The Book of Judith

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- Chapter 2 -

Nabuchodonosor sends Holofernes to waste the countries of the west.

In the thirteenth year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, on the twenty-second day of the first month, the word went forth from the house of Nebuchadnezzar, king of the Assyrians, that he would defend himself.

And he called all the native leaders, and all the commanders, and his officers of war, and he met with them in his secret council.(a)

And he said to them that his thoughts were to subjugate all the earth to his authority.(b)

And when this saying pleased them all, king Nebuchadnezzar called Holofernes, the leader of his military.

And he said to him: “Go out against all the kingdoms of the west, and against those in particular who showed contempt for my authority.

Your eye must not spare any kingdom, and all the fortified cities you will subjugate to me.”

Then Holofernes called the commanders and the magistrates of the army of the Assyrians. And he numbered men for the expedition, just as the king had instructed him: one hundred and twenty thousand foot-soldiers, and twelve thousand archers on horseback.

And he caused his entire expeditionary force to go ahead with an innumerable multitude of camels, with whatever was needed in abundance for the armies, and with herds of cattle, and flocks of sheep, which could not be numbered.

He appointed grain to be prepared from all of Syria, as he passed through it.

In fact, he took up gold and silver from the house of the king in great abundance.

And he set out, he and all the army, with the four-horse chariots, and horsemen, and archers. And they covered the face of the earth like locusts.

And when he had crossed over the borders of the Assyrians, he came to the great mountains of Ange, which are on the left of Cilicia. And he ascended to all their castles, and he prevailed over all the fortifications.(c)

Moreover, he broke open the renowned city of Melothus, and he pillaged all the sons of Tarshish, and the sons of Ishmael, who were opposite the face of the desert and to the south of the land of Cellon.

And he crossed over the Euphrates and came into Mesopotamia. And he crushed all the lofty cities that were there, from the torrent of Mambre, even until one passes through to the sea.

And he occupied its furthest regions, from Cilicia all the way to the coastlines of Japheth, which are towards the south.

And he carried away all the sons of Midian, and he plundered them in all their wealthy regions. And all who resisted him, he slew with the edge of the sword.(d)

And after these things, he descended to the plains of Damascus, in the days of the harvest, and he set fire to all the crops, and he caused all the trees and the vineyards to be cut down.

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

Footnotes

(a)2:2 The term ‘majores natu’ refers to those leaders who were not of Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom, but who were allowed to have authority among their own people as long as they subjected themselves to him as king. The term refers to the native-born leaders.(Conte)

(b)2:3 The story of Nebuchadnezzar is a foreshadowing of the Antichrist’s reign, when he will try to subjugate the whole world to his authority. His defeat of the kind of the Medes is a foreshadowing of the Antichrist’s defeat of the Christian king of the South, just prior to taking over the whole world. Nebuchadnezzar’s defeat of the other regions, and they subsequent willing submission to him represents the Antichrist’s defeat of two more kings after the king of the South and then the willing submission of the other world leaders to him thereafter.(Conte)

(c)2:12 The word ‘ange’ in Latin refers to a ‘choke point,’ which, in military terms, is a place that is dangerous to pass through because it is narrow and easily defended. So, ‘Ange’ is not so much a name as a description.(Conte)

(d)2:16 The edge of the sword, or, more literally, the mouth of the sword.(Conte)

Nabuchodonosor sends Holofernes to waste the countries of the west.

In the eighteenth year, the twenty-second day of the first month, there was talk in the house of Nebuchadnezzar king of the Assyrians that he should be avenged on all the land, even as he spoke.

He called together all his servants and all his great men, and communicated with them his secret counsel, and with his own mouth, recounted the wickedness of all the land.

They decreed to destroy all flesh which didn’t follow the word of his mouth.

It came to pass, when he had ended his counsel, Nebuchadnezzar king of the Assyrians called Holofernes the chief captain of his army, who was second to himself, and said to him,

“The great king, the lord of all the earth, says: ‘Behold, you shall go out from my presence, and take with you men who trust in their strength, to one hundred twenty thousand footmen and twelve thousand horses with their riders.

And you shall go out against all the west country, because they disobeyed the commandment of my mouth.

You shall declare to them that they should prepare earth and water, because I will go out in my wrath against them, and will cover the whole face of the earth with the feet of my army, who will plunder them.

Their slain will fill their valleys and brooks, and the river will be filled with their dead until it overflows.

I will lead them as captives to the utmost parts of all the earth.

But you shall go forth, and take all their coasts for me first. If they will yield themselves to you,(a) then you must reserve them for me until the day of their reproof.

As for those who resist, your eye shall not spare; but you shall give them up to be slain and to be plundered in all your land.

For as I live, and by the power of my kingdom, I have spoken, and I will do this with my hand.

Moreover, you shall not transgress anything of the commandments of your lord, but you shall surely accomplish them, as I have commanded you. You shall not defer to do them.’”

So Holofernes went out from the presence of his lord, and called all the governors, the captains, and officers of the army of Asshur.

He counted chosen men for the battle, as his lord had commanded him, to one hundred twenty thousand, with twelve thousand archers on horseback.

He arranged them as a great multitude is ordered for the war.

He took camels, donkeys, and mules for their baggage, an exceedingly great multitude, and sheep, oxen, and goats without number for their provision,

and a large supply of rations for every man, and a huge amount of gold and silver out of the king’s house.

He went out, he and all his army, on their journey, to go before King Nebuchadnezzar, and to cover all the face of the earth westward with their chariots, horsemen, and chosen footmen.

A great company of various nations went out with them like locusts and like the sand of the earth. For they could not be counted by reason of their multitude.

And they departed out of Nineveh three days’ journey toward the plain of Bectileth, and encamped from Bectileth near the mountain which is at the left hand of the Upper Cilicia.

And he took all his army, his footmen, horsemen, and chariots, and went away from there into the hill country,

and destroyed Put and Lud, and plundered all the children of Rasses and the children of Ishmael, which were along the wilderness to the south of the land of the Chellians.

And he went over Euphrates, and went through Mesopotamia, and broke down all the high cities that were upon the river Arbonai, until you come to the sea.

And he took possession of the borders of Cilicia, and killed all who resisted him, and came to the borders of Japheth, which were toward the south, opposite Arabia.

He surrounded all the children of Midian, and set their tents on fire, and plundered their sheepfolds.

He went down into the plain of Damascus in the days of wheat harvest, and set all their fields on fire, and utterly destroyed their flocks and herds, plundered their cities, laid their plains waste, and struck all their young men with the edge of the sword.

And the fear and the dread of him fell upon those who lived on the sea coast, upon those who were in Sidon and Tyre, those who lived in Sur and Ocina, and all who lived in Jemnaan. Those who lived in Azotus and Ascalon feared him exceedingly.

Footnotes

(a)2:10 Gr. they will yield...and you shall reserve.