2 In the thirteenth year of king Nebuchadnezzar, in the two and twentieth day of the first month, a word was made in the house of Nebuchadnezzar [or there is done a word in the house of Nebuchadnezzar], king of Assyrians, that he would defend him(self) from his enemies.
2 And he called to him(self) all his elder men, and all the dukes, (and) his warriors [or his fighters]; and had with them the private of his counsel (or his secret counsel).
3 And he said, that his thought and intent was set in that thing, to make subject each land to his empire. [And he said his thinking in him to be, that all the earth he should (put) under yoke to his empire.]
4 And when this saying had pleased all (his) men, king Nebuchadnezzar called Holofernes, the prince of his chivalry, and said to him,
5 Go thou out against each realm of the west, and against them principally (or specifically), that despised my commandment. [Go out against each realm of the west, and against them namely, that despised mine empire.]
6 Thine eye shall not spare any realm, and thou shalt make subject to me each strengthened (or fortified) city.
7 Then Holofernes called the dukes and (the) magistrates of the power of (the) Assyrians, and he numbered men into the making ready of (the) battle, as the king commanded to him, sixscore thousand of footmen fighters, and twelve thousand horsemen and archers. [Then Holofernes called dukes and the master doomsmen of the virtue of Assyrians and numbered men into the speeding, (or the expediting), as the king commanded to him, an hundred and twenty thousand of fighting footmen, and horsemen and archers twelve thousand.]
8 And he made all his purveyance to go before him in multitude of unnumberable camels, with those things that sufficed plenteously to his hosts, and he sent droves of oxen, and flocks of sheep, of which (there) was none number.
9 He ordained wheat to be made ready of (or from) all Syria in his passage. [Wheat of all Syria in his going he ordained to be made ready.]
10 And he took with him much gold and silver of (or from) the king’s house.
11 And Holofernes, and all his host, went forth with chariots [or four-horsed carts], and horsemen, and archers, which covered the face of the earth, as locusts.
12 And when he had passed the ends of (the) Assyrians, he came to the great hills called Auge, that be at the left half of Cilicia; and he went up into all the castles (or the villages) of them, and he got each strong place there. [And when he had over-passed the coasts of Assyrians, he came to the great hills of Auge, that be from the left side of Cilicia; and he went up (on) all the castles of them, and wielded each hold strengthened.]
13 And he brake and destroyed the most strong city called Bectileth, and he robbed all the sons of Rassis, and the sons of Ishmael, that were against (or towards) the face of (the) desert, and at the south coast of the land of (the) Cheleans.
14 And he passed [over] (the) Euphrates, and came into Mesopotamia, and he brake, and wasted, all the high cities that were there, from the strand [or the stream] of Abron till that men come to the sea.
15 And he occupied the ends or the coasts thereof from Cilicia unto the ends of Japheth, that be at the south.
16 And he brought with him all the sons of Midian (or the Midianites), and he took from them all their riches; and he killed [or he slew] by the sharpness of sword all men against-standing him.
17 And after these things he came down into the fields of Damascus, in the days of ripe corn [or in the days of reap(ing)], that is, in harvest, and he burnt all those corns [or and he burnt up all the sown things], and he made all the trees and vines to be cut down;
18 and his dread fell upon all men inhabiting the land, or dwelling upon (the) earth. [and the dread of him fell up(on) all the dwellers in the land.]