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1 But Holofernes on
the next day gave orders to his army, to go up against Bethulia.
2 Now there were in his troops a hundred and
twenty thousand footmen, and two and twenty thousand horsemen, besides the
preparations of those men who had been taken, and who had been brought away
out of the provinces and cities of all the youth.
3 All these prepared themselves together to
fight against the children of Israel, and they came by the hillside to the
top, which looketh toward Dothain,
from the place which is called Behlma, unto Chelmon, which is over against Esdrelon.
4 But the children of Israel, when they saw
the multitude of them, prostrated themselves upon the ground, putting ashes
upon their heads, praying with one accord, that the God of Israel would shew his mercy upon his people.
5 And taking their arms of war, they posted
themselves at the places, which by a narrow pathway lead directly between the
mountains, and they guarded them all day and night.
6 Now Holofernes,
in going round about, found that the fountains which supplied them with
water, ran through an aqueduct without the city on the south side: and he
commanded their aqueduct to he cut off.
7 Nevertheless there were springs not far from the
walls, out of which they were seen secretly to draw water, to refresh
themselves a little rather than to drink their fill.
8 But the children of Ammon
and Moab came to Holofernes, saying: The children
of Israel trust not in their spears, nor in their arrows, but the mountains
are their defense, and the steep hires and precipices guard them.
9 Wherefore that thou mayst
overcome them without joining battle, set guards at the springs that they may
not draw water out of them, and thou shalt destroy
them without sword, or at least being wearied out they will yield up their
city, which they suppose, because it is situate in the mountains, to be
impregnable.
10 And these words pleased Holofernes,
and his officers, and he placed all round about a hundred men at every
spring.
11 And when they had kept this watch for
full twenty days, the cisterns, and the reserve of waters failed among all
the inhabitants of Bethulia, so that there was not
within the city, enough to satisfy them, no not for one day, for water was
daily given out to the people by measure.
12 Then all the men and women, young men, and
children, gathering themselves together to Ozias,
all together with one voice,
13 Said: God be judge between us and thee,
for thou hast done evil against us, in that thou wouldst not speak peaceably
with the Assyrians, and for this cause God hath sold us into their hands.
14 And therefore there is no one to help us,
while we are cast down before their eyes in thirst, and sad destruction.
15 And now assemble ye all that are in the
city, that we may of our own accord yield ourselves all up to the people of Holofernes.
16 For it is better, that being captives we
should live and bless the Lord, than that we should die, and be a reproach to
all flesh, after we have seen our wives and our infants die before our eyes.
17 We call to witness this day heaven and
earth, and the God of our fathers, who taketh
vengeance upon us according to our sins, conjuring you to deliver now the
city into the hand of the army of Holofernes, that
our end may be short by the edge of the sword, which is made longer by the
drought of thirst.
18 And when they had said these things,
there was great weeping and lamentation of all in the assembly, and for many
hours with one voice they cried to God, saying:
19 We have sinned with our fathers we have
done unjustly, we have commited iniquity:
20 Have thou mercy on us, because thou art
good, or punish our iniquities by chastising us thyself, and deliver not them
that trust in thee to a people that knoweth not
thee,
21 That they may not say among the
gentiles: Where is their God?
22 And when being wearied with these cries,
and tired with these weepings, they held their
peace,
23 Ozias rising up all in tears, said: Be of
good courage, my brethren, and let us wait these five days for mercy from the
Lord.
24 For perhaps he will put a stop to his
indignation, and will give glory to his own name.
25 But if after five days be past there come
no aid, we will do the things which you leave spoken.
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1- و في اليوم الثاني امر اليفانا جميع عسكره
ان يزحفوا على بيت فلوى.
2- و كان رجالة الحرب مئة و عشرين الفا و
الفرسان اثنين و عشرين الفا ما خلا الرجال المجلوين و جميع الفتيان الذين
استصحبهم من الاقاليم و المدن.
