The kings and princes of various cities sent emissaries to Holofernes, offering to surrender and become subjects of Nebuchadnezzar in order to avoid destruction. Holofernes accepted their surrender and took control of the cities, recruiting strong men for war and inspiring dread in the provinces. Despite being received with festivities, Holofernes remained fierce and destroyed cities and sacred groves, following Nebuchadnezzar's orders to eliminate all gods and be worshiped as the only god. He then conquered the Idumeans in the land of Gibeah and regrouped his troops for 30 days.
1 Then the kings as well as the princes of the provinces sent their emissaries from all of the cities: from Syria, particularly Mesopotamia, and Syria Sobal, and Libya as well as Cilicia. These, upon coming to Holofernes, said 2 "Let your indignation concerning us cease. For it is better for us to live in service to Nebuchadnezzar, the great king, and to become subject to you, rather than to die, even though we may have to suffer our condemnation into the annihilation of slavery 3 All our cities and all our possessions, all mountains, and hills, and fields, and herds of cattle, and flocks of sheep, and goats, and horses, and camels, and all our resources and families are in your sight 4 Let all that we have be subject to your law 5 We, and our sons, are your servants 6 Come to us as a peaceful lord, and use our service, just as it pleases you. 7 Then he descended from the mountains with horsemen, in great power, and he took charge of every city and of every inhabitant of the land 8 And, from all the cities, he took for himself auxiliaries: strong men and well-chosen for war 9 And such a dread lay upon those provinces, that the leading and honored inhabitants of all the cities, together with the people, went out to meet him at his arrival 10 They received him with garlands and lamps; they were led by choirs with timbrels and flutes 11 Yet, not even by doing these things were they able to mitigate the ferocity of his chest 12 For he both destroyed their cities and cut down their sacred groves 13 For king Nebuchadnezzar had instructed him to exterminate all the gods of the earth, evidently so that he alone might be called ‘god’ by those nations which were able to be subjugated by the power of Holofernes 14 But when he had passed through Syria Sobal, and all of Apamea, and all Mesopotamia, he came to the Idumeans in the land of Gibeah 15 And he took their cities, and he sat there for thirty days, during which days he instructed all the troops of his army to regroup