¶The next day Holofernes commanded all his army and all his people who had arrived take his side that they should remove their camp from opposite Bethulia and capture in advance the ascents of the hill country in order to make war against the children of Israel.

Then their strong men removed their camps on that day; and the army of the men of war was one hundred seventy thousand foot soldiers, and twelve thousand horsemen, besides the baggage and the other men who were afoot among them, a very great multitude.

And they camped in the valley near Bethulia, by the spring, and they spread themselves in width across Dothaim even to Belmaim, and in length from Bethulia to Cynamon, which is opposite Esdraelon.

¶Now the children of Israel, when they saw the multitude of them, were greatly troubled, and everyone said to his neighbor, “Now these men will wipe clean the face of the earth, for neither the high mountains, nor the valleys, nor the hills, are able to bear their weight.”

Then every man took up his weapons of war, and when they had kindled fires on their towers, they remained and watched all that night.

But on the second day, Holofernes brought forth all his horsemen in the sight of the children of Israel, who were in Bethulia,

and viewed the passages up to the city; and he went to the origins of their waters and captured them, and he set garrisons of men of war over them, and he himself returned toward his people.

¶Then they came to him, all the chiefs of the children of Esau and all the governors of the people of Moab and the captains of the sea coast, and they said,

“Let our lord now hear a word, so that there will not be a loss among your army.

For this people of the children of Israel do not trust in their spears, but in the height of the mountains where they dwell, for it is not easy to come up to the tops of their mountains.

Now therefore, my lord, do not fight against them in battle array and not so much as one man among your people will perish.

Remain in your camp and keep all the men of your army there, and let us your servants take hold of the springs of water, which issue forth at the foot of the mountain.

For all the inhabitants of Bethulia have their water there; so thirst will kill them and they will give up their city, and we and our people will go up to the tops of the mountains nearby and will camp on them to watch so that none can go out of the city.

So they and their wives and their children will be consumed with fiery thirst, as if it were a sword brought against them, and so they will be overthrown in the streets where they dwell.

Thus will you render them an evil reward, because they rebelled and did not meet your person peaceably.”

And these words pleased Holofernes and all his servants, and he decided to do as they had said.

¶So the camp of the children of Ammon departed, and with them five thousand of the Assyrians, and they pitched camp in the valley and captured the waters and the origins of the waters of the children of Israel.