1
Τῇ δʼ ἐπαύριον παρήγγειλεν Ὀλοφέρνης πᾶσῃ τῇ στρατιᾷ αὐτοῦ, καὶ παντὶ τῷ λαῷ αὐτοῦ, οἳ παρεγένοντο ἐπὶ τὴν συμμαχίαν αὐτοῦ, ἀναζευγνύειν ἐπὶ Βετυλούα, καὶ τὰς ἀναβάσεις τῆς ὀρεινῆς προκαταλαμβάνεσθαι, καὶ ποιεῖν πόλεμον πρὸς τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἰσραήλ.
The next day Holofernes commanded all his army, and all his people which were come to take his part, that they should remove their camp against Bethulia, to take aforehand the ascents of the hill country, and to make war against the children of Israel.
2
Καὶ ἀνέζευξεν ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ πᾶς ἀνὴρ δυνατὸς αὐτῶν· καὶ ἡ δύναμις αὐτῶν ἀνδρῶν πολεμιστῶν, χιλιάδες ἀνδρῶν πεζῶν ἐκατὸν ἑβδομήκοντα, καὶ ἱππέων χιλιάδες δεκαδύο, χωρὶς τῆς ἀποσκευῆς, καὶ τῶν ἀνδρῶν οἳ ἦσαν πεζοὶ ἐν αὐτοῖς, πλῆθος πολὺ σφόδρα.
Then their strong men removed their camps in that day, and the army of the men of war was a hundred and seventy thousand footmen, and twelve thousand horsemen, beside the baggage, and other men that were afoot among them, a very great multitude.
3
Καὶ παρενέβαλον ἐν τῷ αὐλῶνι πλησίον Βετυλούα ἐπὶ τῆς πηγῆς, καὶ παρέτειναν εἰς εὖρος ἐπὶ Δωθαῒμ καὶ ἕως Βελθὲμ, καὶ εἰς μῆκος ἀπὸ Βετυλούα ἕως Κυαμῶνος, ἥ ἐστιν ἀπέναντι Ἐσδρηλώμ.
And they camped in the valley near unto Bethulia, by the fountain, and they spread themselves in breadth over Dothan even to Balbaim, and in length from Bethulia unto Cyamon, which is over against Esdraelon.
4
Οἱ δὲ υἱοὶ Ἰσραὴλ, ὡς εἶδον αὐτῶν τὸ πλῆθος, ἐταράχθησαν σφόδρα· καὶ εἶπεν ἕκαστος πρὸς τὸν πλησίον αὐτοῦ, νῦν ἐκλείξουσιν οὗτοι τὸ πρόσωπον τῆς γῆς πάσης, καὶ οὔτε τὰ ὄρη τὰ ὑψηλὰ, οὔτε αἱ φάραγγες, οὔτε οἱ βουνοὶ ὑποστήσονται τὸ βάρος αὐτῶν.
Now the children of Israel, when they saw the multitude of them, were greatly troubled, and said every one to his neighbor, Now will these men lick up the face of the earth; for neither the high mountains, nor the valleys, nor the hills, are able to bear their weight.
5
Καὶ ἀναλαβόντες ἕκαστος τὰ σκεύη τὰ πολεμικὰ αὐτῶν, καὶ ἀνακαύσαντες πυρὰς ἐπὶ τοὺς πύργους αὐτῶν, ἔμενον φυλάσσοντες ὅλην τὴν νύκτα ἐκείνην.
Then every man took up his weapons of war, and when they had kindled fires upon their towers, they remained and watched all that night.
6
Τῇ δὲ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ δευτέρᾳ ἐξήγαγεν Ὀλοφέρνης πᾶσαν τὴν ἵππον αὐτοῦ κατὰ πρόσωπον τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ οἳ ἦσαν ἐν Βετυλούᾳ,
But in the second day Holofernes brought forth all his horsemen in the sight of the children of Israel which were in Bethulia,
7
καὶ ἐπεσκέψατο τὰς ἀναβάσεις τῆς πόλεως αὐτῶν, καὶ τὰς πηγὰς τῶν ὑδάτων αὐτῶν ἐφώδευσε, καὶ προκατελάβετο αὐτὰς, καὶ ἐπέστησεν αὐταῖς παρεμβολὰς ἀνδρῶν πολεμιστῶν, καὶ αὐτὸς ἀνέζευξεν εἰς τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ.
and viewed the passages up to the city, and came to the fountains of their waters, and took them, and set garrisons of men of war over them, and he himself removed toward his people.
