| In the thirteenth year of King Nabuchodonosor, upon the twenty second day of the first month, it was devised in the court of Nabuchodonosor the King of the Assyrians, that he would defend himself. So he called unto him all the elders, all his Captains, and men of war, and showed them his secret counsel, and told them, that his purpose was, to bring the whole earth under his dominion. Now when they were all content with this saying, Nabuchodonosor the King called Holofernes the chief Captain of his wars and said unto him: Go thy way forth against all the Kingdoms of the West, and specially against those that have despised my commandment. Thou shalt spare no realm, all the strong cities shalt thou bring in subjection unto me.
Then Holofernes called together all the Captains and rulers of all the power in Assyria, and mustered the soldiers unto the host ( like as the King commanded him) namely, an hundred and twenty thousand fighting men upon foot, and twelve thousand archers upon horseback. All his ordinance sent he before with an innumerable multitude of camels, so that the host was well provided for with oxen, and small cattle, and that without number. He caused the corn to be prepared out of all Syria for his host. Much gold and silver took he out of the Kings house. So he took his journey , he and all his host, with chariots, horsemen, and archers: of whom there were so many, that they covered the ground of the land, like as grasshoppers.
And when he was gone past the borders of the Assyrians, he came toward the great mountains of Ange, which lie upon the left side of Celicia: and so he went up in to all their castles, and won every stronghold. As for the wealthy city of Melothus, he break it down, and spoiled all the children of Tharsis and the Ismaelites, which lay toward the wilderness, and upon the South side of the land of Chelon. He went over Euphrates also, and came into Mesopotamia, and break down all the high cities that were there from the brook of Nambre till a man come to the sea: and he took the boarders in from Celicia unto the coasts of Japhet toward the South. He carried away all the Madianites, and spoiled all their goods: and whosoever with stood him, he slew them with the sword. After this he went down to the field of Damascus in the time of harvest, and burnt up all the corn and all the trees, and caused the vines to be cut down. And the fear of him fell upon all them that dwelt on the earth. |
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