Ammonite Leader tells the story of Israel to Assyrian general

The general of the Assyrian Army, Holofernes is continuing with the conquest and was approaching Israel. He also learned that the Israelites had begun to fortify the region including the hilltops and the plain.

One of the Ammonites leaders called Achior began to tell the history of the Israelites starting from when Abraham, a Chaldean, left his country and went to Mesopotamia. Achior describes the history of the Israelites including their enslavement in Egypt, their Exodus and including the conquest of the surrounding lands. It seems that Achior and probably his people knew the history of Israel very well, which is also a testimony revealing God at work in His people that others can see.

It is also amazing that Achior also understood that the victories of the Israelites occurred when the Israeliets were obedient to God, and that Israel became weak without the help of God when they were disobedient to God.




Judith 5 Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)

Council against the Israelites
When Holofer′nes, the general of the Assyrian army, heard that the people of Israel had prepared for war and had closed the passes in the hills and fortified all the high hilltops and set up barricades in the plains, 2 he was very angry. So he called together all the princes of Moab and the commanders of Ammon and all the governors of the coastland, 3 and said to them, “Tell me, you Canaanites, what people is this that lives in the hill country? What cities do they inhabit? How large is their army, and in what does their power or strength consist? Who rules over them as king, leading their army? 4 And why have they alone, of all who live in the west, refused to come out and meet me?”

Achior’s Report
5 Then Ach′ior, the leader of all the Am′monites, said to him, “Let my lord now hear a word from the mouth of your servant, and I will tell you the truth about this people that dwells in the nearby mountain district. No falsehood shall come from your servant’s mouth. 6 This people is descended from the Chalde′ans. 7 At one time they lived in Mesopota′mia, because they would not follow the gods of their fathers who were in Chalde′a. 8 For they had left the ways of their ancestors, and they worshiped the God of heaven, the God they had come to know; hence they drove them out from the presence of their gods; and they fled to Mesopota′mia, and lived there for a long time. 9 Then their God commanded them to leave the place where they were living and go to the land of Canaan. There they settled, and prospered, with much gold and silver and very many cattle. 10 When a famine spread over Canaan they went down to Egypt and lived there as long as they had food; and there they became a great multitude—so great that they could not be counted. 11 So the king of Egypt became hostile to them; he took advantage of them and set them to making bricks, and humbled them and made slaves of them. 12 Then they cried out to their God, and he afflicted the whole land of Egypt with incurable plagues; and so the Egyptians drove them out of their sight. 13 Then God dried up the Red Sea before them, 14 and he led them by the way of Sinai and Ka′desh-bar′nea, and drove out all the people of the wilderness. 15 So they lived in the land of the Am′orites, and by their might destroyed all the inhabitants of Heshbon; and crossing over the Jordan they took possession of all the hill country. 16 And they drove out before them the Canaanites and the Per′izzites and the Jeb′usites and the She′chemites and all the Ger′gesites, and lived there a long time. 17 As long as they did not sin against their God they prospered, for the God who hates iniquity is with them. 18 But when they departed from the way which he had appointed for them, they were utterly defeated in many battles and were led away captive to a foreign country; the temple of their God was razed to the ground, and their cities were captured by their enemies. 19 But now they have returned to their God, and have come back from the places to which they were scattered, and have occupied Jerusalem, where their sanctuary is, and have settled in the hill country, because it was uninhabited. 20 Now therefore, my master and lord, if there is any unwitting error in this people and they sin against their God and we find out their offense, then we will go up and defeat them. 21 But if there is no transgression in their nation, then let my lord pass them by; for their Lord will defend them, and their God will protect them, and we shall be put to shame before the whole world.”

22 When Ach′ior had finished saying this, all the men standing around the tent began to complain; Holofer′nes’ officers and all the men from the seacoast and from Moab insisted that he must be put to death. 23 “For,” they said, “we will not be afraid of the Israelites; they are a people with no strength or power for making war. 24 Therefore let us go up, Lord Holofer′nes, and they will be devoured by your vast army.”

Judea in mass repentance led by Jo'akim

The reputation of the conquest of Holofernes has reached Judea and the whole nation was greatly terrified. They first considered the valuable things they could lose and the main loss would be the Temple and all its precious items. Then they assessed strategically how they would defend Judea, including identifying the high grounds and most likely route of invasion. The high priest Jo'akim seemed to have directed the defense planning and coordinated with the people.

