶ θάλασσαν

25καὶ κατελάβετο τὰ ὅρια τῆς Κιλικίας καὶ κατέκοψε πάντας τοὺς ἀντιστάντας αὐτῷ καὶ ἦλθεν ἕως ὁρίων Ιαφεθ τὰ πρὸς νότον κατὰ πρόσωπον τῆς Ἀραβίας

26καὶ ἐκύκλωσεν πάντας τοὺς υἱοὺς Μαδιαμ καὶ ἐνέπρησεν τὰ σκηνώματα αὐτῶν καὶ ἐπρονόμευσεν τὰς μάνδρας αὐτῶν

27καὶ κατέβη εἰς πεδίον Δαμασκοῦ ἐν ἡμέραις θερισμοῦ πυρῶν καὶ ἐνέπρησεν πάντας τοὺς ἀγροὺς αὐτῶν καὶ τὰ ποίμνια καὶ τὰ βουκόλια ἔδωκεν εἰς ἀφανισμὸν καὶ τὰς πόλεις αὐτῶν ἐσκύλευσεν καὶ τὰ πεδία αὐτῶν ἐξελίκμησεν καὶ ἐπάταξεν πάντας τοὺς νεανίσκους αὐτῶν ἐν στόματι ῥομφαίας

28καὶ ἐπέπεσεν φόβος καὶ τρόμος αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τοὺς κατοικοῦντας τὴν παραλίαν τοὺς ὄντας ἐν Σιδῶνι καὶ ἐν Τύρῳ καὶ τοὺς κατοικοῦντας Σουρ καὶ Οκινα καὶ πάντας τοὺς κατοικοῦντας Ιεμνααν καὶ οἱ κατοικοῦντες ἐν Ἀζώτῳ καὶ Ἀσκαλῶνι ἐφοβήθησαν αὐτὸν σφόδρα