The Israelite Plan for Defense
1 The people of Judah heard what Holofernes, the commander of King Nebuchadnezzar's armies, had done to the other nations. They heard how he had looted and destroyed all their temples, 2 and they were terrified of him and afraid of what he might do to Jerusalem and to the Temple of the Lord their God. 3 They had only recently returned home to Judah from exile and had just rededicated the Temple and its utensils and its altar after they had been defiled. 4 So they sent a warning to the whole region of Samaria and to the towns of Kona, Beth Horon, Belmain, Jericho, Choba, and Aesora, and to Salem Valley. 5 They immediately occupied the mountaintops, fortified the villages on the mountains, and stored up food in preparation for war. It was fortunate that they had recently harvested their fields.
6 The High Priest Joakim, who was in Jerusalem at that time, wrote to the people in the towns of Bethulia and Betomesthaim, which face Jezreel Valley near Dothan. 7 He ordered them to occupy the mountain passes which led into the land of Judah, where it would be easy to withstand an attack, since the approach was only wide enough for two people at a time to pass. 8 The Israelites carried out the orders given to them by the High Priest Joakim and the Council which met in Jerusalem.
Prayer before the War
9 The leaders of Israel prayed earnestly to God and fasted. 10 They put on sackcloth—they and their wives, their children, their livestock, and every resident foreigner, every slave and hired laborer. 11-12 They also covered the altar with sackcloth. Then all the men, women, and children in Jerusalem lay face down on the ground in front of the Temple; they lay there in the Lord's presence, all in sackcloth, their heads covered with ashes. They joined together in earnest prayer to the God of Israel, begging him not to let their children be captured, their wives carried off, or their home towns destroyed. They pleaded with him not to give the Gentiles the satisfaction of destroying the Temple and dishonoring it. 13 The Lord heard their prayers and saw their distress. For many days the people of Judah and Jerusalem continued their fast in front of the Temple of the Lord Almighty. 14 The High Priest Joakim, the priests, and all the others who served in the Lord's Temple, wore sackcloth when they offered the daily burnt offering, the freewill offerings of the people, and the offerings made to fulfill a vow. 15 They put ashes on their turbans and cried out in prayer to the Lord, begging him to have mercy on the whole nation.
Israelǁîn ǀapeǁguib, ǁkhaubasens ǃaroma
1 Judab ǃnâ ge hâ i Israelǁîn ge Asiriab gao-aob Nebukadnesari di toroǂnubis ǂgaeǂgui-aob Holoferneb ge tare-e nau ǁaedi ǀkha dīs, tsî mâtib ge ǁîna ǀhana tsî hoaraga Tempelgu âna hîkākā ǃkhaisa ge ǁnâu. 2 ǁNā-amagan ge tare-eb Jerusalems tsî ǃKhūb, ǁîn Elob Tempeli ǀkha nî dī ǃkhaisan gere ǂâi, o kaise ǃao tsî gere ǀkhū. 3 ǁÎn ge ǀgūǁae ǀgui Judab ǃoa ǃkhōsisa xu ge oahā hâ i tsîn ge hoaraga khoena ǀasase nēpa ge ǀhaoǀhaohe hâ i. Tsîn ge ǃanu xapan, altars tsî Tempeli tsîna ǃgôaoǃnâ kaihen ge hâ is khaoǃgâ ge ǃanuǃanu. 4 ǁNā-amagan ge ǃkhâikhom-e hoaraga ǀkharib Samariab dib tsî ǃādi Konas, Bet-Horons, Belmains, Jerixos, Kobas, Aesoras tsî Salems ǃgoaǃnāgu ǃoa ge sîǂui. 5 ǁÎn ge ǁnātimîsi ǃhomgu ǀgapisega ǃnamiǂgā, ǃhomgu ai ǂnôa ǃāde ǀgaiǀgai tsî torob ǃaroma ge aiǂhomisen. ǁÎn ge ǀnain ge ǃhoroba ǃgao hâ i xui-ao ge ǃgâiǃgâ i tsî ǁnā-amaga ǂûna ge sâubasen.
