Judith 4

¹Then the children of Israel, which dwelt in the Land of Juda, hearing these things, were sore afraid of his presence.

²Trembling also, & horror invaded their senses, lest he would do that to Jerusalem and to the temple of our Lord, which he had done to other cities, & their temples.

³And they sent into all Samaria round about, as far as Jericho, and preoccupated all the tops of mountains:

⁴and they compassed their towns with walls, and gathered together corn for provision of battle.

⁵Eliachim the Priest wrote to all, that were against Esdrelon, which is against the face of the great field beside Dothain, and to all, by whom there might be passage of way,

⁶that they should take the ascents of the mountains, by which there might be way to Jerusalem, and should keep watch, where the way was narrow between the mountains.

⁷And the children of Israel did according as the Priest of our Lord Eliachim had appointed them.

⁸And all the people cried to our Lord with great instance, and they humbled their souls in fastings, and prayers, they and their wives.

⁹And the Priests put on hair-cloths, and they laid the infants prostrate against the face of the temple of our Lord, and the altar of our Lord they covered with hair-cloth:

¹⁰and they cried to our Lord the God of Israel with one accord, that their infants might not be given into prey, and their wives into spoil, & their cities into destruction, and their holy things into pollution, and they be made a reproach to the Gentiles.

¹¹Then Eliachim the high Priest of our Lord went about all Israel and spake to them,

¹²saying: Know ye, that our Lord will hear your prayers, if continuing you continue in fastings and prayers in the sight of our Lord.

¹³Be mindful of Moyses the servant of our Lord, who overthrew Amalec trusting in his power, and in his might, and in his army, & in his shields, and in his chariots, and in his horsemen, not by fighting, but with holy prayers:

¹⁴so shall all the enemies of Israel be, if you persevere in this work, which you have begun.

¹⁵They therefore at this exhortation of his, beseeching our Lord, continued in the sight of our Lord,

¹⁶so that they also which offered the holocausts to our Lord, did offer the sacrifices to our Lord girded with hair-cloths, and there were ashes upon their head.

¹⁷And they all prayed God with all their heart, that he would visit his people Israel.