1 And when the tumult of men that were about the councell was ceased, Holofernes the chiefe captaine of the armie of Assur, said vnto Achior and all the Moabites, before all the company of other nations,

2 And who art thou Achior and the hirelings of Ephraim, that thou hast prophesied amongst vs as to day, and hast said, that we should not make warre with the people of Israel, because their God will defend them? and who is God but Nabuchodonosor?

3 He will send his power, and will destroy them from the face of the earth, and their God shall not deliuer them: but we his seruants will destroy them as one man, for they are not able to sustaine the power of our horses.

4 For with them we will tread them vnder foote, and their mountains shall be drunken with their blood, and their fields shall be filled with their dead bodies, and their footesteps shall not be able to stand before vs, for they shal vtterly perish, saith king Nabuchodonosor Lord of all the earth; for hee said, none of my words shall be in vaine.

5 And thou Achior, an hireling of Ammon, which hast spoken these words in the day of thine iniquity, shalt see my face no more, from this day vntill I take vengeance of this nation that came out of Egypt.

6 And then shall the sword of mine armie, and the multitude of them that serue me, passe through thy sides, and thou shalt fal among their slaine, when I returne.

7 Now therefore my seruants shall bring thee backe into the hill countrey, and shall set thee in one of the cities of the passages.

8 And thou shalt not perish till thou be destroyed with them.

9 And if thou perswade thy selfe in thy minde, that they shall not be taken, let not thy countenance fall: I haue spoken it, and none of my words shall be in vaine.

10 Then Holofernes commanded his seruants that waited in his tent, to take Achior and bring him to Bethulia, and deliuer him into the hands of the children of Israel.

11 So his seruants tooke him, and brought him out of the campe into the plaine, and they went from the midst of the plaine into the hill countrey, and came vnto the fountaines that were vnder Bethulia.

12 And when the men of the citie saw them, they tooke vp their weapons, and went out of the citie to the toppe of the hill, and euery man that vsed a sling from comming vp by casting of stones against them.

13 Neuerthelesse hauing gotten priuily vnder the hill, they bound Achior and cast him downe, and left him at the foote of the hill, and returned to their Lord.

14 But the Israelites descended from their citie, and came vnto him, and loosed him, and brought him into Bethulia, and presented him to the gouernours of the citie,

15 Which were in those dayes Ozias the sonne of Micha of the tribe of Simeon, and Chabris the sonne of Gothoniel, and Charmis the sonne of Melchiel.

16 And they called together all the ancients of the citie, and all their youth ranne together, and their women to the assembly, and they set Achior in the midst of all their people. Then Ozias asked him of that which was done.

17 And he answered and declared vnto them the words of the counsell of Holofernes, and all the words that he had spoken in the midst of the princes of Assur, and whatsoeuer Holofernes had spoken proudly against the house of Israel.

18 Then the people fell downe, and worshipped God, and cryed vnto God, saying,

19 O Lord God of heauen, behold their pride, and pity the low estate of our nation, and looke vpon the face of those that are sanctified vnto thee this day.

20 Then they comforted Achior and praised him greatly.

21 And Ozias tooke him out of the assembly vnto his house, and made a feast to the Elders, & they called on the God of Israel all that night for helpe.