6 ǀGapipristeri Joakimmi, ǁnā ǁaeb ai ge Jerusalems ǃnâ hâ ib ge Betulias tsî Betomestaims, Jesreelǃgoaǃnāb Dotans ǀgūse ǁgoegu ǃnâ ge hâ i khoen ǃoa sîǂkhani-e ge xoa. 7 ǁÎb ge ǁîna ge mîmā, în ǃhomgu ǁaegu hâ ǃkharuǃkhaidi, Judab ǃhūb ǃnâts ǁîdi ǃnâ-u ǀgui ǃkharu ǁkhāde ū, supusen ǁnāǂamaona nî mâǃoa ǁkhāse, nē ǂgâdaorogu ge ǂō i tsîn ge ǀgam khoen ǀguina ǀgui ǃnās ai ǁnāpa-u ǃkharu ǁkhā i xui-ao. 8 Israelǁaes ge mîmādi ǀgapipristeri Joakimmi tsî nau ǂgaeǂgui-aogu, Jerusalems ǃnâ ge ǀhao hâ igu ge māde ge sîsenǂui.
Torob aiǃâ hâ ǀgores
9 Israelǁaes ǂgaeǂgui-aogu ge ǀgaisase Elob ǃoa ǀgore tsî ǁae-i ǀgaiba ǂûtama* ge hâ. 10 Tsî i ge ǃhūb ǃnâ hâ-i hoa-e ǃhausens ǁgauǁgaus ase ǃoab saraba kamanagu ai ge ǃgae; aogu, taradi tsî ǀgôan, ǁkhāti ǃhaokhoen, khobon tsî ǃgān tsîn hoana. ǁKhātin ge ǃoasarana ûitsama xūn ais tsîna ge ǃgae. 11-12 ǁÎn ge ǁkhāti altarsa ǃoasarab ǀkha ge ǃgū-ai. ǁNās khaoǃgân ge hoaraga aogu, taradi tsî ǀgôan, Jerusalems ǃnâ ge hâ in hoana, ǃoab saran ǃnâ tsî tsaob ǀkha tsorosen hâse ǃanu ǃkhaib ai aisǂama ǃhūb ai, ǃKhūb aiǃâ ge ǁnāǁgoe. ǁÎn ge ǀhûpe ǀaexase Israelǁaes Elob ǃoa ǀgore tsî gere ǀkhoma, îb tā mā-am ǁîn ôana ǃkhōsis ǃnâ ūhe, tarade ǃgû-ūhe tsîdi ǁîn ǁgûsi ǃāde nî hîkākāhe ǃkhaisa. ǁÎn ge Eloba ge ǀkhoma îb tā Jodeǁî tamana Tempela hîkākā tsî ǃgôaoǃnâ kaisa mā-am. 13 Elob ge ǁîn ǀgorede ǁnâu tsî ǁîn ǀhūsib tsîna ge mû. ǂGui tsēden ge Judab tsî Jerusalems khoena, Hoaǀgaixa ǃKhūb di Tempeli aiǃâ, ǂûtama* hâs ǀkha ge aiǃgû. 14 ǀGapipristeri Joakimmi, pristergu tsî ǀnîgu ǃKhūb Tempeli ǃnâ gere ǃoabagu ge tsēkorobe khauǁguibadi, khoen māǂgaoxasib ǁguibadi tsî nūsan nî dīǀoaǀoase gere dīhe ǁguibade gu gere dīo, ǃoab sarana gere ana. 15 ǁÎgu ge tsaoba ǃkhaiǀgapadi ai tsoro tsî Eloba ǀgores ǃnâ ǂgaiǀî tsî gere ǀkhoma, îb hoaraga ǁaesa ǀkhomxa.
