15 And in those days were Uzziah the son of Micah of the tribe of Simeon, Havri the son of Othniel, and Harmiah the son of Melchiel.

16 And they called together all the elders of the city, and all their young men and women came together in the assembly, and they set Achior in the midst of all their people, and Uzziah inquired of him what had happened.

17 And he answered and told them the words of the assembly of Holofernes, and all the words which he had spoken among the chiefs of the sons of Assyria, and all the haughty words of Holofernes concerning the house of Israel.

18 Then the people fell, worshipped God, and cried out,

19 O Lord God of heaven! look upon their pride and have mercy on the humility of our race, and look upon the face of those sanctified to Thee on this day.

20 And they comforted Achior, and praised him.

21 And Uzziah took him out of the congregation to his house, and made a feast for the elders, and all that night long they called upon the God of Israel for help.

Chapter 7

1 And on the morrow Holofernes commanded all his army, and all his people that had come to his assistance, to come up to Bethulia, and to occupy the high places of the hill country, and to make war against the children of Israel.

2 And on the same day all their mighty men arose, and their army consisted of a hundred and seventy thousand men, and men of foot, and twelve thousand horsemen, besides the baggage and the men of foot that were with them, and these also were a great multitude.

3 Stopping in a valley near Bethulia, at the spring, they stretched in breadth from Dothaim to Belthem, and in length from Bethulia to Ciamun, which lies opposite Esdraelon.

4 And the children of Israel, when they saw their multitude, were greatly troubled, and every one said to his neighbor, 'Now they will desolate the whole earth, and neither high mountains, nor valleys, nor hills will be able to bear their weight.'

5 And having taken every man his weapons of war, and having kindled fires upon their towers, they kept watch all that night.

6 And on the morrow Holofernes brought forth all his cavalry before the children of Israel which were in Bethulia,