And when they had ceased speaking, the fury of Holofernes was greatly kindled, and he said to Achior,

Because thou hast prophesied unto us, saying that the God of Israel defendeth them; therefore, that I may show thee that there is no God but Nebuchadnezzar,

Verily, if we strike them all as one man, then shalt thou also perish by the sword of the Assyrians, and all Israel shall perish with thee.

So shalt thou learn by proof that Nebuchadnezzar is lord of all the earth; and then shall the sword of my army pierce thy sides, and thou shalt fall wounded among the slain of Israel, and there shall remain no breath in thee, save until thou be utterly destroyed with them.

And if thou imaginest thy prophecy to be true, let not thy countenance fall, and let the pallor which is upon thy face depart from thee, if thou thinkest that this my saying cannot come to pass.

And that thou mayest know that thou shalt experience this with them, behold, from this hour thou shalt be joined to their people; and if any punishment which they deserve come upon them by my sword, then shalt thou be under the stroke of vengeance.

Then Holofernes commanded his servants to take Achior and lead him to Bethulia, and deliver him into the hands of the children of Israel.

So the servants of Holofernes took him and marched into the wilderness; and when they drew nigh unto the mountains, the slingers came out against them.

And they turned aside to the side of the mountain and bound Achior to a tree, his hands and his feet; and after they had thus bound him with ropes, they left him and returned to their master.

Then the children of Israel came down from Bethulia and came unto him; and they loosed him and brought him to Bethulia, and set him in the midst of the people and asked him why the Assyrians had left him bound.

And at that time there was Uzziah, the son of Micah, of the tribe of Simeon, and Charmis, who was Othniel, two princes there.

Then Achior spake before the elders and in the presence of all, all that he had mentioned concerning the questioning of Holofernes, and how the people of Holofernes intended to kill him because of these words.

And how Holofernes, being wroth, commanded them to deliver him into the hands of the Israelites; intending that, when he should prevail against the children of Israel, he would command to put Achior to death with divers kinds of torment, because he had said that the God of heaven was their Defender.

And when Achior had related all this unto them, all the people fell upon their faces, worshipping the Lord, and lifted up their prayers unto the Lord with a general cry, with one heart,

Saying, O Lord God of heaven and earth, behold their haughtiness, and turn to our abasement, and neglect not the faces of thy saints, and declare that thou hast not abandoned those who trust in thee, and that thou humblest those who trust in themselves and boast in their own strength.

And after this weeping, and when the prayer of the people was ended that whole day, they comforted Achior,

Saying, The God of our fathers, by whose power thou wert warned, grant thee this desire, to behold their destruction.

And if the Lord our God bring this salvation, then let Him be thy God among us, if thou desirest to be with us, with all thy household.

And when the council was ended, they took Uzziah to his house and made him a great supper.

And he called all the elders, and they ate after the fast was ended.

Then they called all the people and lodged in the place of assembly, praying and crying out to the God of Israel all that night.