The most sacred Bible, whiche is the Holy Scripture conteyning the Old and New Testament / translated into English, and newly recognised with great diligence after most faythful exemplars, by Rychard Taverner.

¶ Holofernes is discontent with the Iewes Achi∣or sheweth vnto Holofernes the maruels of God, done vnto the Iewes, for whiche thynge, the ru∣lers vnder Holofernes were very angry with him.

CAPI. V.

ANd word came to Holofernes y^e price of the warres of the Assyrians, that [ A] the chyldren of Israell prepared them selues to make resystaunce, and howe they had stopped the wayes betwyxte the moun∣taynes. Then was he excedyng wrothe, and called all the princes of Moab, and the ca∣pitaynes of Ammon, and said vnto them: tel me, what people is this y^t kepeth in the moun¦taynes? or what maner of cityes are they? what is theyr power? or what maner of host haue they, who is their capitayne?* 1.1 And why do they despyse vs (more then all those that dwell in the Easte) and come not forthe to mete vs, that they myght receyue vs w^t peax? Then Achior the capitayne of al the Ammo∣nites, answered and sayde: Syr,* 1.2 yf it please the to heare me, I wyll tell the truthe before the concernyng this people that dwel in the mountaynes, and there shall no lye goo oute of my mouth.

This people is of the generacion of the [ B] Caldees, they dwelte fyrst in Mesopotamia,

for they wold not folow the goddes of their fathers that were in the lande of the Chal∣dees, & so forsoke they the customes of theyr fore fathers (whiche had many goddes) and worshypped one God, that made heauen and earth: which also commaunded them y^t they should go from thence, and dwell at Haran. Now when there came a derth in to the hole lande,* 1.3 they went downe to Egypt, and there they dwelt foure hundreth yeres, in the whi∣che they multiplyed so greatlye, that theyr host might not be nombred. And when y^e king of Egypt oppressed them, and subdued them in buyldyng of his cytyes, with makynge of claye and brycke, they cryed vnto God theyr Lorde, which punyshed the hole lande of E∣gypt, with dyuers plages.

[ C] Now when the kynge of Egypt let them go theyr way,* 1.4 and the plage ceassed, and then folowed after them, to take them, & to bryng theym agayne in to his seruyce, whyle they were fleynge awaye, the God of heauen ope∣ned the see, so that the water stode fast, vpon bothe the sydes as a wall, and these wente thorow the bottom of the see: drye shod. In the which place, when an innumerable peo∣ple of y^e Egyptians folowed vpon them, they were so ouerwhelmed with the waters, that there remayned not one, to tell them that came after, how it happened. So when this people was passed thorowe the red see, they came vnto the wyldernes of the mount Sy∣nai, wher neuer man myght dwell afore, and where the sonne of man had neuer rested.

[ D] There were the bytter waters made swete for them,* 1.5 that they myght drynke, and forty yeres had they meate from heauen.* 1.6 Where so euer they went (without bowe and arow, without bukler or swerde) their God fought for them, and caused them to haue the vycto∣ry. Yea no man was hable to hurte this peo∣ple, except it were so, that they departed vn∣faythfullye frome the worshyppynge of the Lorde theyr God.* 1.7 But as oft as they wor∣shypped any other besyde theyr God, he gaue them ouer to be spoyled, to be slayne, and to be put to confusyon. Neuerthelesse as oft as they were sory for departyng from the wor∣shyp of theyr God, the same God of heauen gaue them power and strength to withstand theyr enemyes.

[ A] Moreouer they slewe the kyng of the Ca∣nanites,* 1.8 Iebusites, Pheresites, Hethites, E∣uites, and Amorites, and all the myghtye in Hesebon, and toke theyr landes and cytyes in possessyon: and so long as they synned not in the syght of theyr God, it wente well with them, for theyr God hateth vnryghtous∣nesse. For in the tymes past when they wente out of y^e waye,* 1.9 which God had gyuen them, that they shoulde walke in it, they were de∣stroyed in dyuerse battayles of manye nacy∣ons: and many of them were caryed awaye presoners vnto a straūge countrey.* 1.10 But now lately they haue turned themselues agayne vnto the Lorde theyr God, and are come togyther agayne out of the countreys where they were scatred abrode: and thus haue they conquered these mountaynes, and dwell ther in: and as for Ierusalem where their San∣ctuary is, they haue it agayn in possession.

And therfore my Lord, make dylygent in∣quysyon, yf this people haue done wycked∣nesse [ F] in the sight of theyr God, then let vs go vp agaynste them, for doubtlesse theyr God shall delyuer them into thy handes, and sub∣due them vnto thy power. But if this peo∣ple haue not displeased theyr God, we shall not be hable to withstande them, for their God shall defend them, and so shall we be a shame to all the worlde.* 1.11

Now when Achior had spoken out these wordes, all the prynces of Holofernes were wroth and thoughte to slay him, and sayde one to an other: what is he this, which dare say that the chyldren of Israel are hable to witstande Nabuchodonosor the kynge and his host? where as they are an vnweaponed people, without strength or vnderstandynge of the feates of war? That Achior therfore may knowe that he hath dysceyued vs, we wyll go vp in to the mountaynes: and whē the myghtye men of them are taken, he also shall be styckt with the swerde, that all peo∣ple may know, that Nabuchodonosor is the God of the earth, and that there is none o∣ther without him.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Iudi .iii. b
• * 1.2

  Iudi .xi. b
• * 1.3

  〈◊〉〈◊〉 .xi. d 〈◊〉〈◊〉 .xlvi. a 〈◊〉〈◊〉 i. a 〈◊〉〈◊〉. ••ii. f 〈◊〉〈◊〉 .iii .c 〈◊〉〈◊〉 .i. b 〈◊〉〈◊〉 v. b
• * 1.4

  〈◊〉〈◊〉 .xii .c 〈◊〉〈◊〉 .xiiii. b
• * 1.5

  〈◊〉〈◊〉 .xv. d
• * 1.6

  〈◊〉〈◊〉 vi. f 〈◊〉〈◊〉 vii. a
• * 1.7

  〈◊〉〈◊〉 .iiii.
• * 1.8

  〈…〉〈…〉.
• * 1.9

  〈◊〉〈◊〉. ••xv. a
• * 1.10

  〈…〉〈…〉
• * 1.11

  Iudith .vi. ••