Achior gives Holofernes an account of the people of Israel.

 1 And it was told Holofernes the general of the army of the Assyrians, that the children of Israel prepared themselves to resist, and had shut up the ways of the mountains.
Nuntiatumque est Holoferni principi militiae Assyriorum, quod filii Israel praepararent se ad resistendum, ac montium itinera conclusissent,

 2 And he was transported with exceeding great fury and indignation, and he called all the princes of Moab and the leaders of Amman.
et furore nimio exarsit in iracundia magna, vocavitque omnes principes Moab et duces Ammon,

 3 And he said to them: Tell me what is this people that besetteth the mountains: or what are their cities, and of what sort, and how great: also what is their power, or what is their multitude: or who is the king over their warfare:
et dixit eis : Dicite mihi quis sit populus iste, qui montana obsidet : aut quae, et quales, et quantae sint civitates eorum : quae etiam sit virtus eorum, aut quae sit multitudo eorum : vel quis rex militiae illorum :

 4 And why they above all that dwell in the east, have despised us, and have not come out to meet us, that they might receive us with peace?
et quare prae omnibus, qui habitant in oriente, isti contempserunt nos, et non exierunt obviam nobis ut susciperent nos cum pace?

 5 Then Achior captain of all the children of Ammon answering, said: If thou vouch safe, my lord, to hear, I will tell the truth in thy sight concerning this people, that dwelleth in the mountains, and there shall not a false word come out of my mouth.
Tunc Achior dux omnium filiorum Ammon respondens, ait : Si digneris audire, domine mi, dicam veritatem in conspectu tuo de populo isto, qui in montanis habitat, et non egredietur verbum falsum ex ore meo.

 6 This people is of the offspring of the Chaldeans.
Populus iste ex progenie Chaldaeorum est.

 7 They dwelt first in Mesopotamia, because they would not follow the gods of their fathers, who were in the land of the Chaldeans.
Hic primum in Mesopotamia habitavit, quoniam noluerunt sequi deos patrum suorum, qui erant in terra Chaldaeorum.

 8 Wherefore forsaking the ceremonies of their fathers, which consisted in the worship of many gods,
Deserentes itaque caeremonias patrum suorum, quae in multitudine deorum erant,

 9 They worshipped one God of heaven, who also commanded them to depart from thence, and to dwell in Charan. And when there was a famine over all the land, they went down into Egypt, and there for four hundred years were so multiplied, that the army of them could not be numbered.
unum Deum caeli coluerunt, qui et praecepit eis ut exirent inde et habitarent in Charan. Cumque operuisset omnem terram fames, descenderunt in Aegyptum, illicque per quadringentos annos sic multiplicati sunt, ut dinumerari eorum non posset exercitus.

 10 And when the king of Egypt oppressed them, and made slaves of them to labour in clay and brick, in the building of his cities, they cried to their Lord, and he struck the whole land of Egypt with divers plagues.
Cumque gravaret eos rex Aegypti, atque in aedificationibus urbium suarum in luto et latere subjugasset eos, clamaverunt ad Dominum suum, et percussit totam terram Aegypti plagis variis.

 11 And when the Egyptians had cast them out from them, and the plague had ceased from them, and they had a mind to take them again, and bring them back to their service,
Cumque ejecissent eos Aegyptii a se, et cessasset plaga ab eis, et iterum eos vellent capere, et ad suum servitium revocare,

 12 The God of heaven opened the sea to them in their flight, so that the waters were made to stand firm as a wall on either side, and they walked through the bottom of the sea and passed it dry foot.
fugientibus his, Deus caeli mare aperuit, ita ut hinc inde aquae quasi murus solidarentur, et isti pede sicco fundum maris perambulando transirent.

 13 And when an innumerable army of the Egyptians pursued after them in that place, they were so overwhelmed with the waters, that there was not one left, to tell what had happened to posterity.
In quo loco dum innumerabilis exercitus Aegyptiorum eos persequeretur, ita aquis coopertus est, ut non remaneret vel unus, qui factum posteris nuntiaret.

 14 And after they came out of the Red Sea, they abode in the deserts of mount Sina, in which never man could dwell, or son of man rested.
Egressi vero mare Rubrum, deserta Sina montis occupaverunt, in quibus numquam homo habitare potuit, vel filius hominis requievit.