Beyond the practical defense planning, the Jo'akim also led the entire nation of Judea into a great period of mourning and repentance. They considered the loss of their women and children, destruction of their cities. They did all the things of mourning and repentance including crying to God, fasting, put on sackcloth, prostate themselves before the temple, ashes on heads. Jo'akim performed the offerings and joined them in mourning and praying. This is a sign of a nation of God, realizing their sins, know that physical defence is inadequate, only the Lord can save them.


Judith 4
Judea on the Alert
By this time the people of Israel living in Judea heard of everything that Holofer′nes, the general of Nebuchadnez′zar the king of the Assyrians, had done to the nations, and how he had plundered and destroyed all their temples; 2 they were therefore very greatly terrified at his approach, and were alarmed both for Jerusalem and for the temple of the Lord their God. 3 For they had only recently returned from the captivity, and all the people of Judea were newly gathered together, and the sacred vessels and the altar and the temple had been consecrated after their profanation. 4 So they sent to every district of Samar′ia, and to Kona and Beth-hor′on and Belma′in and Jericho and to Choba and Aesor′a and the valley of Salem, 5 and immediately seized all the high hilltops and fortified the villages on them and stored up food in preparation for war—since their fields had recently been harvested. 6 And Jo′akim, the high priest, who was in Jerusalem at the time, wrote to the people of Bethu′lia and Betomestha′im, which faces Esdrae′lon opposite the plain near Dothan, 7 ordering them to seize the passes up into the hills, since by them Judea could be invaded, and it was easy to stop any who tried to enter, for the approach was narrow, only wide enough for two men at the most.

Prayer and Penance
8 So the Israelites did as Jo′akim the high priest and the senate of the whole people of Israel, in session at Jerusalem, had given order. 9 And every man of Israel cried out to God with great fervor, and they humbled themselves with much fasting. 10 They and their wives and their children and their cattle and every resident alien and hired laborer and purchased slave—they all girded themselves with sackcloth. 11 And all the men and women of Israel, and their children, living at Jerusalem, prostrated themselves before the temple and put ashes on their heads and spread out their sackcloth before the Lord. 12 They even surrounded the altar with sackcloth and cried out in unison, praying earnestly to the God of Israel not to give up their infants as prey and their wives as booty, and the cities they had inherited to be destroyed, and the sanctuary to be profaned and desecrated to the malicious joy of the Gentiles. 13 So the Lord heard their prayers and looked upon their affliction; for the people fasted many days throughout Judea and in Jerusalem before the sanctuary of the Lord Almighty. 14 And Jo′akim the high priest and all the priests who stood before the Lord and ministered to the Lord, with their loins girded with sackcloth, offered the continual burnt offerings and the vows and freewill offerings of the people. 15 With ashes upon their turbans, they cried out to the Lord with all their might to look with favor upon the whole house of Israel.

Holofernes sets up Nebuchadnez′zar as god

The fear of Nebuchadnez′zar fell on the people of the nations, as his chief general, Holofernes continues to defeat the surrounding nations. In this chapter, several of the nations tried to pre-empt the invasion, by sending envoys of peace to Nebuchadnez′zar.

Holofernes went on to the coast, and the people he encountered welcomed him like one would welcome a liberator. In this case, it was probably because the people realised what he could do so they rather treat him like a hero. It is also recorded that when Holofernes entered the land, he destroys their existing religion. Instead he setup Nebuchadnez′zar as god and made people worship Nebuchadnez′zar.




Judith 3   Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)

Entreaties for Peace
3 So they sent messengers to sue for peace, and said, 2 “Behold, we the servants of Nebuchadnez′zar, the Great King, lie prostrate before you. Do with us whatever you will. 3 Behold, our buildings, and all our land, and all our wheat fields, and our flocks and herds, and all our sheepfolds with their tents, lie before you; do with them whatever you please. 4 Our cities also and their inhabitants are your slaves; come and deal with them in any way that seems good to you.”

