Holofernes Rejects Achior's Advice

1The noise from the crowd of people died down. Then General Holofernes of the Assyrian army said to Achior in front of all the foreigners there:

2Achior, who do you think you are, coming here with your hired soldiers from Ephraim? You must think you're some kind of prophet! You warned us not to fight against the Israelites because their God will defend them. But King Nebuchadnezzar is the only god! He will send enough troops to completely wipe them out, and the God of those Israelites won't be able to help them. 3We are Nebuchadnezzar's servants, and we will defeat them as if their entire army were only one soldier. They won't stand a chance against our powerful cavalry. 4We will destroy them completely. The hills of Israel will be covered with their blood, and the valleys will be filled with their dead bodies. The Israelites will disappear from the earth, and not a trace of them will be left. This is the command of King Nebuchadnezzar, the ruler of the whole earth, and everything he said will happen.

5Achior, you're nothing but a hired soldier from Ammon, and you have insulted the nation of Assyria. You will not see me again until I return from taking revenge on those people who escaped from Egypt. 6Then my troops will put you to death, and you will die like one of the Israelites.

7Or better yet, my men will take you into their hill country and leave you in one of their towns, 8where you will die with them. 9Don't look so upset, Achior. After all, you're the one who believes the Israelites can't be defeated. Just remember that I will do everything I have said!

Achior Is Taken to Bethulia

10The servants who waited on General Holofernes were there in his tent. So he ordered them to take Achior to the Israelite town of Bethulia and hand him over to its people. 11The servants obeyed and led Achior from the Assyrian camp, through the valley, and into the hill country, until they got to the springs of water just below Bethulia.

12When the men of Bethulia saw the Assyrians coming with Achior, they grabbed their weapons and ran to the top of the hill where the town was built. They were able to stop the Assyrians from getting any closer by using slings to throw stones at them. 13The Assyrians had to hide among the foothills around Bethulia, and so they tied up Achior and left him at the bottom of the hill. Then they returned to their camp.

14Some time later, the Israelites came down the hill and untied Achior, then led him back to Bethulia. They took him to the town officials, 15who at the time were Uzziah, Chabris, and Charmis. 16They called together the other leaders of Bethulia, while all the young men and women ran to join them. Achior was then brought in, and Uzziah asked him exactly what had happened.

17Achior said that he had been at the meeting between Holofernes and the commanders of the Assyrian army, and he repeated everything he had heard. Then he told the crowd what Holofernes himself had promised to do to the Israelites.

18When the people of Bethulia heard this, they got on their knees and prayed, 19"Our Lord God of heaven, these arrogant enemies have completely insulted us. Have pity and be kind to us, because we are your people."

20Then they encouraged Achior for what he had done and praised him very much. 21Uzziah took him to his own house, where he held a feast for all the town leaders. They prayed to the God of Israel all night long and asked him to help them.