1 In the eighteenth year, on the twenty-second day of the first month, a rumour ran through the palace that Nebuchadnezzar king of the Assyrians was to have his revenge on all the countries, as he had threatened.
2 Summoning his general staff and senior officers, he held a secret conference with them, and with his own lips pronounced utter destruction on the entire area.
3 It was then decreed that everyone should be put to death who had not answered the king's appeal.
4 When the council was over, Nebuchadnezzar king of the Assyrians sent for Holofernes, general-in-chief of his armies and subordinate only to himself. He said to him,
5 'Thus speaks the Great King, lord of the whole world, "Go; take men of proven valour, about a hundred and twenty thousand foot soldiers and a strong company of horse with twelve thousand cavalrymen;
6 then advance against all the western lands, since these people have disregarded my call.
7 Bid them have earth and water ready, because in my rage I am about to march on them; the feet of my soldiers will cover the whole face of the earth, and I shall plunder it.
8 Their wounded will fill the valleys and the torrents, and rivers, blocked with their dead, will overflow.
9 I shall lead them captive to the ends of the earth.
10 Now go! Begin by conquering this whole region for me. If they surrender to you, hold them for me until the time comes to punish them.
11 But if they resist, look on no one with clemency, hand them over to slaughter and plunder throughout the territory entrusted to you.
12 For by my life and by the living power of my kingdom I have spoken. All this I shall do by my power.
13 And you, neglect none of your master's commands, act strictly according to my orders without further delay." '
14 Leaving the presence of his sovereign, Holofernes immediately summoned all the marshals, generals and officers of the Assyrian army
15 and detailed the picked troops as his master had ordered, about a hundred and twenty thousand men and a further twelve thousand mounted archers.
16 He organised these in the normal battle formation.
17 He then secured vast numbers of camels, donkeys and mules to carry the baggage, and innumerable sheep, oxen and goats for food supplies.
18 Every man received full rations and a generous sum of gold and silver from the king's purse.
19 He then set out for the campaign with his whole army, in advance of King Nebuchadnezzar, to overwhelm the whole western region with his chariots, his horsemen and his picked body of foot.
20 A motley gathering followed in his rear, as numerous as locusts or the grains of sand on the ground; there was no counting their multitude.
21 Thus they set out from Nineveh and marched for three days towards the Plain of Bectileth. From Bectileth they went on to pitch camp near the mountains that lie to the north of Upper Cilicia.
22 From there Holofernes advanced into the highlands with his whole army, infantry, horsemen, chariots.
23 He cut his way through Put and Lud, carried away captive all the sons of Rassis and sons of Ishmael living on the verge of the desert south of Cheleon,
24 marched along the Euphrates, crossed Mesopotamia, rased all the fortified towns controlling the Wadi Abron and reached the sea.
25 Next he attacked the territories of Cilicia, butchering all who offered him resistance, advanced on the southern frontiers of Japheth, facing Arabia,
26 completely encircled the Midianites, burned their tents and plundered their sheep-folds,
27 made his way down to the Damascus plain at the time of the wheat harvest, set fire to the fields, destroyed the flocks and herds, sacked the towns, laid the countryside waste and put all the young men to the sword.
28 Fear and trembling seized all the coastal peoples; those of Sidon and Tyre, those of Sur, Ocina and Jamnia. The populations of Azotos and Ascalon were panic-stricken.
Versículos relacionados com Judith, 2:
Judith chapter 2 continues the Assyrian invasion narrative and shows how General Holofernes is chosen to lead the campaign against the west nations, including Israel. He is presented as a powerful and cruel man who believes that no God can oppose him. Here are five verses related to the topics covered in Judite 2:
Isaiah 10:7: "But this is not how he thought, nor was it how his heart imagined him, because his purpose was to destroy, and to break down no few nations." This verse talks about the arrogance of the king of Assyria and how he intended to destroy many nations, including Israel.
Isaiah 10:13-14: "For he says, With the strength of my hand I did and with my wisdom, because I am prudent; and removed the boundaries of the peoples, and I stole the things that were deposited, and as a brave slaughter To those who sat upon them. And I found my hand the riches of the peoples like a nest; and, as the abandoned eggs are gathered, so I gathered me to all the earth; and there was no one who moved the wing, or mouth, or pias. " This verse describes how the king of Assyria boast of his own strength and wisdom, stealing the riches of the peoples and annihilating those who opposed him.
Job 12:13: "With God is wisdom and strength; This verse talks about how true wisdom and force belong to God, not arrogant men like the king of Assyria.
Isaiah 14:12-15: "As you have fallen from the sky, O Morning Star, daughter of the Alva! How you were cut by earth, you who weakened the nations! And you said in your heart: I will climb to heaven, above the stars From God I will exalt my throne, and on the hill of the congregation I will sit on the sides of the north. I will climb upon the heights of the clouds, and be similar to the Most High. " This verse talks about the fall of Lucifer, which is also known as Satan, who was arrogant and tried to rise above God.
Proverbs 16:18: "Superb precedes ruin, and the haughtiness of the Spirit precedes the fall." This verse talks about how pride and arrogance always lead to fall and ruin. This is especially true for the king of Assyria in Judith 2, who is so arrogant that he believes that no God can oppose him.
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