5 The men came to Holofer′nes and told him all this. 6 Then he went down to the seacoast with his army and stationed garrisons in the hilltop cities and took picked men from them as his allies. 7 And these people and all in the country round about welcomed him with garlands and dances and tambourines. 8 And he demolished all their shrines[a] and cut down their sacred groves; for it had been given to him to destroy all the gods of the land, so that all nations should worship Nebuchadnez′zar only, and all their tongues and tribes should call upon him as god.

9 Then he came to the edge of Esdrae′lon, near Dothan, fronting the great ridge of Judea; 10 here he camped between Geba and Scythop′olis, and remained for a whole month in order to assemble all the supplies for his army.

The stranger inherits the land

Ezekiel 47:23 
And it shall be that in whatever tribe the stranger dwells, there you shall give him his inheritance,” says the Lord God

The stranger here means those who are not biologically from the line of Jacob. This makes it clear that the inheritance can be passed on to those who are adopted into God's family, and that the promises that are made to the descendants of Israel are eligible to those with or without a biological connection. Very clear that God does not discriminate on race.

Revenge of Nebuchadnezzar on the nations of the West

Following his victory, Nebuchadnezzar remembered his promise of revenge against the nations to his west, because they had disobeyed him in not helping him in his other war campaign. So Nebuchadnezzar plotted revenge with his second-in-command Holoferness. The strategy was a cruel invasion, plunder and explusion of the people in those nations to the west. Holoferness carried out his kings commands, and the passage records names of various places that have been conquered.



Judith 2 The Expedition against the West
In the eighteenth year, on the twenty-second day of the first month, there was talk in the palace of Nebuchadnez′zar king of the Assyrians about carrying out his revenge on the whole region, just as he said. 2 He called together all his officers and all his nobles and set forth to them his secret plan and recounted fully, with his own lips, all the wickedness of the region;[a] 3 and it was decided that every one who had not obeyed his command should be destroyed. 4 When he had finished setting forth his plan, Nebuchadnez′zar king of the Assyrians called Holofer′nes, the chief general of his army, second only to himself, and said to him,

5 “Thus says the Great King, the lord of the whole earth: When you leave my presence, take with you men confident in their strength, to the number of one hundred and twenty thousand foot soldiers and twelve thousand cavalry. 6 Go and attack the whole west country, because they disobeyed my orders. 7 Tell them to prepare earth and water, for I am coming against them in my anger, and will cover the whole face of the earth with the feet of my armies, and will hand them over to be plundered by my troops,[b] 8 till their wounded shall fill their valleys, and every brook and river shall be filled with their dead, and overflow; 9 and I will lead them away captive to the ends of the whole earth. 10 You shall go and seize all their territory for me in advance. They will yield themselves to you, and you shall hold them for me till the day of their punishment. 11 But if they refuse, your eye shall not spare and you shall hand them over to slaughter and plunder throughout your whole region. 12 For as I live, and by the power of my kingdom, what I have spoken my hand will execute. 13 And you—take care not to transgress any of your sovereign’s commands, but be sure to carry them out just as I have ordered you; and do not delay about it.”

Campaign of Holofernes
14 So Holofer′nes left the presence of his master, and called together all the commanders, generals, and officers of the Assyrian army, 15 and mustered the picked troops by divisions as his lord had ordered him to do, one hundred and twenty thousand of them, together with twelve thousand archers on horseback, 16 and he organized them as a great army is marshaled for a campaign. 17 He collected a vast number of camels and asses and mules for transport, and innumerable sheep and oxen and goats for provision; 18 also plenty of food for every man, and a huge amount of gold and silver from the royal palace. 19 So he set out with his whole army, to go ahead of King Nebuchadnez′zar and to cover the whole face of the earth to the west with their chariots and horsemen and picked troops of infantry. 20 Along with them went a mixed crowd like a swarm of locusts, like the dust of the earth—a multitude that could not be counted.

