Judith

In the thirteenth year of the reign of Nabuchodonosor, the two and twentieth day of the first month, the word was given out in the house of Nabuchodonosor king of the Assyrians, that he would revenge himself.

And he called all the elders, and all the governors, and his officers of war, and communicated to them the secret of his counsel:

And he said that his thoughts were to bring all the earth under his empire.

Then when this saying pleased them all, Nabuchodonosor king of the Assyrians called Holofernes the general of his army, who was next after him, and said to him:

Thus saith the great king the lord of the whole earth: Behold thou shalt go forth from my presence, and take with thee men that trust in their own strength, of footmen a hundred and twenty thousand, and the number of horses twelve thousand.

And thou shalt go against all the west country, because they despised my commandment.

And thou shalt not spare any, and shalt put to death all that inhabit the land, when they shall fall into thy hand.

And take for thyself all their substance for a prey, and give their land to them that serve me, for a possession: and I will give it to them to possess.

And I will require of them my footmen, and my horsemen, and my chariots, and I have spoken, I will do it, saith the Lord.

So Holofernes left the presence of his lord, and called all the captains, and the commanders, and the officers of the army of the Assyrians.

And he mustered the chosen men for battle, as his lord had commanded him, unto a hundred and twenty thousand, and twelve thousand archers on horseback.

And he made his whole army ready, with a multitude of innumerable camels, with all provisions for the camp, and herds of oxen, and flocks of sheep, without number.

And he appointed corn to be taken out of all Syria, in his passage.

But he took a great quantity of gold and silver out of the king's house.

And he went forth he and all his army, with the chariots, and horsemen, and archers, who covered the face of the earth, like locusts.

And when he had passed the borders of the Assyrians, he came to the great mountains of Ange, which are on the left of Cilicia: and he went up to all their castles, and took all the strong places.

And he took and destroyed the walls of Cilicia, and slew all that resisted him, and came to the borders of Japheth, which are towards the south, over against Arabia.

He compassed also all the children of Madian, and burnt their tabernacles, and he wasted their sheepfolds.

And he went down into the plain of Damascus, in the days of the harvest, and set all the corn on fire, and he caused all the trees and vineyards to be cut down.

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