Yudit (Judith) — 7

The Campaign against Bathulia

1 The next day Hulufarnas ordered his whole army, and all the allies who had joined him, to break camp and move against Bathulia, and to seize the passes up into the hill country and make war on the Yasharalym. 

2 So all their warriors moved their camp that day; their force of men of war was one hundred and seventy thousand infantry and twelve thousand cavalry, together with the baggage and the foot soldiers handling it, a very great multitude. 

3 They encamped in the valley near Bathulia, beside the spring, and they spread out in breadth over Duthan as far as Balbaim and in length from Bathulia to Cyamun, which faces Asdraalun.

4 When the Yasharalym saw their vast numbers they were greatly terrified, and every one said to his neighbor, “These men will now lick up the face of the whole land; neither the high mountains nor the valleys nor the hills will bear their weight.” 

5 Then each man took up his weapons, and when they had kindled fires on their towers they remained on guard all that night.

6 On the second day Hulufarnas led out all his cavalry in full view of the Yasharalym in Bathulia, 

7 and examined the approaches to the city, and visited the springs that supplied their water, and seized them and set guards of soldiers over them, and then returned to his army.

8 Then all the chieftains of the people of Ásau and all the leaders of the Muabites and the commanders of the coastland came to him and said, 

9 “Let our master hear a word, lest his army be defeated. 

10 For these people, the Yasharalym, do not rely on their spears but on the height of the mountains where they live, for it is not easy to reach the tops of their mountains. 

11 Therefore, my master, do not fight against them in battle array, and not a man of your army will fall. 

12 Remain in your camp, and keep all the men in your forces with you; only let your servants take possession of the spring of water that flows from the foot of the mountain

13 for this is where all the people of Bathulia get their water. So thirst will destroy them, and they will give up their city. We and our people will go up to the tops of the nearby mountains and camp there to keep watch that not a man gets out of the city. 

14 They and their wives and children will waste away with famine, and before the sword reaches them they will be strewn about in the streets where they live. 

15 So you will pay them back with evil, because they rebelled and did not receive you in Shalum.”

16 These words pleased Hulufarnas and all his servants, and he gave orders to do as they had said. 

17 So the army of the Ammunites moved forward, together with five thousand Assyrians, and they encamped in the valley and seized the water supply and the springs of the Yasharalym. 

18 And the sons of Ásau and the sons of Ammun went up and encamped in the hill country opposite Duthan; and they sent some of their men toward the south and the east, toward Acraba, which is near Chusi beside the brook Muchmur. The rest of the Assyrian army encamped in the plain, and covered the whole face of the land, and their tents and supply trains spread out in great number, and they formed a vast multitude.

The Distress of the Yasharalym 

19 The people of Yashar'AL cried out to 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH their 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH, for their courage failed, because all their enemies had surrounded them and there was no way of escape from them. 

20 The whole Assyrian army, their infantry, chariots, and cavalry, surrounded them for thirty-four days, until all the vessels of water belonging to every inhabitant of Bathulia were empty; 

21 their cisterns were going dry, and they did not have enough water to drink their fill for a single day, because it was measured out to them to drink. 

22 Their children lost heart, and the women and young men fainted from thirst and fell down in the streets of the city and in the passages through the gates; there was no strength left in them any longer.

23 Then all the people, the young men, the women, and the children, gathered about Uzzyahu and the rulers of the city and cried out with a loud voice, and said before all the elders, 

24 “Let 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH be judge between you and us! For you have done us a great injury in not making Shalum with the Assyrians. 

25 For now we have no one to help us; 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH has sold us into their hands, to strew us on the ground before them with thirst and utter destruction. 

26 Now call them in and surrender the whole city to the army of Hulufarnas and to all his forces, to be plundered. 

27 For it would be better for us to be captured by them; for we will be slaves, but our lives will be spared, and we shall not witness the death of our babies before our eyes, or see our wives and children draw their last breath. 

28 We call to witness against you Shamaym and Arath and our  𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH, the 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH of our fathers, who punishes us according to our sins and the sins of our fathers. Let him not do this day the things which we have described!”

29 Then great and general lamentation arose throughout the assembly, and they cried out to 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH  their 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH with a loud voice. 

30 And Uzzyahu said to them, “Have courage, my brothers! Let us hold out for five more days; by that time  𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH our 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH will restore to us His mercy, for  𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH will not forsake us utterly. 

31 But if these days pass by, and no help comes for us, I will do what you say.”

32 Then he dismissed the people to their various posts, and they went up on the walls and towers of their city. The women and children he sent home. And they were greatly depressed in the city.