21 They marched for three days from Nin′eveh to the plain of Becti′leth, and camped opposite Becti′leth near the mountain which is to the north of Upper Cili′cia. 22 From there Holofer′nes[c] took his whole army, his infantry, cavalry, and chariots, and went up into the hill country 23 and ravaged Put and Lud, and plundered all the people of Rassis and the Ish′maelites who lived along the desert, south of the country of the Chel′leans. 24 Then he followed[d] the Euphra′tes and passed through Mesopota′mia and destroyed all the hilltop cities along the brook Abron, as far as the sea. 25 He also seized the territory of Cili′cia, and killed every one who resisted him, and came to the southern borders of Japheth, fronting toward Arabia. 26 He surrounded all the Mid′ianites, and burned their tents and plundered their sheepfolds. 27 Then he went down into the plain of Damas′cus during the wheat harvest, and burned all their fields and destroyed their flocks and herds and sacked their cities and ravaged their lands and put to death all their young men with the edge of the sword.

28 So fear and terror of him fell upon all the people who lived along the seacoast, at Sidon and Tyre, and those who lived in Sur and Oci′na and all who lived in Jam′nia. Those who lived in Azo′tus and As′calon feared him exceedingly.

Nebuchadnezzar defeats Arphaxad and captures Ecbatana

The first chapter of Judith is an interesting read which fills in the historical narrative during the Assyrian and Babylonian periods. At this time, it seems that Nebuchadnezzar has conquered Assyria (Nineveh) and is known as the king of the Assyrians, if this is the same Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon who defeated Judah.

There appears to be another king, Arphaxad, who ruled Medes and it seems he is famous for building / fortifying a great city called Ecbatana. Nebuchadenezzar decided to go to war against Arphaxad and managed to convince the local people around the Tigris and Euphrates to join him in the war. He also called the people / nations around the extended region to join him. The region extended as far as Jerusalem, Egypt and Ethiopia. These nations would have heard of him but not under his rule yet, and so they refused.

Nebuchadnezzar was furious that the nations did not join him and vowed to destroy them. Perhaps this was the basis of his later conquest and extension of the Babylonian empire. Nebuchadnezzar had a decisive victory over Arphaxad and captured Ecbatana. The victory celebration lasted 120 days, perhaps signifying how important this victory was.


Judith 1

Arphaxad Fortifies Ecbatana
1 In the twelfth year of the reign of Nebuchadnez′zar, who ruled over the Assyrians in the great city of Nin′eveh, in the days of Arphax′ad, who ruled over the Medes in Ecbat′ana— 2 he is the king who built walls about Ecbat′ana with hewn stones three cubits thick and six cubits long; he made the walls seventy cubits high and fifty cubits wide; 3 at the gates he built towers a hundred cubits high and sixty cubits wide at the foundations; 4 and he made its gates, which were seventy cubits high and forty cubits wide, so that his armies could march out in force and his infantry form their ranks— 5 it was in those days that King Nebuchadnez′zar made war against King Arphax′ad in the great plain which is on the borders of Ragae. 6 He was joined by all the people of the hill country and all those who lived along the Euphra′tes and the Tigris and the Hydas′pes and in the plain where Ar′ioch ruled the Elymae′ans. Many nations joined the forces of the Chalde′ans.

Nebuchadnezzar Issues Ultimatum
7 Then Nebuchadnez′zar king of the Assyrians sent to all who lived in Persia and to all who lived in the west, those who lived in Cili′cia and Damas′cus and Leb′anon and Antileb′anon and all who lived along the seacoast, 8 and those among the nations of Carmel and Gil′ead, and Upper Galilee and the great Plain of Esdrae′lon, 9 and all who were in Samar′ia and its surrounding towns, and beyond the Jordan as far as Jerusalem and Bethany and Chel′ous and Kadesh and the river of Egypt, and Tah′panhes and Ra-am′ses and the whole land of Goshen, 10 even beyond Tanis and Memphis, and all who lived in Egypt as far as the borders of Ethiopia. 11 But all who lived in the whole region disregarded the orders of Nebuchadnez′zar king of the Assyrians, and refused to join him in the war; for they were not afraid of him, but looked upon him as only one man,[a] and they sent back his messengers empty-handed and shamefaced.

