Yudit (Judith) — 6

Achiur Handed over to the Yasharalym 

1 When the disturbance made by the men outside the council died down, Hulufarnas, the commander of the Assyrian army, said to Achiur and all the Muabites in the presence of all the foreign contingents:

2 “And who are you, Achiur, and you hirelings of Àphraim, to prophesy among us as you have done today and tell us not to make war against the people of Yashar'AL because their 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH will defend them? Who is 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH except Nabuchadnazzar? 

3 Nabuchadnazzar will send his forces and will destroy them from the face of the Arath, and their 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH will not deliver them, we the king’s servants will destroy them as one man. They cannot resist the might of our cavalry. 

4 We will burn them up, and their mountains will be drunk with their blood, and their fields will be full of their dead. They cannot withstand us, but will utterly perish. So says King Nabuchadnazzar, the king of the whole earth. For he has spoken; none of his words shall be in vain.

5 “But you, Achiur, you Ammunites hireling, who have said these words on the day of your iniquity, you shall not see my face again from this day until I take revenge on this race that came out of Mitzraym. 

6 Then the sword of my army and the spear of my servants shall pierce your sides, and you shall fall among their wounded, when I return. 

7 Now my slaves are going to take you back into the hill country and put you in one of the cities beside the passes, 

8 and you will not die until you perish along with them. 

9 If you really hope in your heart that they will not be taken, do not look downcast! I have spoken and none of my words shall fail.”

10 Then Hulufarnas ordered his slaves, who waited on him in his tent, to seize Achiur and take him to Bathulia and hand him over to the men of Yashar'AL. 

11 So the slaves took him and led him out of the camp into the plain, and from the plain they went up into the hill country and came to the springs below Bathulia. 

12 When the men of the city saw them, they caught up their weapons and ran out of the city to the top of the hill, and all the slingers kept them from coming up by casting stones at them. 

13 However, they got under the shelter of the hill and they bound Achiur and left him lying at the foot of the hill, and returned to their master.

14 Then the men of Yashar'AL came down from their city and found him; and they untied him and brought him into Bathulia and placed him before the magistrates of their city, 

15 who in those days were Uzzyahu the son of Micah, of the tribe of Simaun, and Chabris the son of Guthunial, and Charmis the son of Malchial. 

16 They called together all the elders of the city, and all their young men and their women ran to the assembly; and they set Achiur in the midst of all their people, and Uzzyahu asked him what had happened. 

17 He answered and told them what had taken place at the council of Hulufarnas, and all that he had said in the presence of the Assyrian leaders, and all that Hulufarnas had said so boastfully against the house of Yashar'AL. 

18 Then the people fell down and worshiped 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH and cried out to 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH, and said,

19 “O 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄_YAHUAH our  𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH in Shamaym, behold their arrogance, and have pity on the humiliation of your people, and look this day upon the faces of those who are consecrated to you.”

20 Then they consoled Achiur, and praised him greatly. 

21 And Uzzyahu took him from the assembly to his own house and gave a banquet for the elders; and all that night they called on the 𐤀𐤋𐤅𐤄_ALUAH of Yashar'AL for help.