10
And these words pleased Holofernes, and his officers, and he placed all round about a hundred men at every spring.
11
And when they had kept this watch for full twenty days, the cisterns, and the reserve of waters failed among all the inhabitants of Bethulia, so that there was not within the city, enough to satisfy them, no not for one day, for water was daily given out to the people by measure.
12
Then all the men and women, young men, and children, gathering themselves together to Ozias, all together with one voice,
13
Said: God be judge between us and thee, for thou hast done evil against us, in that thou wouldst not speak peaceably with the Assyrians, and for this cause God hath sold us into their hands.
14
And therefore there is no one to help us, while we are cast down before their eyes in thirst, and sad destruction.
15
And now assemble ye all that are in the city, that we may of our own accord yield ourselves all up to the people of Holofernes.
16
For it is better, that being captives we should live and bless the Lord, than that we should die, and be a reproach to all flesh, after we have seen our wives and our infants die before our eyes.
17
We call to witness this day heaven and earth, and the God of our fathers, who taketh vengeance upon us according to our sins, conjuring you to deliver now the city into the hand of the army of Holofernes, that our end may be short by the edge of the sword, which is made longer by the drought of thirst.
18
And when they had said these things, there was great weeping and lamentation of all in the assembly, and for many hours with one voice they cried to God, saying:
19
We have sinned with our fathers we have done unjustly, we have commited iniquity:
20
Have thou mercy on us, because thou art good, or punish our iniquities by chastising us thyself, and deliver not them that trust in thee to a people that knoweth not thee,