1.十八年正月二十二日，亚述王尼布甲尼撒在宫中议论要对整个地区施行他的报复，正如他所说的。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.他召集所有的官员和所有的贵族，将他的秘密计划告诉他们，并亲口详细讲述了该地区的一切邪恶；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;
3.于是决定凡不听从他命令的人都要被消灭。and it was decided that every one who had not obeyed his command should be destroyed.
4.他提出计划后，亚述王尼布甲尼撒召见他的大将何乐弗尼，这位将军在军中仅次于尼布甲尼撒，尼布甲尼撒对他说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.“大王，地上的主这样说：你离开我面前的时候，要带上一百二十万步兵和一万二千骑兵，他们都信任自己的力量。“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.前往并攻击整个西方国家，因为他们不服从我的命令。Go and attack the whole west country, because they disobeyed my orders.
7.告诉他们要准备好泥土和水，因为我要在我的愤怒中对付他们，并要用我的军队的脚踏遍全地，并要将他们交给我的军队任意掠夺，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,
8.直到他们的伤者充满山谷，每一条小河和大河都充满了他们的尸体，并且溢流；till their wounded shall fill their valleys, and every brook and river shall be filled with their dead, and overflow;
9.我必将他们掳到全地的尽头。and I will lead them away captive to the ends of the whole earth.
10.你要先为我占领他们的所有领地，他们必投降于你，你要替我保守他们，直到他们受审的日子。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.但若他们拒绝，你的眼不可饶恕他们，你要将他们交给杀戮和掳掠，在你所住的全地。But if they refuse, your eye shall not spare and you shall hand them over to slaughter and plunder throughout your whole region.
12.我亲自起誓，凭着我的国权，所说的话必然由我亲手施行。For as I live, and by the power of my kingdom, what I have spoken my hand will execute.
13.你要谨慎，不可违背你所侍奉的君王的任何命令，务必按照我所吩咐你的去做，不可延缓。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.”
14.荷罗孚尼的战役 如此，荷罗孚尼离开他主人的面前，聚集了亚述军队中所有的将领、将军和官长，Campaign of Holofernes So Holofer′nes left the presence of his master, and called together all the commanders, generals, and officers of the Assyrian army,
15.并按照他主人的命令，按照部队编制召集精兵，一共十二万人，还有一个辅助部队，马上弓箭手一万二千人，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.他把他们组织起来，就像一支大军准备出征一样。and he organized them as a great army is marshaled for a campaign.
17.他收集了大量的骆驼、驴和骡子用于运输，以及无数的羊、牛和山羊用于供应；He collected a vast number of camels and asses and mules for transport, and innumerable sheep and oxen and goats for provision;
18.还有足够每个人吃的食物，并且有大量从皇宫里得来的金银。also plenty of food for every man, and a huge amount of gold and silver from the royal palace.
19.于是，他带领整个军队出发，在尼布甲尼撒王之前，向西用战车、骑兵和精锐的步兵遮蔽大地的整个面貌。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.他们一起去的，还有混杂的群众，如同蝗虫一般，如同地上的尘土——不能数计的众人。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.他们从尼尼微出发，向北行军三天，来到伯提利的平原，在上基利家北边的山旁，靠近伯提利扎营。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.从那里，荷罗孚尼斯带领他的全部军队，包括步兵、骑兵和战车，向山地进发From there Holofer′nes took his whole army, his infantry, cavalry, and chariots, and went up into the hill country
23.并蹂躏了普特和路德，掠夺了拉撒斯人和以实玛利人所有的财物，就是住在切勒亚境内、住在旷野南边的以实玛利人。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.他沿着幼发拉底河，穿过美索不达米亚，毁灭了从阿伯隆小河到海为止的一切山顶城邑。Then he followed the Euphra′tes and passed through Mesopota′mia and destroyed all the hilltop cities along the brook Abron, as far as the sea.
25.他还占领了基利家地区，杀死所有抵抗他的人，来到了雅弗的南部边界，面对阿拉伯。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.他包围了所有的米甸人，烧毁了他们的帐篷，掠夺了他们的羊圈。He surrounded all the Mid′ianites, and burned their tents and plundered their sheepfolds.
27.他于是下到大马士革的平原，在收麦的时候，烧毁了他们所有的田地，杀死了他们所有的牛羊，攻占了他们的城市，毁坏了他们的土地，并用刀杀死了他们所有的年轻人。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.他所到之处，沿海一带的居民，西顿人、推罗人，以及苏尔和奥基纳的居民，和雅米尼亚的所有居民，都非常惧怕他。住在亚杜、亚实基伦的人极其惧怕他。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.