The War against the Nations in the West
1 In the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign, on the twenty-second day of the first month of that year, he and his advisers decided to carry out his threat to take revenge on all those countries that had refused to help him. 2-3 The king called his general staff and senior officers together and reported in detail how those countries had betrayed him. He and his officers agreed that everyone who had refused to help him in the war should be put to death. Then he described to them his plan of attack.
4 At the close of the meeting, Nebuchadnezzar gave the following command to Holofernes, who was the general in command of his armies and second in command to the king: 5 “I, Nebuchadnezzar, the great king and ruler of all the earth, command you to choose some experienced soldiers: 120,000 infantry and 12,000 cavalry. 6 Then attack the lands to the west because they refused to respond to my appeal for help. 7 Warn them that they must prepare their offerings of earth and water to show that they have surrendered unconditionally. I will make them feel the full force of my anger and completely destroy them. My armies will march over every foot of their land and plunder it as they go. 8 I will fill the valleys with their dead bodies and will choke up every stream and river with so many corpses that they will all overflow. 9 I will take captive all those who are left alive and carry them off to the ends of the earth.
10 “But you, Holofernes, are ordered to go ahead of me and occupy all their territories in advance. If they surrender to you, hold them for me until I come to punish them. 11 But if they resist, do not spare them. Kill them and loot the entire region under your control. 12 I have taken a solemn vow, and at the risk of my life and my royal power I am determined to do what I have vowed to do. 13 Do not disobey me in any way. I am your king; remember that, and carry out without delay every order that I have given you.”
The Campaign of Holofernes
14 So Holofernes left the king and called together all the commanders, generals, and officers of the Assyrian army. 15 Just as the king had ordered, he chose 120,000 of the best infantrymen and 12,000 of the best mounted archers 16 and arranged them in battle formation. 17 He also took along a very large number of camels, donkeys, and mules to carry the equipment, as well as many sheep, cattle, and goats for food. 18 Every soldier received plenty of rations and a large payment of gold and silver from the royal treasury.
19 Then Holofernes and his entire army set out, advancing ahead of King Nebuchadnezzar. The chariots, the cavalry, and the infantry marched out to overrun the entire western region. 20 Other troops went with them. There were so many that it was impossible to count them—they were like a swarm of locusts or like grains of sand in the desert.
21 Three days after they had left the city of Nineveh, they reached the plains around Bectileth near the mountains north of Cilicia, where they set up camp. 22 From there Holofernes advanced into the hill country with his entire army, his infantry, cavalry, and chariots. 23 He totally destroyed the countries of Libya and Lydia, then plundered all the people of Rassis and the Ishmaelites who lived on the edge of the desert, south of the land of the Chelleans.
24 Then Holofernes crossed the Euphrates River and marched through the land of Mesopotamia, completely destroying all the walled towns along the Abron River as far as the sea. 25 He seized the territory of Cilicia, killing everyone who resisted him, and went as far as the southern borders of the land of Japheth, near Arabia. 26 He surrounded the Midianites, burned down their tents, and slaughtered their sheep.
27 Holofernes went down into the plains around Damascus during the wheat harvest, burned all the fields, slaughtered the flocks and herds, looted the towns, devastated the entire countryside, and killed all the young men. 28 Panic seized all the people who lived along the Mediterranean Sea, and they shook with fear. Everyone in the towns of Tyre, Sidon, Sur, Ocina, Jamnia, Ashdod, and Ashkelon was terrified.
