11
Now therefore, my lord, fight not against them in battle array, and there shall not so much as one man of thy people perish.
12
Remain in thy camp, and keep all the men of thine army, and let thy servants get into their hands the fountain of water which issueth forth from the foot of the mountain;
13
for all the inhabitants of Bethulia have their water from thence. So shall thirst kill them, and they shall give up their city; and we and our people shall go up to the tops of the mountains that are near, and will camp upon them to watch that none go out of the city.
14
So they and their wives and their children shall be consumed with famine and, before the sword come against them, they shall be overthrown in the streets where they dwell.
15
Thus shalt thou render them an evil reward, because they rebelled and met not thy person peaceably."
16
And these words pleased Holofernes and all his servants, and he appointed to do as they had spoken.
17
So the camp of the children of Ammon departed, and with them five thousand of the Assyrians; and they pitched camp in the valley, and took the waters and the fountains of the waters of the children of Israel.
18
Then the children of Esau went up with the children of Ammon and camped in the hill country opposite Dothan; and they sent some of them toward the south and toward the east opposite Ekrebel, which is near unto Chusi, that is upon the Brook Mochmur. And the rest of the army of the Assyrians camped in the plain and covered the face of the whole land, and their tents and baggage were set in order for a very great multitude.
19
Then the children of Israel cried unto the Lord their God, because their heart failed; for all their enemies had compassed them round about, and there was no way to escape out from among them.
20
Thus all the company of Assyria remained about them, both their footmen, chariots and horsemen, four and thirty days, so that all their vessels of water failed all the inhabitants of Bethulia.
21
And the cisterns were emptied, and they had not water to drink their fill for one day, for they gave them drink by measure.