Judith 2
Nebuchadnezzar, king of the Assyrians, ordered his military leader Holofernes to conquer all the kingdoms of the west that had defied his authority. Holofernes assembled a massive army of 120,000 foot-soldiers and 12,000 archers on horseback, along with abundant supplies and livestock. He then set out on a campaign of conquest, defeating and pillaging various cities and regions, including those in Cilicia, Mesopotamia, and Midian. His military victories inspired fear throughout the land.
1In 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 himself2And he called all the native leaders, and all the commanders, and his officers of war, and he met with them in his secret council3And he said to them that his thoughts were to subjugate all the earth to his authority4And when this saying pleased them all, king Nebuchadnezzar called Holofernes, the leader of his military5And he said to him: "Go out against all the kingdoms of the west, and against those in particular who showed contempt for my authority6Your eye must not spare any kingdom, and all the fortified cities you will subjugate to me.7Then 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 horseback8And 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 numbered9He appointed grain to be prepared from all of Syria, as he passed through it10In fact, he took up gold and silver from the house of the king in great abundance11And 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 locusts12And 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 fortifications13Moreover, 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 Cellon14And 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 sea15And he occupied its furthest regions, from Cilicia all the way to the coastlines of Japheth, which are towards the south16And 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 sword17And 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 down18And the fear of them fell upon all the inhabitants of the land
Share this chapter