3- فتاهب جميعهم لمقاتلة بني اسرائيل و جاءوا
من جانب الجبل الى القمة التي تنظر الى دوتان من الموضع الذي يقال له بلما الى
قليمون التي قبالة يزرعيل.
4- فلما راى بنو اسرائيل كثرتهم خروا على
الارض و حثوا الرماد على رؤوسهم و صلوا بقلب واحد الى اله اسرائيل ليظهر رحمته
على شعبه.
5- ثم اخذ كل رجل سلاحه و اقاموا في الاماكن
المفضية الى المضيق بين الجبال و لم يزالوا حارسين كل النهار و الليل.
6- و لما كان اليفانا يطوف في الارض وجد العين
التي كانت تجري الى داخل المدينة من ناحية الجنوب لها قناة خارج المدينة فامر ان
يقطعوا القناة.
7- و كانت عيون اخر على قرب من السور كانوا
يخرجون فيستقون منها خفية لكي يكسروا حدة عطشهم و ان كانوا لا يرتوون.
8- فتقدم بنو عمون و مواب الى اليفانا و قالوا
له ان بني اسرائيل لا يتكلون على الرمح و السهم و لكن الجبال تزرهم و التلال
التي بين الهوى تحصنهم.
9- فالان حتى تظفر بهم بلا قتال اقم ارصادا
على الينابيع لئلا يستقوا منها ماء فتقتلهم بغير سيف او يلجئهم ما يصيرون اليه
من الضنك ان يسلموا مدينتهم التي يعدونها منيعة من اجل انها على الجبال.
10- فاعجب اليفانا و سائر عبيده بهذا الكلام
فجعل ارصادا على العيون من اصحاب المئة على كل عين من جميع الجهات.
11- فاقاموا على هذه المحافظة
عشرين يوما حتى جفت مياه ابار بيت فلوى و حياضها باسرها حتى لم يكن في داخل
المدينة ما يرويهم يوما واحدا لان الماء كان يعطى للشعب كل يوم بمقدار.
12- حينئذ اجتمع على عزيا جميع الرجال و
النساء و الشبان و الاطفال و كلهم بصوت واحد.
13- و قالوا يحكم الله بيننا و بينك فانك قد
جنيت علينا شرورا اذ ابيت ان تخاطب الاشوريين بالمسالمة و لذلك باعنا الله الى
ايديهم.
14- و الان فانه ليس لنا من نصير و لكنا نصرع
امام عيونهم من قبل العطش و الدمار العظيم.
15- فالان ادعوا جميع من في المدينة و لنستسلم
باجمعنا الى اصحاب اليفانا من تلقاء انفسنا.
16- فخير لنا ان نبارك الرب و نحن احياء في
الجلاء من ان نموت و نكون عارا عند جميع البشر بعد ان نكون عاينا نساءنا و
اطفالنا يموتون امامنا.
17- و نستحلفكم اليوم بالسماء و الارض و باله
ابائنا الذي ينتقم منا بحسب خطايانا ان تسلموا المدينة الى ايدي جيش اليفانا
فيقضى اجلنا سريعا بحد السيف و لا يتمادى في اوار العطش.
18- فلما قالوا هذا حدث بكاء و عويل عظيم في
الجماعة كلها و صرخوا الى الله بصوت واحد ساعات كثيرة قائلين.
19- قد خطئنا نحن و اباؤنا و صنعنا الظلم و
الاثم.
20- ارحمنا لانك رحيم او فانتقم عن اثامنا بان
تعاقبنا انت و لا تسلم المعترفين بك الى شعب لا يعرفك.
21- لئلا يقال في الامم اين الههم.
22- ثم انهم كلوا من الصراخ و
خاروا من البكاء فسكتوا.
23- فقام عزيا و دموعه سائلة و قال لهم كونوا
طيبي القلوب يا اخوتي و لننتظر رحمة من لدن الرب هذه الخمسة الايام.
24- فلعله يكف غضبه و يقيم مجدا
لاسمه.
25- فاذا انقضت خمسة ايام و لم تاتنا معونة
فعلنا ما تقولون
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