 15 There bitter fountains were made sweet for them to drink, and for forty years they received food from heaven.
Illic fontes amari obdulcati sunt eis ad bibendum, et per annos quadraginta annonam de caelo consecuti sunt.

 16 Wheresoever they went in without bow and arrow, and without shield and sword, their God fought for them and overcame.
Ubicumque ingressi sunt sine arcu et sagitta, et absque scuto et gladio, Deus eorum pugnavit pro eis, et vicit.

 17 And there was no one that triumphed over this people, but when they departed from the worship of the Lord their God.
Et non fuit qui insultaret populo isti, nisi quando recessit a cultu Domini Dei sui.

 18 But as often as beside their own God, they worshipped any other, they were given to spoil, and to the sword, and to reproach.
Quotiescumque autem praeter ipsum Deum suum, alterum coluerunt, dati sunt in praedam, et in gladium, et in opprobrium.

 19 And as often as they were penitent for having revolted from the worship of their God, the God of heaven gave them power to resist.
Quotiescumque autem poenituerunt se recessisse a cultura Dei sui, dedit eis Deus caeli virtutem resistendi.

 20 So they overthrew the king of the Chanaanites, and of the Jebusites, and of the Pherezites, and of the Hethites, and of the Hevites, and of the Amorrhites, and all the mighty ones in Hesebon, and they possessed their lands, and their cities:
Denique Chananaeum regem, et Jebusaeum, et Pherezaeum, et Hethaeum, et Hevaeum, et Amorrhaeum, et omnes potentes in Hesebon prostraverunt, et terras eorum, et civitates eorum ipsi possederunt :

 21 And as long as they sinned not in the sight of their God, it was well with them: for their God hateth iniquity.
et usque dum non peccarent in conspectu Dei sui, erant cum illis bona : Deus enim illorum odit iniquitatem.

 22 And even some years ago when they had revolted from the way which God had given them to walk therein, they were destroyed in battles by many nations, and very many of them were led away captive into a strange land.
Nam et ante hos annos cum recessissent a via, quam dederat illis Deus, ut ambularent in ea, exterminati sunt praeliis a multis nationibus, et plurimi eorum captivi abducti sunt in terram non suam.

 23 But of late returning to the Lord their God, from the different places wherein they were scattered, they are come together and are gone up into all these mountains, and possess Jerusalem again, where their holies are.
Nuper autem reversi ad Dominum Deum suum, ex dispersione qua dispersi fuerant, adunati sunt, et ascenderunt montana haec omnia, et iterum possident Jerusalem, ubi sunt sancta eorum.

 24 Now therefore, my lord, search if there be any iniquity of theirs in the sight of their God: let us go up to them, because their God will surely deliver them to thee, and they shall be brought under the yoke of thy power:
Nunc ergo mi domine, perquire si est aliqua iniquitas eorum in conspectu Dei eorum : ascendamus ad illos, quoniam tradens tradet illos Deus eorum tibi, et subjugati erunt sub jugo potentiae tuae.

 25 But if there be no offense of this people in the sight of their God, we can not resist them, because their God will defend them: and we shall be a reproach to the whole earth.
Si vero non est offensio populi hujus coram Deo suo, non poterimus resistere illis, quoniam Deus eorum defendet illos : et erimus in opprobrium universae terrae.

 26 And it came to pass, when Achior had ceased to speak these words, all the great men of Holofernes were angry, and they had a mind to kill him, saying to each other:
Et factum est, cum cessasset loqui Achior verba haec, irati sunt omnes magnates Holofernis, et cogitabant interficere eum, dicentes ad alterutrum :

 27 Who is this, that saith the children of Israel can resist king Nabuchodonosor, and his armies, men unarmed, and without force, and without skill in the art of war?
Quis est iste, qui filios Israel posse dicat resistere regi Nabuchodonosor, et exercitibus ejus, homines inermes, et sine virtute, et sine peritia artis pugnae?

 28 That Achior therefore may know that he deceiveth us, let us go up into the mountains: and when the bravest of them shall be taken, then shall he with them be stabbed with the sword:
Ut ergo agnoscat Achior quoniam fallit nos, ascendamus in montana : et cum capti fuerint potentes eorum, tunc cum eisdem gladio transverberabitur :

 29 That every nation may know that Nabuchodonosor is god of the earth, and besides him there is no other.
ut sciat omnis gens quoniam Nabuchodonosor deus terrae est, et praeter ipsum alius non est.