Huriǂoas ǃnâ hâ ǁaedi ǃoagu hâ torob
1 Disiǁkhaisaǀaǁî kurib Nebukadnesari ǂgaeǂguis dib di ǀgamdisiǀgamǀaǁî tsēs, ǁnā kurib di ǂguro ǁkhâb dis ai gu ge ǁîb tsî ǁîb ǀapemā-aogu tsîga ǁîb di ǁgoaǂuis nî sîsenǂuihe tsî ǁîba huisa ge ǂkhā ǃhūgu hoagu nî ǀkhaohe ǃkhaisa ge mîǁgui. 2-3 ǁÎb ge ǁîb hoaraga danakhoega ǂgaiǀhao tsî ǁîgu ǀkha ǂkhaba xūn, nē khoen gere dīna ǀgoragu tsî ǁîga ǂōrisase mâti gu ge ǁnā ǃhūga ǁîba ǀapexū ǃkhaisa ge ǃnuriba. ǁÎb tsî ǁîb danakhoegu ge ge gao-aob mîmāde ǁnâuǀnamoǃnâ-i hoa-i nî hîkākāhe ǃkhaisa mîǀgui. Tsîb ge ǁîga ǃkhams ǀapeǁguiba ge mîǃāba.
4 ǂNûs ge ǂganam, ob ge Nebukadnesara ǁîb ge toroǂnubis di ǃkhōdana-ao tsîb ǀgamǁî ǃharos ai gao-aob ǃnaka ǂnôa i xui-ao sao ra mîmāsa Holoferneba ge mā. 5 “Tita Nebukadnesarta, kai gao-ao tsî hoaraga ǃhūbaib ǂgaeǂgui-aota ge ra mîmā tsi, îts ǀguikaidisiǀgamdisiǀoadisi ǀnūtoroǃkhamaogu tsî disiǀgamǀaǀoadisi hātoroǃkhamaogu ǂansa ūhâgu tsîna ǁhûi. 6 Huriǂoasǀkhāb di ǃhūgu hoaga ǁnāǂam, tita ge ǁîgu huiba ǂgan, xawe gu ge ǂkhā amaga. 7 ǁÎna ǃkhâikhom în ǂhomisen tsî ǁîn ǃhūb tsî ǁgam-i tsîna ǂgaoǀkhāoǃnâse māǁnâ. Tita ge ti ǀoasa, ǀgaisa ǁaib ǀkha ǁîn ǃoagu khâi tsî ǁîna hoaragase nî hîkākā. Ti toroǂnubis ge mâ ǃkhais ǁîn ǃhūb dis hoasa ǃgûǃnâǃganu tsî ǃgûgaruse nî hîkākā. 8 ǁÎn di tsuihe hân ge ǃgoaǃnāga nî ǀoaǀoa tsîb ge ǁō hâ sorodi mâ ǃārob tsî ǃāb hoaba ra ǁkhae xui-ao ǃhūba nî dâuǃkhūhe. 9 Ûitsamase ga ǃgauna ta ge ǃkhōsis ǃnâ ū tsî hoaraga ǃhūbaib ǃnâ nî ǀgaruǀgaru.
10 “Xawe ta ge sats, Holofernetsa ra mîmā, îts ti aiǃâ ǃgûǂoa tsî ǁîn di hoaraga ǃhūba ū. Tsîn ga sa ǃnâ mâsen, o ǁîna ūhâǀgaraba te, sī tsî ta ǁîna nî ǁkharas kōse. 11 Xawen ga ǂkhā tsî māǁnâsen tama io, o tā ǁîna ûi kai. ǁÎna ǃgam, î ǁnā hoaraga ǃhūb hîats nî ǂgaeǂguib di ūhâxūna ǁkhâuǁnâ. 12 Amase ta ge ûi tsî ta nē ǀgaisa gaosiba ra ǂgaeǂguis kōse mîǁgui ta gena nî dī. 13 Tā ǀgui ǀgau-i tsîn ai tita ǁnâuǀnamoǃnâ. ǂÂis ǃnâ ūhâ tita sa gao-ao ǃkhaisa, î ǀhabe tamase tita ge mā tsi mîmāsa sîsenǂui.”
