II. And ain the eighteenth year, the two and twentieth day of the first month, there was talk in the house of Nabuchodonosor king of the Assyrians, that he should, bas he said, avenge himself on all the earth. 2 So he called unto him all his officers, and all his cnobles, and communicated with them his secret counsel, and dconcluded the afflicting of the whole earth out of his own mouth. 3 Then they decreed to destroy all flesh, ddthat did not obey the commandment of his mouth. 4 And when he had ended his counsel, Nabuchodonosor king of the Assyrians called Olofernes the chief captain of his army, which was * next unto him, and said unto him,

5 Thus saith ethe great king, the lord of the whole earth, Behold, thou shalt go forth from my presence, and take with thee men that trust in their own strength, of footmen an hundred and twenty thousand; and the number of horses with their riders twelve thousand. 6 And thou shalt go against all the west country, because dthey disobeyed my commandment. 7 And thou shalt declare unto them, that they prepare for me * earth and water: for I will go forth in my wrath against them, and will cover the whole face of the earth with the feet of mine army, and I will give them for a spoil unto them: 8 so that their slain shall fill their valleys and brooks, and the river shall be filled with their dead, till it overflow: 9 and I will lead them captives to the utmost parts of all the earth. 10 Thou therefore shalt go forth, and take beforehand for me all their coasts: and if they will yield themselves unto thee, thou shalt reserve them for me till the day of their punishment. 11 But concerning them that rebel, flet not thine eye spare them; but put them to the slaughter, and spoil them wheresoever thou goest. 12 For gas I live, and by the power of my kingdom, whatsoever I have spoken, that will I do by mine hand. 13 And take thou heed that thou transgress none of the commandments of thy lord, but accomplish them fully, as I have commanded thee, and defer not to do them.

14 Then Olofernes went forth from the presence of his lord, and called all the hgovernors and captains, and the officers of the army of Assur; 15 and he mustered the chosen men for the ibattle, as his lord had commanded him, junto an hundred and twenty thousand, and twelve thousand archers on horseback; 16 and he ranged them, as a great army is ordered for the war. 17 And he took jjcamels and asses for their kcarriages, a very great number; and sheep and oxen and goats without number for their provision: 18 and plenty of victual for every man of the army, and very much gold and silver out of the king’s house. 19 Then he went forth and all his power to go before king Nabuchodonosor in the voyage, and lto cover all the face of the earth westward with their chariots, and horsemen, and their chosen footmen. 20 A great multitude also mof sundry countries came with them like nlocusts, and olike the sand of the earth: for the multitude was without number. 21 And they went forth of Nineve three days’ journey toward the plain of Bectileth, and pitched from Bectileth near the mountain which is at the left hand of the upper pCilicia. 22 Then he took all his army, his footmen, and horsemen, and chariots, and went from thence into the hill country; 23 and destroyed qPhud and qLud, and spoiled all the children of Rasses, and rthe children of Ismael, which were toward the wilderness at the south of the land of the sChellians. 24 Then he went over Euphrates, and went through tMesopotamia, and destroyed all the high cities that were upon the river Arbonai, till you come to the sea. 25 And he took the borders of pCilicia, and killed all that resisted him, and came to uthe borders of Japheth, which were toward the south, over against Arabia. 26 He compassed also all the children of vMadian, and burnt up their tabernacles, and spoiled their sheepcotes. 27 Then he went down into the plain of wDamascus in the time of wheat harvest, and burnt up all their fields, and destroyed their flocks and herds, also he spoiled their cities, and xutterly wasted their countries, and smote all their young men with ythe edge of the sword. 28 Therefore the fear and dread of him fell upon all the inhabitants of the sea coasts, which were in zSidon and Tyrus, and them that dwelt in Sur and Ocina, and all that dwelt in aJemnaan; and they that dwelt in bAzotus and cAscalon feared him greatly.