Judith 7:19–31

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 ^hcompany 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 inhabitants of Bethulia. ²¹And the ^pcisterns were emptied, and they had not water to drink their fill for one day; for they gave them drink ^qby measure. ²²Therefore their young children were out of heart, and their women and young men ^rfainted 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 ^sOzias, and to the chief of the city, both young men, and women, and children, and cried with a loud voice, and said before all ^tthe elders, ^24uGod be judge between us and you: for you have done us great injury, in that you have not required peace of the children of Assur. ²⁵For now we have no helper: but ^xGod 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 ^yfor a spoil to the people of Olofernes, 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. ^28zWe 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 ^athe sins of our fathers, that he do not ^baccording 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, ^clet 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 ^dutterly. ³¹And if these days pass, and there come no help unto us, I will do ^eaccording to your word.