Holoferneb ge Nebukadnesari mîmāde ra dī
14 Ob ge Holoferneba gao-aoba xu ǃgû tsî hoaraga ǃkhōdana-aogu, danakhoegu tsî toroǂgaeǂgui-aogu Asiriab toroǂnubis diga ge ǂgaiǀhao. 15 Gao-aob ge mîmā khamib ge ǀguikaidisiǀgamdisiǀoadisi ǀnūtoroǃkhamaogu tsî disiǀgamǀaǀoadisi hātoroǃkhamaogu ǂansa ūhâga ǁhûi 16 tsî ǁîga torob ǃaroma ge aiǂhomi. 17 ǁÎb ǀkhab ge ǁkhāti kaise kai ǃgôab di ǃnain, dâukin tsî mulin tsîna ǂhâǂhâsa xūnab nî ǃnao-aise ū tsî ǁkhāti ǂgui gūn, goman tsî pirina ǂûn ase ge ūsao. 18 Mâ toroǃkhamaob hoab ge ǂgui ǂûn tsî kai ǀnōb ǃhuniǀurib tsî ǀhaiǀurib tsîna gao-aosi ǁuiǂgaesa xu ge ǃkhōǃoa.
19 Holoferneb tsî ǁîb hoaraga toroǂnubis ge hākunidi, hātoroǃkhamaogu tsî ǀnūtoroǃkhamaogu ǀkha Ninevesa xu, hoaraga huriǂoas ǀkharibab nî hîkākāse dāǁnâ, ob ge gao-aob Nebukadnesara ge hâ-oa. 20 ǀNî ǂgui khoen tsîn ge ǁîgu ǀkha ge ǃgû. ǁNātikōsen ge ge ǂgui i tsîs ge ǁîna ǃgôasa ge īǁoasa i. ǁÎn ge doegaru ǂhomn tamas ka io ǃgaroǃhūb di ǃhūb khami ge ǂgui i.
21 ǃNona tsēde gu Ninevesa xu ǃgû hâs khaoǃgâ gu ge Bektilets ǂnamipe, Silisiab di ǀapas ǃnâ, ǃhomgu ǀgūse ǁgoe ǂgāgu tawa hā tsî ǁnāpa tentomde ge ǂnaumâi. 22 ǁNāpa xub ge Holoferneba hoaraga toroǂnubis, ǀnūtoroǃkhamaogu, hātoroǃkhamaogu tsî hākunidi tsîna ū tsî ǁnā ǃhomxa ǀkharib ǃnâ ge ǃgûǂoa. 23 ǁÎb ge hoaragase Libiab tsî Lidiab di ǀkhariga hîkākā tsî ǁnās khaoǃgâ hoaraga khoen Rasis din tsî Ismaelǁîn, ǃgaroǃhūb ǃkhawagas ǃnâ ge Seleanǁîn di ǃhūb amǃgâ ǁan hâ ina ge hîkākā.
24 ǁNās khaoǃgâb ge Holoferneba Eufratǃāba ǃgâu, Mesopotamiaǃhūb ǃnâ-u ǃkharu tsî hoaraga omǂnamisa ǃādi Abronǃāb xōǀkhā ǁgoede hurib tawas kōse ge hîkākā. 25 ǁÎb ge Silisiab ǀkhariba ǁkhâuǁnâ tsî mâǃoa bi ra-i hoa-e gere ǃgam. ǁNāpa xub ge Jafeti ǃhūb ǃkhawagas di ǃhūǀgoras, Arabiab ǀgūse ǁgoes kōse ge ǃgû. 26 ǁÎb ge Midiaǁîna xāǂgā, tentomdi âna ǂhubiǁnâ tsî gūn âna ge ǂā.
27 Holoferneb ge Damaskus ǂnamipe ǁgoe ǂgāgu ǃoa ǃhoroǃgaos ǁaeb ǃnâ ǃgû tsî hoaraga ǃhoroǃhanaga ge ǂhubiǁnâ. Tsîb ge ǀgoan tsî goman tsîna ǂā, ǃāde ǀhana, hoaraga ǀkhariba hîkākā tsî hoaraga ǂkham khoega ge ǃgam. 28 ǃAob ge hoaraga khoen Mediteraneahurib xōǀkhā ge ǁan hâ ina ge hāǂam tsîn ge ǃaob xa gere ǀkhū. Tirus, Sidons, Surs, Osinas, Jamnias, Asotus tsî Askelons tsîdi ǃnâ ge ǁan hâ khoe-i hoa-i ge kaise ge ǃao hâ i.
