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.
Then the children of Esau went up with the children of Ammon and camped in the hill country opposite Dothaim. And they sent some of them toward the south and toward the east opposite Ekrebel, near Chusi upon the brook Mochmur; and the rest of the army of the Assyrians camped in the plain and covered the face of the whole land; and their tents and carriages were pitched for a very great multitude.
Then the children of Israel cried to the Lord their God, because their heart failed, for all their enemies had surrounded them and there was no way to escape out from among them.
Thus all the company of Assur remained around them, both their foot soldiers, chariots, and horsemen, for thirty-four days, so that all their vessels of water ran dry for all the inhabitants of Bethulia
and the cisterns were emptied. And they did not have enough water to drink their fill for even one day, for they rationed their water.
Therefore their young children lost heart, and their women and young men fainted for thirst and fell down in the streets of the city and by the passageways of the gates; and there was no longer any strength in them.
Then all the people assembled before Uzziah and the chiefs of the city, including young men and women and children, and they cried with a loud voice and said before all the elders,
"God be judge between us and you, for you have done us great injury in that you have not made peace with the children of Assur.
For now we have no helper, but God has sold us into their hands, so that we should be thrown down before them with thirst and great destruction.
Now therefore call them to you and deliver the whole city for a spoil to the people of Holofernes and to all his army.
For it is better for us to be made a spoil for them than to die of thirst; for we will be his servants, so that our souls may live and we will not see the death of our infants before our eyes, nor the dying of our wives or our children.
We present as witness against you: the heaven and the earth, and our God and Lord of our fathers, who punishes us according to our sins and the sins of our fathers, so that he will not allow what we have described to happen on this day."
Then there was great weeping in the midst of the assembly, all with one consent; and they cried to the Lord God with a loud voice.
Then Uzziah said to them, "Brethren, be courageous. Let us endure yet five days, in that period of time the Lord our God may turn his mercy toward us, for he will not forsake us utterly.
And if these days pass and no help comes to us, I will do according to your word."
And he dispersed the people, each to their own posts; and they went to the walls and towers of their city, and sent the women and children into their houses; and they were brought very low in the city.
Most of the teaching of Jesus are recorded in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The Complete Sayings of Jesus presents every word spoken by Jesus in one place and provides an index to assist in finding specific ocassions, places and/or events. It is a must read aid for serious Bible study.
He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, saith the Lord. These are the words of Christ; and they direct us to imitate his life and character. The Imitation of Christ is guide to following the example of Jesus Christ. Let it be our most earnest study to dwell upon the life and example of Jesus.
The Apocrypha books are 14 books that were included between the old and new testaments in the original King James Version of the bible and many others. Church leaders agreed that these books were valuable for instruction in life and manners, but did not all agree that they should be considered cannon.
The Childrens Bible provides bible lessons from the Old and New testaments. There are 216 stories written in plain english. The stories are easy to read and understand but they are not just for childern. It is a pleasure to read and enjoy these important stories.
Let us love one another, for love comes from God and every one who loves is a child of God and knows God. He who loves not man does not know God, for God is love. God showed his love for us, for he sent his only Son into the world that through him we might have life. Love the stranger.
In Mark 12:30 Jesus said;
And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this [is] the first commandment.
And the second Mark 12:31 [is] like, [namely] this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
The Gospel of The Birth of Mary was attributed to St. Matthew and was received as genuine and authentic by early Christians. It is to be found in the works of Jerome, a Father of the Church in the 4th century and is translated from his collection.
The Book of Enoch is ascribed to the great-grandfather of Noah and is included in the cannon of some churches. It describes the fall of the angels (watchers), visions of heaven and hell and the birth of Noah. Quotes from the book of Enoch are found in the New Testament.
The First Book of Adam and Eve. Books 1 begins immediately after the expulsion from the Garden of Eden. We learn about the fall but also of the promise to save Adam and his decendents. The story depicts mans struggle against evil, the devil and sin.
The Second Book of Adam and Eve. Discusses Adam's sorrow and death. The history of the patriarchs who lived before the Flood until the birth of Noah; the children of Seth on Mount Hermon and Cain's death. It ends with the testament and translation of Enoch.
The Infancy of Jesus Christ (Infancy Gospel of Thomas) relates the life of Jesus from the ages of five to twelve. It is believed that the document was transcribed from oral traditions some time prior to the second century. The ancient writing is possibly Gnostic and many early church leaders considered it heretical.
Daily Bible study is essential. The Bible Verse of the Day provides a collection of enlightening and inspiration bible verses. Improve your knowledge and understanding of the Bible and your life by studying the words of the holy scripture. Explore the King James Bible (kjv) and discover new insights.
The World English Bible was produced to provide speakers of modern English with a version of the Bible that is easily understood. The Bible is in the public domain and available world-wide. It is an accurate modern translation of the original King James Bible, including the Apocryphal books.
Looking for something in the Bible? Want to find a specifc verse or list of words? The Bible search feature makes it easy find verses or words. Enter the verses or words in the search bar or visit the search page to access additional search options. Finding information in the Bible will never be easier.
The favorite verses page is a list of popular bible verses. Each verse includes a link to the chapter and verse of the book where it is found in the bible. Click on any link for a bible verse and it will take you to that location in the bible.
The bible contains great stories. Visit the bible stories page for links to some of the best known and most significant stories and passages in the bible.