Good News [1976], GOOD NEWS BIBLE WITH DEUTEROCANONICALS / APOCRYPHA Today's English Version (AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY, New York) [word count] [B15000].
To look up a word in a dictionary, select the word with your mouse and press 'd' on your keyboard.
The War Council in the Camp
of Holofernes
1 When Holofernes, the Assyrian
general, heard that the Israelites
had prepared for war, blocked the
mountain passes, fortified the mountaintops,
and set up roadblocks in
the plains,
2 he boiled over with anger.
He called together all the Moabite
rulers, all the Ammonite generals,
and all the governors of the
region along the Mediterranean
coast
3 and said to them, “You live in
Canaan, so tell me about the people
who live in these mountains. Which
cities do they occupy? How large is
their army? What is the source of
their power and strength? Who is
the king who leads their army?
4 Why have they alone, of all the
people in the west, refused to come
out and surrender to me?”
The Speech of Achior
5 Then Achior, the leader of all the
Ammonites, answered Holofernes,
“Sir if you will please be so kind as
to listen to me, I will tell you the
truth about these people who live in
the mountains near your camp. I will
not lie to you.
6 These people are the
descendants of some Babylonians
7
8 who abandoned the ways of their
ancestors in order to worship the
God of heaven. Finally, they were
driven out of their land because they
refused to worship their ancestors'
gods. Then they fled to Mesopotamia,
where they settled and lived for
a long time.
9 “Afterward, their god told them
to leave Mesopotamia and go to the
land of Canaan, where they settled
and became very rich in gold, silver,
and livestock. note
10 Later, when a famine
struck all the land of Canaan,
these Israelites, as they were later
called, went down to Egypt and
stayed there as long as there was
enough food. While they were there,
they became a large nation with so
many people that they could not be
counted. note
11 So the king of Egypt
turned against them. He took advantage
of them and put them to work
making bricks. He oppressed them
and made them slaves. note
12 But they
prayed to their god, and he sent disasters
that left the Egyptians helpless.
When the Egyptians drove
them out of the country, note
13 their god
dried up the Red Sea in front of
them, note
14 and then led them along the
way to Sinai and Kadesh Barnea.
14 “The Israelites drove out all the
people who lived in the southern
part of Canaan,
15 occupied the land
of the Amorites, wiped out the people
of Heshbon, crossed the Jordan
-- --
River, and took possession of the entire
mountain region.
16 They drove
out the Canaanites, the Perizzites,
the Jebusites, the Shechemites, and
all the Girgashites. The Israelites
have now lived in these mountains
for a long time.
17 “Their god hates wickedness,
and as long as they did not sin
against him, they prospered. note
18 But
when they disobeyed him, they suffered
heavy losses in many wars and
were finally taken away as captives
to a foreign country. The temple of
their god was leveled and their cities
were occupied by their enemies.
19 But now that they have returned
to their god, they have come back
home from the countries where they
had been scattered. They have again
taken possession of the city of Jerusalem,
where their temple is, and
have resettled in the mountains that
had remained uninhabited.
20 “Sir, if these people are now sinning
against their god, even unknowingly,
and if we can be sure
that they are guilty of some offense,
we can successfully attack them.
21 But if they have not disobeyed the
law of their god, then you should
leave them alone, or he will defend
them, and we will be disgraced before
the whole world.”
The Reaction of the Crowd
22 When Achior had finished his
speech, all the people standing
around the tent began to protest.
Holofernes' own senior officers, as
well as the Moabites and the men
from the Mediterranean coast, demanded
that Achior be put to death.
23 “Why should we be afraid of
these Israelites?” they asked. “They
are weak; they can't put up a strong
defense.
24 Let's go ahead! General
Holofernes, your great army will
slaughter them easily.”
Good News [1976], GOOD NEWS BIBLE WITH DEUTEROCANONICALS / APOCRYPHA Today's English Version (AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY, New York) [word count] [B15000].
|