8
Καὶ προσελθόντες αὐτῷ πάντες οἱ ἄρχοντες τῶν υἱῶν Ἡσαῦ, καὶ πάντες οἱ ἡγούμενοι τοῦ λαοῦ Μωὰβ, καὶ οἱ στρατηγοὶ τῆς παραλίας, εἶπαν,
Then came unto him all the chief of the children of Esau, and all the governors of the people of Moab, and the captains of the sea coast, and said,
9
ἀκουσάτω δὴ λόγον ὁ δεσπότης ἡμῶν, ἵνα μὴ γένηται θραῦσμα ἐν τῇ δυνάμει σου.
Let our lord now hear a word, that there be not an overthrow in thine army.
10
Ὁ γὰρ λαὸς οὗτος τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ οὐ πέποιθαν ἐπὶ τοῖς δόρασιν αὐτῶν, ἀλλʼ ἐπὶ τοῖς ὕψεσι τῶν ὀρέων αὐτῶν, ἐν οἷς αὐτοὶ ἐνοικοῦσιν ἐν αὐτοῖς· οὐ γάρ ἐστιν εὐχερὲς προσβῆναι ταῖς κορυφαῖς τῶν ὀρέων αὐτῶν.
For this people of the children of Israel do not trust in their spears, but in the height of the mountains wherein they dwell, because it is not easy to come up to the tops of their mountains.
11
Καὶ νῦν, δέσποτα, μὴ πολέμει πρὸς αὐτοὺς, καθὼς γίνεται πόλεμος παρατάξεως, καὶ οὐ πεσεῖται ἐκ τοῦ λαοῦ σου ἀνὴρ εἷς.
Now therefore, my lord, fight not against them in battle array, and there shall not so much as one man of thy people perish.
12
Ἀνάμεινον ἐπὶ τῆς παρεμβολῆς σου, διαφυλάσσων πάντα ἄνδρα ἐκ τῆς δυνάμεώς σου, καὶ ἐπικρατησάτωσαν οἱ παῖδές σου τῆς πηγῆς τοῦ ὕδατος, ἣ ἐκπορεύεται ἐκ τῆς ῥίζης τοῦ ὄρους,
Remain in thy camp, and keep all the men of thine army, and let thy servants get into their hands the fountain of water, which issueth forth of the foot of the mountain:
13
διότι ἐκεῖθεν ὑδρεύονται πάντες οἱ κατοικοῦντες Βετυλούα, καὶ ἀνελεῖ αὐτοὺς ἡ δίψα, καὶ ἐκδώσουσι τὴν πόλιν ἑαυτῶν· καὶ ἡμεῖς καὶ ὁ λαὸς ἡμῶν ἀναβησόμεθα ἐπὶ τὰς πλησίον κορυφὰς τῶν ὀρέων, καὶ παρεμβαλοῦμεν ἐπʼ αὐταῖς εἰς προφυλακὴν, τοῦ μὴ ἐξελθεῖν ἐκ τῆς πόλεως ἄνδρα ἕνα.
for all the inhabitants of Bethulia have their water thence; so shall thirst kill them, and they shall give up their city, and we and our people shall go up to the tops of the mountains that are near, and will camp upon them, to watch that none go out of the city.
14
Καὶ τακήσονται ἐν τῷ λιμῷ αὐτοὶ, καὶ αἱ γυναῖκες αὐτῶν, καὶ τὰ τέκνα αὐτῶν· καὶ πρὶν ἐλθεῖν τὴν ῥομφαίαν ἐπʼ αὐτοὺς, καταστρωθήσονται ἐν ταῖς πλατείαις τῆς οἰκήσεως αὐτῶν,
So they and their wives and their children shall be consumed with famine, and before the sword come against them, they shall be overthrown in the streets where they dwell.
15
καὶ ἀνταποδώσεις αὐτοῖς ἀνταπόδομα πονηρὸν, ἀνθʼ ὧν ἐστασίασαν, καὶ οὐκ ἀπήντησαν τῷ προσώπῳ σου ἐν εἰρήνῃ.
Thus shalt thou render them an evil reward; because they rebelled, and met not thy person peaceably.
16
Καὶ ἤρεσαν οἱ λόγοι αὐτῶν ἐνώπιον Ὀλοφέρνου, καὶ ἐνώπιον πάντων τῶν θεραπόντων αὐτοῦ, καὶ συνέταξαν ποιεῖν καθὼς ἐλάλησαν.