Arphaxad Is Defeated
12 Then Nebuchadnez′zar was very angry with this whole region, and swore by his throne and kingdom that he would surely take revenge on the whole territory of Cili′cia and Damas′cus and Syria, that he would kill them by the sword, and also all the inhabitants of the land of Moab, and the people of Ammon, and all Judea, and every one in Egypt, as far as the coasts of the two seas. 13 In the seventeenth year he led his forces against King Arphax′ad, and defeated him in battle, and overthrew the whole army of Arphax′ad, and all his cavalry and all his chariots. 14 Thus he took possession of his cities, and came to Ecbat′ana, captured its towers, plundered its markets, and turned its beauty into shame. 15 He captured Arphax′ad in the mountains of Ragae and struck him down with hunting spears; and he utterly destroyed him, to this day. 16 Then he returned with them to Nin′eveh, he and all his combined forces, a vast body of troops; and there he and his forces rested and feasted for one hundred and twenty days.

Tobit's End Time Prophecy

The story of Tobit fills in the gaps between the invasion of Israel by the Assyrians, whose capital is Nineveh, and the times when the Assyrians themselves is defeated by the Babylonians - whose king Nebuchadnez′zar is mentioned here.

Tobit lived to 158 years old and he warned his descendents to leave Nineveh because he believed Jonah's prophecy from God about the destruction of Nineveh is true. Tobias, son of Tobit, lived to 127 years old and heard of the destruction of Nineveh. So Tobias had obeyed his father and left Nineveh with is family, and settled in his father-in-laws place.

There was mention of alms giving and how effective of alms giving is, though this would be challenged by the Protestants. There was a story between the father and adopted son Nadab and Ahikar, where one led another into darkness, but in the end one was saved while the other fell.

Tobit also prophesied about the diaspora and the return of the Israelites. He also mentioned the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the Temple in glory and the future era when all gentiles in the world would abandon their idols and come to worship at Jerusalem. These prophecies perhaps span across different time periods, including the rebuilding of the Temple, and later on the reign of our Lord Jesus on earth where every nation will gather in worship.





14 Tobit’s Final Counsel
 Here Tobit ended his words of praise. 2 He was fifty-eight years old when he lost his sight, and after eight years he regained it. He gave alms, and he continued to fear the Lord God and to praise him. 3 When he had grown very old he called his son and grandsons, and said to him, “My son, take your sons; behold, I have grown old and am about to depart this life. 4 Go to Media, my son, for I fully believe what Jonah the prophet said about Nin′eveh, that it will be overthrown. But in Media there will be peace for a time. Our brethren will be scattered over the earth from the good land, and Jerusalem will be desolate. The house of God in it will be burned down and will be in ruins for a time. 5 But God will again have mercy on them, and bring them back into their land; and they will rebuild the house of God,[a] though it will not be like the former one until the times of the age are completed. After this they will return from the places of their captivity, and will rebuild Jerusalem in splendor. And the house of God will be rebuilt there with a glorious building for all generations for ever, just as the prophets said of it. 6 Then all the Gentiles will turn to fear the Lord God in truth, and will bury their idols. 7 All the Gentiles will praise the Lord, and his people will give thanks to God, and the Lord will exalt his people. And all who love the Lord God in truth and righteousness will rejoice, showing mercy to our brethren.

8 “So now, my son, leave Nin′eveh, because what the prophet Jonah said will surely happen. 9 But keep the law and the commandments, and be merciful and just, so that it may be well with you. 10 Bury me properly, and your mother with me. And do not live in Nin′eveh any longer. See, my son, what Nadab[b] did to Ahi′kar who had reared him, how he brought him from light into darkness, and with what he repaid him. But Ahi′kar was saved, and the other received repayment as he himself went down into the darkness. Ahi′kar[c] gave alms and escaped the deathtrap which Nadab[d] had set for him; but Nadab[e] fell into the trap and perished. 11 So now, my children, consider what almsgiving accomplishes and how righteousness delivers.” As he said this he died in his bed. He was a hundred and fifty-eight years old; and Tobi′as[f] gave him a magnificent funeral. 12 And when Anna died he buried her with his father.

Death of Tobit and Anna
Then Tobi′as returned with his wife and his sons to Ecbat′ana, to Rag′uel his father-in-law. 13 He grew old with honor, and he gave his father-in-law and mother-in-law magnificent funerals. He inherited their property and that of his father Tobit. 14 He died in Ecbat′ana of Media at the age of a hundred and twenty-seven years. 15 But before he died he heard of the destruction of Nin′eveh, which Nebuchadnez′zar and Ahasu-e′rus had captured. Before his death he rejoiced over Nin′eveh.