1.针对以色列人的议会 当亚述军队的将军何乐弗尼听说以色列人民已经为战争做好了准备，并封锁了山丘中的通道，加固了所有高山的山顶，并在平原上设置了路障，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.他非常愤怒，因此他召集了摩押的所有首领和亚扪的军长，以及所有沿海地区的省长，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.对他们说，你们这些迦南人，告诉我，住在山地的居民是何种族，他们的城市有哪些，他们的军队有多大，他们的力量或实力在哪里，他们的王是谁，带领他们的军队？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.他们独自一人，在西方所有居住的人中，为什么拒绝出来见我？And why have they alone, of all who live in the west, refused to come out and meet me?”
5.亚希多的报告 亚希多，就是所有亚扪人的首领，对他说，愿我的主现在听从您的仆人的话，我要将关于住在附近山区的这群人的真相告诉您，仆人绝不会有半点虚假的话从口中说出。Achior’s Report 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.这个民族源自迦勒底人。This people is descended from the Chalde′ans.
7.他们曾经住在美索不达米亚，因为他们不肯遵从他们的祖先在迦勒底所侍奉的神。At one time they lived in Mesopota′mia, because they would not follow the gods of their fathers who were in Chalde′a.
8.因为他们已经离弃了祖先的风俗，他们敬拜天上的神，就是他们所认识的神；因此他们被赶出离开他们的神面前，他们逃到美索不达米亚，并在那里居住了很长时间。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.于是，他们的神命令他们离开居住的地方，前往迦南地。在那里，他们居住下来，并繁荣起来，拥有大量的黄金、白银和许多牲畜。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.当饥荒遍布迦南时，他们便下到埃及，住在那里，直到他们有足够的食物；就在那里，他们成为一大群人——如此众多，以至于他们无法被计算。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.于是埃及王对他们怀恨在心，利用他们，强迫他们作砖，压迫他们，使他们受苦，成为他的奴隶。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.于是他们向自己的神祷告，神就用无法治愈的瘟疫击打了埃及的全地，埃及人就把他们从眼前赶出去。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.然后神在他们面前使红海干涸，Then God dried up the Red Sea before them,
14.他引领他们从西奈和加低斯巴尼亚走过的道路，并将旷野所有的居民赶出去。and he led them by the way of Sinai and Ka′desh-bar′nea, and drove out all the people of the wilderness.
15.于是，他们住在亚摩利人的地上，凭着自己的力量消灭了赫斯本所有的居民，渡过约旦河，占领了所有的山地。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.他们在面前赶出迦南人、比利洗人、耶布斯人、示劍人和所有基耳基洗人，住在那里很长时间。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.只要他们不违背自己的神，他们就会繁荣，因为憎恶邪恶的神与他们同在。As long as they did not sin against their God they prospered, for the God who hates iniquity is with them.
18.但当他们偏离了上帝为他们所规定的道路时，他们在许多战役中彻底失败，并被俘虏到异国他乡；他们的神庙被夷为平地，他们的城市被敌人占领。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.但现在他们已经回到自己的神那里，从被散放的地方回来了，占领了耶路撒冷，在那里有他们的圣所，并且在山地定居，因为那里无人居住。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.如今，我的主我的君，如果这民中有无知的过错，他们得罪了他们的神，我们知道了他们的罪孽，我们就要上去击败他们。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.但如果他们的国家没有过错，就请我的主放过他们，因为他们的主会保护他们，他们的神会保佑他们，我们就会在全世界面前蒙羞。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.阿基奥说完了这些话，围绕帐幕站立的所有人开始发怨言，荷罗孚尼的军官和沿海及莫押所有的人都坚持要杀死他。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.“因为”，他们说，“我们不怕以色列人，他们是没有力量和作战能力的民族。“For,” they said, “we will not be afraid of the Israelites; they are a people with no strength or power for making war.
24.因此我们上去吧，霍罗芬奈斯主，他们将被你的庞大军队吞噬。Therefore let us go up, Lord Holofer′nes, and they will be devoured by your vast army.”