And these words pleased Holofernes and all his servants, and he appointed to do as they had spoken.
17
Καὶ ἀπῇρε παρεμβολὴ υἱῶν Ἀμμὼν, καὶ μετʼ αὐτῶν χιλιάδες πέντε υἱῶν Ἀσσούρ· καὶ παρενέβαλον ἐν τῷ αὐλῶνι, καὶ προκατελάβοντο τὰ ὕδατα, καὶ τὰς πηγὰς τῶν ὑδάτων τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραήλ.
So the camp of the children of Ammon departed, and with them five thousand of the Assyrians, and they pitched in the valley, and took the waters, and the fountains of the waters of the children of Israel.
18
Καὶ ἀνέβησαν υἱοὶ Ἡσαῦ, καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ Ἀμμών, καὶ παρενέβαλον ἐν τῇ ὀρεινῇ ἀπέναντι Δωθαῒμ, καὶ ἀπέστειλαν ἐξ αὐτῶν πρὸς Νότον καὶ ἀπηλιώτην ἀπέναντι Ἐκρεβὴλ, ἥ ἐστι πλησίον Χοὺς, ἥ ἐστιν ἐπὶ τοῦ χειμάῤῥου Μοχμούρ· καὶ ἡ λοιπὴ στρατιὰ τῶν Ἀσσυρίων παρενέβαλον ἐν τῷ πεδίῳ, καὶ ἐκάλυψαν πᾶν τὸ πρόσωπον τῆς γῆς· καὶ αἱ σκηναὶ καὶ αἱ ἀπαρτίαι αὐτῶν κατεστρατοπέδευσαν ἐν ὄχλῳ πολλῷ, καὶ ἦσαν εἰς πλῆθος πολὺ σφόδρα.
Then the children of Esau went up with the children of Ammon, and camped in the hill country over against Dothan: and they sent some of them toward the south, and toward the east, over against Egrebeh, which is near unto Chusi, that is upon the brook Mochmur; and the rest of the army of the Assyrians camped in the plain, and covered the face of the whole land; and their tents and carriages were pitched to a very great multitude.
19
Καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσραὴλ ἀνεβόησαν πρὸς Κύριον Θεὸν αὐτῶν, ὅτι ὠλιγοψύχησε τὸ πνεῦμα αὐτῶν, ὅτι ἐκύκλωσαν πάντες οἱ ἐχθροὶ αὐτῶν, καὶ οὐκ ἦν διαφυγεῖν ἐκ μέσου αὐτῶν.
Then 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.
20
Καὶ ἔμεινε κύκλῳ αὐτῶν πᾶσα παρεμβολὴ Ἀσσοὺρ, οἱ πεζοὶ καὶ τὰ ἅρματα καὶ οἱ ἱππεῖς αὐτῶν, ἡμέρας τριακοντατέσσαρας· καὶ ἐξέλιπε πάντας τοὺς κατοικοῦντας Βετυλούα πάντα τὰ ἀγγεῖα αὐτῶν τῶν ὑδάτων.
Thus all the company of Assyria 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.
21
Καὶ οἱ λάκκοι ἐξεκενοῦντο, καὶ οὐκ εἶχον πιεῖν εἰς πλησμονὴν ὕδωρ ἡμέραν μίαν, ὅτι ἐν μέτρῳ ἐδίδοσαν αὐτοῖς πιεῖν.
And the cisterns were emptied, and they had not water to drink their fill for one day; for they gave them drink by measure.
22
Καὶ ἠθύμησαν τὰ νήπια αὐτῶν, καὶ αἱ γυναῖκες αὐτῶν καὶ οἱ νεανίσκοι ἐξέλιπον ἀπὸ τῆς δίψης· καὶ ἔπιπτον ἐν ταῖς πλατείαις τῆς πόλεως, καὶ ἐν ταῖς διόδοις τῶν πυλῶν, καὶ οὐκ ἦν κραταίωσις ἔτι ἐν αὐτοῖς.
Therefore their young children were out of heart, and their women and young men fainted 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.
