Judith 7 The next day, Olofernes commaunded all his armie and all his people, which were come to take his part, that they should remoue their camps against Bethulia, and that they shoulde take all the streites of the hill, and to make warre against the children of Israel.

Geneva⁽ⁱ⁾ ¹ The next day, Olofernes commaunded all his armie and all his people, which were come to take his part, that they should remoue their camps against Bethulia, and that they shoulde take all the streites of the hill, and to make warre against the children of Israel. ² Then their strong men remoued their camps in that day, and the armie of the men of warre was an hundreth thousand and seuentie footemen, and twelue thousande horsemen, beside the baggage & other men that were afoote among them, a very great multitude. ³ And they camped in the plaine neere vnto Bethulia, by the fountaine, and they spred abroade towarde Dothaim vnto Belbaim, and in length from Bethulia vnto Ciamon, which is ouer against Esdraelom. ⁴ Nowe the children of Israel, when they sawe the multitude, were greatly troubled, and said euery one to his neighbour, Nowe will they shut vp all the whole earth: for neither the hye mountaines nor the valleyes, nor the hilles are able to abide their burden. ⁵ Then euery one tooke his weapons of warre, and burning fires in their towres, they remained and watched all that night. ⁶ But in the seconde day, Olofernes brought foorth all his horsemen in the sight of the children of Israel, which were in Bethulia, ⁷ And viewed the passages vp to their citie, & came to the fountaines of their waters, and tooke them and set garrisons of men of warre ouer them, and remoued towarde his people. ⁸ Then came vnto him all the chiefe of ye children of Esau, & all the gouernours of the people of Moab, and all the captaines of the sea coast, & said, ⁹ Let our captaine nowe heare a worde, least an inconuenience come in thine armie. ¹⁰ For this people of the children of Israel doe not trust in their speares, but in the height of the mountaines, wherein they dwell, because it is not easie to come vp to the tops of their mountaines. ¹¹ Nowe therefore, my lorde, fight not against them in battell aray, and there shall not so much as one man of thy people perish. ¹² Remaine in thy campe, & keepe all the men of thine armie, and let thy men keepe still the water of the countrey, that commeth foorth at the foote of the mountaine. ¹³ For al the inhabitants of Bethulia haue their water thereof: so shall thirst kill them, and they shall giue vp their citie: and we and our people wil goe vp to the toppes of the mountaines that are neere, and will campe vpon them, and watch that none goe out of the citie. ¹⁴ So they and their wiues, and their children shalbe consumed with famine, & before the sworde come against them, they shall be ouerthrowen in the streetes where they dwell. ¹⁵ Thus shalt thou render them an euil reward, because they rebelled and obeyed not thy person peaceably. ¹⁶ And these wordes pleased Olofernes and all his souldiers, and he appointed to doe as they had spoken. ¹⁷ So the campe of the children of Ammon departed, & with the fiue thousande of the Assyrians, and they pitched in the valley, & tooke ye waters, & the fountaines of ye waters of the children of Israel. ¹⁸ Then the children of Esau went vp with the children of Ammon, & camped in the mountaines ouer against Dothaim, and they sent some of them selues toward the South, and toward the East, ouer against Rebel, which is neere vnto Chusi, that is vpon the riuer Mochmur: and the rest of the armie of the Assyrians camped in the fielde, and couered the whole lande: for their tents and their baggage were pitched in a wonderfull great place. ¹⁹ Then the children of Israel cryed vnto the Lorde their God, because their heart fayled: for all their enemies had compassed them about, and there was no waye to escape out from among them. ²⁰ Thus all the companie of Assur remained about them, both their footemen, chariots & horsemen, foure & thirtie dayes: so that euen all the places of their waters fayled all ye inhabitants of Bethulia. ²¹ And the cisternes were emptie, and they had not water ynough to drinke for one day: for they gaue them to drinke by measure. ²² Therefore their children swooned, and their wiues and yong men failed for thirst, & fell downe in the streetes of the citie, and by the passages of the gates, and there was no strength in them. ²³ Then all the people assembled to Ozias, and to the chiefe of the citie, both yong men and women, and children, and cryed with a loude voyce, and said before all the Elders, ²⁴ The Lord iudge betweene vs and you: for you haue done vs great iniurie, in that ye haue not required peace of the children of Assur. ²⁵ For now we haue no helper: but God hath sold vs into their hands, that we should be throwen downe before them with thirst & great destructio. ²⁶ Nowe therefore call them together, and deliuer the whole citie for a spoyle to the people of Olofernes, and to all his armie. ²⁷ For it is better for vs to be made a spoyle vnto them, then to die for thirst: for we will bee his seruants that we may liue, and not see the death of our infants before our eyes, nor our wiues, nor our children to die. ²⁸ We take to witnesse against you the heauen and the earth, and our God and Lorde of our fathers, which punisheth vs, according to our sinnes and the sinnes of our fathers, that he lay not these things to our charge. ²⁹ Then there was a great cry of all with one consent in the middes of the assemblie, and they cryed vnto the Lord God with a loude voyce. ³⁰ Then said Ozias to the, Brethren, be of good courage: let vs waite yet fiue dayes, in the which space the Lorde our God may turne his mercie towarde vs: for he will not forsake vs in the ende. ³¹ And if these dayes passe, and there come not helpe vnto vs, I will doe according to your worde. ³² So he separated the people, euery one vnto their charge, and they went vnto the walles and towers of their citie, and sent their wiues and their children into their houses, and they were very lowe brought in the citie.