A   The next daye, Holofernes commaunded his host, to go vp agaynst Bethulia. There were an .C. and .xx, thousande fyghtinge men on fote, and two and twentye thousande horsmen, besyde the preparinge of them that were wonne: and came to them on euerye syde out of the countrees and cytyes which he had taken. Al these prepared them selues vnto the battayl agaynst þe; Israelites, ∧ came on by þe; hyll syde, vnto the toppe that loketh ouer against Dothaim from the place whiche is called Belma vnto Chelmon that layeth towarde Esadrelon.

Now when the chyldren of Israel saw so greate multytude of the Assyrians, they fell downe flat vp&obar; the grounde, B   strowed ashes vpon their heades, ∧ prayed with one accord that the God of Israel wold shew his mercy vpon his people. And so they toke their weapens, ∧ sat betwyxte the mountaynes in the narow place, ∧ kepte the waye daye, ∧ nyght But whyle Holofernes was goinge aboute he founde the water springe, which from the South syde was conueyed into the citye by a condyte: thys commaunded he to be dyrecte another waye, ∧ to cut their condyte to sunder. There were welles also not farre from the walles, which they vsed secretlye, more for pleasure then for necessyte.

Then wente the Ammonytes ∧ the Moabytes vnto Holofernes, ∧ saide: The childr&ebar; of Israell truste nether in speare nor arowe, but haue taken in, ∧ kepe the mountaynes, ∧ hylles. That thou maiest ouercome th&ebar; therfore without the strykynge of anye battayl, sett men to kepe the welles, that they drawe no water oute of them: so shalt thou destroye th&ebar; without swerde, or at the least they shall be so feble, that they muste be fayne to geue ouer the cytye, C   which they thyncke not able to be wonne, for so muche as it lyeth in the mountaynes. These wordes pleased Holofernes well and all his men of warre, and he set an hundreth m&ebar; at euery wel ro&ubar;d about

And when this watch had endured twenty

daies, the Cisternes and all that had water, fayled them that dwelt in the citie of Bethulia, so that in the whole citie they had not drynke ynough for one daye, for the people had water geuen theym dayly in a measure Then came the men and wemen, yonge personnes and childr&ebar; all vnto Osias, and sayd all with one voyce: God be iudge betwyxte vs and the, for thou hast dealt euell with vs thou wouldest not speake peaceablye wyth the kynge of þe; Assirians, therfore hath God solde vs in their handes, and there is no man to helpe vs where as we are brought down before their eyes in thirste ∧ greate destruccyon, Therefore gather now together al the people that be in the cytye, that we maye all yelde oure selues willingly vnto the people of Holofernes: for better it is that we be captyue and prayse the Lorde wyth oure lyues, then to be slayue and peryshe, and to be laughed to scorne and shamed of euery man wh&ebar; we se oure wyues and chyldren dye before oure eyes. We take heauen ∧ earth this daye to recorde, and the God of oure fathers (which punysheth vs accordynge to the deseruyng of oure synnes) and geue you warnyng, that ye geue vp the citie now into the power of Holofernes hooste, that oure ende may be short with the swerde, which els shal endure long for w&abar;t of water and for thirste.

E   When they had spok&ebar; out these wordes, there was a greate wepynge and howlynge in the whole congregatyon, and that of euery man, and they cried an whole houre l&obar;ge vnto God wyth one voyce, sainge: we haue synned wyth oure fathers, we haue done amysse, we haue dealt wickedlie. Thou that art gracious, haue mercy vpon vs, punyshe our vnrightuousnesse with thine own scourg ∧ geue not those ouer that knoweledge the vnto a people whych knoweth the not, least they saye amonge the Heythen: where is their God?

And when they were so werye with this cryenge and wepynge, that they helde their tunges, Osyas stode vp wyth watrye eyes and sayde: O take good hertes vnto you, (deare brethren) and be of good cheare, and let vs wayte yet these fyue dayes for mercye of the Lorde: peraduenture he shall cutawaye his indignation, and geue glorye vnto his name. But if he helpe vs not when these fiue daie are past, we shal do as ye haue said

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