23
Καὶ ἐπισυνήχθησαν πᾶς ὁ λαὸς ἐπὶ Ὀζίαν καὶ τοὺς ἄρχοντας τῆς πόλεως, οἱ νεανίσκοι καὶ αἱ γυναῖκες καὶ τὰ παιδία, καὶ ἀνεβόησαν φωνῇ μεγάλῃ, καὶ εἶπαν ἐναντίον πάντων τῶν πρεσβυτέρων,
Then all the people assembled to Uzziah, and to the chief of the city, both young men, and women, and children, and cried with a loud voice, and said before all the elders,
24
κρίναι ὁ Θεὸς ἀναμέσον ἡμῶν καὶ ὑμῶν, ὅτι ἐποιήσατε ἐν ἡμῖν ἀδικίαν· μεγάλην, οὐ λαλήσαντες εἰρηνικὰ μετὰ τῶν υἱῶν Ἀσσούρ.
God be judge between us and you: for ye have done us great injury, in that ye have not required peace of the children of Assyria.
25
Καὶ νῦν οὐκ ἔστι βοηθὸς ἡμῶν, ἀλλὰ πέπρακεν ἡμᾶς ὁ Θεὸς εἰς τὰς χεῖρας αὐτῶν, τοῦ καταστρωθῆναι ἐναντίον αὐτῶν ἐν δίψῃ καὶ ἀπωλείᾳ μεγάλῃ.
For now we have no helper: but God hath sold us into their hands, that we should be thrown down before them with thirst and great destruction.
26
Καὶ νῦν ἐπικαλέσασθε αὐτοὺς, καὶ ἔκδοσθε τὴν πόλιν πᾶσαν εἰς προνομὴν τῷ λαῷ Ὀλοφέρνου, καὶ πάσῃ τῇ δυνάμει αὐτοῦ.
Now therefore call them unto you, and deliver the whole city for a spoil to the people of Holofernes, and to all his army.
27
Κρεῖσσον γὰρ ἡμῖν γενηθῆναι αὐτοῖς εἰς διαρπαγήν· ἐσόμεθα γὰρ εἰς δούλους, καὶ ζήσεται ἡ ψυχὴ ἡμῶν, καὶ οὐκ ὀψόμεθα τὸν θάνατον τῶν νηπίων ἡμῶν ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς ἡμῶν, καὶ τὰς γυναῖκας καὶ τὰ τέκνα ἡμῶν ἐκλειπούσας τὰς ψυχὰς αὐτῶν.
For 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.
28
Μαρτυρόμεθα ὑμῖν τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν καὶ τὸν Θεὸν ἡμῶν, καὶ Κύριον τῶν πατέρων ἡμῶν, ὃς ἐκδικεῖ ἡμᾶς κατὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν, καὶ κατὰ τὰ ἁμαρτήματα τῶν πατέρων ἡμῶν, ἵνα μὴ ποιήσῃ κατὰ τὰ ῥήματα ταῦτα ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ σήμερον·
We 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 the sins of our fathers, that he do not according as we have said this day.
29
καὶ ἐγένετο κλαυθμὸς μέγας ἐν μέσῳ τῆς ἐκκλησίας πάντων ὁμοθυμαδὸν, καὶ ἐβόησαν πρὸς Κύριον τὸν Θεὸν φωνῇ μεγάλῃ.
Then there was great weeping with one consent in the midst of the assembly; and they cried unto the Lord God with a loud voice.
30
Καὶ εἶπε πρὸς αὐτοὺς Ὀζίας, θαρσεῖτε ἀδελφοὶ, διακαρτερήσωμεν ἔτι πέντε ἡμέρας, ἐν αἷς ἐπιστρέψει Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν τὸ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ ἐφʼ ἡμᾶς· οὐ γὰρ ἐγκαταλείψει ἡμᾶς εἰς τέλος.
Then said Uzziah to them, Brethren, be of good courage, let 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 utterly.
31
Ἐὰν δὲ διέλθωσιν αὗται, καὶ μὴ ἔλθῃ ἐφʼ ἡμᾶς βοήθεια, ποιήσω κατὰ τὰ ῥήματα ὑμῶν.
And if these days pass, and there come no help unto us, I will do according to your word.
32
Καὶ ἐσκόρπισε τὸν λαὸν εἰς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ παρεμβολήν· καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ τείχη καὶ τοὺς πύργους τῆς πόλεως αὐτῶν ἀπῆλθον, καὶ τὰς γυναῖκας καὶ τὰ τέκνα εἰς τοὺς οἴκους αὐτῶν ἐξαπέστειλε· καὶ ἦσαν ἐν ταπεινώσει πολλῇ ἐν τῇ πόλει.
And he dispersed the people, every one to their own charge; and they went unto the walls and towers of their city, and sent the women and children into their houses; and they were brought very low in the city.